buster.

Trying to rationalise, it is better to go back to the 70's and think about the football, forget the prospective finance on offer. Besides, as it stands, PSV are the likely team to go through on our half of the draw. The Europa League is definitely our level and we would have time to sort ourselves out. We'd be in pot 1 with Roma, Man.Utd, Arsenal, Lazio, Sporting Braga amongst others. At least tell the Belguim press that is what we are thinking !!

Early days of Gio we just kept winning football matches, conceding very few goals. It was the winter break that had the usual effect.

A collective fail. Management and players. Worst I can remember since the First Half at the Brendanbeu in early Feburary. In fact, worse when you think we actually improved a fair bit in that second half with Jack coming on. For as dismal a 90 minutes, Hibs semi final last November.

Will be interested to hear how Gio explains this away. Bit of honesty required.

After the 2008 UEFA Cup Final came Kaunas. USG are better than Kaunas but we were just bad and managed to get worse rather than sorting ourselves out. Still in the tie, sort of..... but a long odds outside bet.

Type of performance that will leave a scar.

Arfield is a decent shout.

They have done their homework and know how we can struggle against a low block. The difference here is that unlike SPFL diddy clubs, they have some quality to counter with and the minute you put pressure on our defence, it dithers and sometimes appears to crumble.

Started well then ended the half lucky to be only one down. Over to Gio to change things, it ain't working. Have to be careful here or the tie could be more or less over before the second leg.

Just hope some of the new lads up front see enough of the ball to show what they can do.

Jack and Tillman starts Lawrence bench Interesting We'll get a good idea of what Tillman and Matondo offer tonight. Glad that we've not changed the keeper Important that we don't isolate Colak up front and that the ball sticks to the Croatian, so we can better get up the park.

Can see us getting hemmed in at times with that starting XI and there being a problem to move the ball forward under meaningful control. Colak would get isolated. Had a glance at B365 Both teams are 17/10 to win the game. We are 2/5 on to get through.

I watched the first half of their first league match (only played two) It reminded me of Dundee Utd v Hibs. Both teams were poor. Apparently they improved a little in the second half.

I'd imagine that tonight will see a BBC Scotland commentary team pitchside at a Rangers European away game. I think they were also in Leipzig and Braga. It'll be stranger to hear them broadcast at Ibrox.

Eyes on USG I said.....but We have played 4 times in Monaco (1) and at PSV (3). We have never lost (3 wins and a draw). PSV 2-3 Rangers (Johnstone, MacDonald, Russell) Monaco 0-1 Rangers (GVB) PSV 0-1 Rangers (Albertz) PSV 0-0 Rangers

Eyes on USG Get past them and we can bank at least an extra 7M Euros (5M if lose play off round plus a home gate).

Just about to be drawn.... edit.... Kiev/Sturm Graz....v Benfica/M USG/Rangers......v Monaco/PSV

https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/draws/2023/2001672/

I agree, those lines depend on the timing of when the ball was kicked and on tight calls a TV station could, if it wanted, probably tweak and present the case it wants to. It would be good to know how VAR actually determines this exact moment and the technology used.

I don't think the VAR folk will be keen to share or show up descrepancies with their process. I don't think they'll have a different camera angle to any the BBC showed and if that were the case, then you could find that call (offside) to be in the 1% (without VAR 8% decisions wrong../..with VAR 1%*) *something I heard an SFA rep saying.

I don't see the offside call being conclusively shown to be wrong, IMO it looks very tight. If you have footage or an angle that does, please show me the link. It almost looked like a trade off Highlights package show Colak offside call Post match speak about Livingston disallowed goal I think Kenny Miller (pundit BBC) got it spot on when he said that we got away with one (you don't always get those calls) but we fully desereved the three points.

The Colak offside was in the highlight package (HP) but wasn't discussed post-match. The disallowed Livingston goal wasn't in the HP but was discussed post-match. Both were tight/contentious. The offside wouldn't have changed the actual end result. The disallowed goal would have.

Coming back to this a second.... IIRC the second leg at Ibrox saw us wilt visibly after about 30-35 minutes. We were all over them from the off with high energy, fast tempo football. We weren't precise in our passing or fluent in our play but the energy carried us along, we dominated and were a goal up. Then we hit a wall and Malmo just took over, could have scored a couple before HT. Did score a couple after HT, with 10 men.

You started it, repeating your 0-1 prediction of Malmo (A) 😀 No-one on here predicted a Malmo win that afternoon, however tonight some have predicted a narrow USG win. There was no Roofe or Morelos in Sweden, Wright and Itten started. ps. Our last 4 games in the CL have all been against Malmo !! ....At least USG are new, that is something.