JFK-1

Not ideal but I will be optimistic and look at it from the perspective of the sheep record over the past three seasons they have been in those qualifying rounds. In each of those seasons they made it through to the third qualifying round before being being beaten there. I will also conclude that the squad we appear to be shaping is better than anything they had in those three seasons and good enough to get us through to at least that third qualifying round. At that point we would have had four competitive matches to get us synching and if we were to make it to that third qualifying round we will have 6 competitive Euro matches under our belt before the SPL opening day. Somewhat better preparation for the opening day than last year. A resounding first qualifying round first leg victory would be the ideal scenario for all concerned aside from the opposition of course. Would be reminiscent of the thrashing of hubz in Warburtons first competitive match which set him up for a season of adulation and bestowal of the magic hat.

We all know a player with that kind of price tag it's never going to happen and it makes you wonder how we were even linked. Unless of course it was indeed a loan deal with Chelsea ponying up the bulk of his wages while they wait for what they consider an acceptable bid to come along. But I wont be holding my breath waiting for that to happen either and i'm not sure I would even want it to happen. When it comes to the strikers I want our own in there getting match fitness and sharpness and he would keep someone out.

Does anyone have any idea if there are going to be any or are we going to be entering the Europa league first qualifying round with a team that hasn't played a single game together? Either way i'm hoping for very weak first round opponents and a resounding victory to kill it off in the first leg making the second leg more of an experimental getting to know each other event.

I don't recall saying last season that we would be challenging for the title but I did say a second place finish. And the mention of Europe always having been the target wasn't my statement it was the statement of King when he took over in which he said that may initially be Europa league. And he has delivered that. This season i'm saying we could be challengers but as you rightly say we haven't even seen the team play yet. I'm simply guesstimating this team to be far superior to last years team. And last years team was so far behind not because of defeats to them but because of dropping points all over the place to the rest of the dross starting on the very first day. We only need to stop doing that to be challenging.

I'm presuming they would be making arrangements to pay for it over an extended period of time. But that aside I see no one out there grunting 'tick tock' while they expend this money but when we who are a massively larger club with a much larger income stream spend less than that on players they grunt 'tick tock' Just one reason i'm hoping for a really good season. Turn the grunting from tick tock to sob sob

Looks good to me. Both around 6ft 2in with Alves providing the experience and Cardoso the youth and speed. I'm looking forward to seeing how this pans out and hoping it puts an end to my days of shattered nerves waiting for a high cross or corner to come into our box. Alves apparently is also surprisingly quick for his size and age. And looks like a total bruiser. Check how scrawny the others look beside him in this pic and they're not actually scrawny. They just look it beside him.

That's hardly surprising. Alves obvious first pick but his partner not so clear cut.

Admittedly he has played just 252 minutes for us but in those minutes I never once saw him lose out on a 50/50 tackle for the ball nor lose the ball when he was in possession nor even make a stray pass which didn't go to one of our own. But as you say I don't know how Pedro is going to see what he has to offer unless he's outstanding in training games. And in saying that I don't think training is the right environment for him to go full bloodedly into tackles and show what he has to offer.

My bad if I didn't clarify the full scope of my intent which I clearly didn't. After all that has gone before in the past half decade we appear to be entering an exciting new era that's driving those who wanted to revel over our troubles into apoplexy. They're at this moment being reduced to the level of 'tick tock' as if that actually meant anything to our club at this time. Wishes only become reality in their fantasy bubble not back here in the real world. I know many still don't agree but I feel this developing side may indeed challenge and decimate the bulk of the SPL dross. I expect that deep down the mindless morons who hate us know that which is the reason they're being driven ever further into their self created alternate reality. There will be no hiding in any alternate reality if what I suspect may happen does indeed come to pass. My major concern right now is that the Euro ties are coming too early for us to even fit in a few friendlies to gel.

Think that was more akin to a mass exodus if I remember correctly. And this is on another level from Warburtons first window dealings. I think we're currently spending more on single players than he did on all acquisitions in that window and maybe close to spending more on a player or two than in all his windows combined. Some may ask why Warburton never got access to this level of funds and one answer may be that in his first season it wasn't required to win the Championship and in his second season the board may have already decided he wasn't going to be a long term man. Just one clue being that he didn't even buy a house or move his family.

