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Abraham Maslow was born in 1943 and his most famous work being that of his "Human Hierarchy of needs" which drives our motivational behaviour. According to humanist Maslow there are five stages in the pyramid of hierarchal levels depicting human needs from the very basic to those which we could consider our nirvanas? One of the cornerstones of Maslow's research was that the longer we humans go without something the greater the yearning is to gain or achieve it? Without delving into this too much the basis is that we need to achieve low level needs and then add higher levels such as food and safety etc before attempting to climb the pyramid to eventual self actualisation. So, before we all wonder why coop looks like he has finally watched one shocking performance too many let me explain. According to Maslow when we have security of food, water and shelter etc we are super motivated to move on to the next level? By the same token it also explains why those who have to sit on the bench or are left out feel threatened and look to pastures new. According to Maslow their needs are not being met. This would of course make sense if their financial needs were not being met. However, modern players receive inflated wages and never have to worry about a foreign holiday let alone putting food on the table. Maslow also argues that we go through and up the stages of this pyramid as we progress and our needs are met? We become more and more motivated as we gain more money and security along with the respect of our colleagues and managers. Clearly Abraham Maslow never had the pleasure (or otherwise) of watching this Rangers side as I'm not sure that some of them know what motivation is let alone the ability to show some of it on the field. We all know how much they earn and how their lifestyles compare to the supporters who really do show motivation, loyalty and an eagerness for us to collectively learn and move forward as a unit. The performances recently have been nothing short of a liberty taken over men and women with a team in their hearts and a club in their souls. Players who are unable show basic human desire and emotion which questions serious psychological imbalances within the Rangers dressing room. The performance at Hampden was cowardly, spineless and gutless. Fortunately for me I did not have the misfortune to be robbed of my £50 to watch another capitulation and patronising efforts from players on the park at Parkhead. We now have two games to secure Europe for next year and we are away firstly to Derek "touching cloth" McInnes and his flock of fertilised livestock who's support await their big day abusing the Rangers, our maimed players, and death of supporters. As far as I am aware there are around 1800 bears who make the trip up there to take in the ritual abuse and horrific treatment of innocent and unaware animals by predatory individuals who should not be afforded within 500 meters of any animal, living or dead! Remember your hand sanitizer bears in case you are duty bound to shake hands with one of them or simply touch their person. Leaving the insalubrious mutton molesters to one side, I think we will begin with Alnwick in goal with Halliday at left back and Tav at right. I would play Alves and Bates in the centre. I would not have Martin in a Rangers shop again never mind a top! Midfield of McCrorie, Holt, Docherty and Murphy with Candeias playing off Morelos. It has been a super week since Stevie G was announced as new manager and I will openly say right now I am hugely excited and can't wait for the season to start. However, we first have to get the job done v the sheep and in our final away game against TLB and his industrious side. I will predict a 2-1 win for the Rangers with strikes from Candeias and Morelos. It's been a pleasure writing this tonight with the sunshine and sitting in the Canaries with feet up with OJ and lemonade! Abraham Maslow’s work illustrates the commitment of the Rangers supporters and how they work their beliefs, hopes and dreams into their lives. I am looking forward to next year so if you haven't got your ST's yet you best get cracking! Let’s all hope the new players and existing ones read up on Abraham Maslow? C'mon eh Bears!
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Ahead of the third Old Firm game in six weeks, it's fair to say you won't find many Rangers fans feeling confident during the build-up. A period of poor form since we allowed a ten-man Celtic team to come back to win at Ibrox, including an utter capitulation at Hampden a fortnight ago means morale is low amongst most bears. Not to mention a lack of faith in a board that don't seem to share our frustration with recent results. With that in mind, stories this week released to the media about new signings, a new manager and a new kit deal may well have managed to divert attention from silent fan protests but PR spin aside, fans remain cynical and I certainly won't envy Rangers supporter attending what could be a title party at Parkhead on Sunday. Without a win in ten games over Celtic, the chances of that awful record changing this weekend have to be minuscule. Don't they? Well, yes, of course but the good news is that, unlike the last two games between the sides, there's no pressure on us this week. We're ten points behind in the Ladbrokes Premiership and haven't beaten Celtic away since October 2010. Surely we've no chance? Certainly the Celtic captain and his players seem to think so and it's difficult to disagree with them. Strangely enough though, in recent years we seem to do a lot better when we're written off. Indeed, twice in the last year we've drawn on the other side of the Clyde and any fair-minded football fan would concede in the last league game there, we should have won. Not to mention we threw away a great chance to do so at Ibrox six weeks ago. Hell, even at Hampden in as bad a performance you'd struggle to remember for any Rangers team, we could and should have scored at least twice - despite being down to ten men. That's not to say Celtic aren't huge favourites. They are and whilst their league form has shown them to be fallible this season, they have more experience than our team and are clearly mentally stronger both on the pitch and in the dugout. However, one would hope that our team and manager are concentrating on the positives this week and several teams (our own included) have shown how to compete. First and foremost we need to be well organised so we can expect a retention of Murty's preferred 4-2-3-1 for Sunday's game. That system isn't perfect but it's one our players are most familiar with so it makes sense to use it again. Yes, we need to be flexible within that but this formation will allow us to press Celtic and it's that tactic that works best against them. Kilmarnock, Hearts and Hibs have shown that to be the case - as have we. Obviously the players within that will be key - especially the midfield. Murty has a variety of options in that area so it's vital he chooses the right ones and has the right blend of energy, strength, mobility and - crucially - a threat as well. To that end, I think it's a given Murphy and Candeias will retain their place in the wider roles and with Celtic perhaps likely to use a back three, their efforts to find space in behind Forrest and Tierney will be just as important as any defensive work they have to do. Centrally, Josh Windass still splits opinion amongst Rangers fans as to his contribution but I suspect he'll start again on Sunday as he's one of few players that has the ability to unlock Celtic's defence. However, he'll need to add a more defensive element of his game - even pressing high up the pitch - to protect the holding players. It would be a surprise if the deeper two weren't Dorrans and Holt - who both did very well against (an albeit poor) Hearts outfit last week. It may well be though that Murty pushes Ross McCrorie back into midfield if Bruno Alves is fit enough to make the team. A partnership of the Portuguese international and Russell Martin won't enthuse our fans but, it may be to our benefit if they sit a bit deeper, as