Frankie

Stop the insults please. Thread closed

Email sent mate...

I'm going to opt for a 2-2 draw as, while I think we're more than capable of winning, sometimes we just lack that little bit of belief (and luck) at Parkhead. I reckon there are plenty goals in this fixture and Sunday could really be a classic. I fancy Miller and Weiss to grab a goal each.

I think having two holding players plus the 5 man defence is going too defensive. I reckon it will be either Edu or McCulloch unless we have a 5 man midfield (or a 4-4-2) where both will then play. I think Weiss deserves his place in the team with a couple of good displays over the last week or so but perhaps he'd be a good option from the bench to have in reserve if a change is required. Foster did very well during the week but if Broadfoot is genuinely fit then his experience may be a better option in a fixture that always has the power to bewilder d�©butantes. Like you, I'm extremely excited as this game has goals and action written all over it!

I have some sympathy for the guy but until he helps himself he's only going to embarrass himself and his family further.

That's my thinking mate. I like the 5-4-1 and the 4-4-2 so fancy something in between.

With just over 48 hours to go until the big game, it's clear there are a variety of options for the manager in terms of his formation and personnel... So should he go with a 4-4-2, a 4-5-1 or the successful Euro strategy of 5 at the back....? Or are you a Craig Levein fan and think a 4-6-0 is the way to go? Below you can find some example teams; let us know what you think and we'll see what name Walter Smith posts under on Gersnet! Possible 4-4-2 formation: :sw: :mb: :sp: :sd: :me: :lm: :sn: :kl: Possible 4-5-1 formation: :sw: :mb: :sp: :sn: :me: :sd: :lm: :vw: Possible 5-4-1 formation: :sw: :mb: :sp: :kb: :sn: :sd: :me: :vw: The Levein Eureka Evolution :sw: :mb: :sp: :me: :lm: :sd: :sn: :vw: :kl: Have fun!

As the cold of winter arrives in earnest, a familiar battle will take place in the East End of Glasgow this weekend as Rangers and Celtic meet in the first Old Firm fixture of this season. While different congregations at hundreds of churches throughout Scotland give their religious thanks, supporters of the Old Firm will be making very different prayers as their own idols take to the field on Sunday lunch-time. With both teams neck and neck at the top of the SPL, who will blink first in the world's greatest derby match? Confidence will be especially high in the away dressing room as Rangers remain the only unbeaten team in Scotland. Yes, Celtic (and Berwick) also remain undefeated in their league campaigns but the Light Blues have suffered no losses in other competitions which means an impressive start to the season. Of course the unmatched tribalism and bragging rights of an Old Firm victory means this would mean nothing if we did lose on Sunday so the pressure remains high on Walter Smith and his group of players. So far they've responded to this incredibly well; coming back from being behind several times and matching Europe's elite in one-off matches - home and away. Can they do the same against their greatest rivals? Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of our success this season will be the difficulty in selecting a team for this hugely important game. Using a 4-4-2 domestically we've looked less strong defensively but have scored 22 goals (6 more than Celtic) so far. Meanwhile, in Europe, an old-fashioned 5-4-1 has proven a surprise success enabling us to defend stoutly and counter-attack effectively in games where we know there will be periods we'll have to be patient. As such, our manager will have to decide which of these two markedly different strategies to select for a game against a Celtic team who are playing well and who are stronger at the back than in recent seasons domestically. However, they have conceded goals against tougher opposition so will Walter be tempted to be more adventurous? Another boost is that, other than the unfortunate Nikica Jelavic, apparently the manager will have a full squad to pick from. Not only has John Fleck recovered from injury but Lee McCulloch and Kirk Broadfoot will both supposedly be available after their respective strains. Conversely, this provides another dilemma in that if he does bring them back, who does he drop from a team who've played well in their absence? Starting with defence then and 5 of the players should pick themselves if fit. Allan McGregor, Steven Whittaker, Davie Weir, Madjid Bougherra and Sasa Papac will all play irrespective of a 4 or 5 man back-line. The only question will be does Smith supplement this well-kent unit with Ricky Foster or Kirk Broadfoot and dispense with an extra striker? This will be one of the key decisions of Smith's season so far and it is impossible to answer the question with any real confidence. Moving into midfield and one would expect the same group which has played against Motherwell and Valencia to good effect. Naismith, Davis, Edu and Weiss are all talented players but perhaps lack the steel required for the inevitable Old Firm physical battle. Therefore, if McCulloch is indeed fit, a recall for him is possible meaning Weiss or Edu may make way. Of course if Smith opts for a more orthodox 4-5-1, all these players may well feature which may arguably give us a better balance of attack and defence. However, the manager has been at pains to say he's not enjoying the necessary tactical changes between the SPL and Europe so another system (albeit one we've used well under Smith) may not be agreeable. This conundrum brings us nicely to our forward options. Obviously Kenny Miller will be favourite to assume the lone-striker role but will his disappointing misses of Wednesday night affect his confidence? With the Jelavic injury, we are limited in our choices for attack. Kyle Lafferty seems to be playing well so he will feature at some point; either as a partner for Miller or in a deeper role which he's not so convincing in. There is the chance that Smith will throw in a wild card such as John Fleck but given his lack of games that is improbable. All in all, with Celtic favouring an attacking outlook of late, I feel Smith will choose to maintain the European formation which has served him well so far. While this may appear overly defensive, in actual fact, it enables us to get bodies into midfield and attack extremely efficiently at any given time. Midfielders such as Davis, Weiss and Naismith are all natural attacking players so they should be able to support Miller easily enough while also doing the spade-work to help their defence. The only decision for Smith to make will be whether or not to stick with the inexperience of Edu or opt for the strength of Lee McCulloch. I certainly don't envy the manager his job this weekend! Possible team (5-4-1): :sw: :mb: :sp: :kb: :sn: :sd: :me: :vw: Prediction: Celtic 2 - 2 Rangers :spl: :robbo:

