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Rangers could be set to miss out on striker target Dor Turgeman due to rising conflict in the Middle East, according to reports. Turgeman has been on the radar at Ibrox and some reports even suggested a deal to bring him from Maccabi Tel Aviv could be close. Sport 5 report that Maccabi are now thinking it may be unwise to sell on key players as they will find it tough to attract replacements from overseas. The report suggests the striker "certainly" won't be sold prior to the Champions League qualifiers against Cypriots Pafos next month. And they may also decide to significantly up the asking price for any of their players who are attracting interest, to make selling up more palatable. https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/sport/25257272.rangers-dor-turgemen-deal-doubt-middle-east-conflict/ Maybe the Tel Aviv high-ups messed up our transfer plans as well. Speaking of which, how about keeping this thread on topic?

German free TV shows the games of Bayern and Dortmund ... just had one half of Borussia vs Mamelodi Sundowns as my first bits and pieces of this "premium event". Always good to see these better African sides, since their players have quite a lot of skill, control, pace, and power ... but also that sort of light-heartedness whilst going about their business. Same we saw in Sakala and now Diomande. Too bad that they tend to lose their way a bit if fortunes turn against them. NB: That suicidal pass by their lackadaisical keeper seemingly cost Mamelodi dearly in the first half.

Never seen such an athletic pack of muscles and energy, constantly having this or that injury.

Like I said before, right (defensive) midfield might be an option for Tavernier (he's contracted, after all), in a more defensive line up, or a 3-5-2. Let him have less defensive duties and utilize his strengths. But we need to step forward and if we get better quality, we should go for it. Never seen or heard anything about Aarons, so no comment for the time being.

Okay, you sit in the far corner this evening!

Right, strap yourselves in ... a rumour! According to a Turkish reporter, the Ibrox side are tracking Eintracht Frankfurt attacker Igor Matanović, with regard to bringing him to Glasgow. The player still has another four years left on his contract with the Bundesliga outfit, but due to a lack of gametime, he could be available for a fee of around €5m (£4.2m). That could be within Kevin Thelwell's budget at Ibrox if he can move Dessers on for a substantial fee, should a move to Athens go through in the coming days or weeks. https://www.footballfancast.com/rangers-tracking-move-for-igor-matanovic-next-jelavic/

Wait ... Europeans aside, Souttar is half-Aussie, Nsiala is half-Congolese, Jefte and Danilo are South Americans (Brazil), Cifuentes too (Ecuador), Ridvan a Turk, Sterling half-Jamaican, Diomande half Ivory Coast/half-Ghana, Igamane North-African ... will we finally look at Asians, or North-Americans? 😱 UEFA-technically ... Ridvan is European too, so too would be Turgeman (but I doubt they see it that way).

No winter break then ... and you wonder how many games we might play if you add CL ... nah, EL games to that list. Falkirk is back, no longer at Brockville though, which I know from late 1980s BBC World Service commentaries. We had that short Scots line "Better meddle wi' the de'il than the Bairns o' Fa'kirk" in one of our English studies seminars ages ago.

Tav telling Shankland to finally sign for us! You saw it there first ... TBH, there is but one serious looking guy in that photo. And he's clearly an ambassador for his club.

Yep, heard that an era or two ago over on FF. Someone described a raving reporter as being "just a bawhair's width away from the loony bin".

To say that transfer news are slow is a nice understatement. Its speed can be measured in "Angstrom per Week" these days ... PS: The angstrom (/ˈæŋstrəm/; ANG-strəm) is a unit of length equal to 10−10 m; that is, one ten-billionth of a metre, a hundred-millionth of a centimetre, 0.1 nanometre, or 100 picometres.

I was assuming that he's off right now ... so his value of 20-25m will not depend on him signing an option right now.

Some random twitter link ... ... while Souttar seemingly had a hernia OP so is out for 4 to 6 weeks.

He's got a contract till 2027, so no need for anything right now.

