der Berliner

Kent`s pace is not essential in such games, as St. Mirren will sit deep. Thus, kudos to SG to finally jump over his (Kent-) shadow. A lot of technical ability, trickery and shooting ability from midfield (Kamara) to the main striker. Let`s hope we tear them a new one and pay a few League Cup bruises back.

Yeah, the bile that oozes out of Godwin is astonishing and one hopes (no laughing at the back) that the SFA charges him like they did with Gerrard for much less. Then again, maybe Godwin only ever saw Sportscene and not the SPFL highlights from last game and couldn't have known about the clear penalty that Roofe was denied ...

Juan Alegria ... we are supposedly close to that deal

The Winter 2020/21 Transfer Window Rumours and Deals - Thread Here we go again ... SIGNED in Winter 2020/21: IN - Scott Wright (23) - Scotland, LW - Aberdeen, contr. till summer 2021 - LINK - TM - SIGNED - SIGNED permanently (4,5 years) IN - Jack Simpson (24) - England, CH - Bournemouth, contr. till 6/2021 - LINK - TM - SIGNED - SIGNED permanently (4,5 years) IN - Nnamdi Ofoborh (21) - Nigeria, CM - Bournemouth, contr. till 6/2021 - LINK - TM - SIGNED pre contract (4 years) GONE in Winter 2020/21 TBA OUT - Josh McPake - on loan to Harrowgate Town till end of season after loan to Morton cut short due to injury - LINK - Done: LINK OUT - Kai Kennedy (18) - on loan till end of season to Raith Rovers - LINK OUT – Glen Middleton – loan to St. Johnstone for the remainder of the season - LINK OUT - Jordan Jones - on loan to Sunderland till end of season - LINK OUT - George Edmundson - on loan - Derby County till end of season - LINK OUT - Brandon Barker - on loan to Oxford United till end of season - LINK OUT - Jamie Barjonas - Orange County SC - LINK to come OUT - Cammy Palmer - Linfield FC - LINK OUT - Umaro Balde - left by mutual consent - LINK OUT - Ross McCrorie (22) – CMF / right-back - joined Aberdeen (loan and sign option) - LINK - deal made permanent as part of the Scott Wright transfer above OUT or AWAY (as of 28/12/2020) Jake Hastie - on season-long loan to Motherwell (option for January 2021 return) - LINK Robbie McCrorie (22) - goalkeeper - season long loan to Livingston (option for January return) - LINK Jamie Murphy (31) – LW – joined Hibs (on-loanfor this season, deal will then be permanent) - LINK RETURNING: RUMOURS: IN – Juan Diego Alegria (18) – Columbia, striker, FC Honka (Finland) - LINK IN - John Lundstram (26) - England, CM, Sheffield United - contract till summer 2021 - LINK - TM IN - Fashion Sakala (23) - Zambia, attacker, KV Oostende - contract till summer 2021 - (DR for reference) LINK - TM IN - Kyle Joseph (19) - Scotland, striker, Wigan - contr. till summer 2021 - LINK - TM IN - Adam Reach (27) - England, LW/LM/LB - contr. till 6/2021 - LINK - TM IN - Gustavo Hamer (23) - Dutch/Brazil, CM - contr. till 6/2023 - LINK - TM IN - Siriki Dembele (24) - Scotl. / Ivory Coast, ST - Peterborough, contr. tilll 6/2021 - LINK (DR link) - TM OUT – Borna Barisic – West Ham interested OUT - Alfredo Morelos - Bayern Munich - LINK (Spanish) - LINK (German) n - CONTRACT EXTENSIONS Kai Kennedy (18) - new contract till 2023, on loan till end of season to Raith Rovers - LINK Ciaran Dickson - LINK NON-STARTERS: IN - Bright Osayi-Samuel (23) - England, RW, QPR - contract till summer 2021 - LINK - TM - signed for Fenerbahce IN - Thomas Robert (20) - France, RW, Airdrieonians - contract till summer 2021 - LINK - not on SG`s list LINK IN - Ben Davies (23) - England, CH/LB, Preston NE - contr. till summer 2021 - LINK - TM - no move (yet) LINK IN - Alfie Doughty (21) - England, LB/LM, Charlton Atheltic - contract till summer 2021 - LINK - signed for Stoke OUT - SQUAD as of 01 / 06 / 2020 Squad listed in order of remaining length of contract & primary position Full squad list: https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/glasgow-rangers/startseite/verein/124 Squad by primary and optional position: https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/glasgow-rangers/kadernachposition/verein/124 Goal: Allan McGregor (37) – contract till 2021 Andy Firth (22) - contract till 2021 Jon McLaughlin (32) - contract till 2022 Defence Leon Balogun (32) - CH/RB - contract till 2021 with option for another year James Tavernier (28) – RB- contract till 2022 Connor Goldson (27) - CH - contract till 2022 Nathan Patterson (19) – RB – contract till 2022 Filip Helander (27) - CH - contract till 2023 Nikola Katic (23) - CH - contract till 2023 Borna Barisic (27) - LB - contract till 2024 Calvin Bassey (20) - LB/CH - contract till 2024 Jack Simpson (24) - CH - contract till 2025 Midfield Steven Davis (35) – CM - contract till 2021 Bongani Zungu (28) – CM - contract 2021 Scott Arfield (31) – C/LM - contract till 2022 Glen Kamara (24) – CM - contract till 2023 Ryan Jack (28) – CM - contract till 2023 Joe Aribo (23) – AM - contract till 2023 Ryan Kent (23) – LW/AM - contract till 2023 Ianis Hagi (21) - AM – contract till 2024 Scott Wright (23) - LW/AM - contract till 2025 Strikers Jermain Defoe (37) – ST – contract till 2021 Greg Stewart (30) – RW/ST - contract till 2021 Alfredo Morelos (23) – ST - contract till 2023 Cedric Itten (23) - ST - contract till 2024 Kemar Roofe (27) - ST - contract till 2024 Coaching Staff Check out the club's home page Academy / B Side -> https://www.rangers.co.uk/article/academy-restructure/4skGYIfqugwK1CvGZUHFH0 Women's Side -> https://rangers.co.uk/teams/ladies-senior/ IN - Kirsty Howat (23) - ST, Scotland, from Glasgow City - free - LINK IN -Rachel MacLauchlan (23) - RB, Scotland, from Glasgow City - free - LINK IN - Sam Kerr (21) - MF(?), Scotland, from Glasgow City - free - LINK IN - Chantelle Swaby (22) - CH, Jamaica, from Sky Blues New Jersey - free - LINK

