der Berliner

As it happens, the Livingston CEO has said that the "2m-price-tag" on Dykes is media made-up rubbish.

It is sure unbecoming of us that a elder board users comes up with such petty stuff. A) "anti / pro" creates a black & white scenario that is not required and hardly valid in this case. It is also not needed that the Tav-likers have a go at those questioning his all-round performances as a righ-back, creating an atmosphere that leads to snyde remarks like the above. We all have opinions on players and there is no need to belittle someone else if he does not agree. Seemingly, Tav has a more special status than other players, who constantly get it in the neck on here. B) His standards were scrutinized, SG even told us that he was strong enough to "drop the captain". He had a few similar dire games (by his standards) after that, yet only got dropped when injured/suspended. There were quite a few ramblings here and elsewhere. Seemingly SG agreed with some on here that Tav was still needed ... or, being a captain himself, simply didn't want to drop the captain for one reason or another. Anyone's guess.

You turn it as if I only go after him and make him the root of all evil, which is a bit strange. I have my reservations about him in the same way as others throw glowing reviews his way, as you can see above. So be it. Its sure not one player that holds us back, my main bone of contention lies with tactics and selection of players. And I would harbour a guess that not 5 Rangers supporters in one room will agree on either.

It's not anti-Tav, I just din't see why his - by his own standards - average performances are not under scrutiny more ... or lead to change.

https://www.rangersnews.uk/news/rangers-join-toney-chase-report/ Was mentioned last week, but here we go with at least "half a source". Alas, he wants 15m ... for a striker who`s contract expires next summer. But maybe someone happens by, hands us 30m for Morelos and we get Toney, Dykes and Brewster ... /irony mode off/

We didn`t twice in a row with e.g. Kent and Morelos and Arfield and ... Stewart got 24 games last "season" and an average of 26 mins per game. Thrown in every now and then or with a weakened side for 90 mins, didn`t play like Ronaldo and was quickly removed. Despite being a good impact player every time a I saw him, but each game a few mins here and there. Polster played a few times, hardly set a foot wrong (rather on the contrary) yet as sson as Tav was fit, no matter how dire he played, was constant pick. He does "so much" for the team ... only that I don`t see it. He was smashing in his first season, had a good partnership with Candeias (and hardly a good partner after that, granted) ... but ever there was nothing that would make him an instant pick ahead of others. (And don`t come up with his goal tally or assists ... 90 % of his goals of these last 2 yeasons came from the penalty spot and for every assist he has five or more crosses that end somewhere in Nirvana. Yet if Polster lashes one into the stands, he "is garbage" for eternity.) Jones, Stewart, Murphy, Polster et al have all what we need to put the Killies and Accies of this league to the sword. But we let Kent and Tavernier and Co. at those team with an end product that is dire time and again.

I would welcome if we actually start using the squad, i.e. Polster, Stewart and Hastie ... instead of shoe-horned Aribos, Hagis and a inconsistent undroppable Tavernier ...

.. which are probably well below 10 % of those we had at their respective times at the club. It is the obvious devil's circle at clubs like ours, since we demand success and try to rear the biggest talents too, yet when someone of greater talent & experience is available, we get/buy him instead. IMHO, the Developement Team challenge season was sure a greater experience for our palyers than anything we had before, not only learning to play international teams of their age, but also learn how to represent Rangers on an international scene and getting to know, albeit at a lower level, what it means to be ambassadors of our club. We might do well to form a partnership with e.g. a Bundesliga team to exchange these u21/u23 players and have them play football at a competitive level disimilar to our/their own, so the respective players develop a better understanding of different game styles and tactics.

According to the not-to-be-named paper, we are seeminglyinterested in getting Bassey's Leicester' 18-year old fellow development-teamer Dennis Gyamfi, a right-back. He's soon out of contract and apparently being chased by quite a few "big-hitters". (NB: Yes, I know the "source", but a rumour is a rumour is a rumour .... ) FF thread Meanwhile, the Sun claims that we are also chasing Liverpool youngster Rhian Brewster on loan.

Maybe its just me, but nigh every time I see these "English" u21 and u23 players they look far more athletic and physcially sound than the Scottish chaps. On a wee sidenote, we sign a 20-year old that is meant to be playing first team football, probably as a back-up for any CH and leftback. He's but "or" already 20, pending on the point of view, i.e. only 20 and considered first team material "or" already considered first team material at 20. Why would I say that? Because most of our development players are also 20ish ... https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/glasgow-rangers-reserves/kadernaechstesaison/verein/12573 Just noted that as of now, Josh McPake seemingly hasn't had his contract extended. Was under the impression that he was one of our more talented guys.

Neat bolt right out of the blue ...

Yeah, some "12 month loan with option to buy" thing, possibly due to connections of Ross Wilson and Soton plus the latter's monetary problems. We shall see.

