DMAA

I wish but there’s no chance when he hasn’t even been making the bench and shows no sign of backing down. Its either Halliday or probably a change of shape to a back 3 with McCrorie in a back 3 maybe. I wouldn’t mind keeping the same formation and putting McCrorie left back for the night but I doubt it will happen.

He was booked home and away to Osijek. Which makes his challenge last night all the more mindless.

Most disappointing aspect was the consistently poor deliveries. Whether from open play or set pieces the crosses were consistently shocking. If it got past the first man it was in the stand. If Candeias in particular could get that fixed he'd be a fantastic player but it just keeps happening over and over again.

Jack returning is huge because Flanagan will be suspended. That means we won't have a recognised LB. That leaves Gerrard with the decison of whether to risk Halliday there. I'd go solid and ask McCrorie to play there. Halliday would be far too big a risk defensively. In any case it's a bit of a predicament and will be interesting to see whether we change formation to fit the players we have or stick with what we know.

Yeh I think it's just what will naturally happen due to the players' styles

Quote from Gerrard “But, there was something about our shape and something about our distances tonight that didn’t really feel right from probably 15, 20 minutes to half time. As a staff, we put that right, and as a team, we asked them to go and carry that out with a better shape, more togetherness and going and pressing the ball as a team rather than individuals doing their own thing within it." Aside from the fact that they have the tactical knowledge and ability to address what was happening, I could help but notice his humility in his willingness to publically share the praise with the rest of his team.

I hope neither do because they're not different enough from what we have

I think I'd maybe divide the money between a CB and a ST with aerial prowess. In the CAM no10 position we have Ejaria, Arfield and Dorrans to come back soon. Up front I'd be surprised if Gerrard brought in Sadiq Umar to be third choice, but I think we've played a lot of long ball and we've given away possession countless times due to a lack of aerial ability up front. Add to that that we have just bought the Croatian left footed Beckham and the case for a striker who can consistently beat big centre backs in the air is very strong.

Aside from the main ones who've been mentioned, I actually thought Ejaria was great too. That no10 position has been an enigma for us, but I thought he did it really well. He has techincal ability and flair to play the position that nobody else in the squad has and he's a joy to watch. I expect Arfield will take his place when Jack is back but Ejaria could be a key player when we're struggling to break teams down.

Agreed but I get frustrated with the constant cutting inside and reluctance to run down the line. This is why I like Middleton, gets to the place defenders hate the most by a country mile, the byline. Modern wingers have forgotten that.

I'm conflicted after last night because I felt so many players performed so well. I'm also wary of blocking Middleton's pathway. We've seen next to nothing of Sadiq too so it's not even clear how necessary another number 9 is, or at least whether we're talking a £3m number 9 or a loan player or what. Basically I'm not sure whether we need cover in all those positions or whether we should be going for quality over quantity. Just now I'd lean towards preferring a £3.5m player in rather than 3 x £1m players.

What positions?

He's said that he was promised the number 9 position at Wigan. I actually think he'll flourish in that position playing for a counter attacking team and his value will rise substantially. However I think it's still the right decison take the money and see what we can do with it because he isn't going to play in that position for us and he doesn't want to be a backup to Morelos. Hopefully we'll get a windfall from sell on at a later date and for now we can use the money combined with John's money to sign another quality player fitting Gerrard's profile.

It's all the more impressive when you take last seasons champions league results into account. Three draws to Spartak and Sevilla, and lost by a very similar 3-0 away to Liverpool and Sevilla. It feels good to be competing at that level already, and I don't think many saw it coming. Bring on the second leg.

After last nights performance it needs to happen

100%! People need to stop saying he’s just not good enough. What a performance and what a brilliant player to have in your team. Candeias and Coulibaly are brilliant players for winning the ball back. So fit, fast and strong and work like horses.

What a performance, sublime. I thought our weakest player was Flanagan and that’s the position we’ve already strengthened. Almost everyone else was immense. Same old from the BBC with Steven Thompson saying Maribor were the better team in the first half by a distance. They had a few chances but what a statement that is. Most of their chances were sniffed out and didn’t even require a save Fromm McGregor.

Great news for using we get past Maribor. I was expecting a comfortable win for the Russians but they can’t be that great.

Apparently the fee is actually in the region of 800k. Still a bargain but it's much more like it and good money to have in the bank for further signings.

I would have expected more too, but that's purely because the value of players is so confusing and subjective these days. As I've said the bottom line is a player is worth what clubs are willing to pay, but for Rangers fans what matters most here is that despite "ring fencing" Windass when he took over, 2 months later Gerrard has decided that he and his scouting team will be better off with £2.5m (according to reports). At this stage I think we need to trust their judgment on this one.

Not convinced by what I've seen of him on Youtube and he's yet another loan player, but happy to trust Gerrard if it materialises.

I do agree with the strategy. It's obviously dependent on what we have left in the kitty I was just giving my opinion that it's an area which is very weak in the starting line-up in comparison to our rivals. I'm hoping the Windass money (assuming it goes through) will be put to good use.

Maybe. But despite Windass being on the back of the best season of his life, in peak fitness, tied down on a 4 year contract and there being competition for his signature, the market has dictated his value to be £2.5m+. At the end of the day you can't argue with that. If he was worth more someone would have offered it. For me he has outstanding pace and finishing but that's it really. He is a poor attacking midfielder.

Providing we get decent fees I'm very pleased Windass, John and Alnwick are away. All part of decluttering the squad and replacing them with quality. Time to bring in a player who brings goals, either created or scored.

Sackcloth and ashes time for @Rousseau