Looks like Sportscene went over the Hagi`s high boot that never hit Neweel time and again, but completely ignored ... Porteous takes out Roofe first and then has the ball luckily trapped between his legs.

Well, I had a quick look at the match report from BBC Scotland`s Scott Mullen on our game yesterday and somehow I thought I must have witnessed a slightly different game than he did, given that we scarcely escaped with all 3 points ... https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/55373709 Might have been that this impartial reporter got enthused by the late rally Hibs made for an equalizer that he lost "a bit" of perspective and forgot to check the stats. But the greenish taint becomes clear when he goes on about "a resurgent Celtic" and some hope-garbage about the next two games might determine how "the season may end up". Obviously, you have to ask how he defines "resurgent", since they barely won a cup final against a 2nd tier team on penalties and then "waltzed over" the bottom 2 teams of the Premiership. Some feat indeed. A win`s a win, they say ... so there you have it. Resurgence. Highlights below show ... Boyle would have required a smashing touch to divert the early cross past McGregor and Balogun. Balogun`s shot cleared with the goalie beaten Goldson header cleared on the line Hagi just wide Hagi goal Hibs cross shaves the outside of the post (did anyoen mention the swirling wind) Roofe taken out by a Hibs defender who also "wins" the ball Newell goes down after noting Hagi`s foot was near his nose ... so maybe Collum "evened" the earlier "error out") Balogun`s shot cleared on the line Half-hearted shouts for a penaltywhen Tavernier is pushed by a Hibs man and hits another Hibs man who falls Cross after a corner forces McGregor into a save ... but you see that the ball would probably have gone passed anyway Hibs chance that was offside

And how many times thereafter? Aribo tracked back quite a bit too, Hagi not so. Aside from Kamara and Davis. The point was that we went back to 4-2-3-1 as opposed to the 4-3-3 in the games before. As long as we don`t have Jack, we`ll have to cope. Likewise, I do expect that people will be told their roles before each game and that against the mighty power of the Celtic attack, certain people`s roles will be addressed, as before. We`ve seen that every time we ventured into Europe this season, when I expected us being turned over quite a few times, but we adapted and showed resilience. I reckon we prepare for this game like we did for European ones, and the only factor that is "unknown" will be the unpredictability of the SPFL referee on the day. On a sidenote, I would actually consider dropping Kent for Itten or Morelos on Saturday, given his recent form. In saying that though, his pace may very well hurt the Scum`s defence quite a bit ... and I harbour my doubts that Kent will be "dropped" unless he`s injured et al.

