So how do we equate this team?

W

wee bud's pit boots

Well-Known Member
Speaking to my brother this morning, he thinks this is the best Rangers team, this season, he has ever seen.

I'm still stuck on the 99 team with Mols before his injury but it is a tight run thing.

What I will say is that Porto, last season away and Benfica away this season, albeit we were a man to the good is the best I've ever witnessed us in Europe.

Are we seeing something that is progression, and now that they are officially winners, will they benefit and progress and take so much confidence from this?
 
In terms of the football we play I'd say this is the best since early Advocaat. And quite comfortably so as well.

If we can get the recruitment right, including the swapping out of players and reinvestment in their replacements within our budget, there's no saying where it could take us. As always, Champions League group stage qualification opens the door to so much if we can get there next season and then retain our Championship to get there the season after.
 
wee bud's pit boots said:
Speaking to my brother this morning, he thinks this is the best Rangers team, this season, he has ever seen.

I'm still stuck on the 99 team with Mols before his injury but it is a tight run thing.

What I will say is that Porto, last season away and Benfica away this season, albeit we were a man to the good is the best I've ever witnessed us in Europe.

Are we seeing something that is progression, and now that they are officially winners, will they benefit and progress and take so much confidence from this?
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Depends on your age. Went to my first match fifty three years ago. Seen several great Rangers teams. Just going to enjoy this day as I am sure you will too Wee Bud. Enjoy your night mate. And everyone else on here!
 
This team has a mix of the coaching and tactics of Advocaat 98-00 and the heart and fight of a Smith team. If they have the hunger for trophies that Gerrard mentioned post-match yesterday then this could be something sensational for a while to come.

I'd probably slightly lean towards the 99/00 team as the best I've seen but this side is running them so close and an extended Euro run and a thumping or two of the filth could make this the greatest.
 
Well it must be up there, your giving them good revue’s.
What they do for the rest of the season will determine if they are up for more silverware. That will show if they are a very good team.

My opinion, they play some terrific football, they have learned from mistakes, we might need a bigger trophy room.
 
Was only 6 in 1986. This is best football I’ve seen us play in my time going to games

One of the top teams in Europe at the moment!

I know I’m pished but I’ve been saying it since October
 
The 99/00 team was the best Rangers team to watch for pure football in my memory but this team has given me more fantastic moments this season than I thought possible.....and it’s not over yet.
This team still looks like it’s on an upward trajectory so for me it’s still 99 for now but it’s close so they might yet overtake.

For sheer emotions after everything this team has delivered more than any other ...overtaking the emotions I felt on Helicopter Sunday and Florence and that was a high bar.
 
wee bud's pit boots said:
The way I look at it is, the shackles are off.

The monkey is well and truly off their collective backs.
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Hope you are right, imagine what could be?

Very special team this and it doesn't really matter if teams from the past could have beaten them, this achievement is so special, so unique, it becomes very hard to quantify.

But they can play, that's for sure, argued that earlier in the season with another poster. They have to be up there.
 
It’s an unusual situation. We’ve had teams with legendary and world class players, the 92-93 side almost reached the ultimate pinnacle, we had Laudrup and Gazza, McCoist and Hateley, those golden few months from Michael Mols before disaster struck and the great team Advocaat built in the early days.

None of them could replicate what this team has in terms of obliterating the opposition, going 32 games unbeaten and performing to an amazing standard in Europe for 3 seasons straight. All done on a fraction of the budget we had before, Steven Gerrard and his team might just be the best thing to happen to us.
 
I so much want JT and JD to bask in the glory of it all and say, we have played our part. I want papa Hagi to clap his son's head and say you did your part.

The captain's contribution takes us off the scale and I was never his biggest fan as a defender.

I love this team. Is it a team that is more than the sum of it's parts?

