der Berliner

That said, the year we returned, I think Morelos and Jack were certainties for strange yellows and reds, some overturned, some not. For a couple of years, the let the Compliance Officers loose (wherever he/she/it is nowadays). Last season it was referees and VAR again. We'll see what they whip up this season, sectarian songs anyone?

Well, we got Jefte (20), Barron (21), Nsiala (20), Cortes (20), and Igamane (21). Now we are looking at Mahamadou Diarra (20). You would expect that our u23/B-Team squad is littered with 18- to 20-year-olds, primarily and hopefully the best and talented chaps out there. Or they wouldn't be with us. Given that the B-Team has not played league games last season (did they?), these chaps should and would be under close supervision from our first team coaches too? And still we do not get any sign that either of them is in any way or shape good enough to hold his own against even the lesser lights of the Premiership? But we've sung this tune for ages. In the days of Sir Walter et al, our squad was big enough and littered with enough quality to bar any youngster's way into the first team. Unless you were excellent. Perhaps we should ask Everton to loan us Patterson back?

Total conundrum. Instead of addressing the obvious, "we" like to blame this or that player for being not good enough. From the days of Waghorn onwards, we have shoe-horned strikers into that one-striker role against a packed defence and even if he clocks up 20odd goals like Colak and Dessers, he gets it in the neck. When our team is not failing because that striker's inability to covert 80+ % of his chances, but because our team simply lacks fire-power beside him. We need a Sima or two quickly, or simply play with two strikers in certain games. It's blatantly obvious.

I think I have read this line for about a decade and a half now, and nothing happens ...

The only "good" that comes of yesterday might be that we won't have a mid-week game before our visit to the Scumhut.

Speaking to BBC Scotland, Rangers manager Philippe Clement on Jefte's second yellow card: "I've seen the images back, it's clearly not a foul. He jumps higher and that's everything that happens. "He is not moving his arm towards the man or whatever. It's a crucial decision in this game. Everyone who watched this game saw we were the better team on the ball against a good Dynamo Kyiv team. "We had a few chances to open up things and we knew they would get tired in the second half, then we get the red card five minutes into the second half. "It's a big moment in the game. But even then, with 10, I'm really proud with my players and what they showed. "Until the goal, we were the team getting the better moments even within. The decision was a gamechanger. One decision of one person, you take away the dream of others. It's really hard." https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/live/c3vxly6qyl4t#LiveReporting

We've been playing a shit system for ages now. I had high hopes of Clement changing this, but they are shrinking fast ...

Wee sidenote ... that's Raskin, Cortes and Ridvan out injured even before the season has started in earnest.

Very true. Still, we have been a work in progress ever since Warburton took over and - despite all the money the Scum has to dwarf our budget etc. - we simply cannot get our act together with rather obvious things. It never helps if important games like these are essentially happening in pre-season, but for all the new players Clement brought and brings in, we continue this 4-2-3-1 trash and are seemingly unable to learn from previous - glaring - mistakes. It really is a test to my love of football seeing us toil on and on with no real progress in sight. Tonight was just Part 342 of it.

Truth be told, we have a knack to grab managers who can't spot the obvious. Last season's two weeks of madness cost us this year's CL millions. This game was just the icing on the cake ... and IMHO, we wouldn't have gone past Salzburg anyway. Atrocious refereeing aside, this team lacks a creator in midfield, while we squabble over Hagi's wages. And now we won't have the money for him, nor any CL cash. Pure madness. All three creative chaps we had at the start of last season are there, but we don't use them ... for one reason or another. The last time I checked, e.g. Cantwell still gets paid? While I laud his left side formation, our DMs are dysfunctional. Their work their socks off, but essentially do the job of one guy. Lawrence hasn't been there at the weekend, yet he starts again and does effectively nothing - again. Instead of changing the obvious, Clement swaps the most creative chap McCausland for Cerny. The latter does his job, but why swap McCausland? And what is wrong with Danilo? We need attackers for counter-attacking football ... and nothing happens. Well, we didn't deserve CL football for that sort of management and play. Not that the Ukros deserved it either. Alas, Europa League is up next. Goodness me, I could puke all day thinking that we once again gifted the Scum these millions because of the shyte we produced last season and now. And knowing that a simple change in tactics might have turned the corner ages ago ...

Slava Ukraini ... remember?

We have Danilo and Wright on the bench, we need to play on the counter. Can't envisage that with Lawrence ...

Scum does as scum does ...

That was dire from us. Essentially the last 20 mins of the weekend in replay mode. Workload aside, Barron and Diomande are a dysfunctional partnership for us. Far too similar and not creative/attacking to have both of them on the pitch. And with Lawrence supposedly the creative/attacking/whatever link virtually non-existing, the rest just toils on and does Plan A ... give the ball to Le Capitan and start praying. The final balls in the attacking third are more often than not very poor and robs us of any good forward play. Money aside, imagine we face Napoli, Liverpool and Co. again with a performance like that.

Well, I was expecting this line up at the weekend, rather than today. McCausland ahead of Cerny and Lawrence still in there through the middle. We shall see ...

Well, the stats we have of him clearly point at the left-back role, yet, he looked rather promising last week and at 20, has all the time in the world to find his place. That, and with Ridvan behind him, they can overlap, attack, and defend in tandem. We shall see.

