bearsmarsbars
Well-Known Member
Yea mate I know it was more a rhetorical question. Strange way for a footballer to be.
I don't believe a word of it, even if it is being reported. Sounds like the biggest load of pish I've heard.
Yea mate I know it was more a rhetorical question. Strange way for a footballer to be.
Feel the same every time I see your break the bank patterI don't believe a word of it, even if it is being reported. Sounds like the biggest load of pish I've heard.
Surely the gaffer will be desperate to keep most of those players,especially after painstakingly putting this team together, I will be delighted if Alfie is still here and just hope he fancies a shot at the CL and I can't see Kent moving, unless it's a blank cheque, anything less, they can do one, he's so vital to us. Replacing those players with the same quality will cost serious money as well.IMO, Rangers 'crown jewel' has to be Ryan Kent, I'd be shocked if the club didn't have to fend off multiple big money bids for his services over the summer.
Morelos has likely played his last season at Ibrox.
If Barisic has a good UEFA Europe this summer, then he too, could well be for the off.
It's also not unreasonable to presume that Helander, Hagi, and Kamara might be the subject of transfer bids.
The upshot of this could find Rangers awash in transfer cash, but then needing to replace half of the current first team squad - in addition, of course, to any new signings that were originally being contemplated.
So you now acknowledge it’s being reported.I don't believe a word of it, even if it is being reported. Sounds like the biggest load of pish I've heard.
Fair point mate. Didn’t think about the international football perspective. You would think that putting in stand out performances in the champions league would be good enough for Kent to be considered but I don’t think it would be enough. I think they would still be put off by the standard he was facing in the SPL. At the moment I’ve no idea who will move out, theres every chance some handshakes have already happened.There has been much speculation in the media about interest from some of the EPL's 'top six' in Leeds' Brazilian winger Raphinha, if such a deal where to happen , I think Leeds would make a major push for Kent.
Let us examine the hypothetical Kent-to-Leeds scenario. If a bid came in that met Rangers valuation, then the player would have a decision to make: would he opt for the chance to experience the CL with Rangers, or go for the regular exposure in the EPL that playing for a pretty decent Leeds side would give, and with it the added bonus of putting him in the frame for a possible England call-up?
Josh Maja at Fulham scored 3 in 14 games , 9 of which he started . Stats suggest a unconvincing spell but then again it is a relegation team so maybe not unexpected .
I’d think he is the type who would be a loan with buy option move if Rangers were to look at him tbh but I’ve not seen his games for either club this seasons to see how he personally has looked .
My original post on the thread was theoretical - it could happen but probably won't. The 2 most likely departures IMO are Morelos, and also Kent for a very large fee.Surely the gaffer will be desperate to keep most of those players,especially after painstakingly putting this team together, I will be delighted if Alfie is still here and just hope he fancies a shot at the CL and I can't see Kent moving, unless it's a blank cheque, anything less, they can do one, he's so vital to us. Replacing those players with the same quality will cost serious money as well.
Yeah I don’t see us rushing to get players out the door until qualifying is complete. No player will be cup tied with the new rules so hopefully all players push hard so we can get through & if they move on they move on in good terms.You think it’ll happen after the qualifiers ?
I hope you’re right, as the qualifiers benefit will be massive if successful Russell.
Keeping Kent is vital, and although I’m expecting Alfredo to go, we really do need to replace him with similar attributes, as he’s shown himself to be vital to how we play.
In fact, it could be argued that those two & Borna are our most vital players in that we don’t have anything close to them if we had to replace them. I’d have had Tav in there too until young Nathan burst onto the scene so impressively.
Despite so many other good players, the others have closer substitutes / replacements.
Yeah I don’t see us rushing to get players out the door until qualifying is complete. No player will be cup tied with the new rules so hopefully all players push hard so we can get through & if they move on they move on in good terms.
I agree with you on the likes of Kent, Borna & Buf being our main men. Young Patterson was very impressive I think he will push Tav very hard over the next 18 months for a slot. This kid is the real deal & nothing seems to phase him.
Like most supporters I think we need 1 or maybe 2 box to box midfielders (especially if we loose Kamara) to continue to improve.
I’m very picky but I’d like us to upgrade a Centre Back...I’m not totally convinced on our guys. We have had a great season so hopefully I’m just totally wrong the guys do the same again next year.
