BrahimHemdani

He did a great job for us in the Championship and has bags of natural ability but appears to be a bit of a nomad, so who knows. He's a free agent at the and of this season and I' be delighted to see him back at Ibrox as would many others; however if Kranjcar comes back fit then he might not be starter in the team.

I don't have an anti Zelalem agenda at all; it's just that I have maintained from the outset (against almost everyone else on this site) that he brought very little to Rangers as an attacking midfield player and would not make it Arsenal or at any decent level in the English game. I think that the fact that he's now being loaned out to a club in the Dutch 2nd division, tells you all you need to know about his future prospects with Arsenal or any other top flight European club I bow to your far superior knowledge of the MLS but I did say that he might "possibly" not make it at level and the corollary of that is that he probably will; but that's the best I think he can hope for. Let's be honest here, do you think he can establish himself at any top league team in any of the major European countries? Emerson Hyndman is a far superior player IMHO.

Not the kind of impact I was looking for from O'Halloran.

An example that you can find gems playing in the English Conference or League 2; surprised he hasn't got a move to at least League 1 or Championship level.

I think you need to take into account that he's only had half a dozen starts since a bad injury and I thought he looked the part v Hamilton, Inverness and has 2 goals and 2 assists in his last 3 appearances including the superb cross for Miller last week. I am sure that given a run of games Waghorn will continue to score goals for us albeit he has found it more difficult at SPFL level as has most of the team. O'Halloran has one assist in 13 league games and that was back in August. He always looks like he's going to create havoc but never does.

Well I'm sure you'd agree that he stuck by Tavernier quite unaccountably when he was very poor in the first half of the season and dropped Hodson after he played exceptionally well v Hearts and Aberdeen, so what do you think?

It's funny how things sometimes work out in football, with some players being unavailable as others come back; but this seems a trifle to convenient for my liking. Hodson deserves to be the #1 choice at RB; we'll see on Wednesday if he's fit again but doubt he'll get past the bench. Not sure what Waghorn has to do to get a game ahead of O'Halloran unless the latter is in the shop window again. http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/vb/showthread.php?82899-FT-Rangers-2-(Miller-85-89)-1-Motherwell&p=663991#post663991 #122 http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/vb/showthread.php?81601-Transfer-Rumours-and-Deals-Winter-Window-2016-17&p=664488#post664488 #521 Obviously the MW reads this forum

Thanks, coming from a respected tactician like your good self that's appreciated; but hopefully he won't end up back at Ibrox. I continue to maintain that he isn't really cut out for British football; he might get a game in Spain for example where possession is 9/10ths of the law, but IMHO is much more likely to end up back in the US and possibly not even at MLS level. I think the name of this thread should be changed to something like - The New Gedion Zelalem Thread

Ally told me that the biggest problem he had was trying to attract players to come and play in the 3rd and 4th divisions, whatever the money. Some players like Kyle should never have been signed but you have to remember that Black and Law for example were experienced SPL players who started well but ultimately were dragged down to a low level rather than dragging us up to a higher level.

The 20-year-old has been loaned out to VVV-Venelo and looked absolutely, er, thrilled with the news Not quite Borussia Dortmund. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/row-zed/arsenal-star-gedion-zelalem-refuses-9705135 I very much doubt Arsenal will renew his contract at end of next season.

FORMER Rangers midfielder Ian Black could be set to join English National League outfit Tranmere Rovers. The Scotland international has fallen out of the picture at Shrewsbury Town and hasn’t featured for the English League One side this year. And he’s wanted by his former manager Micky Mellon, who signed him for Shrewsbury when he left Rangers two years ago. The 31-year-old spent three seasons at Ibrox after signing from Hearts in 2012 and won a Scotland cap under Craig Levein, where he was booed after coming on as a sub against Australia. But he was a controversial figure at Rangers and was suspended and fined £7,500 after admitting breaches of SFA rules on betting on matches in 2013. Ambitious Merseyside outfit Tranmere are desperate to return to the Football League and Mellon wants to snap up the ex-Caley Thistle and Blackburn Rovers combative midfielder. https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/486329/former-rangers-and-scotland-star-ian-black-set-for-switch-to-english-non-league-club/ Perhaps he's found his level at last.

