DMAA

I’ve actually wanted McLaughlin to be our number 1 since last season. Last season he was only exposed in Europe but this season I don’t understand why McLaughlin hasn’t been given a proper chance to become our number 1. McLaughlin has conceded 5 in 8 domestic games. McGregor has conceded 11 in 8 domestic games, several of which he was at least partly culpable for. That is a very quick and dirty comparison of course, but the goalkeeping stats you sometimes see on Twitter haven’t been kind to McGregor for a while. I did a quick check on their goals conceded rate for last season and there is a significant disparity too.

Another reason to love the Spectator. And at least someone is asking him to prove it.

I guess Gerrard’s departure at least gives us a chance of winning this cup

Looks like it’s happening one way or another. It will be very interesting to see what I means in terms of ins and outs in the next couple of transfer windows.

He made public comments at the end of last season about his excitement for the board’s plans for the new season, and then made public comments implying he felt he should have had more support in the transfer window at the beginning of this season. I have little doubt the relationship had deteriorated somewhat and as soon as you have even a hint of an excuse in the back of your mind as a manager there just isn’t the same drive to fix things on the pitch. It is hard to explain the lack of improvement in our performances this season without something changing in the mindset of Gerrard and his team.

I don’t think so compo. I think they were unhappy with the way we surrendered our chance to get £30m+ in UCL money in a pathetic fashion, to a smaller team with a smaller budget and then failed to get going even 3 months into the season, and chose not to put up any fight at all when AV came calling and SG wanted to speak to them. Receiving £4.5m+ and getting the chance to start a new era with, hopefully, an exciting new manager was likely a very attractive prospect for the board because we have been the second best team in this league (and second best Scottish team in Europe) since our old firm win in August, a win which only served to pull the wool over the eyes of a surprising number of fans in the months since. There is no chance Ross Wilson wasn’t actively preparing for this because it wasn’t hard to see coming.

I wonder who the other two candidates were, and if they are serious candidates. I'm surprised at how little we've heard of anyone except Gio. Gio's record isn't so good that it should be a coronation. One incredible season followed by two par for the course seasons at Feyenoord and then a poor season in China.

I'll be sceptical of every story linking AV to our players, but Kamara is the most likely one to be targeted imo. I think he'd do well in the EPL.

Disappointed re Knutsen. Not a massive surprise but I was holding out hope. I didn’t believe Lampard was involved for a second.

Wow that’s a depressing list. Hopefully we are looking at some options the press hasn’t got wind of.

I’m still hoping Knutsen’s name comes up! Style of play is a match. Norwegian season is almost over, 4 games left. Top of their Europa League, thrashed Mourinho’s Roma 6-1 and then drew 2-2 away to them. All of this is despite selling their best players (like Hauge) every season and spending next to nothing. Only question is whether we are big enough for him, and maybe whether he would want to move before he gets another title to his name and before he sees how far he can take them in Europe. From the outside looking in it seems a ridiculous achievement to have broken the dominance of Rosenberg and Molde. They have been a second tier side for most of the last decade and he’s taken them straight the top and actually managed to maintain it for a second and third season.

Lille offered us £16.5m and we turned it down. I said on here that day that we better have a plan if we’re turning that down but we didn’t and they walked away and we won’t get anything like that for him now.

It was 3 weeks ago and it was in relation to the Newcastle job. He answered the question honestly at that time and dealt with the press the way he should deal with them when they are asking questions like that. The Villa offer came in weeks after that and just because he took it it doesn’t mean he was dishonest on October 21st. I can understand Celtic fans being all over that but I find it weird the way Rangers fans are going on about it.

I think it’s possible/likely he wasn’t happy with some things (other than the obvious on-field issues). It’s also possible there were no issues though and he just felt ready for the next challenge.

I don’t think it’s strange at all. He achieved his ultimate goal here and it has led to an opportunity to manage a big club in the biggest league in the world, near his family. If he turns that down the perception down south would be that he is a coward, lacks ambition and is cozy in Scotland beating the likes of St Mirren every week. We also just don’t know a lot. People are stating a lot of things as fact (ironically things they have picked up from the press who they claim not to trust every other day of the year) and we just don’t know what has actually happened. I don’t get the “betrayed” thing at all. In fact it comes across as incredibly naive and childish.

This seems to be the only corner of the internet where the prevailing opinion isn’t that Gerrard is a rat/snake. Gersnet is clearly the place to be when the going gets tough.

I think it has been the latter this season. The squad isn’t as strong as it should be but it has been badly underperforming this season. Some fans were in denial about that for months but it’s now November and I think everyone sees it.

What about Knutsen of Bodo Glimt? Looks like he’s done an incredible job.

Biggest sale since Jelavic

I don’t know what to think of GVB. Potential obviously but less pedigree and experience than I would like. At this point in the season though are there any better options out there? Compensation will play a part too. GVB is available so that goes in his favour.

I just hope we are prepared for this! It won’t be as bad as 2017 anyway. Rangers fans excited about the post-Caixinha era, meanwhile in the boardroom, “What about Graeme Murty?”.

The comments with regards to Villa by so many has been absolutely bizarre tbh. A big club, in huge city, very near his family (can he even commute?). A rare opportunity for him.

No chance, he’s been at Swansea for a few months.

I did mean Hasenhuttl but I don’t watch the EPL, I just did a quick search and saw he’d finished 12th in his first full season but then dropped to 15th in his second season.

I’m sure he was primarily considered responsible for the appointment. It doesn’t look like he’s done too well there.