Celtic got a lot of joy playing balls in behind at Hampden. If Murty prefers that outlook then Dorrans may replace Windass in the more offensive role. It's unlikely Docherty, Goss or Halliday will start and this game will come too soon for Ryan Jack who, despite returning to full training, may not feature again this season. James Tavernier and Declan John will also need to do a lot better at full-back whilst it will be interesting to see how Jak Alwnick does in his Old Firm début given the imminent return of Allan McGregor. That leaves the position of striker. Jason Cummings impressed last weekend and made the most of his opportunity with a vital opening goal against Hearts. However, all his faults and foibles aside, Morelos remains our best bet in attack - yes, he's missed at least three glorious opportunities to open his account against Celtic and yes, his temperament can be suspect but his work-rate and ability to link the play under pressure arguably makes him a better option than Cummings. All in all, the likely team below probably won't surprise many Rangers fans (or Brendan Rodgers). However, it's exactly that familiarity that should be our strength. We may still be a few players short of an XI that can genuinely challenge Celtic but we do have enough quality to cause them problems on Sunday. The players just need to believe it and the fans are due a battling performance that we can be proud of. Celtic may well win the league on Sunday but we can still right a few wrongs and lay down a marker for next season. Possible team (4-2-3-1):
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match thread (image) [FT] Rangers 2 - 1 Hearts (Cummings, Candeias)
pete posted a topic in Rangers Chat
Rangers v hearts match preview. So, that was probably the most turbulent week for Rangers since 2012 with rumours of physical fighting in the dressing room, players suspended for undermining the manager and a manager who has probably become more unpopular than Maggie Thatcher was to the Scottish people. Most fans expected his own resignation on Monday but when that failed to happen everyone was sure the board would step in and remove Graeme Murty. If for nothing else then for Murty's own best interests. Yesterday the board decided to play Russian Roulette with Murty;s career and possibly Rangers Chances of playing in Europe when they confirmed that Murty would remain in office until the end of the season. Whether that is a brave or stupid decision will pan out in the next five games of football for Rangers. Murty looks to have lost the dressing room and has certainly lost the support of a huge majority of the fans. Unless Murty really gets this team winning and heading into Europe, the dugout is going to be a very lonely place for him in these coming five games. One scenario that could pan out is that we are praying that Celtic win the Scottish cup and therefore the treble so the fourth placed team in the league can qualify for Europe. On Saturday we begin the play-offs when Hearts come to Ibrox. The million to one question is can Murty pick this Rangers team up from the total capitulation against Celtic. Can he get the supporters feeling good again, instead of feeling like we are watching a footballing equivalent of the Killing fields. Can he get this team to become a fighting unit that can go on and claim the second place in the league. Lets face it, on our budget that should be the lowest place thinkable. Hopefully he has been working hard all week to get the players on his side. He has seen to the suspension from work of Kenny Miller and Lee Wallace for undermining his authority so they will be missing from the line-up. Wallace hasn't played for much of the season so his physical presence will not be a miss but his popularity as club captain could affect the performance of other players. Kenny miller is a player who is a valuable option but has also missed much of the season and is not really a fans favourite at the best of times. Again his popularity with other players could play the biggest role on which Rangers team turns up My vision is that Rangers have to get off to a real fast start to get the fans onside. If the first half is lacklustre as it has been at Ibrox regularly this season then the crowd will start to turn on Murty and the team. Craig leveign is a wiley old fox and he will know that. He will set his team up to frustrate Rangers and try and get that first goal that he knows will turn the Rangers crowd. The supporters can of course play their share and get behind the team. The Union Bears have said they will not be singing at this game as a protest to the board but personally I think that is more letting the team down more than hurting the board but that is their decision. It is of course probably the softest message to the board possible that the support is not happy but I think they already know that. So who will Murty trust to put on the park to get him the result he so badly needs. I think his Andy Halliday adventure will be over and he will go back to his old and obviously trusted for him 4-2-3-1 system and his team will be. Foderingham Tavernier Martin McCrorie John Docherty Dorrans Candeias Windass Murphy Morelos I personally would like us to go with the 4-4-2 for once and see what Morelos and Cummings can produce together. I would hate to see Cummings heading back down south without even having a real bite at the cherry. Lets face it Rangers should be in a position where we can use the last few games as a trial for next season but unfortunately that is not the case and we are instead in a dog-fight for that European place I really hope for Murty that he can lead this team to the second spot as he is a really nice guy and I would hate to see his career in tatters due to the pure indecision of an obviously weak rangers board. More important I hope the team stand up and go on to the park and show that heart, that will to win that every football player should have and fight their way to a series of good results, starting against Hearts. The players need it. Murty needs it. What is more Rangers Football Club needs it. One of my favourite TV programmes as a boy was the Flashing Blade. It had the theme tune with the text ”It is better to have fought and lost than not to have fought at all” Last Sunday they didn't figh they turned on their backs and let Celtic tickle their bellies. A repeat performance at Ibrox on Sunday is unthinkable. Whoever Murty puts on the park needs to show they are up for a fight. They need show they will run through walls for this club otherwise they will hopefully disappear into the horizon for next season. C'mon the Gers! -
OK, I've taken some liberties with the preview title in that it reflects our last game rather than the tricky task facing us this Saturday in Motherwell. Perhaps I should apologise for taking us back to the Kilmarnock capitulation but as I cleared the car of yet more ice this morning, it was difficult not to cast my mind back two weeks. That day, Rangers didn't just lose a game - they completely fell apart. On the park, we couldn't string two passes together never mind look like scoring a goal. Off the park, Graeme Murty seemed to shrink further and further into his Puma overcoat - not just necessarily from the chill of the weather that day but perhaps also from the task at hand. Meanwhile, the away supporters had their most comfortable day at Ibrox in the best part of 20 years. Unlike the poor excuses offered by some of our fans, they didn't feel the cold. Interestingly, I thought we actually started the game fairly well. Like most matches this season, we controlled the first 15-20mins and should have taken the lead when Russell Martin missed a headed sitter during that period. That miss then set the tone for the rest of the game. Killie took confidence, we abdicated responsibility and although we were unlucky not to equalise late on from another Martin header, there was nothing, literally nothing, to take from the game in a positive sense. And despite a really disappointing loss to a ten-man Celtic outfit the previous week, failing to turn up against Killie actually hurt more. That pain was made worse by