JFK-1

Highly dubious. Why would a guy who has a contract option for a further year at the end of this season come to Rangers to be paid less in 3 years than what he could earn by just taking the option of a further year at WBA. And to sign for the rivals of the team he grew up supporting? Not likely.

It wont cost a fortune to construct a team capable of beating everything in that league but them on a consistent basis. Do that and it comes down to the matches between the two and we just proved we're already capable of going to their patch and coming away with a result.

Which begs the question why are English clubs so relatively crap in Europe? Are arsenal being beaten 10-2 on aggregate because they have no opposition in England?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5z9QY38I5M

Aye, and he hisnae changed much. They adapted to him rather than him adapting to them.

I'm also happy that his English is more than adequate. His wording isn't always perfectly correct but more than good enough to get his points across and he isn't pausing and casting around for words as you see some people who have English as a second language do.

His views on what has to be done and regarding how we play sounds more or less exactly what we have all been asking for. Including "defensive organisation" and "much more aggressive on the finishing position" and "a team always attacking" What more could we ask for? All this is going to take time to fully implement to his satisfaction but let's see how they line up and play tomorrow.

St Mirren, one of the best in Scotland according to some.

Do you know a woman called Wilma who moved to Holland I think sometime in the 80's and who is married to an English guy? She came from East Kilbride. Only asking because I was thinking ex pat Scots in a small country might come across each other from time to time.

Doesn't that cover these 'ex refs'? And non old firm fans? We can expect a neutral view from spoon burners and sheep etc?

Derek Johnstone has nicely summarised the current situation. Saturday has to continue in the same manner as the previous two matches. We're looking for not just a win but a convincing win with everybody playing for their future place in the team.

Hill made a legitimate challenge and his further comment making mention of getting away with it doesn't in any way deligitimise the challenge. He's saying that though the challenge was perfectly legitimate referees don't always make the correct decisions. Think back to the Tavernier challenge at Pittodrie when he was booked and we lost a last minute goal due to a referee not getting it right. This time the referee did get it right and that's all. Hill didn't 'get away' with an illegitimate challenge he got away with a potentially incorrect refereeing decision and to be fair to refs some things can be hard to call.

Saw a list somewhere that paired them alongside Juventus. Must have been misreading it as a draw when it was actually a list of the remaining contenders.

They have Juventus first leg away in Italy. Eminently doable judging from their latest Euro tie which could see them into the last 4.

I expect to see some consistency with another good display and a win against Hamilton on Saturday. We're just about down to the wire as far as second place goes. There can be no more flat performances. Be interesting to see if the new mangers idea of a formation is any different from that we have become accustomed to.

I'm not advocating that Barry Ferguson should get this position because I would rather see either of the other two you mentioned get it but I don't think we can judge Ferguson on his behaviour all those years ago when still a young boy. I know i'm an entirely different person now than I was as long ago as that and I expect most if not all people are the same in that respect. On both a personal level and regarding views of how the game should be played.

I don't know if it could be said they weren't up for it because they had every bit as much motivation as we did to win this match and maybe even more so. Were they so bad or simply negated by us? They were at home and on a record breaking run of wins which if it were to be halted they certainly didn't want it to be halted by us above anybody else. If they can't get themselves up for that I feel even more confident about the semi final because we will have more options available than we did for this game and we will be more than up for it. It's a passport into Europe and a much needed money spinner aside from the fact it takes the shine off a good season for them and adds some shine to a relatively poor one for us. You would also have to guess the new manager will be more than keen to win that match in the opening weeks of his tenure while the players will have the added incentive of knowing that they're playing for a place in his team for next season with a Summer transfer window approaching.

Don't think I would read much of any importance into that given there are a minimum 11 matches still to play. If it were the final match I might.

I was surprised Hill was even up that far though in saying that it was down to the last few minutes and it's all or nothing at that point.

I would guess what's disturbing them as much as anything else is that before this they thought the semi final was a foregone conclusion and that cup is effectively all that's required to secure a treble. Now it's not so clear cut as they liked to think it was and how painful will it be to have it snatched away by a depleted Rangers that's been through the mill over the past 5 years. A repeat of their humiliation last year when defeated by a Championship level Rangers.

Looks suspiciously like the same face seen among the terrorist loving hordes on the terraces at some point. Bottom left area.

Kenny Miller has made clear his desire to get into coaching and despite his good work on the pitch this term it has to be close to time to start winding it down. Though I would still like him around as an option to play a half or so next year.

For me just as important as the point was that we didn't go there and steal a point. I think that overall given the chances we had and the performance of Gordon that they stole a point and if they were honest they know it. I have always felt that this team isn't as bad as some results might suggest but rather haven't played to their capabilities often enough. A good transfer window with a few good signings should take us clear of the chasing pack next term and make us a far more difficult opponent to wear down. What's put us so far behind isn't so much the defeats to them as the defeats/draws to others that should never have happened. As soon as that can be resolved we can be competitive again title wise. I'm more than glad the new manager was in the stands watching yesterday which should have given him a clear idea of what's required to get this team back into a more fitting position. As for their penalty screams that's an indication that they know we could/should have won this match. They were predicting a win by margins of anything up to 8-0 beforehand then at the end of the day fall back on a penalty claim that never was? Not a word from them regarding the fact they could have been down to 9 men after Broonaldo's elbowing and the Dembele diving and it's they who have complaints about the referee? We came away from this with any credit that's going around not they and this arguably wasn't even our strongest team with two key players suspended and another two out with long term injuries.

Murty following the Clint goal.

A few recruits will put us on a better footing for next season and I kept wishing Garner had been in there to really noise them up cracking a skull or two as he went about his business in his own inimitable way.