der Berliner

It might be that we are indeed looking at that Israeli striker Dor Turgeman ... murmurs the paper not to be named ... Sources in Israel claim that Rangers have already opened talks with Maccabi over a potential summer move. Rangers know there is increasing interest in the player and the same Israeli source confirmed that Maccabi also have Italian and Spanish interest in their prize asset, who has eight caps and scored once for Israel.

The Scotsman whipped up a (lazy) list of possible Martin / Rangers / DoF / whomever targets ... (for entertainment only) 1. Harry Darling - Swansea City (freebie) Perhaps the most obvious signing for Russell Martin is the appointment due to his history with the centre-back. Out of contract at the Welsh club, he's been signed by him at both MK Dons and Swansea City, and fits Martin's style of play perfectly. The 39-year-old head coach has said Darling "possesses all the attributes you need to play at the very top, in my opinion", while the defender himself has given his former boss praise, stating that he "loves working with him." 2. Ryan Manning - Southampton (contract till 2027) The left-back is seen as an ideal fit for Martin’s possession-based system, and has an uncertain future at Southampton following their relegation, Twice signed by Martin at St Mary's and Swansea City, Manning had 15 goal involvements during Southampton's promotion-winning 2023/24 campaign. His familiarity with Martin's tactics could see him become a target for Rangers. 3. Ross Stewart - Southampton (contract till 2028) Linked to Rangers in the past, the 6ft 5in Scotland international has endured a nightmare spell with injuries in the last couple of seasons, but appears to be on the mend after featuring in the final eight games of the season for Saints. Martin is thought to be a huge fan of the striker, shelling out £8million to bring him to St Mary's in the summer of 2023. Depending on the plans of new Southampton head coach Will Still, the ex-Sunderland hitman could come into Martin's thinking. 4. Cameron Archer - Southampton (contract till 2028) The ex-Aston Villa academy starlet cost Southampton a reported fee of £15million when he signed in 2024, but he struggled for regular game time at St Mary's last year following the departure of Martin. Linked with a loan move to Leeds United in January, Archer is another who has spoken highly of Martin's management style, saying he "was one of the main reasons" he joined Southampton last summer, adding that his playing style, coaching and ability to improve him as a player as the key factors behind his decision to move. Archer is someone Martin could target. https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/latest-rangers-news/10-players-rangers-could-look-to-sign-now-russell-martin-is-confirmed-as-new-manager-at-ibrox-5160713 5. Aleksa Terzic - Red Bull Salzburg (contract till 2028) With Ridvan Yilmaz's future uncertain at Rangers, the club may look for reinforcements in the full-back positions. While he hasn't been directly linked with a move to Ibrox, his attacking output and ability to invert into midfield would suit the tactical flexibility Martin looks for in his squad. Thought to be available at around £3million, the 25-year-old Serbian would offer excellent value. Alexa? 6. Nathan Wood - Southampton (contract till 2028) Martin worked with Wood at both Swansea and Southampton, where the young defender thrived in a possession-based system. With Rangers needing depth at centre-back due to the departure of Leon Balogun, Wood’s versatility and ball-playing ability align perfectly. He played just 11 times for the Saints last year, meaning a loan or permanent move is viable should Wood be considered surplus to requirements by new head coach Will Still. 7. Jamie Vardy - Free agent Already linked to Rangers this summer, the ex-Leicester City goalscorer fits into Martin's system due to his ability to exploit spaces against deep-lying defences. His teams often like to create chances through sustained possession, and Vardy's high-pressing aligns with Martin's philosophy. However, his wages could prove an issue. 8. Andy Fisher - Swansea City Another player that Martin has signed twice, the Swansea goalkeeper may come into the manager's thinking now he's been handed the reigns at Ibrox. Comfortable with the ball at his feet, he fits the style of play the 39-year-old head coach likes to adopt. Fisher is also a big fan of Martin, once saying: "I took a big wage cut to go and play for him at MK Dons because I believed in everything he did and the way he played.” Spent the second-half of last season on loan at St Johnstone, and could provide competition for Jack Butland and Liam Kelly at a low cost. https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/latest-rangers-news/10-players-rangers-could-look-to-sign-now-russell-martin-is-confirmed-as-new-manager-at-ibrox-5160713?page=2 9. Jason Steele - Brighton (contract till 2026) While not explicitly linked to Rangers, the experienced English goalkeeper has many of the traits that Martin likes in a goalkeeper - and could be available this summer. Renowned for his ball-playing ability, he had a 90% pass completion rate in the 2023/24 Premier League season, ranking among the best for goalkeepers in distribution. He fell behind Bart Verbruggen last season though, and may have his eye on a move that could guarantee him regular football this summer. He has just one year remaining on his contract at the Amex Stadium. 10. Joe Aribo - Southampton (contract till 2026) A title winner with Rangers in 2021, the Nigerian midfielder was a big hit at Ibrox before departing to sign for Southampton for a reported fee of £6million. Played under Martin for 18 months, with the Scottish head coach fond of Aribo's versatility. While it would be a surprise move, there's reason to believe Martin could hold an interest if he is appointed, due to his familiarity with the high-pressing, possession-based system. He was praised for his “energy and technical ability” by Martin during his time on the south coast. https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/latest-rangers-news/10-players-rangers-could-look-to-sign-now-russell-martin-is-confirmed-as-new-manager-at-ibrox-5160713?page=3 EPL/Championship players with contracts till 2028 😁

