DMAA

I think it was Stevie who was commenting on how big a player Arfield is becoming. Have to say I totally agree and I think he's going to be a huge player for us. He's not always pretty on the eye as we saw againt Villareal, but he is a goalscorer. I am struggling not to get carried away with my expectations because I'm excited by how many goalscorers we have in the squad and how much depth we have. To have any chance of winning the league you need players who will score goals, regardless of how well they've played. Arfield made his finish against Villareal look easy, as did Lafferty his finish against Saints, but these are the kind of chances we haven't been scoring because we haven't had natural goalscorers. Grezda will be coming in to the squad over the coming weeks and months and is another player who has a record for not only doing his bit for the team as a winger, but scoring plenty of goals too. With Dorrans and hopefully Rossiter ready to strengthen the squad, and Middleton emerging as a real talent too, I think we are in for a great season.

But what the table shows is that the points total doesn't tell the whole story. Aberdeen and Celtic have no less than they deserve given their goals for and against, whilst we look unlucky (bad decisions at the sheep pen) to be in the position we are in.

The league table really emphasises how poor a start it's been for Celtic and Aberdeen. Their goals scored tallies are woeful! It's early days and we do have a tougher run of games coming up now, but you can't help but feel a little bit vindicated even at this stage after so many of the pundits writing us off as 3rd best even after our European run, and Chris McLaughlin saying we "look capable of competing for 2nd" after drawing with Aberdeen.

Kirk Broadfoot must be trying to get back into our good books. Did anyone see him running over to the Celtic fans to goad them after they scored instead of celebrating with his team mates?

Lafferty is already showing signs he’ll be an important player this season in terms of goals. Such finesse in that finish. And on the back of another instinctive striker’s finish on Thursday too, I think we’ll see plenty more of it.

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But it's an assumption that it is all he can do. He's only been given cameos so far and it seems clear he's been asked to do this. But from the evidence of youth games he's a much more rounded and talented player. Last night's through ball was no surprise to me, he's not just a new Gregg Wylde. Clips of him playing for Scotland youth and Norwich youth shows him deployed on the right and able to cut inside as well as having a fantastic shot (both right and left foot). Defensive discipline is something he may be weak with, but I just don't buy the idea that we need someone starting on the left who will run inside and pass back to the defence (which Kent does constantly). Middleton is the kind of winger you want centre mids coming towards and playing a one-two down the line with allowing him to get where we want our winger, in behind the full backs. Man City were doing this constantly last season with Sane and Sterling. We need our wingers in the cut-back position in behind, which is where we got both our goals last night.

By the way, we've discussed modern styles vs tradtional styles before and I think Chris Burke would struggle to break through today because people don't fancy an out and out winger these days. For me the game hasn't changed as much as people say it has and fast wingers who'll beat a full back and get to the by-line will always be a full back's worst nightmare and create lots of goals.

Ah but you can't call him raw because he always takes on his man yet at the same time say that's what he's been tasked to do. I wouldn't say we have any reason to believe he is raw because he has been consistently effective at beating his man and creating chances for us. If he was like Sadiq and it was only coming off occasionally for him I would saw "raw" would be warranted. It's true that he has an advantage coming on late, but for me the point is he is a totally different style of player and I think it's both the different style combined with his ability that has been the difference in how many chances he's created from the left wing compared to Kent. In any case we're agreed he deserves a start in a home game where we are expected to be on the front foot. Those are the games where he can make his claim for a starting berth. He reminds me of Chris Burke. Chris Burke was a huge player for creating goals against your St Johnstone's and your Dundee's. Those are the games that we often didn't take 3 points from last season due to a lack of penetration and it ultimately cost us.

I thought my banging on about Middleton was vindicated last night. Changed the game. You could almost smell the fear in their full back when he came on. He is so much more of a threat than Kent as a left winger it is just frustrating for me he keeps being benched because of his age. Anyway last night he's proved his doubters wrong again and surely he's going to get his first start of the season soon. Middleton and Barisic is a parternership on the left that would bring a lot of goals this season.

Right unfortunately

STV canteen it was apparently

A bit of a non story unfortunately. Of course we'll be making enquiries. Judging from Gerrard's previous comments there is no arrangement for a permament deal at the end of the loan. I imagine a variation of this story will come up a number of times this season.

What will be interesting to find out will be why a call made any difference, or what did. Celtic played 6 games in May 2003 compared to our 9 games in 2008. So there would have been no inconsistency in extending the season. It’s a crime that these men were made to play 9 games in 24 days (including 2 away European ties). An average of 2 and a half days rest for a whole month. Not to mention that only 3 of our last 16 games were at Ibrox. The no mercy stance was unforgivable.

I hope someone has told your team not to wear their away shirt at our ground. I don't think it will go down well.