I have watched him a fair bit as I had Fulham going down and therefor his future up in the air, is he a replacement for Morelos - not a chance ever, Roofe or Itten yesJosh Maja at Fulham scored 3 in 14 games , 9 of which he started . Stats suggest a unconvincing spell but then again it is a relegation team so maybe not unexpected .
I’d think he is the type who would be a loan with buy option move if Rangers were to look at him tbh but I’ve not seen his games for either club this seasons to see how he personally has looked .
Of course mate, but that will depend if Kamara stays or goes!The following will be away iMo
stewart
Jones
Edmunds
Barker
zungu loan end too
poss Defoe
there will be a sale, just whether its big enough to satisfy its only one or two.
Would think Alfie would want to have a crack at the cl, potential bigger move if he does ok.
with Wright and Sakkala in I think it’s midfield we need to look at now
Thanks LTG.I have watched him a fair bit as I had Fulham going down and therefor his future up in the air, is he a replacement for Morelos - not a chance ever, Roofe or Itten yes
Certainly not got the power and strength for the game up here or even in Europe, he is more like Roofe or Defoe just a much poorer version.Thanks LTG.
You reckon he cannot lead the line nor has good enough power and workrate ?
I wonder, with Middleton doing well at St. Johnstone, could we see him as part of a swap plus money for McCann? It would certainly add to the numbers in midfield. Perhaps he could shadow Davis for a year or two?Midfield is where we should be turning our thoughts to now, Davis was amazing this season but unsure if we will be able to rely so heavily on him next season jack and Arfield seem to pick up some niggly injuries and Zungu away back. We need our funds focused in the midfield unless we sell people.
Grigo - you have the uncanny ability of always managing somehow to lurch and stumble into the truth. Your observations re. Rangers central defense is further evidence of this trait.Yes Russell, getting quality into that midfield will be massive. Winning the league effectively has a 35m euro prize, because it guarantees direct CL Group entry, so these guys are worth investing in. I thought we were one short this season to be honest, and that was before Zungu proved he wasn’t the answer.
Interesting your view on central defence. I know our goals lost record was incredible, but I’ve not been convinced we have a proper balance in there for playing top clubs. To me, I like to see a reader / footballer and a strong & pacy partner. None of our guys had pace, albeit Goldson & Helander are clever footballers. I’d like to see us securing the physical / pacy option. It would allow us to play higher up the park. The obvious example is the Benfica equaliser in Lisbon to illustrate my point.
Honestly why do people put PL strikers in lists of people we should be looking at?Certainly not got the power and strength for the game up here or even in Europe, he is more like Roofe or Defoe just a much poorer version.
If we got him for nothing then I would take but being honest, Chris Wood, Callum Wilson, Che Adams, or abroad is the strikers I would be looking at
I’ve seen nothing from Bassey that’d make me more confident in him over Doig.They'd have seen Patterson be the only full back of genuine quality last time we played. Good prospect with a lot of raw ingredients that we could certainly turn him into a player, not at £2m+ and certainly not as a back up. Same situation with Hickey
If we're being honest Bassey would be a superstar if he was at Hibs and Doig would still be playing youth football
They were very good at SPL level but were a wee bit exposed against real quality like Benfica.Grigo - you have the uncanny ability of always managing somehow to lurch and stumble into the truth. Your observations re. Rangers central defense is further evidence of this trait.
A while back I started a thread noting that whilst we currently have 5 centre backs on the books I myself wasn't entirely convinced by our 1st choice pairing of Goldson/Helander. Whilst certainly a competent partnership, there was something about it always left me a tad uneasy - certainly when compared with past Rangers centre backs - Cuellar and Bougherra and Weir.
When I made this point I was inundated with a torrent of hostile responses - 'we are undefeated, we have had so many clean sheets...how could I possibly question the Rangers defence? A less superficial analyis would have revealed that whilst we did enjoy a remarkable domestic record defensively, in a fair number of cases the 'clean sheets' were often due to the brilliance of McGregor, and in others by the failure of opposing players to covert simple chances. Moreover, in many of the latter instances, it was shakiness in the central defence that was the problem - you yourself noted this in several of our Europaa. League games where the technically more skillful opposition often caused us bother.