Kiernan is much improved this season under Hill's tutelage but I would take £2 million from Fulham if it's still on offer and replace him with Reece Oxford, knowing we still have Senderos as back up. Can't see why we would want him unless we're going to play him.

Windass isn't going to be a starter with Toral and Hyndman on loan. I'm utterly shocked that an EPL team would want him but if they're offering us a near 1,000% profit on our £200k, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

Where are all the opponents of the Act? Thought there would be at least 100 posts on here by now. A judge will conduct an independent review of the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act and other "hate crime"*legislation, the Scottish Government has announced. Lord Bracadale will conduct the review, which could last up to 12 months, to ensure the act and other legislation is fit for the 21st century. The review will begin on January 30 and Lord Bracadale will present his recommendations to the Scottish Government. The SNP is the only party in Holyrood that supports the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act. Labour MSP James Kelly is currently pursuing a private members' bill which aims to repeal and replace the act. Lord Bracadale's review will also examine the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995, Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) (Scotland) Act 2009. Announcing the review in the Scottish Parliament, the minister for community safety and legal affairs Annabelle Ewing said: "Racism, intolerance and prejudice of all kinds are a constant threat to society and while Scotland is an open and inclusive nation we are not immune from that threat. "While we already have robust and comprehensive laws in place, we need to make sure that legislation is up-to-date and able to counter all forms of hate crime.* "That is why I have commissioned an independent review to be chaired by Lord Bracadale. "This review will help ensure we have the right legislative protection in place to tackle hate crime wherever and whenever it happens. I look forward to Lord Bracadale presenting his findings." The review will look to find "gaps, anomalies and inconsistencies" in the current legislation as well as how the laws can be simplified. https://stv.tv/news/politics/1379145-offensive-behaviour-at-football-act-to-be-reviewed-by-judge/ Looks to me that the SNP are looking for a way out and this is it; the Minister's comment about the Act still being on the statute book was very telling IMO. If it goes; I predict it will be replaced by a new Act that incorporates most of what it stipulates as Offensive Behaviour and Threatening Communications but in a wider ranging context. The whole process will probably take around two years; but the Police may soft pedal on offences if it's clear that the Act is going to be repealed.

The new signs perhaps? I'm sure there was more to that Friendly than met the eye; whether there's £30million more is quite another matter. But would anyone here complain if the cost was renaming Murray Park?

