Ser Barristan Selmy

It’s difficult to objectively define this. We got an amazing result away to a fine Spanish side, then beat a very poor Austrian one with some determination. Tonight I think two mediocre Europa sides battled it out. It’s a lot better than where we were a year ago, but it’s disapponting that we lacked the tenacious fire that I know we’re capable of.

i predicted we would struggle tonight though. Regardless of their league positions, Spartak are filled with internationalists from decent nations. 

They are no mugs.

Fifa 1992 top 10 world players of the year:

Rank	Player	Club(s)	Country	Points
1	Marco van Basten	Milan	Netherlands	161
2	Hristo Stoitchkov	Barcelona	Bulgaria	88
3	Thomas Häßler	Roma	Germany	61
4	Jean-Pierre Papin	Marseille  Milan	France	46
5=	Brian Laudrup	Bayern Munich  Fiorentina	Denmark	44
5=	Peter Schmeichel	Manchester United	Denmark	44
7	Dennis Bergkamp	Ajax	Netherlands	29
8	Frank Rijkaard	Milan	Netherlands	23
9=	Abedi Pelé	Marseille	Ghana	10
9=	Franco Baresi	Milan	Italy	10
9=	Jürgen Klinsmann	Internazionale  Monaco	Germany	10

3 hours ago, JohnMc said:

I'm surprised at the Brian Laudrup revisionism, I'm also not sure I agree with it. I think it's fair to say Laudrup struggled in Italy, but that was due to a number of factors, the three foreigner rule in particular. He did well in his first season in Florence. Remember that AC Milan side he was in won the league and the European Cup that season. The fact his appearances were largely kept for the European arena rather than the domestic one isn't much of a criticism. 

 

His Chelsea move was a mistake, one he realised before he joined and tried to get out of whilst still playing for us, you can't judge anyone on 3 months, most of which was spent trying to leave.

 

Why is his time at Ajax seen as a failure? He was a key player when he was fit, and I'm not sure a career ending injury can be used as a criticism of his time there. 

 

Brian Laudrup was a world class footballer, anyone with eyes could see that. He wasn't the best player in the world, that's different, and he arguably didn't achieve as much in his career as someone with his ability should have, however he played at a time when football was quite different to it is now, where defenders could tackle from behind with impunity, indeed stiffening the nippy winger was generally accepted as part of the game, full backs were 'allowed' a couple of heavy challenges before being spoken too. In today's more sanitised game Laudrup would be a sensation. Laudrup was unlucky with injuries. Not so much that he experienced more than his contemporaries, rather their timing. After a good first season at Bayern, and a career ending one at Ajax. 

 

At the same time a largely injury free period at Rangers, at the peak of his powers, allowed him to dominate the game here and provide us with a insight into just how entertaining a footballer can be. 

 

Ultimately though Laudrup's legacy is his international career. Among average to good Danish players he excelled. Two international tournament wins (for a country with only 5 million people), 82 caps and a final performance, against World Cup runners up Brazil, that showcased just how good a footballer Brian Laudrup was. Find that match on You Tube and watch it, Laudrup should have been in the Brazil side. 

 

 

Laudrup wasn't the best player in the world, but he was the 5th best at one point. He was awarded such anyway. 

He's the best player I have ever seen in person and the best Scottish football has seen during my lifetime at least.

His name being mentioned in this topic is ridiculous.

It’s expected given juve are amazing but to see a Man Utd side look so pathetic?

Actually embarrassing seeing Man Utd schooled at home by juve.

1 hour ago, JFK-1 said:

It's probably going to be a repeat of what we see against the other 'small' teams. They will sit in while kicking and provoking our players hoping to get something on the break. If this is going to be an entertaining showpiece game they will certainly have no part in making it so.

 

I can see them struggling to get much higher in the league than they are right now, both Hearts and hubz are better than them. We sit 5 points off the top while they sit 5 points outside the top 6.

 

We're the highest scorers in the league with the best GD. They're seventh top scorers and seventh best GD. Suits their league position to a T.

