Tannochsidebear

Our bus is leaving at 3pm for the trip north, southside of Glasgow. Horrible timing of the fixture, still not decided if im going or not, but the thought of watching on tv with Sutton for company is pushing me towards a 10 hour round trip instead!

There are 4 games in the SPFL Prem this Saturday, and draws for Ross County (at Tynecastle - quite possible after Saturday at Ibrox) and Motherwell (at Thistle - perfectly reasonable to expect at least a draw for them) coupled with a win for Dundee at ICT (again quite possible) would see us going into an always difficult to get anything out of game at Dolly in 8TH POSITION. Talk about putting pressure on us to get a result up there, can you imagine the pressure on our side if we kick off at Pittodrie in 8th spot? Never mind the orgasmic nature of the media who will be in overdrive, not that I personally take any notice of them but sadly still plenty do. We wouldnt be the first Rangers side to get beaten at Pittodrie, and when you add in how bad our record in tough away games is under MW (1 in in 6 away games against the playoff sides in the Champ last year and defeat at the piggery this year), it doesnt take a stretch to see us finish next weekend in 8th place. For a bit of balance, if we get a win and other results go our way we can be in second place 1 point behind the scum. Thoughts?

I get that GS, I think it strange that their defenders can therefore make more saves than the keeper. Perhaps that happens with proper defenders, but its not something I have seen before!

The official site match stats are usually about as accurate as a Greg Aitken decision. Did Ross County really have 42% of the ball? How can we have 11 shots on target with the keeper only making 5 saves, yet from their 2 shots on target Wes makes 3 saves?

Didnt notice it at the time Ian, so me and the compliance officer will not do any more about finding it, as I dont watch Sportscene, and even if i did, it wont make the highlights reel as the Rangers player was the victim rather than the perp. Unless of course Ross County are due to play the tims in the next two games, then he will get done for it. Sadly, i'm not even really joking.

"or if their behaviour expresses hatred towards another person based on their religious affiliations, " Hanging an effigy of a man wearing a sash is 100% a description as outlined in the law above. If it was wearing a papal gown and hat would there still be nothing said?

As others have said above, it may have been directed at the ref after a dreadful first half for him. I hope so as it was a good first half and the game should have been dead by half time but for a lack of composure and a poor final ball but the effort and pace of play int he first half had me applauding the whistle. I dont applaud failure, so if we dont win games that we should, I dont applaud them off. Seeing some fold clapping the team off when they have played terribly and lost does my nut in (not yesterday, more a general point!). All 3 subs weakened our team yesterday, with the only sub I wanted to come on (Forrester) being left on the bench as we brought on 3 players who have done nothing to merit being on the pitch this season. MOH looked like he hadnt a clue where he was supposed to be, Miller is a waste of space who instead of being in the box prefers to hide in midfield where he cant get the blame for any misses, and Nico slowed things down at a time where we had to up the tempo again. I take some comfort out of yesterday in that Holt was back (stood out a mile for me as our best player yesterday), Halliday had his best game in months (perhaps because Holt was beside him?) and Windass had a good first hour before fading badly towards the end. The first hour was as good as we have played since Jan/Feb (OF SF aside) so that was heartening, and with more games for Garner, Waghorn, Holt etc it should start to improve week on week. It will be hugely interesting to see the line-up for Tuesday as we need to build momentum, so we cant make too many changes from Saturday, and we must not lose at home to a lower league side. The trip to Dolly will be a very fearful one if we dont see continued improvement on Tuesday to build on a good hour yesterday.

No, it only happens if Sportscene show it and discuss it in their highlights programme.

I didnt hear any booing at half time, certainly was none around me in the Copland rear. Most fans were appreciative of a much improved first half performance and fairly certain we would go on to win the match. booing at full time was understandable given how badly we tailed off after the subs were made in the second half. If the team doesnt perform and doesnt win, they will hear about it from the fans who feel they deserve better. It has always been thus, and probably will always be in future as well. I dont boo myself, but I certainly dont applaud them off if they dont deserve it. The ones that stand and applaud a poor result/performance annoy me more than the boo brigade!

