Tannochsidebear

It seems a given that promotion will be easily accomplished, possibly with a record points total, record goals scored, record goal difference, perhaps unbeaten. The Challenge Cup is a must given the level of teams in it and our main rival for this was defeated in round 1. That leaves us the two main domestic cups. St Johnstone should be easily brushed aside in a couple of weeks and then we will see how the draw pans out with whoever remains. The one thing we are not sure about is how our side will fare against top sides from the top tier. We can have a guide to this from previous meetings in the last year or so with a side completely unrecognisable from how we are playing now. We beat some Premiership sides, and lost to the bheasts at Hampden in a game where we had absolutely no confidence, an absolutely pathetic caretaker manager who didnt want to be there, and still we were not disgraced by probably the worst celtic side since the early 90's when they were bankrupt. Since that game, celtic have continued their slide downwards, while we have been revitalised, rejuvenated, are full of confidence with a good manager, a solid squad if a little light, and are playing a brand of football that I dont think any side in Scotland can cope with. However there have been periods of the games against Hibs & St Mirren at Ibrox where we were not dominant and were posed problems by our opponents, showing that we are far from the finished article. The January transfer window should see us strengthen again as a building block for next season, and if we can get in a bit more quality and depth, and our defence gels a bit more, then we can be a force in the second half of the season, which of course is when the league cup semis & finals, and almost the entire scottish cup take place. Winning the Scottish Cup should be a major aim for this season, as it brings with it a pathway into the Europa League and some much-needed European income and return to European competition that we will need both for our development and for player recruitment purposes. Our Championship position should enable us to focus fully on the cups next Spring, and this for me is what I would like us to target. Having already put my money where my mouth is and backed us to win both of these cups with the bookies, it is only a bad run of injuries and suspensions that can prevent us from making a big impression of these tournaments this season. Of course, even when we were by far the best side in Scotland, we didnt always win the cups, and in cup football if you have an off day when your opponent carries the luck you can go out, and if that happens fair enough, but I just cannot see any team in Scotland dishing out a dominant defeat to us with our side playing this brand of football.

Isn't it a joy to watch our team these days. Some of the passing, movement, individual pieces of skill, closing down opponents, were all simply stunning to watch. I dont remember seeing a Rangers side playing this fluently since Advocaat's first couple of seasons, which is coming up for 20 years ago now. While DA spent heavily and brought in international level quality, MW has done it on the cheap. Obviously DA's side were playing at a much higher level, and we could outplay top European sides like Parma, Leverkusen, Monaco while our current side is beating Airdrie & Raith so the comparisons are not entirely fair. All that matters to us fans just now is that we are enjoying going to see our team for the first time in years, we have our mojo (no, not that one!) back, the future is looking good and we can't wait until the next game.

So only 4 days after the window shuts after having been open for two months we have a story linking a player with a move away. On what planet are any readers supposed to take articles like this seriously?

Will be interesting to see what he says after they play at the peodo-dome in a couple of weeks by way of comparison.

I personally sing "but he said no tae that". It fits just as well.

Wow, that is quite the admission that sectarian hatred was the real reason Turnbull Hutton was so outspoken in 2012 about us. Cosy wee chats with an out and out sectarian bigot at the time where he was supposed to be doing what was best for his club and for Scottish football, and all they seem to have been interested in was how to hurt Rangers. I see this clown Drysdale is continuing Hutton's hatred of our club on behalf of his wee club. Perhaps he should spend more time trying to get more than a few hundred fans through the door of his club. Hopefully relegation beckons.

please please please give me jury duty that week!! I can say for certain that I dont read the papers and therefore are unaware of prejudicial ramblings contained therein.

UEFA will back the SFA/SPFL 100% no matter the facts. The blazers look out for each other.

The fact that we have leapt to the defence of Davie Weir here will hopefully energise the performance yet further tomorrow. We know Raith will come and defend in numbers, an early goal will hopefully lead to an onslaught of goals and the perfect retort to their attention seeking non-complaint. These type of things happen often between clubs and the SFA/SPFL. What is not normal is RR blasting this all over social media and in press releases to stoke up a non-story. Not professional behaviour from a thoroughly despised club. Any good feeling we had for them from 20 years ago and a can of coke has long since gone.