You look at Kent's overlap yesterday for that third goal immediately after h/t. There seems to be something nice cooking.
 
fergie1959 said:
Depends on your age. Went to my first match fifty three years ago. Seen several great Rangers teams. Just going to enjoy this day as I am sure you will too Wee Bud. Enjoy your night mate. And everyone else on here!
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I'm surprised Gub hasn't mentioned a 60s team, as he is, ahem, of a certain age himself.

Maybe this lot are better than we think, if we're not comparing them to greats of that era.
 
Right up there with the best that I've seen in my life time. Some of the football we've played has been first class, and the great thing about that, is we basically shape up in the same formation no matter who the opposition are.

As the Gub correctly points out, this is a progression that has been on going since Steven Gerrard arrived at the club, and hopefully reap even more rewards on the journey ahead.
 
I would rather just enjoy them than compare them as its a bit unfair to judge them yet as i dont think this team has reached their potential
But what we now have is a squad full of hungry winners
 
wee bud's pit boots said:
Speaking to my brother this morning, he thinks this is the best Rangers team, this season, he has ever seen.

I'm still stuck on the 99 team with Mols before his injury but it is a tight run thing.

What I will say is that Porto, last season away and Benfica away this season, albeit we were a man to the good is the best I've ever witnessed us in Europe.

Are we seeing something that is progression, and now that they are officially winners, will they benefit and progress and take so much confidence from this?
Click to expand...

I don't know who's better - 92/93, 99/00, 20/21 - but this team plays football like no other.

Of each of those teams dictated the tempo and type of game played, each would win (if that makes sense).
 
They are currently a team,who deserve all the plaudits coming their way.they are still developing and whilst it is a hard task to win any league,the real test of winners,is defending the title and other trophies,so judgement on that remains open.
For me,they have to go some,to come up to walters 92/93 team,who were within 90mins of the champions league final.
 
Don't forget:

McGregor and Davis are past it
Tav is a serial loser
Goldson is a fringe player with a heart condition
Buff is a liability and a thug
Barasic is too soft.
Aribo is ruining his career moving to Rangers
Kent is a panic buy and a waste of money
Kamara and Jack are just SPL plodders
put together by an inexperienced, "quietly terrified" manager and a board that haven't given him the financial clout to compete.

and they are also the greatest Rangers team I've seen in 40 years of watching them.

Only Advocaat's side comes close.
 
kenikinif said:
I would rather just enjoy them than compare them as its a bit unfair to judge them yet as i dont think this team has reached their potential
But what we now have is a squad full of hungry winners
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You are correct, but because we have not been there to witness them, they haven't been able to appreciate the joy they have gave us.

There's something nice going on just now.

I want them at full throttle in Europe and their next domestic game to get the point across.
 
Scaramanga said:
In terms of style of football it’s easily the best since Advocaat’s first two seasons. In terms of overall strength, it’s hard to put them above our treble winning sides YET. I feel like some of those sides competed against far better scum teams.
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And better calibre SPL teams.
 
wee bud's pit boots said:
You are correct, but because we have not been there to witness them, they haven't been able to appreciate the joy they have gave us.

There's something nice going on just now.

I want them at full throttle in Europe and their next domestic game to get the point across.
Click to expand...
This team could honestly go places as we have a plan
Ach im just getting silly now enjoy your celebrations gub it wont be long until we can pay this team the respect they deserve
Fully endorse the next domestic game to ram it home
 
Right here, right now...the best. On calmer reflection their place in history will always be assured but it's what they do next that will determine their place in perpetuity.
 
Its place in the pantheon of Rangers greatness is assured, but where exactly, the years to come will determine.

I'm excited to find out.

Tonight though, I'll just toast them and get wrecked.
 
Scaramanga said:
In terms of style of football it’s easily the best since Advocaat’s first two seasons. In terms of overall strength, it’s hard to put them above our treble winning sides YET. I feel like some of those sides competed against far better scum teams.
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Agree with this.

The level of opposition is not what it used to be.

I think it depends how we get on in Europe this season and next.
 
This team play very much like a team.

DAs teams did also. Tough call.

Also De Boer and Ferguson season we but particularly they played some great stuff.

