Rousseau

Long ball, Katic beaten, trips and can't recover; the St Johnstone lad slots it under McGregor's legs. 1-0.

He refused Man Utd in January, there, because he thought Dortmund was better for his development. I think he'll be looking at Barca/Madrid. Liverpool may not be able to spend to money to get him, and he's better than Man Utd. Liverpool are looking at Timo Werner, who'll cost upwards of £60M.

*cough* Kamara *cough*

St Johnstone 1 - 2 Rangers FGS Arfield

What was that Referee like with throw-in decisions!? Jeez. At one point the Braga lad passed it straight out, and they still got the throw-in.

I think the 4-5-1 we were playing towards the end is the best way to defend against Braga, because it covers their Wing-backs. Our 4-3-3 was compact vertically, but their width completely negated that strength. Our press was terrible. We didn't cover their pivot, or the wingers. I think we made it far too easy for them. Of course, all that is secondary to the fact that we couldn't complete a simple pass all night until that quite remarkable transformation.

It was the Stewart for Barisic sub that was the most bold -- Aribo was left playing LB!! I like Kamberi; a lot. I love Aribo. He gets a lot of criticism from fans mostly because of his languid style, but when he turns it on, he's phenomenal.

Well... a lot of negative Nancies. Rousseau, Dado, compo, Les, One, BEARGER, Yorkie, Coop, Stevie, WB91, 26th, MacK, FS and TB gained 1 point for the Correct Result. Coop and FS gained 1 point for the Correct Number of Rangers Goals. Lenny and Franc gained 2 points for Hagi as FGS. No one had the Correct Score. Latest Standings:

I don't care too much about the result -- although I'm buzzing and I'll enjoy the hell out of it -- but I mostly hope the players take a lot of much needed confidence from it; to try to get back to our best.

This is hilarious. We are p*sh.

2 seconds of quality in the match and we score.

0-2 and I don't even care. I'm more concerned about our mental state.

Good side; very good. To be honest, though, a wee bit of composure and we can score. Then we're right back in it. It is bizarre.

These misplaced passes are worrying. What most concerning is not do much that they're happening, but the reason why. It's not even just one or two players --although some are worse than others -- its every one of them. Inexplicable.

Bizarre is the right word.

Our confidence is absolutely shot. We can barely string two passes together, and look like a bunch of strangers. This team is so much better than that. I would say I think Beale and Gerrard have made a mistake with our press; Braha have got free men in either central midfield or out wide. It is frustrating because I feel like with a wee bit of composure and we'll score, as strange as that sounds; their high line is a vulnerability because it is a zonal coverage, not man marking. Sloppy play for the goal, but it's still a beautiful 25 yard strike. They've had several glorious chances that are more concerning.

Opposition tactical breakdown. Superb stuff. "Braga regularly use an adaptation of the Salida Lavolpiana concept - method as a means of progressing the back from the back & escaping 1st line of opposition pressure on the ball..."

That was a beautiful cross from Jones. I still firmly believe, when he's back fighting fit, that Jones is a good option to have in the squad.

I don't know how tall Mulholland is, but this lad looks quite big in comparison. He's 16. Yeah-- good news. Everything the Youth Academy does seems shrewd.

It depends how Braga approach it. Their games against Porto, Sporting and Benfica were tight, 1-0 wins, so they can defend. They play 5-2-2-1, which suggests counter-attacking, but they seem to have matched the above teams for possession, 50/50. (Or, the Portuguese game is based on the transitions?) If they are going to sit back, we'll need Hagi's creativity. If they want to play, then a more counter-attacking player like Aribo, Arfield will be needed. If they are good on transitions, we might be better letting them have the ball and counter. I think I'd leave out Hagi; go with the aggressive, pressing players that can counter. We can always bring Hagi on late on if we need some creativity, when the space will appear. I just noticed they get a lot of fouls and free-kicks -- this could be an exasperating match!

VAR can only help us, IMO.

My point was that he can't score goals if he doesn't get the chances; he had very few chances. He did create a good few chances for others. I was impressed with that side of his game on Sunday.

Rangers 1 - 0 Braga FGS Morelos

What are your thoughts, folks? Halliday and Arfield jump out at me. I think I'll go with Arfield, just because he grabbed the goal.

Outwith his goal, did Morelos have any chances yesterday? He can't score if no one creates for him. I recall one where the 'Keeper smothered it, close-range, but that was it.