RANGERS new boy Dalcio has backed himself to handle the Ibrox pressure-cooker and the demand to win set to be thrust upon him. The winger finally put pen-to-paper yesterday on a season-long loan from Benfica as Pedro Caixinha continues to build for a more rigorous assault on the Ladbrokes Premiership. Just 21-years-old, Dalcio can play in a variety of positions but has already been targeted to provide width in attack during his year in Glasgow. The man himself, who has been capped by Portugal U20s, is delighted to get the deal done and is confident he can live up to the expectations of a Rangers support desperate for some success. He said: “I realise the club has the need to win and the supporters always want the club to win, but I will leave the pressure off the field before I go onto it. People have already told me to get used to the rain and the weather, but I am prepared to live with that! “I want to improve myself, but the main thing is to help the club and my teammates to get the titles the club needs to win this year. “I want to help the team and my teammates, and you can count on me to give 100 per-cent on the field. “I am a player who can play in many different positions over the field, but I have no single one I prefer. I can play wherever the gaffer tells me to and the important thing is to help the team achieve their goals. “I am a little bit anxious. It is a new team with new teammates, but I believe everything will run well.” As well as being attracted to the size of the Glasgow club, Dalcio was lured to Scotland by the prospect of working under his fellow countryman. Caixinha has clearly made an impression on the 21-year-old, who he says shares the same aspirations to propel Rangers forward from their third-placed finish this season. “The gaffer was a real influence on me too. I know he is really competitive and ambitious, and that was the reasons I wanted to join him,” he said. “The manager has said he is here to help me and to improve me. On the club, we need to put it on top where it belongs. “On a personal side, the manager has said he is there to help me and to improve me. On the club, we need to put it on top where it belongs. “Regarding Rangers, I heard about the club of course when I was young and a player playing with the youth teams. They came to Lisbon for tournaments and they would always bring lots of fans with them to support them. “On Scottish football, I don’t know too much but I know there are two big clubs. Rangers and Celtic, and mainly the way the people love football and support their teams.” http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/rangers/15331900.Dalcio_backs_himself_to_handle_Rangers_pressure_cooker/?ref=eb#comments-anchor

Alves looks well worked out and a bruiser in comparison to the other three. Though is apparently a fitness fanatic. Let's see anyone in the SPL push that off the ball.

Surely Pedro/ the club would have conducted inquiries beforehand as to whether these targets were viable regarding work permits etc. Asked relevant people in the know if this were feasible. I'm guessing at this stage it's a formality since otherwise I imagine he wouldn't be wasting so much of our very limited time on this.

So it could be said that Advocaat was responsible for putting in place a facility that would serve the club for generations to come when he knew his own time there would be very limited. Might almost be called altruistic on his part.

Maybe he's there to placate Douglas Park? A month or two ago I read that Park was prepared to put in £9 million with provisos about who was on the board. Now we're tossing money around and Johnston is on the board.

Pedro actually said Garner hadn't been utilised properly which is one reason I doubt he will be leaving. Why would he when he is suddenly part of a squad looking much more powerful and in which the manager appears to want to play to his strengths to at least some degree. This could be the making of Garner.

Can anyone remember such an overhaul? I don't think even the Souness revolution went this far in the first pre season.

Police will be given extra powers to deal with potential trouble at this weekend's Scotland-England World Cup game. They will be able to compel fans to take off masks or hooded tops which could prevent identification. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-40187045

Very possibly and i'm thinking we're going to have a strong bench to mix it up somewhat if required. Another thought is do we have any friendlies organised to get an idea of what the team will be because there is little time left. Just 22 days from now we will be playing the first Euro tie. The draw will be on the 19th just 12 days from now.

This is developing into a situation where one of the biggest questions will be who from last years team will get a spot this year. I can think of only one cert so far and that would be Foderingham.

And I also notice that the yahoo scoffers who ranted and raved about where is Kings 30 mil 'warchest' have conveniently forgotten all that scoffing now that some serious money is being spent and instead simply move on to some other wacko fantasy that invariably ends with tick tock.

Like the 5000/1 they offered on Leicester. Though to be true I still wouldn't bet a penny on the sheep if they were offering a million to one.

Well to be fair we seem to be in a place right now where most individuals being seriously linked with us are ultimately signed. Changed days from the last summer window when so many consistently fell through.

Some weird differences between bookies unless it simply reflects the money they have taken on specific teams. Rangers 9/1 sheep 20/1 on oddschecker while on paddypower sheep 15/2 Rangers 17/2

They can't afford him?