Current team probably my favourite as they delivered under pressure of last seasons false dawn and stopping an ultra tainted 10 and have did it in style.
 
I’m 50 so for me there’s been three or four truly great Rangers sides in that time:

Wallace’s treble winners of ‘78; Smith’s treble winners of ‘93; Advocaat’s side of ‘99/00 and possibly Eck’s treble winners from three years later.

But for the simple fact that this Rangers side have won a title unbeaten and it’s still only the first week of March has to posit them amongst those sides above - no one else has done that, certainly not in modern times.

I’m probably inclined to say Smith and Advocaat’s sides were better because they were also performing at a higher level in Europe, but there’s no doubt this is a truly exceptional Rangers team we’re watching and this title win the greatest of them all.
 
wee bud's pit boots said:
Speaking to my brother this morning, he thinks this is the best Rangers team, this season, he has ever seen.

I'm still stuck on the 99 team with Mols before his injury but it is a tight run thing.

What I will say is that Porto, last season away and Benfica away this season, albeit we were a man to the good is the best I've ever witnessed us in Europe.

Are we seeing something that is progression, and now that they are officially winners, will they benefit and progress and take so much confidence from this?
Click to expand...
The 99 team with Mols was exceptional, and played lovely football, but for all the money he spent, and had access to, Advocaat's Rangers were a huge dissapointment in Europe, and he was quickly overshaddowed by a bitter average Manager across the city, who had one very good player, and a bunch of thugs.
Walter's first spell, we were dominant domestically, but failed miserably for the most part in Europe.
Walter though, did give us Manchester, with a much much weaker squad.
Symon too, gave us a delicious side, that got to 2 European Finals, but we should have done better.
Wallace's two Treble winning teams, were never a serious contender in Europe, in fact arguably one of our most impressive seasons in Europe, was in John Greig's first season in charge, which ended so cruelly, that took us several horrific years to recover from.
White and Waddell had good Rangers sides that we grew up with, but we were left distraught with our failure to beat them when it mattered.
Gerrard has performed miracles in 3 seasons, with a plan, with backroom staff, with excellent signings, with impressive improvments on the few goods he inherited (Morelos, Tavernier, Jack),
has us playing delightful football, setting records (undefeated, Goals conceded etc), taking us from a one trick pony of Morelos, to a host of widespread talent throughout who can score goals,
and above all, has us punching way above our weight in Europe consistently!
I'm kinda liking what we have now more and more.
 
wee bud's pit boots said:
Speaking to my brother this morning, he thinks this is the best Rangers team, this season, he has ever seen.

I'm still stuck on the 99 team with Mols before his injury but it is a tight run thing.

What I will say is that Porto, last season away and Benfica away this season, albeit we were a man to the good is the best I've ever witnessed us in Europe.

Are we seeing something that is progression, and now that they are officially winners, will they benefit and progress and take so much confidence from this?
Click to expand...
End of Millennium Team: Better Players
Gerrards Team: Better team.

It's the system that makes us so good. Right the way down to recruitment for the system. Gone are the days of signing a Buffel and then wondering where to shoehorn him in. Instead we sign relatively unknown players who will only look world class in our team because of how their specific attributes fit to the system.
 
kenikinif said:
This team could honestly go places as we have a plan
Ach im just getting silly now enjoy your celebrations gub it wont be long until we can pay this team the respect they deserve
Fully endorse the next domestic game to ram it home
Click to expand...
Let's just enjoy the football that has taken us to where we are.

We're relentless apparently.

It's almost as if we're battering teams phyically, when Kent, Kamara, Aribo, Hagi and co would suggest otherwise.

Just a nice day to be a bear.
 
Simply the best.

Better than all the rest? Not for me. I grew up watching our 9iar team and the current players are not quite there yet. Potentially I think they could rival them if we carry on winning the league for the next few seasons.