Anyway, let's hope that Gerrard can prune the existing roster of centre backs and bring in a quicker, more physical addition to complement Goldson and Helander. rour Europa League games, when the lack of pace prog oir number of games shown that
Incredible to think that one of our best players last season, our captain and potential player of the year, could well be the easiest to replace.You think it’ll happen after the qualifiers ?
I hope you’re right, as the qualifiers benefit will be massive if successful Russell.
Keeping Kent is vital, and although I’m expecting Alfredo to go, we really do need to replace him with similar attributes, as he’s shown himself to be vital to how we play.
In fact, it could be argued that those two & Borna are our most vital players in that we don’t have anything close to them if we had to replace them. I’d have had Tav in there too until young Nathan burst onto the scene so impressively.
Despite so many other good players, the others have closer substitutes / replacements.
We will not be able to replace Kent.Surely the gaffer will be desperate to keep most of those players,especially after painstakingly putting this team together, I will be delighted if Alfie is still here and just hope he fancies a shot at the CL and I can't see Kent moving, unless it's a blank cheque, anything less, they can do one, he's so vital to us. Replacing those players with the same quality will cost serious money as well.
He's contracted until 2023.Any update on Jake Hastie?
Hopefully moved on permanently in the summer.Any update on Jake Hastie?
Grigo - you have the uncanny ability of always managing somehow to lurch and stumble into the truth. Your observations re. Rangers central defense is further evidence of this trait.
A while back I started a thread noting that whilst we currently have 5 centre backs on the books I myself wasn't entirely convinced by our 1st choice pairing of Goldson/Helander. Whilst certainly a competent partnership, there was something about it always left me a tad uneasy - certainly when compared with past Rangers centre backs - Cuellar and Bougherra and Weir.
When I made this point I was inundated with a torrent of hostile responses - 'we are undefeated, we have had so many clean sheets...how could I possibly question the Rangers defence? A less superficial analyis would have revealed that whilst we did enjoy a remarkable domestic record defensively, in a fair number of cases the 'clean sheets' were often due to the brilliance of McGregor, and in others by the failure of opposing players to covert simple chances. Moreover, in many of the latter instances, it was shakiness in the central defence that was the problem - you yourself noted this in several of our Europaa. League games where the technically more skillful opposition often caused us bother.
Anyway, let's hope that Gerrard can prune the existing roster of centre backs and bring in a quicker, more physical addition to complement Goldson and Helander. rour Europa League games, when the lack of pace prog oir number of games shown that
I do remember your post BSB.
Im at that age where I’m trying to chill a bit more than I used to, and 55 has surely helped in that respect LOL.
I do genuinely agree that we don’t have the proper skill mix in our CDs. That’s not to criticise Goldson or Fil, as both have performed really well this season.
If you think of Cuellar & Bougherra that you mentioned, one was a brilliant reader of the game & so well disciplined, while the other was a monster, with great pace & athleticism. That’s what I’d love to see in our CD partnership mate.
Zungu was never the type required, just more of the same really.Yes Russell, getting quality into that midfield will be massive. Winning the league effectively has a 35m euro prize, because it guarantees direct CL Group entry, so these guys are worth investing in. I thought we were one short this season to be honest, and that was before Zungu proved he wasn’t the answer.
Interesting your view on central defence. I know our goals lost record was incredible, but I’ve not been convinced we have a proper balance in there for playing top clubs. To me, I like to see a reader / footballer and a strong & pacy partner. None of our guys had pace, albeit Goldson & Helander are clever footballers. I’d like to see us securing the physical / pacy option. It would allow us to play higher up the park. The obvious example is the Benfica equaliser in Lisbon to illustrate my point.
I think the point is strider can we improve it and if so how . Is this CD equipped for CL groups ? I would agree with the narrative that Benfica & Slavia were examples that shine on a gap . And how can we become CL level .Cuellar and Bougherra didn't look half as good anywhere when David Weir wasn't next to them.
For what little it's worth, I'd argue Goldson and Helander are our best partnership since Amoruso and Moore.
Zungu was never the type required, just more of the same really.
I think the point is strider can we improve it and if so how . Is this CD equipped for CL groups ? I would agree with the narrative that Benfica & Slavia were examples that shine on a gap . And how can we become CL level .