another inconvenient international break. Watching Scotland is hardly an exciting prospect nowadays and even although a few Rangers players were away representing their country only one or two can say they formed a key part of their squad. Bizarrely after an awful performance two week's ago, Bruno Alves played the full 90mins in Portugal's 2-1 over Egypt before watching from the bench as his team fell to a 0-3 defeat at home to Holland. Now, perhaps it isn't fair to single out individuals after what was an awful team display against Killie but Alves has been a big let down so far this season. Sure his age was always going to mean a lack of pace but his overall contribution has been poor. Injuries are part of the game and can be excused but I expected a lot more from him in terms of leadership, yet we've rarely seen that since he signed. Ironically, Portugal's defeat against Holland may have already secured Alves' place for the World Cup in Russia but he can't be considered first choice for Rangers up until the summer. Unfortunately we don't have too may options in central defence with David Bates perhaps out for the rest of the campaign and Ross McCrorie still a few weeks away from returning to the side (the Scottish Cup tie against Celtic may come too soon for him). This means a partnership of Alves and Martin for the time being and both will need to be much, much better this weekend up against Curtis Main and Nadir Ciftci. One wonders if Lee Wallace may feature in a three man back line for Rangers so we can strengthen in central midfield? It was in the engine room that we struggled badly against Killie. Yes, we still had a fair amount of possession but not one player in that area of the pitch came out with any credit from the game in a creative sense. Quite simply Kilmarnock worked incredibly hard to deny us time and space on the ball and, as we seen with Motherwell earlier in the season, they'll do the same this Saturday. A defiant draw against Celtic despite going down to ten men themselves the other week showed the kind of battling qualities we'll encounter at Fir Park once more. This offers Graeme Murty another quandary. Does he pack the midfield knowing we'll lack space to operate in but perhaps offering the chance to play two in attack? Or does he look for width on a pitch that always appears tighter than most? And can he afford to drop creative outlets such as Windass, Murphy or Candeias? I must concede, for the first time in a long time, I'm not sure what the team and system will be and that might just be a good thing as we've been too predictable of late. Experienced guys like the afore-mentioned Wallace along with Kenny Miller and the fit again Graham Dorrans may return as we head towards the business end of the season. A two week break may also have given Murty the chance to test a new formation. That takes us back to the preview title. It's an away game so the magnificent travelling Rangers support will give the team their usual fantastic backing so I can't see us being outsung. The outfought and outplayed part remains to be seen though. Murty and his players have had the same fortnight as us to deal with the recent defeats so I'd hope - nay expect - we're ready to make amends on Saturday. The last time we lost twice in a row, we reacted well to beat Motherwell at Ibrox which was the start of a five game unbeaten run. We'll need the same and more this week to decide the rest of the season. We can ill afford to lose again. Possible team (4-4-2 Diamond):
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Like most Rangers fans ahead of last week's match against Celtic, I was confident of a good result. Not 'cocky' as some of the more conspirational of Celtic 'legends' have since suggested - just, for the first time in a long time, cautiously optimistic we could beat our rivals. And, for much of the game, that optimism was well served. Ironically, it wasn't until Celtic had a man sent off that that belief seemed to wane. The Parkhead men sat in and, as was the case before our resurgence after the New Year, we struggled to break them down, moved the ball far too slowly and then conceded an avoidable goal on the counter. The heads went down, our chance of a win was gone and even a deserved draw fell out of our grasp as the otherwise excellent Alfredo Morelos missed a sitter late on. With all that in mind, it's been a difficult week contemplating what if. Many fans have been understandably sore and several players have been criticised for poor performances whilst Graeme Murty has also had his influence questioned. Indeed, it's not easy to take strong issue with such comments. Quite simply, we didn't play well enough and didn't react positively to Celtic losing a man. Morelos may have missed the literal open goal, but the whole team we're guilty of same. However, I do think we have to avoid being too despondent and there's no need to throw the baby out with bath water. First things first, for the second match in a row, we did go toe to toe with Celtic and anyone denying that's progress needs to re-evaluate their outlook. Yes, we conceded three cheap goals but they were also great finishes from an experienced team that cost (and costs) considerably more than ours. We also missed three good chances but I'd be more worried if we weren't creating these. All things considered we're not too far away and, if we can maintain confidence (and realism), we can continue to close in. As such, a returning to winning ways this weekend is vital. Not just in terms of re-energising disappointed fans but to show Aberdeen, Hibs and Kilmarnock that we're better than them. And a win against Killie - a team we've failed to beat this season - would go a long way to securing second place in the league. Yes, we're down after last Sunday's defeat but given Killie's midweek penalty kick defeat in the Scottish Cup, we're not the only ones hurting. It will be fascinating to see whom out of Murty and Steve Clarke can lift their dressing room most effectively. In that sense, some fans suggest a few changes to the team might work best. Perhaps it's time to test a different combination in midfield? What's our best central defensive partnership now David Bates is also unavailable? Should Jason Cummings replace Morelos in attack or can they play together? Are we getting the most out of our wide players? When will Dorrans, Wallace and McCrorie return to the squad? It's actually difficult to answer such questions easily as all points put forward have merit. After an impressive start (much like Emerson Hyndman last season) Sean Goss hasn't been quite as good in the last two games. In defence Alves and Cardoso didn't cover themselves in glory either last Sunday. Meanwhile, surely a rest for Morelos wouldn't go amiss at some point? The problems occur in that not enough of the fringe players available to us have played enough lately to really warrant selection. That's one of my main gripes with Murty so far in that he doesn't rotate his side - not necessarily from the start of games either - he just doesn't make enough changes during games and certainly not early enough; even from comfortable positions. This means that as much as someone like Jason Holt can usually get himself up to speed there a few others who look as if they could step into the side and provide an upsurge of not just energy but quality. Cummings is one but there are doubts over Miller, Herrera, Dodoo, O'Halloran and Halliday whom, Miller aside in his best form, are unlikely to bring a spark to the team. Yes, we can ask questions of Josh Windass' contribution over 90mins but would any of these players offer more? Not as long as Dorrans remains short of full fitness. A change of system then? This is perhaps more likely but it's uncertain Murty's preferred backup diamond formation is suitable tomorrow given Killie are not only strong in central midfield but have a real threat in wide areas. Yes, two up front against the likes of Ayr Utd might be agreeable but, tomorrow at least, it could be considered a risk. However, we are at home against a side that had to play 120mins on Wednesday night so it's not beyond the realms of possibility. It would certainly address the issue of our tactics being too predictable at times. All in all though, and as I touched on earlier and in the article title, tomorrow's system and personnel might not be as crucial as the more fundamental aspects of football. Motivation and man-management after morale-sapping setbacks are vital and a huge part of breeding success in teams. Indeed, post-red card that's what arguably won Celtic the game last weekend and I'd argue it's been a big part of Steve Clarke's impressive work at Rugby Park this season. Our response to setback will be most enlightening at Ibrox tomorrow - players, manager and fans alike. Possible team (4-2-3-1):