Our defence have conceded 9 goals in the league. McGregor, he’s almost irreplaceable and has that winning mentality. Our full backs are superb and our CBs have been so

Our midfield - Davis(free), Arfield(free), Jack(free), Kamara(50k), Aribo(250k) and Hagi(2.2m roughly). A midfield packed full of quality that we have purchased for £2.5m. It beggars belief really.

Alfie(1m), Kent, Itten and Defoe and Wright. Really strong up front.

Tbh I prefer this team to the one that took us to Manchester and believe to level up we are looking at serious talent to come in as they are going to need to be to take a place in our starting 11.
 
The current team maybe lack the individual talents of NIAR legends such as Gough, Butcher, Gazza, Wilkins, Albertz, Hateley, McCoist & Laudrup etc.

However, as a team, the current players just seem to work damn hard and gel perfectly, to the extent that the stats for this season better anything done by the NIAR legends.
 
This might be controversial, but we zip the ball about in Europe right now better than I’ve ever seen.
 
MO_TxTruBlu said:
The 99 team with Mols was exceptional, and played lovely football, but for all the money he spent, and had access to, Advocaat's Rangers were a huge dissapointment in Europe, and he was quickly overshaddowed by a bitter average Manager across the city, who had one very good player, and a bunch of thugs.
Walter's first spell, we were dominant domestically, but failed miserably for the most part in Europe.
Walter though, did give us Manchester, with a much much weaker squad.
Symon too, gave us a delicious side, that got to 2 European Finals, but we should have done better.
Wallace's two Treble winning teams, were never a serious contender in Europe, in fact arguably one of our most impressive seasons in Europe, was in John Greig's first season in charge, which ended so cruelly, that took us several horrific years to recover from.
White and Waddell had good Rangers sides that we grew up with, but we were left distraught with our failure to beat them when it mattered.
Gerrard has performed miracles in 3 seasons, with a plan, with backroom staff, with excellent signings, with impressive improvments on the few goods he inherited (Morelos, Tavernier, Jack),
has us playing delightful football, setting records (undefeated, Goals conceded etc), taking us from a one trick pony of Morelos, to a host of widespread talent throughout who can score goals,
and above all, has us punching way above our weight in Europe consistently!
I'm kinda liking what we have now more and more.
Click to expand...
I think you are slightly harsh towards Mols and the school of 99.

Mols was the reason we beat a Eueropean trophy winner in Parma in the 99 qualifiers.

Mols would have been the reason we would have won in Munich that night, And I do not do kiddy on memories.

There's something nice and special going on right now, and the more they are denounced as lightweight and nothing special is music to my ears. And yours,I would think.
 
I’m not one for normally rating current teams versus earlier teams, however this team has given me some of my best memories following the Gers & you know what? I’ll take that all day long...
 
Very difficult to accurately assess. Scottish football was stronger before and playing to empty stadiums brings in a factor you could argue about all day.

In terms of money spent to the post Souness era this is the best team in terms of ability versus cost, As my mate put it yesterday this is the best coached team in our history. The record this year has been remarkable.

To have won the title from where we were when SG took over in 3 seasons is the minor miracle that was mentioned yesterday. How we've done it takes things to another level.

In overall terms though I think we'd need to see more continuity and success to really compare to our previous teams-an obvious example is Walter driving a dour team to a European final or indeed trebles or whatever. We are also not at the top level in Europe albeit we look a class European team.

But today equates to our greatest league title win ever so this squad has created their own history and ended a dark era. I'm not up for arguing with anyone who wants to describe that in any way they want.

For me it's a remarkable achievement in remarkable times that ends the worst footballing period in our history. Not many squads in the past if any can claim the type of history made today.
 
I’ve been a fan since 1972.

This is the best “team” we’ve ever had.

Individually Dick’s 99/00 team is miles ahead.

With this team you look at the team sheet each week and it doesn’t matter who is in or not. No Arfield, no problem Hagi slots in. Kamara needs a rest? Grab a shirt Jack you’re in. Tav’s out? It only took 18 secs.
 