Robin Pröpper, who joined Rangers from Twente last summer, has agreed a three-year contract to return to the Dutch club, who will pay about half the £2.5m they received for the 31-year-old centre-half. (WFCGRONINGEN via Twente Fans) Rangers are interested in signing Vicente Pizarro, but Juventus and Valencia are among other clubs to have scouted the 22-year-old Colo-Colo and Chile midfielder. (TeamTalk) New Rangers head coach Russell Martin says captain James Tavernier will be "hugely important" next season and, while there are a few positions that have to be strengthened fairly quickly, he is willing to "be surprised" by some players in the current squad. (Sky Sports) Pic source

Old players and good memories ... Weir aside, I've rarely seen a better goal scored (ability-wise) than the one of Jermaine Defoe against Livingston, with that long ball by Tavernier from the half-way line being converted with a delightful touch past the keeper.

I wonder why I was "forced" to open the transfer thread back in the day ...

Let's see how many heads he will be able to coach ... ... but anyway, it's a different environment than those he managed in before, and with the right players, the results can be much different. Ancelotti would have used us as another testing ground to hone his skills, and no harm in that (to him). At least Martin has experience on both ends of the table, and knows what is required. Now let's see whom he gets in, but truth be told, my half is currently half-empty. Surprise us, please!

I wonder if that Mig-31K with the Kinzhal under its belly is still in the air ...

We will have and have had 50 to 70 % possession in nigh every game in Scotland, but that was in the defensive and middle third of the field. Our problem has been that the final third was under-manned with attackers, and not the least attackers unable to score enough goals. For the best part of a decade. Either you bring in (enough) people to do that, or you change the tactic. Playing three attackers against a brick wall, hoping that DMs/CMs will join up and fullbacks act as wingers is fine, but hasn't worked. At least with the player we had. And we didn't change it, just subbed similar inadequate players with those on the field. If we get Sima for the left attack slot and Cerny for the right, it would be a start. And we would need people behind them in the team that would do nearly as well with the ball.

Maybe, those responsible for the making of the TIFOs meet with the fan representative of the club before creating these things, have a look and talk about it, so club and ULTRAs don't end up with arguments etc.. Aside from SFA/SPFL/UN/Scottish Minister/WWF going ballistic ...

... at the end of the day, he (the new Rangers manager, that is), will be measured by his results on the field of play, at the end of each competition he is involved in. Anyone will get the benefit of the doubt, and we will have to see what sort of players will arrive too. Better to keep the excitement levels at a sane level, so the disappointment won't be that big, while the elation might go through the roof.

Jesus weinte ...

Heavily linked with Rangers, former Real Madrid assistant Davide Ancelotti is a "hot contender" to take over at Swiss champions Basel. (Blick - in German) Rangers face a battle to land Brazilian midfielder Metinho as Basel say they want to keep the 22-year-old permanently after his loan from Troyes. (Scottish Sun) Troyes would want £5m to part with Rangers midfield target Metinho. (Daily Record) Everton are just one of six Premier League clubs keen on Rangers midfielder Mohamed Diomande, but the Ibrox club are in no rush to sell the 23-year-old and would demand a substantial fee. (TeamTalk) Jamie Vardy is weighing up a move to Rangers as the 38-year-old striker's contract runs out with relegated Leicester City. (Daily Mail, print edition) Former Rangers chairman Dave King has revealed the Ibrox club almost had Saudi owners before the US consortium's takeover. (Sky Sports) ... meanwhile, Mr. Shankland is now a freebie. 😎

Everton have identified Rangers midfielder Mohamed Diomande as one of several midfield targets this summer. (Daily Express) Former club FC Twente are "seriously interested" in a return for Rangers defender Robin Propper. (soccernews.nl,- in Dutch) Left-back Ridvan Yilmaz is another Rangers player being linked with his former club as Beskitas begin transfer talks. (Aspor.com, - in Turkish)

Martin was here, he saw what we are up against. If this 4-3-3 trash will go on with inadequate players (and so far we have solely inadequate players to go through a season with that system), 56 will not end up in Govan.