That`s why we had Kamara and Davis today again, as Hibs are far more attack minded than the rest of the rest and those tow read the games well. It obviously also depends on how Tav & Co. keep their flanks occupied. Roofe, Aribo and Hagi looks certain starters given their recent form, which may have them more worried about their defence than we have to worry about ours. But first it`s St. Mirren and maybe that much lauded goalie of the Arabs keep the Scum out, so we may have an even healthier lead come Saturday.

We adapt our game according to the opponent, as you have seen throughout our Scottish and European campaign. You have to draw the opposition out of their defensive shape and as Hibs were willing to come forward (as opposed to Motherwell), and that was one way to do so. IF anything, i would have removed Kent after 60odd mins for Morelos or Itten, as those would have kept the ball and would probably have been more efficient with the ball in vital areas.

Solid performance, with a bit of luck 2-3 more goals, but I`ll take that against one of the better sides.

Overall, a fair result so far, given that we had two chances cleared with the goalie beaten. Hibs are dangerous and probably play the best football of any Scottish team outside the Old Firm - hope they`ll take a few points off the Scum too. We need to stay concentrated and hopefully add a 2nd goal soonish. Agree with what people say re Hagi and Kent. Both the former and Aribo like to take a shot which, even if blocked, result in opportunities for others. Cool play for the goal.

Probably our strongest line-up at the moment, hope we get some early chances and put them away, then an Alfredo hat-trick. These days, probably born out of confidence, I`m pretty calm right now and it hardly matters whom we play. We look rather composed and concentration levels are high, and even if something goes awry, we have people on the bench now that can correct the outcome of a game. So let`s hope we don`t hand out any x-mas presents and take our chances.

In case someone missed it ...

Seasonal Greetings! Stay save and onwards to 55! As per usual, I'll entertain you with a bit of East German Christmas folklore, this one is 70 years old and one of the finest pieces ou there ... (Translation on demand ? )

... so much so that Davis had essentially a pensioner`s game, probably also due to our attackers keeping the ball in their half most of the time. Good good stuff.

Roofe, Hagi and Aribo really good, you wonder when Walsh will find a card, no matter which colour. I was actually fearing for Hagi once, when he talked to the linesman. Alas, St. Johnstone played more football in 25 mins than Motherwell within 90 ... even though the level is debatable.

IF he was "overweight", he wouldn`t start nor wouldn`t have started all those games.

For Rousseau ... when the second goal went in, it was a full-blown ... ... moment!

They served up some Claret sh*te and got the right reward. I doubt St. Johnstone will play anywhere like that at home. Possession - 82-18 Shots - 20-4 On target - 8-2 Hagi made the most impact, providing a real outlet on the right, then Aribo got back to his best too. Itten did the real damage with the second, that essentially blew their game plan out of the water. So great to listen to unbiased folk at RTV, McCann and Kerr.

A double-5 camped 10 to 20 meteres from the half-way line is special though.

No! Hagi in for Arfield as a creator (and someone who shoots from distance), Defoe in there to keep them occupied in the middle and someone to convert chances that fall loose. Get Itten in there for heading ability and physical approach and ball-winning ability.

A can moan as much as I want, as what you write goes without saying. Its just a shyte attempt of playing football, nothing new against us (or them). Would bring on Hagi for Arfield, as the latter has provided not much, maybe Itten soon after.

Two walls of 5, playing for time, drawing fouls, what a rancid "style" of play.

Well, just make 55 save as early as possible, than grab European silver ?

Itten is good ... last night was about support from flanks and midfield ... which was not there. Roofe and Itten worked their socks off against thuggish defenders, Kent was running all over the place, Arfield, Aribo and Zungu were - by our standards - disfunctional. Itten at least was up to their physical antics.