Turnberry18

I have a feeling Pena will be off. I can see how he may be a good player where the ball is on the deck and played at a slower pace, but not for us. You're right, the ineffective crossing has been this way for a while and time after time today we offered no threat. I was concerned about our shape today, and numerous times players either didn't know where a team mate was or got in each others road. The ball out wide is just hitting into areas with no-one on the end mostly; John had a slightly better second half, I thought in the first half he was taking the ball in areas where he wasn't deep enough, when he began to get the ball around the 18 yard box he was either going wide or coming inside, but there wasn't enough of that at times.

We were too predictable, especially in the first half, with going wide so often. You mentioned you weren't impressed by Pena, but it would have been useful to sometimes use him as an option by coming through the middle now and again. Their defenders were able to anticipate our moves quite easily, and as you say, where there isn't the quality in the cross ball, particularly when Tavernier isn't at his best, then we won't get a good return anyway.

The match today gave those two defeats a run for their money, in terms of performance. We will need to be vastly better in the next match.

This would have been the ideal game to have introduced a new manager before these games.

Making him captain makes him a a certain starter. He played better in the second half than the first, but he is not the same player and should be dropped.

I saw him being referred to that when I was reading about him.

I don't know him, but I like him already.

What's also coming across about Pena is that he is a really nice guy. What looked like a couldn't care less attitude is far from it; this looks like a guy who has no big ego and very much a ream player.

Good point. Yesterday he found himself alone in good positions once too often. The ball he managed to lay on for Windass was clever, and could have resulted in a goal.

I love Pena. There were times yesterday where he ran into an isolated position but still held the ball and looked to find a team mate with a ball. He makes getting into the right positions look so effortless as well.

Even there you see the capture of a certain dynamism. If only they had good film of all these players throughout the generations.

It still does, yes, at the staircase. Have you seen it? It's very impressive as you go up.

Exactly, and in that sense we have lost touch with them, unless we are fortunate enough to troll through a great many archives; however the extent to which they stay known could be compromised. These photos help though.

We are sometimes in danger of losing touch with the whole history of the club, and sticking to our own generation when we evaluate who the best 11 were etc. There is just so many great players who played for Rangers that it can be a pointless exercise ever imagining who were the best ever 11.

I think he was nicknamed 'the prince of goalkeepers'. 'I played in the same team as Jerry seven times between 1939 and 1943...But at the end of it all I had no doubt that Jerry Dawson ranked among the greatest keepers of all time'- Bill Shankly. Fine words indeed.

I was reading something last night where Bill Shankly said Jerry Dawson was one of the finest goalkeepers he had ever seen. That's a great photo.

I'm not sure he could have done that because he was very close to the incident, certainly he was closer than they were. I might check later, and you might have a point, but it appeared he was too close for that.

The lack of rapport they have with players appears to zero. I think a referee should have words with players, and relate with them as well. I have rarely seen a referee have a conversation with a player here.

I'd rather we chose anyone very carefully, that is all I am saying. If McInnes gets the job then I will back him all the way, but before he or anyone is appointed we need to be sure of a few things. As you said yourself last night, this is a very important appointment.

I personally think the standard of refereeing is very poor. One of the things that stands out that the referees in this league don't seem to relate to the players well; they are stand offish, and I see very little dialogue between players and referees here. I think in some other leagues the players and referees have dialogue at times during matches. I don't see that here, and I think it contributes to games getting out of hand at times.

And how would McInnes do with either of the Manchester clubs?

I don't think there is anything sinister about it, the referee looked reluctant to hand out cards early in the game. He has a split second to make his decision, and the reaction of the Aberdeen player, which was genuine, may have influenced him in that split second. The referee got it wrong, but it looked an honest mistake; we have the benefit of cameras later, but there and then it was debatable.

How do we know he is; or is he being considered, the same as McInnes, because he used to play for us?

Absolutely. I see the speculation about Ferguson coming into assist him; something I thought would happen. Maybe with the right support then he can do well.

It's looking like it's McInnes, no matter what I hope this saga ends this week if it is McInnes then hopefully he proves all of us doubters wrong. This is me talking before he is appointed, once he is in then I will do my best to talk him up. I hope he gets the support from the whole club, and makes a go of it.