The Ghost

The main downside of points accumulation for retail and other monetary spend is that it favours the wealthier supporters who have that money to spare and not those who save and sacrifice what they can to buy a season ticket and get to games.

With the financial situation the club is currently in, the focus will be to extract as much money from the fan base as possible until saturation point is reached and the increase in income levels off or drops. That’s when the tipping point is reached. It will be dressed up as showing loyalty, a reward, biggest fan badge or whatever else they can think of to get more cash from the support. You can pay if you want to but I really don’t think anyone is really being fooled about the reasons behind it.

Gilmour MOTM. Well deserved too.

I think deep down Ruiz was just happy to accept the bonus money and get on with his life. He’s been spending like there’s no tomorrow since he won the title so it’s a nice wee top up for him. He won’t get near the top table again.

Joshua sponsoring Nike running shoes by next week.

Very boring fight. AJ looking very ordinary and well below the top level. Ruiz just a journeyman with a good chin.

You’ve done a remarkable job and brought a lot of joy to many people with your efforts. Hopefully, your trusty associates can keep things going in some capacity. Keep well and enjoy a well deserved rest!

We’ve had some great players who could be awarded that title for their generation but, in my opinion, Baxter is clear at the top. He had an arrogance and an aura to match his ability and, at times, appeared to be on a different planet to his teammates and opponents. This is not to belittle the achievements and abilities of players like Cooper, Laudrup etc. we’ve had some genuine world class players in our time.

Better play there. Good goalkeeping.

Just did the same as Ricciardo when he won with tyres down to the canvas. The cars are even wider now so if you place it correctly then you can’t be overtaken. He still had grip on his rears to power clear on the short straights. Did some amount of whinging though!

Derek was extremely popular and was a tremendous asset to the team and the club. I’ve always felt he should get a great deal more recognition and appreciation than he seems to.

Virtually nothing then??? I read about the derby winner but hadn’t realised he had any significant impact. Well, hopefully Alfredo can do similar wherever he ends up. I’ve never really taken to him so maybe my judgement is clouded. £25m and not a penny less (plus a sell on clause, obviously). Still don’t see it right enough.

He is not a consistent clean striker. Defoe is streets ahead of him in that respect. It’s a pity he’s lost too much pace over the last couple of years as this restricts the goal scoring positions he can get into and the opportunities that would arise.

Dembele did, his price was inflated and he’s done nothing since. Dembele did score more high profile goals which probably helped but hopefully the same increase in value will apply to Alfredo after the recent media hype and speculation.

Clearly not every goal is going to be a scuffed mishit but there have been more than a few, along with a significant number of bad misses which with a little more composure and technical ability would have been goals. It’s not that long ago when the move to the Far East fell through, he had a few bad games and a dry spell when numerous posters were bemoaning the fact we hadn’t cashed in. Now, any minor criticism is thrown back and he’s somehow become the next Pele. He’s a good player in this league but I doubt he’ll flourish in a higher quality, more competitive environment. Denya has rhymed off half a dozen players who are ahead of him in the international stakes and he has some way to go before he establishes himself in that group. I’d take the money now as a season as productive as this one is often followed with a poor return the following season and I’m not entirely convinced he would have the appetite to plough through another season in this league.

He’s still too raw and inexperienced at a high level to command some of the fees mentioned. If a big team came for him, it would be a speculative purchase. He’s done better than I expected this season but he’s scoring against poor players in poorly organised defences. The Scottish game has genuinely never been worse. He lacks composure and is not a clean striker of the ball but he does have an aggressive, bustling technique that creates chances and unsettles defences. I hope we do get £20m but I can’t see anyone within the club having realistic expectations of that.

Well I did. Those that left were called rats while those that stayed were called wage thieves. Players were in a lose-lose situation. It was ridiculous and unfair and some of those who stayed must have regretted it at times. If I was at the peak of my career and suddenly found myself with a club with an uncertain future, ending up in the lowest league, facing wage cuts, no international recognition and being spoken about as if I was somebody’s personal property then I think I would have put myself, my family and my career first and, going by the reaction by a number of fans to those who left or stayed, probably wouldn’t have looked back. If the club are then foolish enough to chase after former players six years later when they are clearly on the decline, with some who weren’t even good enough first time round, while throwing piles of cash at them then some are clearly going to pander to the more easily swayed contingent of the support and trot out the usual soundbites and await the predictable cries of “bring him home” while waiting for the cheque to clear.

I’ve no idea how this relates to my post.

One of my first posts outside the match threads was along those lines. I said something like we couldn’t slate the ones who left, calling them rats etc. while abusing the ones who stayed and calling them wage thieves. It was an absurd situation. I was then accused of being “one of them” for some reason I’ve still yet to fathom.

Being TUPE’d gives you the opportunity to break your contract and walk away if you choose. It’s easy for people on the outside to say they’d stay, take a pay cut, play for nothing etc. when they’ll never be in that position. It’s like those posts saying “if I won the Euromillions, I’d give the club £25m”. No you wouldn’t! It’s always easy to spend someone else’s money. I remember Green in the media saying he’d bought the club so he’d bought the players and they’re going nowhere. That would immediately alienate me. Playing for a top team at the peak of your career and suddenly find that, if you’re able to play anywhere, it’ll be in one of the poorest quality leagues in Europe with at least three years of your short career until you get back to the top and all but writing off any international career. On top of that, the club couldn’t sustain the wage bill so major cuts were being touted contrary to your contracted salary. As much as I love Rangers, playing at that level while being viewed as someone’s personal possession and facing an uncertain future regarding salary and career, then I think I may have chosen to quietly slip away while expressing regret at the turn of events. Some went about it the wrong way but I can’t really criticise their decision.

It’s 150 miles. So if you drive at 30mph....

Well done Hibs! The league is far from over now and there will be more surprise results this season for all the top six teams. It’s looking like the most up and down season for many a year. We could easily top this one.

Thought this was another Countdown Conundrum that had me beat!

I appreciate that distinction and agree licencing fees should be applicable. I just always found it strange how one supplier of fake, unofficial merchandise is regularly lauded here but others are scathingly attacked. Just accept it’s unofficial fake goods with no money going to the club and make your choice whether to buy or not.

It’s all a bit confusing. Lionbrand - bad, blue pound, exploiting fans, starving the club etc. Coplandstreetwear - somehow, a bunch of good guys and none of the above. If you want a fake top, spend your money how you choose. If you don’t, then don’t. Seems to be a lot of grief over what should be a personal choice.