Last season, each club were given �£653,812 for winning a group game and �£326,906 for drawing.

http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/EuroExperience/uefaorg/Publications/01/51/54/12/1515412_DOWNLOAD.pdf Page 6 mate... PS: That breakdown was for last year. Obviously the monies will have increased slightly and if we qualify from the group stage, that will be another €3million.

Nope, I doubt we'll sign anyone unless we let someone like Webster (who really does seem to be surplus to requirements) leave...

Yeah, amazing that we're disappointed not to be joint top with 7 points but we have to be happy with the 5 so far as we've played very well in every game and just been a bit unlucky not to have scored more goals. Valencia and Bursaspor will be very tough matches away though so we're far from guaranteed 3rd position, never mind managing to secure qualification for the next CL round. Add in Celtic away this weekend, then the hard work is only just starting!

Aye, IIRC that goal was goal of the season Gav...

Given the guy's inexperience on this stage and the obvious lack of faith most of us had in him, he deserves immense credit for his own self-belief and commitment to a team he's only on loan to. He's only played 50mins or so competitive football for us since joining and to be able to put in such a good performance in spite of these negatives says a lot about the lad. Sure, he may never become our first choice right back but if he can contribute like that during his time here, I'll be very happy.

It's all about opinions... Would be boring if we all agreed!

I think a lot of players were wasteful in the first 25mins or so, Weiss included, which is why some of the marks are lower than you'd expect after such a good result. Bougherra did have a great 2nd half but he looked shaky in the first half whereas Foster did well throughout the game and really was superb after half-time. His block in injury time after McGregor saved summed up his fine contribution.

He's finding form at exactly the right time. A foot or two lower and that free kick would have been in as the goalie had wrong-footed himself. Hits the ball pretty does our Bosnian chum!

:D Wibble!

Rangers so close to beating Spanish cracks as they rue missed chances at bouncing Ibrox Stadium. http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=321:rangers-1-1-valencia-player-ratings-and-mom-poll&catid=35:analysis&Itemid=67 :rf: Although I was as surprised (and worried) as anyone else at the guy's inclusion, I thought he had a superb game at right wing back. He did very well defensively and got more and more dangerous as the game went on in attack; although he should have scored open goal near the end. I'd also like to give a quick mention to Vladimir Weiss. I was worried he'd neglect his defensive duties but he worked tirelessly on the left flank and did well to retain possession as well in tight situations. Overall a great team performance and just a pity we didn't win! :robbo:

UEFA (via Herr Kapl) appealed their own decision which is why we were eventually fined.