First half was our best half of the season so far but a combination of poor final ball/finishing had us frustrated at the break, but I was much happier with the performance. It's not the first time I've said this, but Warburtons choice of subs seem done purely as squad rotation and to hell with what it does to the game. Today's subs were the most baffling yet. I knew Holt would only get an hour today anyway, and Waghorn was blowing out his backside and had probably his worst game to date so was rightly hooked, but to bring on Miller, MOH & Nico when Forrester is on the bench and to take Garner off were crazy decisions that I would like to see anyone try to defend. The subs slowed us down, we lost our shape, players were getting in each other's road, Tav & MOH looked like they had never met, and even though he gave Holt 10 mins more than expected as soon as he went off we looked lost at how to break them down. Gone were the runners from midfield, gone was the central forward player to hold it up and bring others into play deep in the box, and gone was the natural width to stretch the 10 man defence. MW is really starting to annoy me with these subs. His lack of tactical awareness and a plan B is going to prevent him from ever managing at a higher level. I don't want him sacked, I want him to learn from his mistakes, for there have been many, and to continue to take us forward. It was never going to be an easy transition from level 2 to top tier, and clearly there are budgetary issues given the wrecking ball our club has suffered in recent years, but no matter who you are 2 wins in 10 league games, with one of those an injury time escape act, is sackable form, with a dangerous cup tie against Top of the second tier QotS and then Dolly away in the next 8 days. Thankfully the performance for the first hour was much more encouraging, and if he has the bottle to keep his side full of pace and the big names (Barton, Nico, Miller) benched, we may just be on the right road again, despite dropping more unnecessary points today.

That headline writer should be sacked. Our club, or Club1872, should be on cases like this asking why that headline didn't mention victim, sectarian assault, or any other proper descriptions of the story that followed. Like a broken down record, I'm going to say again, STOP BUYING SCOTTISH PAPERS, and urge our club again to cease all co-operation with them. The sooner we get the circulations down to critical levels and they go bust, the better.

Didn't get much out of that if I'm honest. I recognise a few of the faces at the top table and a few more in the audience, but as a hustings to try to evaluate who to vote for/not to vote for, it was pretty dull. Every question got just about the same answer from each candidate. For a very well publicised event, the numbers in attendance were abysmal. Nobody does apathy like Rangers supporters!

Looks like it. A good initiative by the club. Anything that adds to the overall match day experience, especially for kids, has got to be a good thing. I hope the weather is kind and this is a success.

Great post Pete. Spot on about the book/ticket. Spot on about Kiernan. I would add Wilson/Hill to that list also!

We have a game tomorrow? Are you sure? You must be wrong, Rangers are in complete meltdown and the MSM are loving it. There is nothing about a game to be found anywhere! That aside, the team and manager owe us a performance and a half after last weeks shambles, if he had any balls he would start with the following; Gilks Tav Crooks Hill Hodson Holt Windass Forrester Ohalloran Garner Waghorn But he doesn't so it will be pretty much the same failures that have bored/scared me so far this season, and I'm expecting undeserved places for Wilson, Wes, Wallace, McKay, Miller, Halliday who have all been right off the boil to date. In days of old after an OF humiliation like that (because that's what it was MW no matter how you tell yourself it wasn't) we would see a massive reaction and in a game like this we would be 2 up in 10 minutes, fighting for every ball, playing with pace and power. Please, Rangers, give us that tomorrow and end this most horrible of weeks in a positive fashion. It won't quite be all forgiven but the shoots of recovery will be most welcome.

Wilson & Hill is just as good/bad as any other combo we have available. We have badly let ourselves down by not getting in central defenders of a sufficient standard. Only 15 league games to go until the window re-opens and we can correct it.

Most of the players wont know it. Make them run the gauntlet, it should fire them up to perform. Obviously that didnt quite go to plan on Saturday though!

Unfortunately Kiernan was very evident last Saturday!

Third is unacceptable. We have by far the largest budget, structure, etc outwith the tims in the league, we supposedly have the best manager and coaches, and a squad that on paper is miles ahead of our rivals bar one. Look at Dolly & Hearts euro campaigns to see their quality. Third would be abject failure.

While these attributes are all what we desire, let's build the team, like all title winning sides, around a solid defence. Unfortunately we need to wait another 16 weeks till the window re-opens before we can even start to put that right!

I must be the only bear, along with the two or three standing beside in Bar72, that completely forgot he was playing until well into the second half. I thought he was anonymous but it seems the majority think he was our best player. I must have been thinking he was someone else for an hour!! As for build a team around him, in the same way we shouldn't write off the majority of the summer signings after a few lacklustre displays, let's not get carried away with one decent appearance (if it was that). If his game is all about pace, drive, attacking, then that ticks a lot of boxes that others don't, but let's see if he can stay injury-free for more than 2 games and deliver some consistency before we start getting all excited. We should surely know that by now.