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Everyone has their own memory of football matches. When the Scottish cup comes around one name is always the first to jump into my head. Kai Johansen. His fantastic goal in the 1966 cup final is probably one of my most memorable moments of that time. Now I won't claim to have been at the game,simply because I wasn't, but it was one of the images that has lived with me from a young age right into what I hate to say my young old age. I am not even sure how or where I was listening to the game but I can just remember the burst of excitement goung around when that ball hit the back of the net. As far as I can remember Rangers were'nt given much of a chance to win that day, and it was at the start of Celtics domination in the years to come. For years after I remember walking down the Copeland road towards the Kelvinhaugh ferry and the Kai Johansen pub standing there as a shrine. I always remember walking in awe while staring at the name on the way past and remembering that goal. I think it must be one of the most memorable in Rangers history especially for older bears. There have of course been many great and bad memories in the Scottish Cup. After 133 years every football supporter in Scotland will have some memory somewhere. Even Hibs knew they had not won the trophey since the early 1900's when they played us two years ago in the final.That one hurt. 12 minutes from lifting the trophey and then see the game turn on it's head to lose 3-2 Hopefully this will be the year we can exorcise that ghost and go on to win it this time. I know many people think that the SFA should cut all there ties with Hampden and play the Scottish internationals and Cup games at Ibrox, Parkhead or Murrayfield but for me it would never be the same as a Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Thinking so far ahead is possibly showing a bit of disrespect to our opponents Falkirk on Sunday but given the way the team are playing I am getting lured into thinking the biggest worry will be that we don't pick up any injuries before the Oldfirm clash with Celtic next week. Wrong! The Scottish Cup is a one game and a chance for these smaller clubs to produce a shock result. Falkirk are really not that small a club and have produced many surprises in the past so they are certainly a team to take seriously. Rangers managed to get a pitch cleared of snow to train on a grass surface and Graeme Murty was confident that they would get the Ibrox pitch in good condition in time for the game tomorrow.The problem may be the police stopping the game going ahead due to the condition of the surrounding areas. Winning the Scottish cup will probably be the best chance we have had to redeem our pride after that infamous Hibs cup final unless Celtic collapse in the league so we should be going in to it with all guns blazing and finish Falkirk off before they get their confidence up. C.mon the Gers. Sorry guy's I don't have time to finish this off or add to it. as I have a family emergency. If a mod wants to add to it or rewrite it that is fine. Pete.
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A warm blast from the West: St Johnstone v Rangers Match Preview Just when I thought the winter Olympics were finished our supporters have to travel up or down to Perth where we meet St Johnstone which will probably be like watching football on Ice. Well the field with under-soil heating will make the park playable but with minus eleven degrees predicted the heating will be well tested to keep the park soft. The big worry for me is the weather conditions supporters will have to travel in before and after the match. I hope the S.F.A. take this into consideration and cancel the game early, if need be, before people travel if it looks like the weather could turn into a winter wonderland. Last weekend the team put on an extremely polished performance against Hearts. Apart from the first fifteen minutes we really had Hearts pinned back in their own half. A fantastic goal from Jamie Murphy, who in scoring sold more dummies than Boots the chemist, before side footing the ball into the net leaving two defenders on the goal-line looking like puppets that had just broken their strings, with their hands and legs flailing in all directions. If we have a complaint then it has to be that the score should have been far higher. Josh Windass could have easily had another match ball as he missed at least three chances that he really should have scored. Alfredo Morelos also had a chance with a header but the cross was just too high for him and let's face it Buffalo's are not known for their jumping ability. If you look at the heading chances we have had this season then I think you can safely say that is a skill we certainly can improve on. On saying that I don't really care how the ball enters the opposition net. Another point that popped up was that John Beaton was the referee for the first time since his horrid performance against Hibs. Lets be clear on the uproar over that performance this was just not the wrath of defeated supporters, he wasn't demoted to the lower leagues for nothing and that says it all really. While he actually had a decent game he missed the biggest decision he had to make and that was a clear foul by Christophe Berra kicking the supporting foot of Alfredo Morelos away. Beaton even gave a foul against Morelos which was a little mystifying. Unexpected hero Russell martin sliding in at the back post got his first goal in a Rangers Shirt and made sure of the points just before the clock moved on to the 90th minute. Securing the win which was really never in doubt after the first fifteen minutes. So tonight Rangers go again against St Johnstone.Yesterday the news broke that Declan John will be out for at least four weeks so that is the first problem that Graeme Murty will have to consider. He has three options in my opinion. Lee Wallace would normally be his first choice but as it will be his first game back after months of injury lay-off will it be wise to push him in on such cold conditions. Andy Halliday came in to cover the last time John fell out so he may get the nod to fill the left back position. Lee Hodson is also an option but he has fallen out of favour recently and certainly wouldn't be the fans choice. The General conscensus being that Hodson now falls below the standard of the present Rangers team. I really can't see Mutry changing too much else to be honest. The midfield was outstanding on Saturday and the old adage is that you should never change a winning team. I suppose he may consider bringing in jason Cummings for Alfredo Morelos or Josh Windass but I think he will wait to Saturdays Scottish Cup game with Falkirk to do that. It would be better in my view to give the Cumdog a little more game time than seventeen minutes at the end of the game though. He should get at least a good half-hour to keep him happy and hungry for more. I think the team will be: Foderingham Tavernier Bates Martin Halliday Candeias Docherty Goss Murphy Windass Morelos So let's hope that driving conditions for the supporters stay good and the terraces are snow free. Secondly I hope the Rangers team produce a red hot blast of football to to keep the fans clapping their hands and jumping up and down. Every game is a must win game now if we want to put a late push on for the league title. Every goal scored or lost could be pivotal if Celtic should slip up.Let's hope the Gers are on fire. C'mon the Gers!!