This thread is proof positive that Steven Gerrard and his coaching team have have taken Rangers to a level we haven't seen for a long time. Just 3 or 4 years ago I'd have said Rangers were many years away from being compared to the 1999/2000 team. For me the current team are not quite at the 99/00 level, but they have brought me as much happiness and excitement this season. Gerrard, his coaching staff and this squad of players are legends in my eyes. I'm one very content bear today.
 
DylanGer said:
Very difficult to accurately assess. Scottish football was stronger before and playing to empty stadiums brings in a factor you could argue about all day.

In terms of money spent to the post Souness era this is the best team in terms of ability versus cost, As my mate put it yesterday this is the best coached team in our history. The record this year has been remarkable.

To have won the title from where we were when SG took over in 3 seasons is the minor miracle that was mentioned yesterday. How we've done it takes things to another level.

In overall terms though I think we'd need to see more continuity and success to really compare to our previous teams-an obvious example is Walter driving a dour team to a European final or indeed trebles or whatever. We are also not at the top level in Europe albeit we look a class European team.

But today equates to our greatest league title win ever so this squad has created their own history and ended a dark era. I'm not up for arguing with anyone who wants to describe that in any way they want.

For me it's a remarkable achievement in remarkable times that ends the worst footballing period in our history. Not many squads in the past if any can claim the type of history made today.
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DylanGer said:
Very difficult to accurately assess. Scottish football was stronger before and playing to empty stadiums brings in a factor you could argue about all day.

In terms of money spent to the post Souness era this is the best team in terms of ability versus cost, As my mate put it yesterday this is the best coached team in our history. The record this year has been remarkable.

To have won the title from where we were when SG took over in 3 seasons is the minor miracle that was mentioned yesterday. How we've done it takes things to another level.

In overall terms though I think we'd need to see more continuity and success to really compare to our previous teams-an obvious example is Walter driving a dour team to a European final or indeed trebles or whatever. We are also not at the top level in Europe albeit we look a class European team.

But today equates to our greatest league title win ever so this squad has created their own history and ended a dark era. I'm not up for arguing with anyone who wants to describe that in any way they want.

For me it's a remarkable achievement in remarkable times that ends the worst footballing period in our history. Not many squads in the past if any can claim the type of history made today.
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That's a fair summation.

I wonder if the manager knew the challenges ahead or could comprehend how far he had to come in this journey?

Just truly gobsmacked at some of the football on show this season. And Kent;s overlap for the third goal yersterday sums up the gaffer's team and ethos.
 
wee bud's pit boots said:
I think you are slightly harsh towards Mols and the school of 99.

Mols was the reason we beat a Eueropean trophy winner in Parma in the 99 qualifiers.

Mols would have been the reason we would have won in Munich that night, And I do not do kiddy on memories.

There's something nice and special going on right now, and the more they are denounced as lightweight and nothing special is music to my ears. And yours,I would think.
Click to expand...
I don't mean to be harsh to Mols in the slightest.
I'd have Mols up there as one of our greatest signings ever, and but for that injury, would surely be up there alongside your Laudrups, Gascoignes and Baxters.
My harshness was directed at Advocaat, I just meant that for the reason he was brought in, and the money he was given to spend, Advocaat's Rangers were a dissapointment in Europe.
Losing away at Galatasaray, Sturm Graz and Kaiserslautern were major disappointments.
A 36 point swing in one season in the League, when Advocaat spent £30 million,
up against O'Neill's thugs, was hugely embarassing, and was too much for me to take
 
This Rangers team in current state is the best I’ve seen since Mols, Albertz, Reyna etc.

I look forward to seeing them play live at Tynecastle next season whether we win, lose or draw.
 
Surely it’s easy to assess them? Better than any previous Rangers team, better than AC Milan 90s team, better than Pep’s Barca side, better than Spain 2008-2012, better than the NZ All Blacks rugby team, better than Federer, Nadal and Djokovic combined and 1,000,000x better than this Celtic team
 
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