I’m confident we will see another CD arrive this window for these reasons . And they will be a more athletic type .
I think the point is strider can we improve it and if so how . Is this CD equipped for CL groups ? I would agree with the narrative that Benfica & Slavia were examples that shine on a gap . And how can we become CL level .
I’m confident we will see another CD arrive this window for these reasons . And they will be a more athletic type .
I think the point is strider can we improve it and if so how . Is this CD equipped for CL groups ? I would agree with the narrative that Benfica & Slavia were examples that shine on a gap . And how can we become CL level .
I’m confident we will see another CD arrive this window for these reasons . And they will be a more athletic type .
I'd argue that a lack of a screening/defensive midfielder hurt us more in those types of games tbh. Particularly the presence of Ryan Jack overall in the Slavia games. As good as Joe Aribo and Glen Kamara are at transitioning the ball forward, defensively they aren't the best.
For various reasons Zungu never fit the billing and we ended up having to muddle through in midfield again this season due to injuries/suspensions. However that said, the first Benfica match in Lisbon, Helander had two howlers in quick succession.
I also think, if we make the groups, that we will be less expansive in the CL matches, especially against the Elite level sides.
I can’t disagree with any of that Ronadamus, but still think we should be looking for that CD option to increase our group skill options.
In fact, it’s really similar to the point that many of us made about the midfield group.
Contingency planning. Give ourselves as many options for as many possible match situations I’d suggest.
I'm not against signing another defender tbh Grigo. I'd rather we invested most of our finances into the midfield. But if the right player becomes available or feasible in any position, then I'm all for it.
The trade off that we have to make in the markets that we shop in though. Means we'll rarely sign the finished article. Us going in for a more athletic and dynamic centre half, would likely point to other areas of that players game, not quite being fully developed yet. Be it game experience, positioning, reading of the game or overall defensive strength. Just comes with the territory.
All valid imo tooI'm not against signing another defender tbh Grigo. I'd rather we invested most of our finances into the midfield. But if the right player becomes available or feasible in any position, then I'm all for it.
The trade off that we have to make in the markets that we shop in though. Means we'll rarely sign the finished article. Us going in for a more athletic and dynamic centre half, would likely point to other areas of that players game, not quite being fully developed yet. Be it game experience, positioning, reading of the game or overall defensive strength. Just comes with the territory.
You could say we already have that in LB who is more mobile and quicker but perhaps more risky and positionally less disciplined than FH eg.Absolutely agree mate.
There is no doubt for me too that midfield must be our priority.
And, yes, getting a guy with physicality & pace in our market means almost by definition that there are weaker areas of his game that need dealt with.
Id only say that we are now really good at developing players & if this player plays beside a Goldson or Helander he will have ‘an old head’ beside him to learn from.
Would think Alfie would want to have a crack at the cl, potential bigger move if he does ok.
If you want to go down that line then we get rid of Morelos, Kent and Kamara this Summer.If Alfie does stay I'd imagine we need to get him on a new contract.
His current deals ends in 2023, so if he stays then next summer we have a main asset whos into his last 12 months which is far from ideal.
From a contractual situation, this summer is the ideal selling point.
I've watched McCann closely in their last couple of games against us and whenever I've had the chance to see St Johnstone, given his name keeps cropping up. I have to be honest and say I've seen nothing at all that convinces me he's at, or even close to, our level. In fact I'd say its arguable if he's even good enough for the Dhims.One I’d hope we have eyes on as hes capable of making the set up
He played very well in the two most recent games against us particularly at Ibrox.I've watched McCann closely in their last couple of games against us and whenever I've had the chance to see St Johnstone, given his name keeps cropping up. I have to be honest and say I've seen nothing at all that convinces me he's at, or even close to, our level. In fact I'd say its arguable if he's even good enough for the Dhims.
I guess I'm missing something - but its a No from me.
I'm happy to acknowledge I do struggle to gauge a player against us as I'm so focussed on our play but I did try my best and even put myself through their Cup semi-final to have a look. I'm not seeing it - not that what I see matters, if he's got 'it' then Wilson and Gerrard will know.He played very well in the two most recent games against us particularly at Ibrox.
He played very well in the two most recent games against us particularly at Ibrox.