calscot

I say no, always no. The punishment is a penalty (which is usually scored) a sending off, meaning you have to fight back with 10 men, and you lose the player for the next game. In this case not only did we lose our best defender while being down to 10 men, we're doubly punished in that the next SPL game is also at Celtic and we lose our best player again. It's easy to use hindsight of the save to say he did the right thing - but if they'd scored as you'd expect them to, then we'd have been 2-1 down with only 10 men. As it was, we were under the cosh for the rest of the game and it was inevitable they'd score unless we could hold out long enough. We almost did, but the 10 men and without the services of the brilliant Spaniard, we couldn't hold on for one more minute. Now we're without him for the next installment and he's a big, big miss. If he'd just let the goal in, we'd have been 2-1 down but with 11 men to get an equaliser. We were in the ascendancy so I think we'd have had a better chance of drawing or winning. I'm not criticising Cuellar as it's one of those rush of the head, in the moment things - and I've been sent off once for it myself. But I still think it's definitely the wrong thing to do in most cases. More-so this time.

PS I think our squad is pretty transitional at the this stage. We have achieved a certain level quicker than expected, so now Walter will want to add some quality players in certain positions.

Firstly I think it depends on WS's plans. If he's rather have 6M to spend on a couple of players he thinks will raise the level of the team while losing the likes of MacGregor then it's up to him to give the nod. He's playing the balancing act, and the unfair criticism he's been receiving must surely put him under pressure to sell players, to bring in others with flair? You can't criticise and boo a team and then expect the manager to keep the same squad. The trouble is too many fans want changes. I think also it depends on the players and whether they really want to stay. There's no point turning down silly money for a player who really wants to play in the EPL. You lose the money and then end up with an unhappy, unmotivated player. Cousin is an exception here as he came to realise that perhaps a transfer to Fulham was a bad move and perhaps playing for Rangers in a lesser league could be worth it for the medals and at least 18 European games. Especially when you consider he could have been playing Championship football next season, while those that stay at Rangers like Darcheville, will be playing Champions League football. More astute players like Cuellar are learned this quickly and realise that playing for Rangers can be very rewarding indeed. You have to play for the top two or three teams in a good footballing country to achieve the same kind of success and so unless you are headhunted by the top three in England, Italy, or Spain, then the likes of Rangers have the most potential - and the wages are pretty decent. Some players will recognise this, others will prefer to move to lesser teams in the EPL who have more money and therefore higher wages now due to astronomical TV income. But fighting relegation and losing at least half the time in front of 25000 crowds can't be as enjoyable.

JJB are very likely to be be making a small profit from Rangers products so they wouldn't want to reduce their profits further, would they? SDM was canny here, as he signed a deal with guaranteed income, at a time he predicted there would be a decreasing market. Looks like he was right and Rangers won't have to take a hit in the slightest. The deal looks better and better as time goes on.

0-0 would be a decent enough result. I think we'll play it like Europe and be really cagey. It will be difficult to keep a 5th clean sheet and also a 5th win in a row so maybe 1-1 or 2-2. I think they'll be up for it more than us for a change. I'll settle on a prediction of 2-2. Darcheville and Davis.

Setanta loyal.

That's a bit like me too... Seem to have a knack of coming out fine in tackles and collisions, sometimes leaving the opposition gasping for breath. Never quite got he knack of keepy uppies and 30 is about right. However, when I see people with the knack doing it, it doesn't look like it would help in football in the slightest. It's a wee flicky toe-up action that you'd never be able to use to your advantage in a game. Anyway, keepie uppies should only count if you have someone trying to tackle you while you do it, as I'm sure if you did use it in a game, you'd probably get your leg broken.

That depends on your own taste... I couldn't possibly comment.

I would take the CL way before the SPL but the UEFA cup has been devalued and it's really the plate for the CL. It puts arguably puts you at 17th place in Europe, whereas the last 16 in the CL are effectively 9th equal. However, as the last 16 can be a bit of luck of the draw, I would say winning the UEFA is better. But quarter-finalists in the CL are surely better than the UEFA cup winners? It's just the latter gets a trophy... The CL semifinalists and runners up don't get one either... The UEFA cup is a bit of a side show, and although I'd love to win it, the SPL has got to be more important when you've only won twice for a seven years and had a two year break. It's nothing to do with Celtic, it's about Rangers being the best in Scotland. European cup winners, always seem better when they win their own league the same year. Liverpool didn't seem real Champions of Europe as they haven't won their League for such a long time. So for me it's the SPL or both.