Looks like Villareal and Rapid have both had a dodgy start to the season. Spartak have started well but lost at home to a bottom half team at the weekend.

He's very popular with NF fans because he's homegrown and a big prospect, but this comment won't go down well with them at all. By the end of his loan spell he'll only have a year left on his contract. Might be a chance we could get him permanently after all. Looking forward to seeing how he gets on with us, I think we'll see him at home against St Johnstone after the Villareal game with Katic or Goldson rested.

Well the full backs would operate like wing backs and people seem to forget that with 4 at the back they would have far more room than if deployed as wing backs in a 3-5-2. Trust me I’ve been there and you are man marked as a full back in a 3-5-2.

Just thought I would make people aware of a cracking Twitter page which allows bears to sell classic kits to each other and in some cases, like my own, bring in some much needed cash. Page is run by a Rangers man and he doesn't take a cut, but he's put together a page which is acting as a really good shop window for sellers. I'm in the process of reluctantly selling off my collection and have a couple up today if anyone is interested in having a look. Most of the kits are from the 9 in a row era. https://twitter.com/RangersShirts

I think the starting line-up is as hard to predict as it's been in a long time. Ejaria has a very strong shout for a start and there's a very good chance he will, but Arfield is an important player for me and has a good goalscoring record for a midfielder too and I think he'll come up with a good few this season. Of course Ejaria has shown recently that he's got that in his game too.

Thanks. Just spotted a few mistakes there, including referring to Gerrard as "the Gerrard", so that should be it mistake free now.

Introduction After a whirlwind set of opening fixtures which began on the 12th of July against little known Shkupi and ended in disappointment against somewhat more familiar opposition on the 2nd of September, Gerrard and his team have finally had a chance to take a breather, regroup and prepare for this next set of crucial fixtures ahead of the October international break. This group of fixtures will include a much-coveted return to the glamour of Europe with Ibrox set to welcome visitors from Spain and Austria in the shape of Villarreal and Rapid Vienna. However, before then we host more humble opposition managed by a former Gers star with an attack spearheaded by a former Gers star. The Opposition Neil McCann brings his side to Ibrox under immense pressure and with a point to prove. The Dees have endured a horrendous run of five straight losses - including a humbling on their own patch in the cup at the hands of Championship side Ayr United – which sees them languishing at the bottom of the table without a point. A series of listless performances has caused many of their fans to question the instability brought about by the high turnover of players at the club which has seen last season’s mainstays Bain, Hendry, Caulker, Holt, O’Hara, Allan, El Bakhtaoui and Murray all depart the club. Free transfer arrivals from the likes of Woking and Kidderminster Harriers rather than re-investing the Hendry fee signals a club in decline. Having said that, a wounded animal can be a dangerous one and there is some quality in McCann’s side. A certain Kenny Miller seems to age like a fine malt whisky and will be ready to pounce in the box given half a chance. On-loan youngster Kallman is another one to watch after breaking his duck in the 3-1 defeat to Motherwell. Calvin Miller, on loan from Celtic, provides a threat from left back with the ability to get forward and get crosses into the box. However, the most interesting thing to see when the line-ups are announced will be whether Glen Kamara passes a late fitness test. Kamara was linked to Rangers over the summer and some in the summer transfer rumours thread were keen to see him signed. If he returns, there is no doubt he will make Dundee more competitive in the middle of the park. Rangers A passive performance against Celtic gave much cause for concern and raised a number of questions. Some sections of the media were quick to use phrases like “reality check” and many of our own fans were not sure themselves if that is what it was or how great a role the many mitigating factors were playing. What is sure is that the fans are desperate to see a well-rested, well drilled and rejuvenated team put on a show on Saturday and show that it’s back to business as usual. Morale has improved over the international break with Barisic playing the full game against Portugal and Morelos grabbing what we will graciously call an assist in his Colombia debut, followed by high praise from his idol Radamel Falcao. The sight of quartet Coulibaly, Grezda, Dorrans and Rossiter in training was a further boost but the fans will be anxious to see whether Coulibaly in particular returns to the starting line-up. The clash with bottom of the table Dundee at home is the first fixture of its kind since St Mirren, a home game in which we are expected to go all-out attack and win comfortably. Gerrard will want to see a return to the high pressing, high intensity aggressive display which so impressed the fans against Maribor and in the opening half hour against St Mirren and hopefully that’s what we’ll get. Line-up The signing of the highly rated Worrall on loan from Nottingham Forest followed by the capture of Northern Ireland international Gareth McAuley has given many reason to believe that Gerrard plans to utilise 3-5-2 on a more regular basis going forward. Wingers Candeias, Kent and Grezda would be the losers in this formation with Lafferty and Worrall being the primary benefactors. However I’m going to predict a familiar looking 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 with Lafferty paving the way for Candeias and Coulibaly making a return in the place of Ovie Ejaria.

No problem I’ll post it then