You read it here first ... well, there -> Rangers to open transfer talks with WSG Tirol over 7-figure Mahamadou Diarra signing Rangers and WSG Tirol are about to open transfer negotiations over a move for Mahamadou Diarra, Africa Foot reports. According to the outlet’s website on 12 August the Light Blues want the 20-year-old striker for around €2million [£1.71m] and have already started discussing matters with his agent. Several European sides are said to have the youngster on their transfer lists having completed just one season in the Austrian Bundesliga after arriving from Stade Malien last summer. The Light Blues have already signed one young striker this summer after bringing in Hamza Igamane from AS Far Rabat after agreeing a deal for a reported £2.5million [Scottish Sun, 22 June]. https://www.ibroxnews.com/2024/08/13/rangers-to-open-transfer-talks-with-wsg-tirol-over-7-figure-mahamadou-diarra-signing/

... incoming remarks about "a left-back playing as left-winger after 20 good minutes in the first leg". Ooops, I wanted to quote Frankie's post. Anyway, while I agree with the line-up above, I do assume that we will see Wright on the left wing and Lawrence in the AM slot. I hope PC proves me wrong after all, but the gut feeling is that he won't.

... he did say Russians, didn't he?! 😱 As it happens, I think I still have a Morning Star (you know, behind the Iron Curtain there was not that much Western printed papers about) as well as some Soviet paper reporting on this match.

Out-of-favour Rangers midfielder Jose Cifuentes is expected to arrive in Thessaloniki on Monday for a medical and to sign a one-year loan deal with Aris that includes a mandatory purchase of £4.3m for the 25-year-old. (BN Sports) Rangers will have to pay part of Jose Cifuentes' £860,000 per year salary when the 25-year-old midfielder joins Aris on loan. (Sport 24) Jose Cifuentes agreed terms with Aris last month, but the loan move from Rangers was delayed because Cruzeiro had to cancel his loan with them first and the Ecuador midfielder then encountered complications because of Brazilian work permit regulations. He is expected to be paraded at the weekend after completing his medical. (The National) Cagliari have reignited their interest in 29-year-old Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers amid the possible departure of Gianluca Lapadula. (Tuttomercato) Cyriel Dessers was initially targeted by Cagliari early this summer, but with the signing of Roberto Piccoli, Rangers' Nigeria striker is no longer seen as a viable option, although that could change should Gianluca Lapadula leave the Serie A club. (Soccernet) After his hat-trick in a 5-3 win over Derby County playing for Rangers' B team, Ianis Hagi posted a photograph of himself captioned "home is good", which is being interpreted by some fans as a suggestion the out-of-favour 25-year-old Romania midfielder now wants to stay at Ibrox. (Scottish Sun) Thoughts ... This Cifuentes thing is littered with question marks. Aris wants to buy him for a set 4.3m (what?!?!) next summer, but can't pay his current wages, so we have pay "PART of his wages" of 860k (WHATT???!?!). Who made that wage offer? Who thinks that Aris will have 4.3m to spend on a de facto no-mark midfielder? Dessers won't go. Never say never, but I think he's happy where he is, while we have no backup ready just now. It would essentially be suicidal, just like Aberdeen letting Miovski go ... even though they sure need the money. Hagi and Cantwell need buyers, or they and Clement will have to talk again.

3-4-3 is the way ahead! https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/live/czjy9gzmvp0t#Line-ups

85' We've Got Lizzie Arnot Aberdeen 0-10 Rangers Another well-worked goal as Tess Middag lays it off to Lizzie Arnot within the box who sends a lovely curling effort beyond the keeper. Rangers make it 10 in Aberdeen! 0-10 Lizzy Arnott (Tes Middag) 90' Go on Laura! A perfect way to finish the match. Aberdeen 0-11 Rangers 0-11 Laura Berry (Austin)

67' A Perfect Strike Aberdeen 0-7 Rangers A perfectly worked corner as Lizzie Arnot and Laura Berry take it short before picking out Liv McLoughlin on the edge of the box who fires a lovely strike beyond the keeper. A great bit of play from the Gers. 0-7 Liv McLoughlin (Laura Berry) 70' Go on Wilko! A hat-trick on her debut Aberdeen 0-8 Rangers Another goal from a corner and another assist for Lizzie Arnot this afternoon. She whips the ball in to meet the head of Katie Wilkinson with a cool finish to secure her hat-trick. 0-8 Katie Wilkinson (Lizzy Arnott) 73' Katie Wilkinson ... Again Aberdeen 0-9 Rangers 0-9 Katie Wilkinso (Tes Middag) 76' A couple of changes for Rangers. Katie Wilkinson comes off after scoring four and Sophie Black comes on to make her senior debut.

We are underway in Aberdeen in our first game of the 2024/25 season. 6' What a start for Wilko - An early goal on her Rangers debut. Aberdeen 0-1 Rangers Great work from Lizzie Arnot to win the ball back out of possession before delivering into the box to find Wilkinson. A perfectly-timed header beyond the keeper secures an early goal on her debut. 0-1 Katie Wilkinson (Lizzy Arnott) 11' Guess Who's Back - A perfect start at Balmoral Stadium. Aberdeen 0-2 Rangers Chelsea Cornet's powerful strike rattles the post before falling into the path of Rio Hardy who is able to tap it in. A positive start for the Gers in Aberdeen. 0-2 Rio Hardy (Chelsea Cornett) 32' A stunning strike from Kirsty Howat rattles the crossbar and is cleared to safety. Some positive build-up play to create the opportunity. 33' Rio Once Again! Aberdeen 0-3 Rangers Another lovely assist from Lizzie Arnot as she whips the ball in from the left flank allowing Rio to send a first-time finish beyond the keeper. Rangers dominating in Aberdeen. 0-3 Rio Hardy (Lizzy Arnott) 38' Go on Lizzie! Aberdeen 0-4 Rangers 0-4 Lizzy Arnott (-) 40' Moments after Lizzie's goal, Mia McAulay's cross is whipped in front of the Aberdeen goal and deflected in by one of their own players. 0-5 own goal (Mia McAulay) 45' What a finish that is Wilko with her second on the cusp of half-time. Aberdeen 0-6 Rangers 0-6 Katie Wilkinson (-) Half Time