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All things considered, 2018 has been pretty good so far for Rangers supporters. OK, arguably the main priority of appointing a new manager has seen a disappointing lack of clarity but most other news has been positive. Six wins and just the one defeat since our return from the winter break represents the best form in the Premiership and, as a result, we've not only taken second place again from Aberdeen but closed the gap to Celtic to just nine points. Furthermore, our work in the January transfer window was notable and although we're still missing a variety of key players due to injury, the team's performances have seen more of a feel-good factor return. With that in mind, some fans have been asking if the impossible is likely: can we really challenge Celtic for the title? In some ways, I can buy into that optimism. Our squad has improved, we have the best support in the country and results - outwith a frustrating and avoidable defeat to Hibs - have been good. As such, who's to say what may have happened by the time the final whistle blows in a fortnight's time after the third Old Firm game of the season? Unfortunately, we're still far from reliable ourselves. Defensive errors seen us lose three goals last weekend against a poor Hamilton outfit and a similar lack of concentration cost us badly after working so hard to get back into the game at Hibs. Even Ayr Utd managed to take the lead due to tardiness from the otherwise reliable Wes Foderingham. This kind of slackness has certainly been prevalent lately and we can ill-afford more as we move into the business end of the season. Not to mention tomorrow's visitors Hearts offer much more of a challenge than the likes of Hamilton, Ayr and Partick Thistle. This will be the third time we've played against the maroon side of Edinburgh and although we remain unbeaten, Hearts have been one of only two teams to be victorious versus Celtic domestically this season. Defensively they're also usually very good and in Christophe Berra have what seems to be an increasingly popular player of the year candidate. Craig Levein has put together a team with high-level experience (Lafferty, Naismith and Cowie remain influential players) sprinkled with a variety of impressive and confident teenagers. Make no mistake, this will be no walkover at Ibrox tomorrow! However, what we do have is real momentum - perhaps for the first time since our return to the Premiership. And our recent glut of goals will be an interesting match for Hearts excellent defensive record. Manager Graeme Murty also has what appears to be a settled first team at his disposal and with more creative options than when we drew 0-0 with Hearts in the corresponding fixture in August, we have to be confident ahead of the game. In terms of the Rangers team, I don't envisage many - if any changes - from the XI that won in Lanarkshire last weekend. Apparently Bruno Alves and Jason Holt will be available again but it may be only the latter is recalled to the team as the former Hearts midfielder provides that wee bit extra bite in the middle of the park that seems to be missing without a Jack or McCrorie. As much as Greg Docherty came onto a game at New Douglas Park last Sunday, Holt's extra experience may count for him whilst having Docherty as an energetic option from the bench could be useful later in the game. The biggest difference and the main positive in the 2018 Rangers team is the options we now have. OK, due to some injuries (the aforementioned Jack and McCrorie as well as Dorrans, Wallace and Rossiter) our squad perhaps still isn't as deep as we'd like for now but generally we do have a better balance - especially when going forward. Previously, everything we had was down our right hand side with Tavernier and Candeias (themselves both surely player of the year candidates) being so important. Indeed, if either of them struggled in a game then the team struggled as a whole. However, the capture of Jamie Murphy and, to a lesser extent, Greg Docherty has changed that and I think it's shown in the increased number of goals we're scoring. Now we can attack down both flanks equally comfortably with Windass and Docherty also offering a central threat. Most importantly of all now though is the influence of Sean Goss who arrived pretty much under the radar from QPR. The left-footed midfielder is arguably the player Niko Kranjcar was hoped to be for us: someone who can sit deep and move the ball effectively and quickly to help us get in behind teams. At the same time, he can push on himself, has a good shot and his set-pieces are usually dangerous. His acquisition and contribution, in my opinion, cannot be over-estimated. The same should be said for the efforts of Alfredo Morelos who continues to prove himself the best striker in the country. Despite speculation over his future, the young Columbian shows time after time he can't get enough of scoring goals and his work-rate and love of physical battles say a lot about his professional attitude and overall fitness. Jason Cummings has done well in his cameos so far but will have to be content with a place on the bench for now. Finally, with our attacking operations all in good order, I'm hoping to see some improved defensive work from us tomorrow. As a unit, all five players have shown their quality and Russell Martin looks to be a clever deal but we still continue to ship cheap goals. Perhaps Bruno Alves may return tomorrow to address that but I suspect Murty will give Martin and Bates another chance tomorrow. Hearts may be more renowned for their defensive strength but Rangers fans more than anyone else should be aware how dangerous the likes of Lafferty and Naismith (if fit) can be. I'm also looking forward to the battle between James Tavernier and Demetri Mitchell on our right side who are both important attacking outlets for their teams. In conclusion, tomorrow is a big test for this new-look Rangers team. Our home form hasn't been great but the transfer window strategy seemed to be to specifically address our difficulties there. However, patience may need to be our biggest virtue tomorrow as I suspect a similar game to the August draw with Hearts primarily looking to cause issues on the break. A win is vital in any case - not only to apply even a small amount of pressure to Celtic but also to challenge Aberdeen - both of whom play each other the following day. Sitting second tomorrow evening with another three points really would be an excellent outcome. Momentum, momentum, momentum indeed. Possible team (4-2-3-1):
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... had baws she'd be yer da! So the saying goes. Football fans love to speculate on alternative outcomes. How many times have we all said: "If we win the next 'x' number of games and our rival drop points here and there, we'll be only 'y' points behind with a game in hand." Or: "If player 'a' hadn't got sent off, we wouldn't have lost that game and we would be just 'b' points further ahead so only need to win 'c' more games to win the title." Its a little bit of fun and it plays on the emotional heart strings as fans, but often it just sets ourselves up for a fall based on unrealistic expectations. More often than not, the results you get are a product of the quality and consistency of your team. Take our current situation. Had our home form in particular been better this season and if we hadn't lost to the likes of Hibs, Hamilton and Dundee, we could have been, say, 5 or 6 points better off and within touching distance of Celtic who are trying to balance their European and domestic commitments whilst managing a squad depleted with various injuries. It would be game on as we move into the final third of the season. But we are where we are. Improving on out league position relative to last year is still the main aim, along with a real tilt at the Scottish Cup. Any talk of challenging Celtic this season seems fanciful, but the psychology of the chase can play a part in changing that. Yes we are behind Aberdeen and Celtic right now, but there is growing sense of confidence in the squad, the management structure and the promise of further financial strengthening off the pitch. The next 3 games you would imagine are therefore critical. Hamilton away, Hearts at home and then St Johnstone away all before the end of the month and ahead of the next Old Firm game. Nine points are therefore vital in order to put some pressure on our nearest rivals. We also need to see those same rivals dropping some points. Aberdeen particularly have three tricky ties coming up. Hibs away at the weekend, followed by Celtic at home and then Motherwell away. Celtic have St Johnstone on Sunday, Aberdeen away following their trip to Russia to complete the return leg against Zenit, and then Dundee at home. Crucially though, that will be a run of four games in eleven days for the injury hit Celtic. So, in true speculative style, I'm predicting that my maw may well get the sex change she's been promised. The next two weeks promise to be make or break for our season. If we are to stand any chance of putting in a league title challenge it really is now or never. If we can rattle in a big win at the weekend, I'll happily get the bandwagon started.
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Just when we should have been celebrating a good win and two fantastic goals against Partick Thistle, with one finger to his lips telling the away crowd to shoosh, Josh windass changed the whole accent of post match discussion from the fantastic goals and win to his stupid gesture. If Graeme Murty is a good manager he will have given Windass a good ticking off and tell him he should have more respect to the people who pay good money to watch him come wind rain and snow and ultimately pay his wages. If Windass has any sense then he will ask to do the pre-match press conference and apologise to the supporters. Then the matter should be forgotten and entered into the realms of history and we all move on. I can't let the Thistle game go by though without another mention of the two fantastic goals which were completely different but both works of arts in their own way. The first was five quick fire passes without a Thistle player getting a sniff of the ball. The move started when Foderingham gave the ball to Bates just outside the Rangers area. He took a few strides forward and then released a fantastic pass to Candeias who knocked it around the corner as they say with the outside of his foot to Cummings. Cummings took one touch and weighted a perfect pass to Candeias who had sprinted down the right wing and in turn took a first time perfect cross to Windass who had out-sprinted the Thistle defence and side-footed it into the roof of the net. If they were playing darts it would have been a nine darter. The perfect game. The perfect goal. If the first goal was a Vincant van Gogh then the second was a crazy Salvador Dali. James Tavernier played a midfield 1-2 pass with Josh Windass. He received the ball a little behind him but controlled it and strode forward into the Thistle D and then rifled it into the roof of the net giving the Partick Thistle keeper totally no chance. The reason it was a Salvidor Dali is that Tavernier came from the left side of the field. Windass's pass was not great but the end result was a thing of beauty. A bit crazy like Dali's work On Sunday we move on to the picturesque seaside town of Ayr to play Ayr United in the fifth round of the Scottish cup. Ayr are at this moment in a footballing dogfight with Raith Rovers to be champions in league division one. They are leading the pack by one point but Raith have a game in hand. The Honest men as they are called have a far better goal difference because of their goals for, so it would seem they are a very attacking team and know where the net is. That said they have already lost thirty goals Which is higher than three of the teams around them. That is possibly good news for Rangers as it makes them a team that is not good at defending and all the noises are that they want to go toe to toe with Rangers. Lawrence Shankland and Craig Moore have been scoring a bundle of goals for Ayr so this could be the much feared banana skin if we lose our concentration and think the game is won before we enter the field. Beating us would be a fantastic scalp for them but the chairman would probably be ecstatic to get a draw and get a replay at Ibrox giving them a fantastic financial boost. Good news coming from Ibrox is that the injury problems are starting to decrease with Kenny Miller back on the bench with Bruno Alves and Ross McCrorie ready to hit the training field. Kenny Miller has not been very popular with some fans but his experience enthusiasm and work rate are second to none and does give boss Murty an added option. Murty will probably keep Foderingham on the bench and play Jak Alnwick in goals. I can't see him changing the defence although he may bring Fabio Cordoso in for Russell Martin or David Bates. Declan John went of sick on Wednesday so Lee hodson or Andy Halliday could step in to the left back position. Halliday was preffered on Wednesday so he would probably be the first choice. I would imagine that Greg Docherty will get a full game so the question is who will drop out. Jason Holt or Sean Goss are not natural defensive players and both have their strong and weak points. The golden foot of Goss or the hard work of Holt. This may be a game for a hard worker rather than a slick passer so I will go with Holt on this one. I would love to see Morelos and Cummings together in a two man attack, although it would be difficult to overlook the form of josh Windass. Candeias is also in the form of his life and is a must start for me. I think the team will be: Alnwick Tavernier Bates Cardoso Halliday Holt Docherty Candeias Windass Cummings Morelos
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It's already been a few days since Saturday's defeat and I don't mind admitting I'm still smarting from the loss of another three points at Ibrox. First and foremost though, I don't think we played as badly as some have since suggested. Yes, Hibs were certainly the better team for much of the first half but we grew into the game and dominated after half-time. Problem was - and has been the case for most of this season at home - we couldn't break them down and, when we finally did, we conceded a cheap goal to shoot ourselves in the foot. That's the main source of frustration for me. As such, I don't blame fans for being annoyed. Our troubles on Saturday weren't new and to drop another three points isn't good enough. Yet, I think we have to be positive. Unfortunately a few players didn't play well (especially our primary creators of Tav and Candeias) so we just didn't make enough good chances. And, when we did, guys like Windass and Morelos - both fairly reliable goalscorers - fluffed their lines. To only score one goal was a very poor reflection of our play. Ultimately, with just one player up front, we're often predictable and regularly profligate. That has to change. With that in mind, I wonder if Graeme Murty will be tempted to move to a front two at Firhill tonight. He's favoured a 4-2-3-1 of late and it has been reasonably effective in terms of results but it seems to me Morleos lacks support at times and as he becomes increasingly (and understandably) jaded, we're not quite able to keep the ball in the final third for long enough. As such, although Jason Cummings hasn't looked quite fully fit yet himself, I'd be starting both together tonight. We do have other options in Dodoo, O'Halloran, Herrera and perhaps even Kenny Miller but all four lack the game-time to feature from kick-off. If Murty does indeed opt for a front two that means a likely return to the diamond he used to good effect before the new year. It also means he can bring in another fresh face in Greg Docherty who can offer us a bit more drive from midfield. The young signing from Hamilton is no creative silver bullet but I think we'll need his combative strength in deeper areas this evening. Jason Holt should keep his position on the other side of the diamond whilst Sean Goss can again sit that wee bit deeper and allow us to get forward efficiently from the back. That leaves the tip of the diamond and we have another few options there. Do we persevere with Windass in a more withdrawn role or opt for Jamie Murphy's experience? Personally I'd go with the latter as the on-loan attacker looked bright on Saturday. Having more options in attack should help him as well and with Docherty able to get up alongside him too, Murphy can drift into the channels if required. Deploying a diamond does mean the onus increases once more on our full-backs. In that sense, Tavernier has rarely shirked from his responsibilities this season and one (albeit schoolboy) error on Saturday shouldn't stop him from being an important player again across the Clyde tonight. Similarly, at left back Declan John has - in my view - been steadily improving on the other flank and linked well with Murphy against Hibs. As such both can supply any necessary width tonight. I do think it is worth pointing out we did struggle initially at the back on Saturday. John did leave too much space in behind early on whilst Russell Martin was dragged out of position too easily as well early on. Ironically though Hibs opened the scoring when David Bates failed to close down John McGinn. However, as a unit, they did fine after half-time and will be keen to get a clean sheet tonight. As will Foderingham in goal who I felt didn't look all that convincing at McGinn's opener. As has been the case for a lot of this season, we took another step or two back at the weekend but have to react well tonight. Despite Saturday's loss, we had a good January window and the signings of Murphy, Cummings and Docherty were brought in to address our attacking deficiencies so I hope to see all three given the chance to do that tonight. In closing, the one position we have failed to fill is that of manager. In that sense, Graeme Murty perhaps remains an unlikely candidate for the permanent position and I think not replacing Pedro Caixinha before now remains bizarre at best. Yet, if we had come out of Saturday with even a draw, I doubt fans would be too upset. As such, we need to continue to back the team and manager and help deliver the improvements we need to restore our club to the pinnacle of Scottish football. That won't happen overnight and even the best Rangers teams lost occasionally. However, neither should that make any defeat acceptable so a win this evening must be delivered. No more excuses, no more bad luck stories and no more wastefulness. As we move into February and the business end of the season, the pressure is on and it's now time this Rangers squad starting dealing with it. Possible team (4-4-2 Diamond):
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After a nervy final 24 hours of the transfer window, with Chinese bids received and rejected for our top scorer, we survey the state of the squad and look forward to welcoming Hibs to Ibrox this weekend. Lennon's side will undoubtedly be combative. Look no further than the last game between the sides at Ibrox in August and the refereeing performance of John Beaton. At times it felt like a wrestling match Beaton was overseeing; and like all wrestling matches - he seemed to be steering towards a pre-determined outcome. Jesting aside, like many, I struggle with the idea that referees are actually biased. But that doesn't meant that they don't jump through some ridiculous mental hoops when it comes to how they referee us. Are we judged to a different standard? It often seems that way. But more likely, the standard of our officiating reflects the standard of the Scottish game overall. One of the the key protagonists for Hibs back in August was Anthony Stokes who, curiously, left Hibs yesterday by mutual consent. it seems even the bold Neil Lennon will only put up with his clear attitude and behavioural issues for so long, and that tells you something! Lennon has however brought in Florian Kemberi on loan from Grasshoppers Zurich to replace Stokes. He also brought in Cammy Bell from Kilmarnock, who replaces the departing Scott Bain who was on loan from Dundee and has now joined Celtic; as well as another couple of loanees - Jamie Maclaren and Faycal Rherras. Simon Murray who scored Hibs' first goal back in August has joined Dundee on loan, with Liam Fontaine going to Ross County. How much of an impact those player changes will make for Hibs remains to be seen. But as ever at a clubs like ours, it comes down to our own attitude and application first and foremost. We will need to win the battle first, before we can settle to play the game on our own terms. Murty has instilled a bit of grit to the team and its clear we find the big games easier to play in. With the new additions to our own squad, coupled with a productive training camp in the US for the Florida Cup, we've started the new year with confidence. Hibs will no no doubt put us under pressure at various times. The last game between the sides in December saw them go a goal up in the first few minutes and they were clearly the better side until we scored two goals late in the first half through Windass and then memorably Morelos, with his cheeky near post finish after a glorious bit of skill to eliminate his marker. We saw the game out but Hibs were wasteful at times and the game could have gone either way. Fans favourite Morelos remains with us for the time being. Murty's post match words on Sky following last night's scrappy win against Fraserburgh seemed to suggest that perhaps there wasn't much substance behind the bids from China. Given their transfer window still has another month to go, speculation will no doubt continue. I would however start Morelos and resist the obvious GIRUY temptation to start with Cummings on Saturday. I think its important we put an arm round the lad and make sure he knows he is loved and can progress his career with us. If he continues to improve he will get the move he wants so its not in our interests to stand in his way long term, unless we want to have a Dembele-like situation developing. Much of the rest of the team picks itself in my view, based on the game versus Ross County. Cummings for me is a stick-on to come off the bench and get a goal. I for one can't wait to see his celebration and the look on the spoon burner's faces. Match Prediction: Rangers 3 - Hibs 1 Morelos FGS
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"We want folk in 30 to 40 years to still be talking about the forthcoming Rangers game in a similar fashion so they can tell their grandchildren where they stood that day in 2018 when the famous Glasgow Rangers came to Bellslea." The words of Fraserburgh Chairman Finlay Noble in The Press & Journal. There's little doubt that this is by far and away the biggest game in the 108 year history of Fraserburgh FC and as far as the town itself is concerned the only time that the general vibe has approached anything like the current buzz was in 1992 when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited for the celebration of the founding of the town's 400th anniversary. Much has been said among Rangers fans about the scarcity of tickets for the game with Rangers receiving an allocation of 360 but lost in that debate is the fact that Fraserburgh FC earned the right to play and to ergo host Rangers on the field of play and where as moving the game down the road to Peterhead or Aberdeen may well have resulted in a bigger pay day there never any serious possibility of it being moved. While the Bellslea Park may be both pretty compact and basic it really isn't any worse than many of the grounds we visited on the journey up through the leagues. The stand is called the Jim Adams Stand after the former Chairman who was a founder of the towns largest employer Gray & Adams, no doubt at some time or other you'll have been stuck in traffic behind one of their refrigerated trailers or even had the pleasure of a ride in their prisoner transfer vans. Sadly Jim is no longer around but rumour has it the Fraserburgh players would like his daughter Marieanne Adams to give them one of her famous group hugs! Fraserburgh the town is referred to locally as "The Broch" and its inhabitants as "Brochers" however I don't consider myself as a Brocher having only emigrated the 17 miles up the road from Peterhead 33 years ago and as everyone from Peterhead knows they aren't Brochers anyway they are in fact Puddlestinkers. The name Fraserburgh stems from 1592 when King James VI granted a charter to Sir Alexander Fraser and what was known as Faithlie became literally the burgh of Fraser. The name Broch coming from an old iron age tower that stood in the town but now long since gone. Among the local places of note are Fraserburgh Golf Club a links course which is the 5th oldest in Scotland and the 7th oldest in the world. The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses at Kinnaird Head and the adjacent Heritage Centre. Not forgetting the harbour to which the town owes its existence, the harbour is enjoying something of a renaissance after decades of decline due to the EU's Common Fisheries Policy and new boats have once again become a regular feature although sadly no longer being built in Fraserburgh itself since the boat yards have long closed. Famous Brochers include Thomas Blake Glover who emigrated to Japan and helped found what became the Mitsubishi conglomerate, Charles Alfred Jarvis the recipient of the first Victoria Cross awarded in World War I, Bill Gibb the fashion designer and of course one Dennis Nilsen the serial killer. The game itself takes place on the 48th anniversary of the Duchess of