That's not the team that went all the way through Europe for three season's on the trott though. IMHO, we got a good bunch of players and need to fill out the quality department somewhat. As we did throughout the years, only in days gone by it was easier to find "that certain" quality at a price we can now afford. Still, if you look those full games of old which appear now, you will see that on the whole, we sure did not play smashing football 24/7 even with the likes of Laudrup, Albertz, Gascoigne and Co.. Sometimes, IMHO, we seem to forget this and these teams also had to grind out results against the likes of Falkirk, Dundee et al. With Hagi, Kent, Aribo and some others, we have quite a few who have the quality, albeit being a bit raw. Speaking of which, even Morelos is not the finished article yet, but look what he does. What we should do (repeat mode on) though is throwing in certain players who can win us games against those lesser lights teams that will simply club their way through games without being checked by the ref, Rangers players who know what to expect and can cope. That is the likes of Arfield, Jones, Kamberi, and Stewart. Who sure have the quality to beat the dross they are facing (and else wouldn't be at Rangers). In that respect, we sure have tactical shortcomings that need to be adressed. Meanwhile, it looks like the Scum are now in for Lyle Taylor (and Scott McKenna) ... according to a Jim White tweet (that did not mention us).

Some whispers on FF (from " a very good source") that we are in talks with Ivan Toney / Peterborough United, 24-year old striker who has a year left on his contract. Likewise, some quiet whispers that we may still move for Florin Kamberi (remember, he did cost Hibs just 100k).

That's a neat way to describe the going-ons in Scotland since March. May I be the first to congratulate Scotland for being the first country to reach the Fourth World Status?!

I do agree with a lot there. What bothered me more than the odd player having an off-time is that while we have the squad, we rarely use it to its full capacity and/or adapt to the opposition at hand. Meanwhile, the FourLads-Blog has a new article that also covers the transfer activity ... https://fourladshadadream.blog/2020/05/27/a-look-back-as-hagi-arrives-and-Rangers-return-now-in-sight/

Regarding transfers ... St. Mirren have now cut lose all their players with contracts running out, had offered Hladky a new one but he declined. I would expect to hear from him and us soon now.

... and here was me thinking I saw him run box-to-box time and again chasing people ... while other, younger players gave up or just looked on. Our main problem was that those who were supposedly our front-line faltered the longer the season went on. In any case, his experience will help the younger guys off the field too.

I expect that if it was us, the mhedia would have squeezed that out of Hibs. Murphy ... nope. If we get him back fit, he'll be a valuable left-sided attacker who can shoot. It should be between him and Jones for left-wing, Kent should play through the leftish-middle. EDIT: Just checked ... when he got back to fitness, he played 10 (5 as centre forward) games in League One, scoring 7 (4) goals and assisting 2 (2). Not the greatest standard, but not bad either.

It looks like Florin Kamberi is on his way out of Hibs and he is or them are seemingly in talks with another club. Burned his bridges at Hibs when he joined us on loan and will most likely not play for them again. Was always a good option from the bench and I would have loved seeing him and another striker up front.

NewsNow Rangers brings up this ... Lyle Taylor at TM https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/05/30/rangers-reportedly-want-an-international-striker-who-rates-joe-aribo-highly/

From us to St. Mirren (I think), Aberdeen snapped him when he rose to fame (and we had no money) for 300k and then he went to England. Yet, for one McLean we let go in days gone bye, there are dozens who won't make it and never fulfilled some early promise. Likewise, at times we simply had better people in front of them in the first squad so making a grade with us and/or getting competitive games was simply not on ...

Some murmurs about Kenny McLean ... check the twitter link below, though not much more info there. IN -Kenny McLean (28) - defensive midfield - Norwich City - contract till 2021 - LINK

The point is that the one vital decision has been made and the rest of the lot is and has been a side show. What happens next is of no urgency to the puppetmaster. Sounds like paranoia, but your mental age would have had to be arrested at a rather young state not to see through this all. The icing on the cake is that Lawwell and Co. now press for a quick start to get TIAR going ... even when NIAR was not possible to be won on the playing field days ago. The creep show at the top needs to be removed and all influence from one club made impossible.

4-2-3-1 worked as long as Alfredo was banging them in. The whole system, for the best part of two season, rested on him scoring the goals. The "impact" from attacking midfield was far too low and inconsistent to whittle away the brickwall-brigade. Especially against teams that dug in, our attackers were easily swamped and coverd by 2 or more players and there were hardly people stepping in from midfield and running into spaces or produce some end products. Arfield here and there, Kent here and there, Aribo ... even Jack. But these people need to hit double figures or at least hit when Alfredo does not. There is no doubt that 4-2-3-1 works well enough against opposition that likes to play more open, but as I said before, at home against the brickwall-brigade, a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 / 3-1-4-2 should be considered.