Very surprised at that appointment I must admit. While Campbell Dallas are a thoroughly professional firm that I have had a few dealings with in recent years (including talking to their insolvency partner in 2012 about our position), I am stunned that our board think they are big enough or prestigious enough to be our auditors. There must be a personal relationship between one of our board and a partner at CD.

A very interesting slant on our story of these last few years. Makes a nice wee Friday morning read. (Although you are right, it is not a match preview or anything resembling one!)

The author is almost right in his last sentence. It is clear that we will be guilty in the eyes of Scottish football EVEN if we are proven innocent. Their hatred of us, so clearly shown in 2012, is so deep that any facts to emerge through the courts will be ignored, or excused away as irrelevant.

We had his girlfriend travel on our bus to Dumfries last week, a lovely quiet girl, and I like the level-headed, respectful way these boys have come up and gone about their business in the most professional way.

This was always going to be a 4 window transformation. I think the additions of Wes, Tav, Wilson, Kiernan, Ball, Halliday, Holt, Gedion, Waghorn, Oduwa, for the first window, together with the revitalisation of McKay, Clark, Law, Wallace, Templeton under proper management gives us enough for this 4 month half-season. I fully expect more development of the squad in January, and further strengthening next summer for our tilt at 55. After our club being torn apart then neglected for the last 4 years, it is great to see us being rebuilt properly, play attractive winning football, have boardroom stability, and a positive future. Anyone expecting us to be the finished article at this stage probably also believes in the innocence of those scumbags charged with serious crimes against our club today in court. There may be blips along the way, but we have the luxury of having an easy tilt at the title and can afford the odd slip-up, and we must be patient and look towards the growth and steady improvement of our squad to challenge for the 16-17 top tier title.

If the SPFL told me today was Tuesday I would be checking the calendar. Quite simply anything that comes out of there needs to be taken with salt mountains, including something as silly as TOTW. When you have a look at their POTY awards for the last few years, their panels of "experts" must consist of either blind people, or people who have no knowledge of Scottish football, like tabloid football writers at Scottish papers.

The club has to act now. It has accepted their blank assurances, issued a pathetic unclear statement giving him back his press pass, and within hours were getting mixed messages from BBC employees, and now this old topic being re-raised by the one guy who is supposed to have assured us of absolute non-bias and fair reporting. For McLaughlin to have brought up the club has been liquidated pish again, is a blatant attempt to show us that he will continue to do and say as he pleases. Life ban for that tosser please, and a full and hard-hitting statement that BBC have already reneged on their assurances and we will have nothing more to do with them. If they have a contract to show games in the league cup from Ibrox, then fine, but they dont get access to players or management, they dont get access to pressers.

Another glaring example of a headline bearing no resemblance to the quotes.

Just finished reading that on FF and was going to cut/paste it here but as usual the ever-efficient Ian is on the ball, thanks for that. A really good article, all the more surprising that it appeared in a Scottish newspaper!!

On the face of it another strong appointment to our management team. I suppose it would depend on how long he was with SPFL if I would call it successful, given they had no main sponsors for a long time. The other mentions from his CV are more interesting, especially the UEFA one.

That ship has sailed for me, he doesnt have the work ethic to fit into our side as it is now. A decent forward player for a certain level, but that level is not where we want to be.

Scumbags don't change in their outright hatred of us. Disappointed we believed their petty assurances as genuine. We could run a sweep for how long it will take for BBC Scotland to revert to type, and McLaughlin in particular. I would say within a month, and I am being generous.

I am loving the examples shown above guys, good work. Havent seen that Souness revolution one before, thats a belter. Is that wee Mo with the bleach blond hair perhaps lol!

How good would that be if the big Irish Catholic that played for Rangers busted their last free chance of a treble. I can hear the Ronnie Roar from here as his arse hits the pavement outside the paedodome!!

Our weak defence is the only thing that prevents me from backing us for a clean sweep of available trophies this season. In a cup-tie, if we have an off-day and do everything but score, we will always give up chances to the opponents so we will lose games. Which games these are will determine how many trophies we win this season.

It was actually quite close to a OF game at Ibrox as the very next ball to be drawn after St Johnstone came out was the bheasts!