Bill

It won't be a popular view but I also think Celtic starts as favourite tonight. The only thing that makes me think a Rangers win is possible is the lift the dressing room will have had from the signing of Aaron Ramsey. Playing to our potential, I think we could and should win but there's no denying or ignoring the downbeat performances of recent weeks or the piss poor focus of a number of individuals. I reckon we'll have a fair idea of the result as soon as we see the team selection. I understand the temptation to indulge in wishful thinking, as evidenced by over-optimistic assurances of our squad's superiority but these games are generally won by attitude and commitment and if we show up with the same hesitant, passive approach I've seen so much of since the break then we will be in trouble. We need leaders on the park, which is why I'm hoping to see Jack back in harness tonight and a big contribution from Tavernier.

It was a bloody shambles and these officials are actually undermining any integrity that still exists in our game. Winners and losers alike can no longer trust the the outcome of games is a reflection of ability or endeavour. And of course, universal incompetence is such marvellous camouflage for dishonesty.

Got to be Balogun surely

Exactly. There are no vermin commentating on RTV.

I can agree if you qualify the description by calling it potential quality. When players don't perform to their potential, it doesn't matter if they're potential world beaters. I take the view that "quality" is assessed at the final whistle, not when the game kicks off.

It should.

Social discourse is almost entirely based on "feelings" - that staple commodity of the hard of thinking everywhere.

But the point is Craig, that's not for you or me to judge. The responsible path is to let justice take it's course in due process. It isn't a question of ignoring anything but of recognising the value of legal process. You may think I'm just offering semantics, I think I'm making a very important point and your invitation to honesty is wholly unnecessary.

Agreed. The willingness of not only Joe Public but also organised media and manipulative interest groups to make advance pronouncements of guilt is possibly the most dangerous development of the last 20 years.

But we didn't. All the "could haves" in the world don't trump reality.

There is no "evidence" until it has been presented and tested in court. Until then it can only ever be information that is intended to support or deny an accusation. I worry about the increasing willingness to judge without trial.

Presumable the same qualities we had against Ross County? Our problem has never been lack of potential but we do seem prone to failing to implement that potential. Heads rather than feet. I just hope the arrival of Ramsey and others has energised the dressing room.

Either way, it was a transition we knew we would have to face and Ross Wilson's finest hour so far was the way that transition was handled.

It often presents a problem when a DoF arrives at a club with an established manager already in place, especially someone with such a high public profile as Gerrard. It can tend to lead to friction between the two, with the guy who actually runs the footballing operation being unduly pressured by a manager who thinks he does. My suspicions (and that's all it is) is that we now have a situation where Ross Wilson is visible to the entire staff as the man with the reins in his hands and a manager who is relaxed enough to focus all his energies on the players and results. On the other hand, if Wilson is to succeed then he needs his manager to succeed, which requires a happy manager who feels both supported and empowered. At last it feels like we've got a sustainable functional interface between the board and the dressing room and, as always, it all depends on the qualities of the person at the top. Am I implying something that may have contributed to Gerrard's departure? No, but it's possible.

As I’ve always said, these transfer window topics are marvellous 😙

I hope the Erskine Bridge has been cordoned off because the pain this is causing will be intense.

I think the really smart move was realising that we needed better quality players but couldn't afford to buy them ... and then having the nous to know that carefully crafted loans was the way to make both end meet in the middle.

Some of our recent moves make me think just how piss poor people like Martin Bain must have been.

This deal for Ramsey seems to have caught Scottish football completely off guard. It's clear from the snarling reaction that no one saw this sort of signing coming and it has clearly challenged what many thought was reality for Rangers. To say it has upset a few of the usual suspects is an understatement and that makes it so much more satisfying.

It seems inconceivable to me that we haven't got Souttar on board today. Too late now???

Must be approaching the point where Hearts wish they’d been a bit more reasonable.

Yes - once again.

Do we still do that sort of thing?

There are always plenty more flies around a pile of shit.