The UEFA Nations League is a new international tournament which will kick off in 2018. England will go up against other European nations in a league format for the chance to compete in the Final Four summer showpiece in 2019, where the winner will be crowned the Nations League champion. In a bid to improve the quality of international football and reduce the number of meaningless friendlies, UEFA - who have been planning the competition since 2011 - have devised a new format to add excitement and competition to country clashes. How will it work? There will be 55 teams involved, split into four leagues (A, B, C and D) based on their UEFA ranking in November 2017, at the end of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. (Currently we are 33rd, which presumably would put us in League C alongside the likes of Albania, Denmark, Greece, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Finland, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Estonia and Belarus. http://www.footballseeding.com/national-ranking-uefa/ranking-2017/) Within those four leagues, teams will be split again into groups, which will be made up of either three or four teams. Within each league, four teams will be promoted at the end of the cycle, while four teams will be relegated. They will then play at their new level in the next competition, which starts in 2020. The winners of the four groups in League A will qualify for the Final Four competition. When will the Nations League take place? The Nations League will take place across six matchdays, with double-headers during international breaks in September, October and November 2018. What is the Final Four? The Final Four is the climax to the Nations League. It will take place in June 2019 and pit the group winners from League A, B, C and D against each other. There will be a one-game semi-final stage followed by the final. The winner will be named as Nations League champion. The Final Four tournament will occur in odd years, meaning that in years when there isn't a World Cup or European Championships, there will be a Nations League winner. How will the Nations League affect European Qualifiers? Euro qualifiers for 2020 will commence in March 2019, with double headers in the March, June, September, October and November international breaks. Teams will be split into five groups of five teams and five groups of six teams. In total, there will be 10 matchdays - the same number as now. The top two teams from the 10 groups qualify automatically for the Euros, while four more places at the finals will be awarded to play-off winners. Sixteen teams will compete in the play-offs. Each Nations League league gets four play-off spots. If the winner of a group has already qualified for the Euros, the next best team which has not qualified goes into the play-offs. Those sixteen teams will go into four groups, with the top team going to the Euros. The four teams play two one-off semi-finals and one one-off final to determine play-off winners. The UEFA Nations League rankings will also determine the composition of draw pots for subsequent European Qualifiers. What are the benefits? "The UEFA Nations League creates more meaningful and competitive matches for teams and a dedicated calendar and structure for national team football," say UEFA, who believe the new format addresses concerns national associations raised about friendlies no longer providing adequate competition. As well as the appeal of being named National League winner after the Final Four showpiece event for top teams, weaker teams will have better opportunities to qualify for European Championships - the bottom 16 in the rankings are now guaranteed one of the 24 qualifying spots. Weaker teams will also face teams of a similar level - so there will be fewer thrashings and more meaningful games for fans. Is this the end of friendlies? Not completely. There will still be some space in the calendar for friendlies - particularly for the top teams, who are in groups of three within League A and B and the top group in League C. There will also be room for pre-tournament warm-up games ahead of World Cups and European Championships. But, essentially, the outcome of more international games will matter. Will the new format increase players' workload? The Nations League and new Euros qualification process operates within the current international calendar, so there are not increased demands in terms of the number of matches. In fact, UEFA claim the new product will actually reduce strain on players. That's because there is likely to be less travel and players will be playing at their own level. Players will also go back to their clubs earlier than is currently the case. http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/10742686/what-is-the-uefa-nations-league There seems to be a contradiction which I've emboldened above in relation to the Final Four Competition; but I think in essence there will be two such competitions one within each League and then another for the winners of each League. Also if I've read this right it seems that in the group stages of the European Championships, the teams finishing third won't get a play off place unless they have previously won the mini league within their Nations League. Theoretically, therefore, you could finish bottom of your Euro Qualifying group and already be guaranteed a place in the play offs. Obviously it's harder to qualify from a 6-team Euro Qualifier group than a 5-team group.

JON TORAL enjoyed his first experience of Scottish football but insisted there is much more to come from him. The Spaniard found himself in and out of the side at Granada earlier in the season ahead of his switch to Ibrox, and while he admitted the style of play is something he’ll need to re-adapt to, he feels he can offer even more once he’s fully up to speed. Speaking this week to the Official Rangers Podcast, the on-loan Arsenal midfielder said of his debut: “It was different to playing in Spain. The tempo is much slower there, whereas in Britain it’s much quicker so it was just about getting used to that again, and getting match fit. “I haven’t played much football this season and I need to find that brightness and that fitness to reach the top of my game. https://rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/fitness-will-see-reach-peak/ I think this pretty much proves my point.

OK, I'll concede half a point; strength is one part of fitness. Sumo wrestlers are strong but how far could they run?

I did not intend to suggest that he was not physically fit, what I said was that "Surely all players need to be both physically fit and match fit to produce their best form". I agree 100% with DaveP and said as much at #121. In fact he only played 359 minutes for Granada in 5 months, the equivalent of 4 games of football. After the first match he didn't play for 2 months and had only 45 minutes football since the end of November. http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/jon-toral/leistungsdaten/spieler/193593 So it's bound to take him time to become match fit.

Surely all players need to be both physically fit and mach fit to produce their best form; we need look no further than Kranjcar for evidence of that. I don't think that Toral will ever be in the same league as Kranjcar but given a half a dozen games he may well add the necessary strength and speed of thought to make a real impact. I would put Windass in the same bag as Garner; a good honest trier who will run till he drops and not offer a great deal more. I like the look of Hyndman. He may well turn out to be the best of the bunch of newcomers in MF; Kranjcar excepted. I wish i thought we had a chance of keeping either Toral or Hyndman;but sadly that's pie in the sky.