Rangers head coach Russell Martin is keen to build his side around forward Hamza Igamane and midfielder Nicolas Raskin, who are both in demand from potential suitors. (Football Insider) ... IMHO: we value them, so pay higher transfer fees, please! Het Nieuwsblad reports that Aston Villa have started talks with Nicolas Raskin about a potential transfer out of Rangers for the 24-year-old Belgium midfielder. (Het Nieuwsblad via Daily Record) Rangers are keen on a loan deal for right-back Max Aarons, but Bournemouth are believed to favour a permanent exit for the 25-year-old. (Sky Sports) Despite reports in Greece, no deal has been finalised with AEK Athens, who are keen on 30-year-old Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers. (Sky Sports)

Not very likely, since Shea Charles plays deeper than Diomande (who in turn would have more freedom), i.e. DM or even CH. Contracted to Soton till 2027. BTW, IMHO, as much as I like him, if we sell Raskin now, we'll get serious money to rebuild this ailing squad. We can't let these opportunities slip by, in the here and now.

Proper British male haircut ...

Cifuentes sure looks surplus to requirements, not least since we brought in Barron. Whatever rode us to pay as much as we did for him, I reckon he will be send away this summer on loan or for good. Maybe Martin wants a look first, though.

Peterborough United winger Kwame Poku, 23, is set to join Rangers. (TeamTalk) Rangers are closing in on a double swoop - with 25-year-old right-back Max Aarons arriving on loan from Bournemouth and joining Poku once his Peterborough contract expires. (Sun) New Rangers head coach Russell Martin is keen to keep Jack Butland at Ibrox if the 32-year-old goalkeeper can prove his worth in pre-season after losing his starting place at the end of last season. (Football Insider) Jose Cifuentes, 26, is expected to return to Rangers following a loan spell at Aris Thessaloniki. (Herald - subscription required) Everton and West Ham United could take a gamble on launching a bid for Rangers striker Hamza Igamane, 22. (Football Insider)

Hook, line, and sinker ...

Max Aarons signed for Bournemouth in 2023 and has a contract till 2029. Utterly mad ... and he effectively hasn't played all season (9 games in total, 338 mins) ... and not due to injury. BTW, IMHO, as left-back cover for Premiership games and should Ridvan go, I'd look no further than Declan John.

... I would point out that without VAR, we'd still get refereed out of a penalty at the League Cup final, and that goal against Hibs would not have counted. What VAR did was showing the blatant cheating and/or incompetence that Scottish football is infamous for (on this shore of the Clyde), on and off the pitch.

What?!?!?! Come a step closer, friend ...

“Rangers FC has submitted a full response to the Scottish FA’s Notice of Complaint concerning a remark made during commentary of the Hibernian v Rangers match at the end of last season. The club firmly denies any breach of Scottish FA rules. We are surprised that a complaint has been raised at all, given the context of the comment and the Scottish FA's prior treatment of similar incidents. Our response highlights that the Scottish FA’s own KMI Panel judged that the referee’s decision on the day was incorrect, with four out of five panel members agreeing that a goal should have been awarded to Rangers. That finding helps explain the nature of a spontaneous emotional comment, delivered during a highly charged moment and immediately challenged live on air. Our response also sets out serious concerns about the Scottish FA’s selective enforcement and inconsistency. We have highlighted multiple examples of similar or stronger remarks made elsewhere in Scottish football that have led to no charges or sanctions. While we remain committed to maintaining high standards, we will continue to challenge any action we consider to be unfair or disproportionate. For many supporters, this charge only adds to the wider frustration surrounding regulatory oversight in recent months when there are more serious issues in the game to tackle, including improving officiating standards for the benefit of Scottish football.” Taken from FF Nice ...

Well, too bad politicians et al mouthing off against it, when it was perfectly legal in this democratic and free country. Rangers 'rebel scum' shotgun banner handed back as 'no criminality' found The controversial banner - condemned by Rangers and John Swinney - is handed back to Union Bears after "no criminality" is found by Police Scotland. ... https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/rangers-rebel-scum-shotgun-banner-31856480