 

Despite their delusions of being relevant they're undoubtedly the one the other three wanted to pull in the draw. I hope we not just beat them but totally humiliate them.

If they’re not relevant why do you seem so bothered by them, to the point you even go on their forums?

Brian Laudrup ?? Where on earth did that come from. 

19 minutes ago, aweebluesoandso said:

Such a level head on a young player, he's been through the mill with injuries but seems such a bubble character after all of that. Hope he stays injury free, because he has so much potential. My only concern is, if he does reach the heights i hope for him, he'll be snatched up again by one of the big EPL clubs, but never the less i wish him all the best.

Losing him to a big EPL club isn’t any concern at all just now

I don’t think he has any chance of staying injury free. Not with us anyway.

26 minutes ago, JFK-1 said:

I missed it. 3 points secured and the GD handsomely boosted and though it doesn't sound as convincing as the scoreline would suggest there may be additional factors to be considered here.

 

The yahoos laboured to beat Hamilton 1-0 on grass at the piggery while Hearts went behind at Hamilton but drew back to go in 1-1 at halftime before eventually also running out 4-1 winners including one penalty.

 

Also must we view this as a continuing issue with away form or a player phobia about plastic pitches? I'm going to be watching with interest what happens when we meet St Mirren away in a couple of weeks time.

  

You can dress it up which ever way you want, but we were very poor today.

23 minutes ago, 26th of foot said:

Andy Walker on Sky, "it's a soft penalty, the ball hits Penny on the top of his arm, the top of his arm".

 

Rob McLean on BBC Radio Scotland, "a most misleading result".

 

It is a completely different narrative when Rangers pull a result out of the bag, deservedly or not?

Andy Walker is wired to the moon but Rob McLean is stating an undeniable a fact there.

2 hours ago, der Berliner said:

Honestly, this sounds quite bizarre ... up to the point that you ask yourself: was this actually Lafferty?

 

Eh????

All I can say is lol

19 hours ago, Waltersgotstyle said:

That is ludicrous and I have never suggested this.

 

However my points above still stands - we have players on the ascendancy who are operating at a higher level than the Aberdeen players who were selected.

 

When was the last time Aberdeen beat us?

The last time they beat us was when they beat us to 2nd place last season and the year before that too. Currently we are only 2 points ahead of them in the league, and they have had a woeful start. 

When we are back winning titles and cups we can afford to look down our noses at the rest. Then and only then.

P.S. The argument shouldn’t really even be about the team. It’s the player that’s relevant and I don’t see any of ours being unfairly missed out.

On 15/10/2018 at 12:26, Tannochsidebear said:

Still think he went a league too far down to really push his career on. The English Championship should have been the level he went to, League 1 is a very poor level. He would have been better going on loan back to Hamilton if he couldnt get a championship side.

Remember seeing him against hearts last season and thinking he was excellent. Was all over the park and bossed the game.

Not sure how realistic it is for a young player not getting a game in Scotland to go on loan to the EFLC as it’s a much higher level. 

Not sure where I stand on this. Calling off last minute seems a shitty move, but 20 goals for an international side with an extremely poor squad is bloody good going. Lafferty is a little like David Healy, impressive goal scorer for NI, but struggled to ever achieve much club wise 

15 hours ago, Waltersgotstyle said:

Instead we have Aberdeen regulars who have failed every year to qualify for the Europa league.

 

Whereas Andy Halliday, Glen Middleton, Ryan Jack and Ross McCrorie have all featured in a very impressive run so far in Europe.

 

Yet we are stuck with McKenna, Devlin, Shinnie and Gary Mackay Steven....

 

Go figure.

When is the last time we finished above Aberdeen in the league? They might be a poor team but we're in no position to think our players automatically have a God given right to feature ahead of them. 

