Bill

How many times am I going to read the same points being made about the same issues, with no hope of ever reaching different conclusion? Sometimes it's just obvious that these people we complain about have us exactly where they want us ... stuck in their quagmire and unable to move on. Give it a rest chaps. There are better battles to fight.

Midfield crisis. I just don't see who we can call upon to replace a warrior like Arfield. I think the only option may be to play 4 or even 5 in midfield with Kamara and Davis playing more defensive roles and the likes of Wright and Hagi trying to link with a front 2.

From what I can see (and maybe that isn't a great deal) the Scottish Government adopts whatever values it can use against those it feels threatened by.

Rangers 2 Celtic 2 FGS - Morelos

Any formation is only ever going to be as effective as the players you select or have available. Being without one of our best defensive midfielders for so long hasn't helped and at times has definitely hindered.

Here's a (defensive) consideration about changing the borders of the main league systems. If things go tits up at the moment in the financial landscape of football, for whatever reason, then we still have a home. If we leave the Scottish game and embark on a trans-national experiment and things fall apart, we could/would end up back in 2012. As someone said earlier, change keeps on happening - even after change happens. The world of money is becoming ever more volatile and uncertain. A TV company or a group of major sponsors changing course could quickly scupper a new league system based on and entirely dependent upon its ability to generate enhanced funding. That's not to say we shouldn't have ambitions but, unless you're already one of the elite few, I think it would be wise to adopt a more cautious position where experimental league systems are concerned. What glisters is rarely gold.

What I worry about with proposals to coalesce different national leagues or to create new multinational leagues is that, while you might create a more financially viable league system, there's a risk (if not a likelihood) that a few clubs will still dominate both the trophies and the money. If you look at leagues around the world, some vastly rich, others less so, there are few if any that spread their riches further than the top 3 or 4 clubs. It seems to be an inevitability that success breeds more success and only a very few clubs can prosper and become distilled from the crowd. You could argue that Rangers would be one of those top clubs but in something like an Atlantic League most clubs would think the same thing about themselves. And there wouldn't necessarily be income from UEFA competitions to compensate for "domestic" failure - you might argue Rangers wouldn't be this far along our recovery road without UEFA income over Gerrard's first two seasons. I can see a danger that if Rangers was not routinely one of the top clubs in an Atlantic League then we could end up being permanently and severely diminished - the reverse of what's being sought. I'm not against a "midweek league" of some description, where we compete against foreign opposition, but I think we need to keep our roots firmly planted in the Scottish game, whatever we might think about it. The objective should be an international league competition to supplement the domestic game - effectively what the CL was intended to deliver before it was hijacked by the rich leagues and created monster clubs that consume everything.

This might help put this season into some perspective Points.pdf

We've won 83% of our games this season so far. So we can't be struggling too badly. Football would be a poor affair if all you did was turn up, score 6 by half time and showboat through the second half. It's meant to be a contest. We can't complain about the poverty of the SPFL and then also complain about how we struggle to win.

I don't think there's any doubt Joe Aribo has been one of the big successes this season. If there's an occasional problem, perhaps it's that he's sometimes asked to play a role that's too deep to benefit from his creative abilities. If we have Ryan Jack or Scott Arfield (for example) available then I think there tends to be less frustration expressed about Joe Aribo.

If the little I've seen of Simpson so far is anything to go by, I'd have no hesitation starting him against Celtic. He can pass, he can tackle, he has real pace and he has composure in spades. I can't see why there would be any hesitation if he's called on. Where I would hesitate is to continue with 4-3-3. If we're going to play advanced fullbacks then I think we need four in midfield. I just hope Scotty Arfield is fit again.

Sterling or Dollars for me please.

For me the key to this game is Kamara. Without Jack and Zungu, we can't afford Kamara to be as passive as he's been recently. If Kamara is at it then we probably win, otherwise we are going to struggle.

Given the number of changes made in the 2 games against St Johnstone and the outcome of both, how would you have us line up against Celtic? For whatever reason, it appears a few otherwise reliable performers have already come to the end of their season and don't look in the frame of mind to deliver what we need from them at the weekend. Will Gerrard take some bold decisions for this game? Personally, I think he should but I also think our problems at the moment are largely in midfield, where only Davis is really still performing, and I doubt if the squad has the capacity to make the changes we need.

Yup, there's a road still to travel. Hopefully we're going to enjoy the ride but there are bound to be a few potholes along the way. I'd like to think the season after next will see us a far better team but much might depend on how long Steven Gerrard stays.

I hate to even mention it but I think we all know we're there for the taking next weekend. Celtic will see depriving us of an unbeaten season as something worth achieving and we look like a team that just wants the season to end now. It's hard to see what the coaching staff do to breathe life back into players who seem to have had enough.

Have you considered that this is still a half-built team and we're at the end of a long season at home and abroad. Maybe the team, or at least parts of it, have just run their course and need a break to recharge their batteries.

Not if you live in Thurso or Elgin or Inverness.

That's a decent shout. It's been notable in recent weeks how he's taken over as the main man in our defence.

We rightly highlight the deficiencies in the Scottish league system - the plastic pitches, barely concealed bias of official, the low level of funds outside the OF, the poor record in Europe, etc. However, that all being said and to an extent because of it, we also need to acknowledge how much of an achievement it is to go through a season with our win-record. It's one thing to expect to win every game, it's another to be inconsolable when we don't. What we've done this season is worth far more than disappointment.

Very close between Davis and Kent for me ....... probably Davis. They've had a great season but Kamara, Barisic and Hagi could do with finding some form again for next week.

Thank God.

Some fans think we should just turn up and pick up the prizes. Truth is we've still some distance to go before dominating trophies here. We could do with a good summer of recruitment.

Such a pity but good luck to St Johnstone - once could have been a fluke but twice in a week says they're a decent team with a lot of heart. Gerrard's task now is to get heads up for next weekend.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz