SIRB_72

Glad he's back in the team. I was honestly not his biggest fan and always thought he was a drop off on Helander first time round but they two alternating during 55 worked really well. However with Goldson dropping off at an alarming rate and Souttar being Souttar he has just managed to put in consistent performances. He's given Goldson and Barisic confidence earlier this season and I'm sure will do the same with Souttar. Mentioned this before but he's the only guy in our squad who has won something every year he's played with us. He's clearly a good influence in the dressing room, adores the club and I'm assuming isn't on massive money either.

Sima off the left is a huge loss, Sima off the right not so much. He's more of a wide forward than a pure winger. From the right he has to be a creator whereas on the left he is a goal scorer. Imo he can't do both as he just isn't the most creative player but he is an intelligent player who makes good runs, gets in great positions and is a superb finisher.

Getting into final is the most important thing and we've done that. We were never going to be perfect after the last week. Hopefully Sima is okay as his goals will be vital on this run in. Good to keep a clean sheet. I see it this way with our attacking options if we defend well and keep clean sheets then the reliance on them becomes even less as we dont need 3/4+ goals. It gives us a real chance.

Nice to see Balogun back in. Sterling is wasted at left back and the left side is too narrow. Sima better off the left but we'll see

So Lundstram, Goldson, Silva and Sterling at left back?

Chelsea must be the only team in the UK that has worse finishing than us

Butland Tavernier Souttar Balogun Yilmaz Sterling Diomande McCausland Cantwell Sima Dessers If Yilmaz isn't available then Barisic. This wont be the team though.

It's as tedious as watching the players who all of this clearly effects. It is a major factor if not the defining factor for a good chunk of this squad and there are plenty of trends to show it. SInce Gerrard joined in 2018 after the winter break when we are a minimum of 2 points behind celtic or better we've had 3 occassions when we've dropped 9+ points to celtic between the first game after the break and the 3rd game of the season against celtic. In 2019 we had a drop of 10, in 2020 a drop of 11 and in 2022 a drop of 9 to celtic. We obviously never got to play that 3rd game against them in 2020 but in 2019 and 2022 we went onto to lose 2-1 on both occassions. After these two defeats we had a record of 5 wins out of 6 afterwards. Win% between Janurary and 3rd celtic game - 50% in 2019 and 2022. Win% after the celtic defeat - both 83%. I'm not going to denegrate our 55 success but I do think less external pressure did help and I think that helped this squad under Beale and now Clement and the numbers show it again. Beale comes in and we're 9 points behind celtic which carries on until, again, we lose to celtic in the 3rd game of the season after failing to beat them at Ibrox in December and the League Cup final. So we were comfortable with celtic at a distance but as soon as there was a chance to beat them in an important game we dont win. Which brings me onto results against celtic in general in these specific periods. So after the winter break our record when celtic win the league in all comps is 3 wins in 11. 1 win was that superb cup win under Gio and the other two were when we were 9pts behind celtic in 2019 and 13 points behind last season when celtic were confirmed champions both times. Clement comes into similar circumstances with us 7 behind and chips away and chips away celtic who drop more points than they did when Beale was here. We look like a proper team but lose at parkhead. So another big loss to celtic and 8 points behind (and I'm not counting games in hand because as we seen last night it means fuck all). Ater defeat at parkhead we bounce back and win 9 in a row and get ourselves to the summit and then another collapse where once again we've failed to beat celtic and are on a run of 1 win in 5 - not for the first time. This is the 4th time in 6 season that we've gone on a disastrous run when we only manage 1 or 2 wins in 5 or 6 matches. So between New Year and 3rd celtic game in 2019 we had a run of 2 wins in 5 and a cup KO to Aberdeen in between, in 2020 it was 1 win in 5 and a cup KO v Hearts but we managed to beat Braga in the EL (funny that) and in 2022 we went on a run of 2 in 6 but managed to knock out Dortmund - again maybe just a coincidence and nothing to do with pressure? Now we're on a similar run at just a different time in the season. Clement's managerial reign at Rangers has encapsulated every bit of failure parts of this squad has had under Gerrard, Gio and Beale just with some differences in timing. The big gap behind and the big run of wins when everyone thinks the league is done. Failing to beat celtic within a 9 point margain after January. A 5/6 league run that we fail to win even a third of those games which means celtic just have to have the most basic level of consistency to cause a major point swing. We're in the middle of a 5 point swing as we speak over the last 3/4 weeks and as I mentioned before history shows it'll probably get worse before it gets better. We've even had the underdog Euro performances. We've already won a cup so I'm assuming we'll cap this run off with defeat to Hearts or lose to celtic in the final and we'll have had the full bingo card either way. What is the one constant through this? Players. Specifically Tav, Goldson, Barisic and Ryan Jack. Roofe, Wright, Balogun and Lundstram also had a part to play in these seasons and the tradition is now getting passed through to newer members of the squad. It may be tedious but we're seeing trend and after trend that we've seen every year from this core group. Managers and other players have come and gone and here we are seeing the exact same traits from this team we've been seeing for 5/6 years. They're not just lacking in quality or tactical implementation or help with sports science they are also scarred and lack belief to go and win things regularly.

The "old guard" has to go but whether that is possible especially with Tav and Goldson is probably unlikely unfortunately. We have Jack, Barisic, Baolgun, Lundstram and Roofe all out of contract and Scott Wright with 1 year left. So that is something and I would definetely be pushing Wright out the door. Out of this group that has played 2+ years the only one I'd consider keeping is Balogun as a cheap and experienced centre half. Also the only player in our squad who has played more than 1 season and won something every year he has played with us. The batch who signed from summer 2022 and onwards a small percentage of them are any good and a high percentage of them are injured a lot. Though the experienced ones need removed the newer recruits hardly give you hope.

Part of that history and success is guaged on the cups as well as the league titles. Rangers need to win both. Just because we dont win the league shouldn't mean we just dont give a fuck about the cups. If celtic win the double they will have equaled our domestic trophy haul which was unfathomable even when we returned to the top flight. I take your point about the league being the priority, I don't think anyone would disagree, but I wouldn't be dismissing the importance of picking up cups especially now when our statement of the "most successful team in football" is at risk to them over the next 6 weeks.

He's losing a fighting battle with this core but I just think he got it wrong tonight. Doesnt mean I want him sacked.

Could play until next week and still not score. Glad to see us get a clean sheet and weren't too bad defensively apart from that first 10 minutes and when we were "chasing" late on. If we were going to do anything tonight and going forward we need clean sheets because, as we seen tonight, we dont have the firepower. Slow, ponderous and unbalanced. Sterling is wasted at left back, absolutely wasted, and when you look at how unathletic that centre of midfield is Sterling is, along with Dio, what we're crying out for in there. For me, as much as a shitebag he is, Barisic has to play if Yilmaz isn't available. We have 4/5 other bed wetters out there but at least another one might help us out tactically, even at least so I don't have to watch Tav hit about 10 corners in succession. Since we're on the left Silva is shite as is Matondo. Get Sima back out there and get McCausland back on the right with Tav getting forward. One side you have Barisic playing balls down the channel for Sima and on the other McCausland coming inside while Tav exploits the space. I'm not his biggest fan but alongside Sterling we should be trying Raskin. As I said that midfield tonight was as unathletic as you can get. At least Raskin and Sterling can sprint and I suspect he might be a better number 8 than Lawrence, Dowell and whoever fucking else we can chuck in before him. Cantwell is our only 10 at this point and he was a huffy we shite tonight. Didn't turn up and was right to get hooked. As much as Desser is a pain in the arse there is a reason he plays before Roofe and we seen why tonight. Roofe, unfortunately for him, is done. The manager is very limited here but I think there's other things he could be doing rather than what he is.

Last few weeks have been dodgy and the manager spoke about doing the basics. If we get back to basics, keeping clean sheets, giving little if nothing away then we can certainly beat Dundee. We sort ourselves out at the back the huge issues with Dessers become as minimal as possible. Relying on him and the likes of Silva to go and grab is 3/4 goals in a game is completely unrealistic at this point. Just win tonight and go from there but if we want to win this title, and the cup for that matter, it'll need to be 1/2 nils imo.

I have my doubts but if we were able to turn them over at their place with two games to go would be absolute scenes. A man can dream.

100%

I think if similar happens again and Clement is booted and the same core is at the club a lot of the support will turn. People paying thousands into the club every year to watch the same dross getting the same results year after year eventually takes a toll. These players, like you say, will and have run every manager, good or bad, out of the place and eventually it will be the support they chase away.

It was Gio. Looked like he was out the door in the January on loan at one point then started the 5-0 at home to Hearts and Thursday night Lundstram was born.

Another mad thing is that 35 year old Leon Balogun is our most succesful player based on what he's won and what opportunites he's had. The guy has joined us, left, joined us again and still has as many medals as the core group and more than some in that group like Lundstram.

In black and white going through our outfield squad for everyone that has been here for more than a year and their major trophy haul - Tav - 3 out of 24, Ryan Jack 3 out of 19, Goldson & Barisic 3 out of 16, Ianis Hagi 2 out of 11, Balogun 3 out of 7, Kemar Roofe 3 out of 10, Scott Wright 3 out of 9, John Lundstram 2 out of 7 - these 100% out of the door, half of them have spent most of their time injured. John Souttar 1 in 4, Tom Lawrence 1 in 4, Rabbi Matondo 1 in 4, Ben Davies 1 in 4, Ridvan Yilmaz 1 in 4, Todd Cantwell 1 in 4 and Nico Raskin 1 in 4. I would have a wee bit more leeway with these players due to length of time but again the vast majority of these have been scarred by results and been on the injury table for a good amount of time. So when they're not winning anything on the park they're usually spending time injured off it. What an absolute waste of money.

It certainly isn't. If we win a title under Clement he'd be only the 3rd manager in history after Wilton and Advocaat to do so after failing to win one of their first 2 old firms.

Clement over the last couple of weeks has made mistakes just like every other manager we've had, even the good ones. I don't think any good manager gets a decent crack at the whip with that core around the club. Any time there is a wiff of pressure they cave and here we are again. celtic lose one title and they have a mass exodus and after 2/3 windows were only left with their scottish core who has won everything with them - everyone else gone. We just keep meandering on with the same shite culture and spending decent money on guys who will also be entrenched in the same shite culture and the cycle keeps on going. The biggest concern is I don't know how Koppen and Clement fix even part of this in the summer.

Back to basics for Dundee and Hearts. We need to start keeping clean sheets again. It was a huge part of our early success under Clement and covered for one of our deficiencies which we seen today is scoring goals. I'd get Balogun back in the side for experience and just to freshen things up. I'd say play him with Goldson because it does seem to work but taking out Goldson wouldn't be out of the question. You hope Yilmaz is back but until then it has to be Borna because Sterling is wasted at left back. I'd like to think Balogun back in would also help Borna through games. I'd be having Sterling and Dio in front of the defence assuming Dio is back, if not then Lundstram, and Cantwell in front of them. Dynamic but also a bit of dig and energy. I'd get Sima back on the left, McCausland on the right and unfortunately I think we're stuck with Dessers through the centre but even more reason to get things sown up at the back. I have major doubts mentally but we still have a shot if we get things at the back sorted.

He was also 40 and I'd hardly say he fell of a cliff, he was running a pretty tight ship at the back. After we lost to Dundee Utd at Ibrox at the start of April we weren't behind for the rest of the season and conceded two goals in the last 10 games.

This isn't a case of absence makes the heart grow fonder but what is the deal with McCausland? I know he splits opinion but he's been taken out of the 11 but still on the bench every week and never features. I know Matondo's had a couple of big goals but his general play is shite, Silva's isn't much better and the less said about Wright the better. Unless there's something I've missed he must be sitting wondering how these guys get chance after chance despite the three of them struggling to muster up as many decent performances as he has this season

Don't know if that was in reference to my post but I was only referencing Weir to Goldson because how dependable Weir was at 40 playing roughly the same minutes compared to Goldson who is nearly a decade younger and a much poorer medal haul despite being here for longer. On different planets when it comes to Rangers players.