Regarding our players you mention there, it's not long ago Halliday was being chased off to Azerbaijan and everyone on here thought he was pish. He's had an upturn in form recently and I'm sure if he keeps it up he'll get his chance. Middleton is not a first team starter, Jack has been selected recently and McCrorie has hardly featured at all this season! McCrorie is also the U21 captain...is the U21 manager not told he can't pick Rangers players? lol

43 minutes ago, craig said:

An anti-Rangers conspiracy is not confined to picking the national team.

 

You are using a very narrow perspective in the debate.  Admittedly, this thread is about the national team - however, Bill's post you quote is looking at a wider perspective.  I think you are both right on the points you make, but you aren't talking about the exact same thing.

I’ve been quite consistent in what I’m talking about. That there’s no evidence to suggest that our players are being unfairly excluded from the national team setup. 

6 hours ago, Bill said:

“The guy picking the team” couldn’t pick his nose, for goodness sake, and holding him up as some kind of proof that an anti-Rangers conspiracy doesn’t exist in Scottish football is taking gullibility to new levels of naivety. “We’re in the clear guys, Alex McLeish is back in charge.” ?

So do you believe the SFA are telling McLeish not to pick all these wonderful Scottish players we have? Your argument has no logical basis. 

Players are being mentioned in this topic who have barely kicked a ball this season ?.

1 hour ago, Bill said:

I fully understand the reality of the "tartan army". They mostly conform to a strict nationalist agenda and, like all ScotNats, will continue to take an adversarial attitude to Rangers players. It doesn't matter whether our players are good enough, whatever that means nowadays. If any Rangers player isn't "good enough" for Scotland then he certainly shouldn't be playing for Rangers. I'm more than happy to reciprocate in full and wouldn't be particularly disappointed if I never saw another Rangers player in a Scotland shirt.

 

Scottish football is run by bigots and incompetents, mostly for the benefit of one club. The evidence is all around us. The idea our players should help sustain their blazers by playing for them doesn't appeal to me. I'm proud to be Scottish and feel immense pride when Scots do well in sport of any other aspect of life but you couldn't pay me to go to a Scotland game. 

I'm struggling to see any evidence that there is some sort of conspiracy when it comes to the selection of our players. I think history has shown that the players we have that are good enough get picked. It's not like in recent years we have had a load of top performing Scots getting consistently overlooked. 

The guy picking the team is a Rangers supporting ex manager for goodness sake!

1 hour ago, Gribz said:

None with the recent squad due to injury etc but lets see the next squad when all our players are fit. McCrorie, Jack and Dorrans should all walk into it.  

If they perform well enough I’m sure McLeish will pick them...

2 minutes ago, Gribz said:

I think its fair to say Rangers are moving forward and Scotland are moving backwards.

 

Overall Scotland have been on a mass downward spiral for the best part of 15 years and of course the SFA wouldnt even consider looking long term back then with a Belgian, Spanish, German type model in place. We are never going to reach that heights but you see countries of similar population punching well above their weight.

 

I would say the current Scottish Gers would at least be in any 23 man squad but its pretty obvious the SFA have a criteria to keep to - of course that wont be admitted but we all know the fans of other clubs would become Boo boys if there is a team with Gers players.

 

 

Which Rangers players are being unfairly kept out?

McLeish is clueless but we can hardly criticise him for not selecting players that aren’t even fit/starting regularly.

On 12/10/2018 at 21:58, JFK-1 said:

I don't see this game as a must win in the way I did the Hearts game but at the same time I think we now need to be convincing the rest that we're better than you.

 

At this point I think we can easily beat the sheep. Hearts are better than them and possibly hubs are too. They will probably simply try to stop us playing in the same way the also rans do.

It’s a must win if we have any intention of staying in the cup.

1 hour ago, BlackSocksRedTops said:

When did our squad have higher end EPL players? 

When we were last qualifying for major tournament in the mid to late 90's we had the likes of Goram, Gough, Hendry, Weir, Calderwood, McAllister, Lambert, Collins,  McCall, McCoist etc. All high quality players considerably above what we have now, some of whom played to a decent level in England. 

From the current Scotland team, only McGregor, Robertson and Naismith particularly stand out to me.