Kent lifeboat disaster on which 5 of the 6 volunteer crewmen lost their lives going to the aid of the Danish fishing vessel Opal, the men who perished that day were John Stephen, Fred Kirkness, William Hadden (my wife's uncle), James Buchan and James RS Buchan with Jackson Buchan being the sole survivor. Ironically the Duchess of Kent was a replacement lifeboat for the John and Charles Kennedy which capsized in the harbour entrance with the loss of 6 of the 7 crewmen in February 1953. Also another disaster befell the town in 1919 the lifeboat Lady Rothes capsized a mile from port with the loss of 2 lives. It would be remiss of me not to mention that on 28th of April 1970 Jock Stein took his Celtic team to Fraserburgh to play a game in aid of the lifeboat disaster fund the week before their European Cup Final defeat at the hands of Feyernoord. Now onto the game itself, whilst the rest of Scotland seems to be under a deep blanket of snow the north-east appears to have gotten of lightly, there was a brief snow shower earlier today it wasn't anything of note and shouldn't in any way affect the game. The club have been loaned covers from Arbroath FC but as it stands they shouldn't be needed, it will however be cold so if you're one of those fortunate to get a ticket I'd put the long johns on if I were you. Team wise where do we start? Will Cummings, Goss, Murphy or Martin make their competitive debuts? Will Halliday or O'Halloran feature on their return from being frozen out? Probably the only player we have with previous experience of the Bellslea is Ryan Jack who's unlikely to feature but should return in time for the Aberdeen game. We all know what Cummings is capable of as we've been on the receiving end of his skills often enough. Over in Florida Goss looked a decent tidy enough player with good delivery especially from dead balls. Murphy knows what its all about and will be keen to get of to a flyer playing for his boyhood heroes. I'd like to see us start with both Cummings and Morelos up front as there's absolutely no reason to play one up front in this game. We should be going for it and getting the business done early in the game. Will it be 442, 433 or 352? I'd plump for 442 with the following Alnwick Tavernier Bates Wilson John Candeias Goss Windass Murphy Cummings Morelos However I doubt the either the formation or the personnel will prove to be correct. There's no stand outs in the Fraserburgh team, they are almost all local to the north east with a fair amount of Bears (and a few of them)in the side.One Bryan Hay whose last minute penalty secured qualification for Fraserburgh in the last round away against Spartans will no doubt give his usual wholehearted no frills display, I saw him play for Fraserburgh U20's against Rangers U20's at Auchenhowie a few years back and he played well until his sending off (somewhat harshly on that occasion). A few of the Dave Smith Loyal have been trying to get odds on him seeing a red card again on Sunday. One player in the Fraserburgh ranks who has previously been on the victorious side against Rangers is the managers brother Dean Cowie (one of them) who was in the Peterhead side that beat Rangers 1-2 at Ibrox almost 5 years ago.
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Glasgow to Dingwall is just over a four-hundred-mile round trip and it has a population that is under six thousand. While there you can take in the Dingwall museum, Pefferside park and the Hector McDonald Monument to name but a few of its attractions. The main attraction for all those bears traveling north this Sunday with be Victoria Park, now known as the Global Energy Check Stadium. This is the home of Ross County who entered the highland league in 1929 and were then admitted to the third division of Scottish football in 1994. Nicknamed “The Staggies” which is taken from their badge which bears a stag’s head. This signifies the Seaforth Highlanders regimental badge which many of the inhabitants had fought in the great war with. Over the years we have enjoyed battles of a different kind with Ross County on the football pitch. We met only a few weeks ago at Ibrox where we ran out 2-1 winners with goals from Morelos and Wilson cancelling an early tenth minute strike from the Staggies. I had missed this match due to being “festive” for a few days however i remember being very relieved when watching the Saturday results come in. I had been informed that the first half display did nothing to assist in warming those at Ibrox up in what was a bitterly cold December day. It was one of those days where we were simply glad to take three points and move on. It will be a reasonably early start this Sunday for all bears traveling north with a 2pm kick off time. The capacity of 6,541 will be mostly filled with the away support as we continue to follow in tremendous numbers wherever we go. Owen Coyle who is the new County manager would love nothing more than a victory over Rangers. Being a well know supporter of one of Glasgow’s other teams will add extra motivation for him. However, with their current league position anchored at the bottom and three points adrift of Partick Thistle in the play-off position, I fancy that a draw would suit him fine. In light of this I suspect we will have a tough ninety mints where we will have to be solid both physically and mentally. Of course, playing for Rangers requires these attributes in every match and with our new arrivals in the window they will be made aware of these high expectations. The acquisition of Russell Martin, Jamie Murphy, Jason Cummings, Greg Docherty and Sean Goss all look to be very good business from Graeme Murty and Mark Allen. With the exception of Docherty, who has only just signed yesterday, we had a glimpse of Cummings and much more of a look at Goss, Martin and Murphy on Wednesday night where we outplayed Aberdeen again. It was a great way to start back after the winter shutdown which is just horrible. There is nothing worse with being stuck in the middle of January with no football for three weeks. However, the clubs and players seem to enjoy it and we can’t argue as the side looked rejuvenated, rested and hungry to get back into action. The first half seemed anyone’s for first ten minutes but then we took hold of the game and deservedly took the lead through Morelos. Alfredo does miss his fair amount of chances but he never lets it get to him. He doesn’t hide and as all great strikers do he goes looking for the next chance. All and every striker misses easy chances, Morelos has the mental strength to put this aside and move on to the next one with no baggage. He is one heck of a prospect and the recent £10 million price tag put on him by media sources, and being mentioned by others seems very good value. In all honesty his value and potential are showing abilities that would command a higher fee than £10m should anyone come calling in the summer? It was a great performance all round on Wednesday and not one player performed badly. After we scored number two in the second half through a Tavernier penalty Aberdeen did come back into the match but found incredible defending from Bates and Tavernier in particular. Wes was in outstanding form too and he is looking like a top-class goalkeeper again. So, we take our momentum and good form and onto this Sunday. Will see any changes from the team the performed so well on Wednesday? Perhaps but I suspect not as the 4-2-3-1 formation is serving us well and we will hope Murphy and Candeias can unlock them down the flanks. Goss looked comfortable beside Holt which allowed Windass to get forward to support Morelos. The back four remain the same with Tav, Martin, Bates and John with Wes in goal. This leaves us options on the bench which is pleasing as we can see some creativity not only on the pitch but waiting in the wings if needed. There is an upbeat mood around the club at the moment. Good business done so far and the side look comfortable on the park. Either the jerseys seem to have shrunk to fit or more probably our side have grown and realised that they have the belief confidence and ability to be a Ranger. I predict a tough match on Sunday and it will be physical. Rangers to win by two goals to one for me with that man Morelos on the scoresheet again. C’mon eh Bears!