Tannochsidebear

We are top seeds for a reason, so anything less than 1st place is statistically a failure. We have beaten far better sides than these 3 in the last couple of years. The bonus of missing a round plus additional bonuses for topping the group is the only target we should have. And then I remember Beale is still our manager, our star European performers are mostly gone, and our new recruits we have to give at least a year to bed in, so as long as we get 3rd place and drop into the diddy diddy cup that would be acceptable now wouldn't it?

Limassol completes the group

Sparta Prague again

Real Betis in our group

I’m clearly not explaining myself very well so let me be clear. I hope they scummy chunts never ever get another ticket for Ibrox. Is that clear enough? What I’m saying is I can understand the argument for restoring allocations to boost the profile of the game worldwide. I stopped going to the piggery about 2009 or so when ticket prices went over £40 and I decided to not be ripped off any longer, and my seat is in the Copland, so it doesn’t affect me personally if allocations are to be reinstated. I would be raging if the scum got the corner again and we got the restricted view corner at the piggery. That’s not fair or equal and our club must fight against that. If we give the Broomie we must get the same seating behind the goal over there. That should be our red line. We have bigger issues to deal with.

No its about building a sellable brand to a worldwide market. We moan about the tv deals we get in this country, but then are doing everything we can to diminish the one sellable fixture to a worldwide market that we have to promote. I hated them being there, especially when we didnt win, but I can understand that is what makes the game so attractive to an otherwise passive audience. Would it be worth this sacrifice to gain a much bigger tv contract that in turn allows us to be stronger? Maybe so, maybe not, thats why it is a debating forum. Come Sunday I will be much happier for that two hours not having to see and hear the scum at the other end of the stadium, and if we give them a tanking then even better. But without that poisonous atmosphere then it is just another game between two pretty poor football teams for worldwide neutrals.

I wouldn't mind giving them the full Broomie again, as long as we got the same location at their midden, not stuck in the corner with restricted views. The only reason we have a famous fixture (and the worldwide interest) is the atmosphere and rivalry at these fixtures, which has been diluted since the allocations were restricted. The poisonous atmosphere is a sellable asset and while the SPFL couldnt sell water in a desert this is still the best change we have of getting bigger tv deals which is what we all need. On the basis that it seems really unlikely that we will ever return to this, I can definitely see a return to around 1000 tickets each, and for me this has to be up in the rear of the club deck out of sight of the cameras. Police it properly and it should be no problem. Sell the season tickets accordingly like we used to do, which was effectively a ST for all home games apart from the OF games.

cheers @CammyF, i'm still thinking there must have been another successful one in the last 15 years but I'm not coming up with anything!

Was Charlie Adam's loan to St Mirren further back than McGregor? Says a lot if those two were the last successful ones!

Not at all, i'm hoping we win every game, come third in the CL group stages and win the league and domestic cups. But under Beale I am expecting failure, and so I dont want to lose someone I value as one of our better players who is contracted for another 3 years and IMO could do us a very good job because this manager's ego gets in the way when i personally dont believe he will be manager past Xmas. Of course the way Brenda is going across the road may well mean Beale gets more leeway. 2 wins in the next week and I will be having massive amounts of humble pie, with a huge grin on my face!

Went for Roofe, but Tav, Souttar and Borna were all good too. No real 9/10 performances but a lot of 7's in a competant display where at HT I thought we had played well and the second half would be pffft and so it panned out. Under Beale we just dont play a good 90 mins. We may have to do this twice in the next 7 days if our season is to meet its objectives.

As regards Hagi, a 6 month loan will probably be sufficient to see the back of Beale and then a new manager will hopefully see the talent there and not be so pig-headed and egotistical and just use Hagi properly.

McGregor, c2006?

Ross county 0 Rangers 3 fgs Roofe

I dont think it was Richard Wilson, it was a Richard Winton. Havent seen Wilson's name mentioned on BBC for quite some time and thought he had gone. This appears to be a newbie perhaps?

Son of the former SFA president David Taylor, so the rabid will be claiming more ammunition that the SFA are all pure Rainjurs an that. It doesnt actually say anywhere in the lengthy introduction piece that he or his family have ever supported Rangers, which leads me to think he doesnt/didnt. I dont mind that at all as it doesnt prevent him from doing a good job, as long as he is not a bheast because that most certainly would.

Smacks of trying hard to keep the tie alive. 4-3-2-1 formation? The big money striker on the bench?

Rangers 2 PSV 1 fgs Dessers

And yet he still somehow manages to look like an utter carthorse. If he keeps those numbers up throughout then it will speak for itself, but there just doesnt look like a player in there to me at this early stage. Looks like a downgrade on Colak.

Poor Connie was absolutely devastated, and then when Michael Stewart picks us out at home oh how I laughed at the coupon on it. Worth the subscription fee alone.

While Matondo was much improved and looked our main (only?) threat for an hour, his finishing is abysmal and so I’ve gone for Hagi. What a super player he is, and by all accounts a great post match interview as well. If Beale continues to ignore him it will cost us, and maybe him too.

Rangers 3 Morton 0 fgs Dessers

Goldson & Jack will definitely be rested as they cant play 2 a week. Cantwell should be protected, Tav should be rested and Sterling should be given a chance at RB, and not sure which of the options up front will be selected, as all of them (Dessers, Lammers, Danilo, Sima, Roofe, Matondo) need game time and to find form ahead of a massive two weeks with the double header with PSV, a tough trip to Dingwall and then the must-win OF game before the first break.

You’re starting to come round I see! Seriously though I appreciate you taking the time to explain how the xG system works. I don’t buy into it because of the very way it is calculated as the debate in this thread has shown. To calculate a xG for a certain chance on an average of thousands of similar opportunities across hugely varying standards of football doesn’t tell you accurately if a Rangers player should have scored or not. For that to be accurate it would have to be calculated only against similar standards of player, not all-comers. Even then there are too many variables, with key ingredients missing like the importance of the chance in the match context, the importance of the match. If a player smashes the xG based on the above that would be hugely impressive, but if he only gets above xG when his team are winning 4-0 or in friendlies then it’s less impressive . I accept for those who can overlook all these important aspects and just buy into it for what it is, it is a great debating point.

Servette 1 Rangers 2 fgs Danilo