That's 13 players of the B-team plus youngsters gone.

We've just bought Oscar Cortes in that LW slot ...

... I read that as 20m of investment from these new boys. While no-one knows, there is essentially another half of shareholders who might have a few million to spare too. Aside from player sales. That said ... these 20m might not be used for transfers alone (though the women's team needs a new backline too). We, too, must be clever in our business for the time being, but apart from Americans like these, there are few businessmen on this planet who are cleverer.

All others ran ... but you are still here

Talking about stats and hold hands ... I checked how Lundstram fared at Trabzonspor, who finished 7th. He played 43 games, 25 as DM, 9 as CM and another 9 as CB. He scored 3 goals and missed 1 game through illness. Borna Barisic, on loan to Leganes from Trabzonspor for half a season, on the other hand, missed a big chunk of the season due to a cruciate ligament tear, playing just 16 games, missing 222 days.

Shooting messengers is so much out of date. Though I have to inform you that the Kinzhal has taken off ...

One of my unsung heroes of the Souness season, Stuart Munro, said in a video cassette compilation of the 87/88 season* (methinks), that Rangers always had and have people able to score goals. But it is now equally important to have defenders doing their job on a same high level. * "Cold War" era snippet: which I posted before ... nearly 12 years ago.

Like many players before him, he fell victim to strange shoehorning by his manager(s). Where did we play him? Left midfield/winger! Let's have a look at his stats ... For Rangers ... 44 games, on average 56 mins per game. Of those registered* (31): he played 14 as left midfield (3 goals / 0 assists), 2 as left winger. 10 (1/3) in attacking midfield, 3 (0/0) in central midfield. The rest of his career (including Rangers) ... 368 games, average 65 mins per game. Of those registered: 146 attacking midfield (oops) (24/24), 50 central midfield (6/4), 21 right winger (1/2), 21 left winger (3/5), 20 DM (1/1) and 18 left midfield (7/0). Like we did with Hagi, we utilized players in non-natural positions, rather than play them where they were (and probably are) at their best. Hagi was mainly a playmaker/AM (97 overall, 25 of which for Rangers), but we turned him into a right winger (77 overall, 53 for us). But God forbid, there had to be two DMs/CMs who contributed so much to our game ... Much of last season, we mostly played with 3 DMs/CMs ... the end product was predictable. * Not all positions played at every game have been registered at TM, mainly due to the lack of minutes being played.

Former Scotland defender Russell Martin - who has been linked with the managerial vacancy at Rangers - will replace Ruud van Nistelrooy in the Leicester City dugout with an announcement "imminent". (Football Insider) ... maybe with Maurice Ross as his assistant? 😁

For the record: it was the Record writing this. If you want to shoot messengers, start with the BBC. Davide Ancelotti is about to commit to Rangers as their new head coach for the next season after leaving his role as assistant to father Carlo with Real Madrid. (Ramon Alvarez on X) Rangers will hold further discussions with Davide Ancelotti in the coming days as they look to conclude their manager search. (Rangers Review) Out-of-work Marco Rose is rocketing up the next Rangers manager shortlist, but the Ibrox club could face a hefty price if they wish to appoint the German as Bild reports that the 48-year-old also linked with Roma is still under contract despite being relieved of his duties by RB Leipzig and his former club might require a compensation fee. (Sunday Mail) (IMHO, there will be no fee for anyone wanting Rose. RB and the chap will decide on a separation fee and that's that. They won't pay him any wages if it ain't necessary. Wee sidenote: Rose may look like the plant name rose or the first name Rose, but the "e" is not voiceless or an English "e", but rhymes with "the".) In other news ... Rangers now know they will face either Brann, Panathinaikos or Servette in the Champions League second qualifying round next season. (The Herald On Sunday)

Rangers will hold further discussions with Davide Ancelotti in the coming days as they look to conclude their manager search. (Rangers Review) As he continues to be linked with the Rangers head coach vacancy, Davide Ancelotti has confirmed his exit from Real Madrid, saying on his new Instagram page that he is about to "start a new phase for me" as he prepares for his final match as assistant against Real Sociedad on Saturday. (Record) Swansea City centre-back Harry Darling, the 25-year-old who is out of contract this summer, could be Russell Martin's first signing for Rangers should the former Southampton boss be named head coach and fellow former Ibrox defender Maurice Ross would be his assistant. (Record)