League results since SCSF; P9 W2 D4 L3 F12 A16 with no clean sheets. Add in the unacceptable SCF for a round 10 games with only 2 wins, one a last minute winner at that. I'm excluding the league cup as everyone (including MW) looked at that as our pre-season. I don't have the answers, and I'm not calling for sackings or anything, but the number in total denial over our decline in the last 5 months is not helping. There has to be a degree of honesty about our situation. We brought in 11 new players after getting rid of around the same number in the summer. Some are well known faces in the twilight of their careers, some youthful prospects at the start of their careers. It seemed on paper to be progress. To date, it hasn't worked with little signs of anything positive happening. Take it back 12 months. MW brought in a similar number of new players, imposed his style and belief on them during a similar timescale of pre-season, and we started the season magnificently with fast, free-flowing, attractive football, scoring lots of goals. Yes it was a lower division but we started against St Mirren, Hibs, QotS & Raith, who aren't much different from Hamilton, Dundee, Kilmarnock, Motherwell in most people's eyes. Why has it gone so horribly wrong this season when it went so right 12 months ago? We are not pressing high up the field which we done last year. Our pace of passing has slowed significantly. Our number of goals has decreased alarmingly. Our individual errors have increased, although it is fair to say our defence were guilty of this last season also. Every Rangers fan you have spoken to over the Warburton era agrees that our defence is rubbish. At first it was give W&K time to gel, then it was they don't get cover from midfield. Most of us called for MW to bring in at least one proper centre half last January, and when it didn't come we said MW must have targets lined up that weren't available until the summer. From the first signing of the summer we waited for the proper centre half to be announced. One squad player after another comes in, Clint Hill in as cover, but no centre half appeared before the 31 Aug deadline, to much dismay. Again, we read excuses about availability, finance, style of play, scouting. Again, they are simply excuses for failure to sort out the one area so desperately requiring major surgery. Senderos clearly was waiting for another club to come in for him, and when the window closed, took this option. Hopefully he can begin to settle in after a debut to forget. Some would suggest this seasons woes are down to a lack of confidence in our defence spreading throughout the team. Others prefer to say our best players are out of form or not match fit yet. Some say bringing in so many players takes time to gel, ignoring our fantastic start last season in similar circumstances. We all have our thoughts on what is wrong. It's a pretty long list. We will hear all week about paying back the fans starting on Saturday at Ibrox. What else can they say after such a capitulation at the home of our enemy? By Saturday the pain may have eased again, and if we manage to secure a victory, any sort of victory, we may hope that the OF game was the wake-up call or turning point. I'm happy to give the manager and his players all season to get it right. The only thing I expect is for us to see evidence of coaching improving the players, and to finish second. With a budget dwarfing all ten rivals for second spot, there is absolutely no excuse for not finishing ahead of the rest. And in January we must use the window to improve the defence at the 4th attempt. As a Rangers fan who has been at almost every game in the last 30 years at home and abroad, it is fair to say my expectations have never been lower, so there is a realisation that our club has been raped and almost killed, and the recovery will continue over the next few years before we can be financially competitive again. But that does not give a free ride to mediocrity. Look again at the form guide at the top of this page. It's hard to even call that mediocre.

Heading to Ibrox to watch the match in Bar72, really hope we turn up today, cut out individual errors in defence, and get a fair crack from Collum. If we do that, I'll happily take any result we get. There has been no evidence of any of these three so far this season, so today would be a very good day to start. Team selection wise, Senderos with either Kiernan or Hill will do, and Waghorn, Garner, McKay must be our front 3. I would prefer a midfield three of Barton, Nico, Forrester but I'm certain MW will bottle it and play his favourites Halliday & Miller. If Wilson was fit he'd play him too. I haven't felt this worried about an OF game (2015 SF apart) in a long time. Hopefully that's a good sign! See you all on the other side, 'mon the Bears!!!!!

They always do that. Make no mistake , he will play.

Club 1872 can publish on their own website, on forums like this, FF and the others, facebook, twitter etc, and send emails to their members. If any bears still dont pick a story up from all that, they clearly arent that interested anyway. There is absolutely no need to give any stories to ANY national newspaper or radio station. The papers will pick it up from the website and run it anyway.