I think there's a fine line between being confident amidst any situation to recover in games and negligence. Our inconsistent attitude to the first halves of games isn't anything new and motivation does seem to be a struggle for many players all too often. Like S_A says, we can ill afford to keep our charity going - least of all against CL teams and/or Celtic. Having the ability to come from behind is an admirable virtue but it should not be a crutch and we need to improve our defensive work.

Super_Ally looks at our recovery powers this year and asks if this a trait we can rely on against better quality opposition... Don�t make me angry, you won�t like me when I�m angry! Much like Bruce Banner, it does not pay to aggravate this Rangers team. In our last three SPL fixtures we have gone two down at Pittodrie, a goal down at Tynecastle and again on Saturday a goal down at home to Motherwell. Come the full time whistle at the end of each match the Rangers have once again emerged victorious. Aberdeen, Hearts and (this season) Motherwell are traditionally the stronger teams in the SPL yet even if we suffer a setback you still expect this Rangers team to turn it around and secure the three points. Earlier in the year we also came from a goal down against St Johnstone to win 2-1 and after being pegged back by Hamilton managed to dig out a late winner courtesy of Kenny Miller. The never say die attitude of the players is an admirable trait though it would be nice to win a game without having to prove our strength of character in battling back from adversity. The most impressive result of the lot is undoubtedly over turning a 2-goal deficit up at Pittodrie to win 3-2 thanks to a Miller double and Jelavic winner. Games against Aberdeen have long been a tricky affair with their management and players admitting earlier this season that they lift themselves for games against Scotland�s most successful side. The opposition being motivated should not be an excuse for such a poor away record up there, with this season�s victory being Smith�s first since returning to Ibrox. If your opposition only have commitment and determination to trouble us with then by matching their approach to the game we should run out victorious more often than not through our superior skill and play. It is either a bizarre fluke of sporting competition that we have so often failed to translate this footballing superiority into victory or evidence of our inability to match their dedication and application to the game. Based on last month�s game the latter could not be levelled at the current squad. The defeat of Hearts may have been even sweeter, due largely to the fact that Kyle Lafferty�s winning goal was struck late in injury time. Recently, Hearts have so often been the third force in Scottish football and overturning a deficit against them could perhaps be argued as a greater achievement than overcoming Aberdeen after giving them a two goal start. However, our next two fixtures are against Valencia in the Champions League and Celtic at Parkhead. I doubt whether any fan would be as confident of us winning either fixture of having to chase the game. Celtic have almost equalled our start to the season, with 8 wins from 8 sitting behind us in the league due only to goal difference. Both sides have shown they have mental strength and character to win games when points might be dropped. There is hardly a better feeling in football than getting it right up opposition fans who have been rubbing your nose in taking the lead after you come from behind to secure victory. There will be many a fan looking for a more straightforward result next weekend for fear of their heart not being able to take the strain. Valencia will be an altogether different prospect. Unlike Motherwell, they will not fall apart should we peg them back or take a narrow lead. And despite laughable reporters suggestions to the contrary when we played them back in 1999, they are not the Aberdeen of Spain. A narrow defeat at the Nou Camp this weekend, their only league defeat of the current campaign, allowed Barca to draw level with them in the league and saw Real Madrid overtake them at the top of La Liga. They are a quality side and we will do well to earn a result against them without giving them a goal start. In this opening period of the new season we have more than established our credentials as potential league champions. Coming into the new season as the reigning kings of Scotland we have won 8 consecutive league matches. In fact, the only game we have not won was a highly credible draw at Old Trafford having us sit joint top of our Champions League group. After this midweek�s epic clash with Valencia we travel to Parkhead having won home and away, when we�ve played well and when we have not, picking up victory after victory when many would have expected us to drop points. Much like Marvel�s Incredible Hulk, it appears Rangers have had to be stimulated, aggravated, pushed into demonstrating our full and frightening force against our opponents rather than showing our desire, our commitment and passion from the kick off. Play the next two games from the first minute to the last, do not gift the opposition any advantage and we will see the team cement what has been an incredible start to the season.

Read my thread below then... PS: They've had 4 at Parkhead since we last got one.

We've had 3 at Ibrox since 2000 and one at Hampden but none at Parkhead. Our last penalty was at Ibrox 3 years ago tomorrow and Celtic have had two since.

Haha - good idea!