My girlfriend is 43, which is a year older than when my sister became a granny! Thankfully, she doesn't have any kids...

I think we've a one in four chance of winning it, meaning we've got a three in four chance of not winning it. The latter is therefore most likely, but in any case I'm going to enjoy the journey to whatever conclusion.

Being a Celtic fan must feel pretty mundane in comparison. They had a decent season up until Christmas but have been pants since then. The only interesting games they have left are the two against us. If they don't win both the derbies then their last 4 games are going to be absolutely meaningless and their fans will disappear in droves. With a few home games, it's going to be a ghostly Celtic park...

PS He must have been spitting that he came off just before a penalty was awarded. However, it's hard to know whether he was more annoyed that Cousin missed, or secretly happy that the gaff keeps him as first choice spot kicker.

Watching the highlights, I think he did play a far better all round game than normal and seems to look like he's working on those aspects of his game. However, it's the first time I could honestly say that - he's got a long way to go... At least he's started on the right road and if he keeps working at it, he could be much further up the pecking order. In the meantime, Cousin and Darcheville have been far better choices for the lone striker and with only one place available, Boyd won't get much of a look in - especially in the big games. If he keeps it up he should at least raise his status up Novo, and the fact the diminutive Spaniard is ahead of him, shows how little Boyd has done to improve himself up to now. Maybe the penny has finally dropped. Anyway with that kind of performance, I can see Krissie get a few starts against lesser opposition, in a 4-4-2 formation.

Is this turning into a MILF thread? Thing is, Frazer's mum could feasably be the same age as quite a few of us on here...

Seems to me like a lot of fans, you don't mind players going to the likes of Barcelona, or AC Milan, but when we're cherry picked by the likes of Spurs, it sticks in your craw. The fact is we KNOW we're a much bigger club than them and most of the Premiership but we're struggling to accept that Sky money is skewing it all and reducing our status. I agree the UEFA has to sort it out before all the best footballers are playing in only the five richest leagues. The only solution I can see is amalgamation of smaller leagues across Europe whichUEFA oppose for obvious reasons, but it's only a matter of time. The likes of Ajax, PSV, the OF, ANderlecht, Porto, Benfica, Olympiakos, etc, etc, can only put up with being marginalised for so long. All these smaller countries need a bigger population to market the TV rights to, and only the merging the leagues can do that.

He'll be like a new signing next year, but will have to displace a consistent Papac. However, Smith was always better than Hutton and if he can recapture his pre-injury form then Papac hasn't a chance in hell of keeping young Stevie out of the team. We'll have a Hutton++ on the left, which should make us a much better team to watch too. If Whittaker also plays to his potential on the right, we'll be a more balanced team with two proper full backs rather than four centre backs.

PS you could go on about the fact that we haven't won a European trophy for 36 years, but there are many seasons where we could easily have won the CWC or UC, with the most obvious being 93. However, we've been pretty ensconsed in trying to do well in the CL in those years where we've had a really good team.

If we'ed even won the league two seasons ago I'd go for the UEFA cup. But I would find 3 seasons without winning the SPL too hard to bear. SPL first and last for me, everything else is icing on the cake. I'd take the CL before the league though. Although the UEFA is prestigious and difficult to win, it's still an also ran competition and arguably getting to the last 16 in the CL is a bigger acheivement.

Great goals by Mutu, but they kind of reminded me of Adam... :-O

Terrible keeping. However, did you notice that three players missed a penalty tonight?

So it'll be Dailly (what a genius signing), Davis (and again) and Hemdani in the middle with McCulloch on the left. So who will be on the right? Whittaker? Novo? Burke? I would predict Whittaker - and he deserves it.

Didn't think you were. Just making the point that the minimum standard was pretty good, which is why we played so well. However, to me, just like we were due a bad result in the league, we were due a good one in the UEFA cup.

Well said, Craig. Don't Celtic play Auntie Football?

Hemdani might have been our worst player, but as far as I remember, he was still not bad... Made quite a few mistakes but did good stuff too.