I thought it was a good game too, although we struggled to make any real impact for long spells. In the game I watched, Motherwell played a very disciplined 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 with two very clearly defined banks of four. Our best attacking option frequently came from Wallace and Mackay and I thought they were both a little bit unlucky with cut backs that on another day might have led to goals.

I assume you would now concede that Miller is the best striker we have and surely deserves to start? However, the fact that Foderingham apart, Miller and Hill are consistently our best players by miles says a great a deal about the quality of the rest of the squad. I don't agree with bringing in loanees at the expense of playing our own younger players but on the other hand both Toral and Hyndman look much better than Windass or Crooks and capable of being better than Halliday and/or Holt given a few games to regain match fitness. I would like to think our MF will become Hyndman, Halliday, Toral and if Rossiter ever recovers he can take Halliday's place in defensive mid. We need to reinstate Waghorn on the right, he'll score goals no question. Equally we need to ditch O'Halloran, at least on loan, preferably permanently; whenever he gets a chance he demonstrates he's fast enough to beat anyone but his final ball just isn't good enough. Hodson is our best right back. If Tavernier ever gets back in the team, it'll be a travesty.

He only played 6 games for Granada in the first half of the season in fact 359 minutes of football, less than the equivalent of 4 full matches; and clearly needs games to recover match fitness.

I once refereed a reserve game when DJ and Gregor Stevens were Rangers CB's. The ball went out for a throw, clearly to Clyde. Stevens appeared to disagree and let out a string of expletives, heard around the stadium, the Govan Stand was being built at the time. I honestly didn't know what to do. DJ ran past me and said, "just ignore him ref, he doesn't know what he's doing"!

The person who calls you is not an adviser, he is a cold caller trying to get leads. If you want advice he will have to refer you to an adviser. However, he wrongly told me that if I effected a policy part of the premiums would go to Rangers. This is not correct. Part of the commission would go to Rangers. According to Rangers web site on Wednesday, 24 August 2016, 14:00 A Rangers dedicated page for supporters has also been set up on their website http://www.bonaccordlife.com/rangers and new signing Joe Garner and striker Kenny Miller joined Martin Delany, Bon Accord Life Managing Director and David Porter, Sport Business & Retentions Manager at the training ground today to announce the partnership. According to the FCA Register https://register.fca.org.uk/ShPo_FirmDetailsPage?id=001b000000NMYftAAH "Bon Accord Life Limited Shieling House Invincible Road Farnborough Hampshire GU14 7QU UNITED KINGDOM: No longer registered as an Appointed Representative (Reference number: 565278) This is an appointed representative (AR) that is no longer an agent of an authorised firm. Do not start to do business with an AR that is listed as 'former'." However, the principal firm is Lifetime Protection Services Ltd, Suite 2 Lomond Court Ground Floor Castle Business Park Stirling FK9 4TU UNITED KINGDOM whose authorisation commenced on 26/09/2011, the same date as the previous authorised representative status ceased. "This firm cannot hold client money. It may be able to control client money if it has the necessary requirements." It can only advise on Non-investment insurance contracts i.e. life insurance. Martin Delaney is one of two registered individuals. So Lifetime Protection Services Ltd, t/as Bon Accord Life and Mr Martin Edward Delany are duly authorised and regulated by the FCA. The other registered individual is Tim James Lewis whose company TJL New Horizon Uk Ltd 43 Collett Avenue Swindon Wilts SN2 1NQ UNITED KINGDOM are appointed representatives of Lifetime Protection Services Ltd. In summary therefore, Bon Accord Life essentially is a one man business run by Mr Delany. Therefore if you need life insurance and you wish part of the commission to go to Rangers, you might want to consider dealing with this firm. They are obliged to give you independent advice and act in your best interests. They will be required to disclose the commission they earn but not the proportion that goes to Rangers because that is a commercial arrangement. https://register.fca.org.uk/ShPo_FirmDetailsPage?id=001b000000NMYASAA5