This is what major surgery looks like.

BusbyBear said:
There actually is evidence and it comes from last season. Watch any games we players leading up to and around the 5-0 win over hearts where he had the most amount of players fit to him. We played quicker, we pressed quicker and we were all very happy with how we were playing. Then the squad fell to pieces with injuries and he had to grind out results with the shambles left with him
Click to expand...
Got to agree to disagree on that. Yes the Hearts performance was excellent but in no way for me was there any signs of that coming or continuing. It disappeared as quickly as it came.
Injuries had a massive impact but I think most people are just struggling to see what style of football we play, how players are being coached etc as at times some of the football is/was really really poor even when getting results & unfortunately that eventually caught up with us with the players and management all needing to take responsibility for the outcome.
 
SDF said:
All supporters want is wee signs of where the manager wants to take us - Patterns of play, a identity in terms of tactics and shape, style of football, organisation, structure. We all know this is going to take time but pre season is where you start implementing your ideas and vision.

We're seeing nothing new this summer. That is what is most concerning. The manager is wedded to playing a 10 and watching us be overrun in midfield and weak down the middle. How often are we going to watch teams just dink it around our attempts at pressing and find themselves with a clear shot on goal ? How often are teams going to carry it 30/40 yards down our middle without us even looking like trying to stop them ?

I'll tell you what's most worrying for me, the way Clement last night post match shot down any notion that his tactics are part of the problem and just lumped it all on the players being at fault.
Click to expand...

Do you think the application and attitude of the players was spot on in the first half?

They stood off, barely put a tackle in and where generally passive, second half was the opposite.

Doesn't matter how good your tactics are (and should we really need a gameplan for a kick a bout FFS?) if your players aren't doing the basics.

Hardly worrying that he pointed out the pretty obvious to anyone watching, truth.
 
Northampton_Loyalist said:
We have been saying for years that the entire footballing side of the club needs to be ripped up and a new way of operating needs to be enforced. A serious lack of trophies and an approach to transfers that has seen millions walk out the door for no return, with the odd bright moment, can leave nobody with any question that we need to do things differently.

Last season the squad issues hit tipping point, with aged and declining players once again failing to achieve enough, a wage bill significantly impacted by players holding no resale value at all and who we were paying significantly more than their market value in order to get them in the door.

Clement has set about the task of addressing these issues as a priority because until we reach a point where we generate cash on the playing side, nothing will change and we will lurch from free transfer to free transfer, paying more than they will get anywhere else, rendering them very difficult to sell.

In order for us to move away from a squad of established players on high wages and with little transfer value we literally need to rip the squad to bits and start again. For the Lumstrams and Bornas walking out the door, and the Tavs and Goldsons looking to go, with a raft of others too, we are seeing the entire core of a group being destroyed and no matter how that is done, it is always going to cause carnage.

New players coming in are kids for the most part, every one of whom is being asked to take a step up in terms of level and of expectation.

There is no easy way for this summer to be handled and no way of doing it without spilt blood, snotters and tears. The players who are in a bit of limbo will struggle to find motivation, players coming and going will disrupt the flow and it will be virtually impossible to get any kind of momentum going until well into the season.

Needing to sell before we buy is a clear and obvious issue, both in terms of getting players in quickly but also in terms of maximising revenue and the dealings we have done this summer so far are all players designed to be sold over the coming years for maximum value so the new guys will be definition not be ready made players, set to compete.

This season, as shit as it is, is a write off in terms of winning things. We should be able to make a fist of the league over the course and a trophy is a possibility given the right circumstances but winning this season, anything, is not close to being the most important thing and as a Rangers fan, that is obviously hard to take.

Sometimes in life you reach a point where you need to just suck it up, take the medicine and get through a shit period. That period is here now and we need to let it play out because there is absolutely no other way to get back on top than taking a step back, destroying the status quo and rebuilding from the ground up. We have tried half measures, we have tried front loading cash and we have tried throwing big wages at 'established' players and none of it has worked for anything other than the briefest of times. We have had a monumental task since 2012 and we have been fighting uphill all of the way. In general, given where we were, we have done far better than it could have gone but the methods used have gotten us so far and can take us no further. 3 windows like this, the right recruitment and a huge dose of patience could see us in a much, much healthier position than carrying on as we were.
Click to expand...
Good post op, highlighted bit is what i was on about the other day. We pretty much just need to write this season off, take a reset, whatever you want to call it.

However, and as ever, we already have folk clamouring for the managers head. A manager ,3 months ago, who almost led us to a treble.
There is a saying - the more things change, the more they stay the same (learned that from a machine head song!) and this is what is happening at rangers.
Constant chopping and changing of managers will get us nowhere. I will get grief for this next bit... folk worrying about them overtaking us in the record stakes, acting like children imo. just afraid of a tim at work or 'friend' winding them up. Those records are meaningless to anyone outside Scotland. suck it up people.
We can only reverse this decline by sticking with a manager, who hopefully has a plan and is putting a structure in place to help us long term.

lets just batten down the hatches and get through till at least christmas and see the progress then, obviously if there is zero progress then something will need to change, but to call for a manager to go in pre season , whose hands are virtually tied behind his back, my fkn god.
 
Problem is though that fans aren’t going to be willing to pay premium prices for ST/Europan games and have a second rate team on the pitch for years to come.

You also can’t go into a season with the attitude “Meh we’ll just let Celtic win another title”

Another poor season means little income to improve the team next season and so on till it becomes vicious circle. We don’t have any magic conveyor belt of young talent that’s going to overtake them in years to come either.

Too many of our supporters think that mob are prime Brazil 1970 they aren’t they are a team filled with guys like Liam Scales and Greg Taylor. If we were in any way run properly we’d be going toe to toe with them every season.
 
FDB1978 said:
Problem is though that fans aren’t going to be willing to pay premium prices for ST/Europan games and have a second rate team on the pitch for years to come.

You also can’t go into a season with the attitude “Meh we’ll just let Celtic win another title”

Another poor season means little income to improve the team next season and so on till it becomes vicious circle. We don’t have any magic conveyor belt of young talent that’s going to overtake them in years to come either.

Too many of our supporters think that mob are prime Brazil 1970 they aren’t they are a team filled with guys like Liam Scales and Greg Taylor. If we were in any way run properly we’d be going toe to toe with them every season.
Click to expand...
A single Bassey sale gives us more net income (match fees, bonuses, police and stewarding etc etc) than a season in the CL.
 
Northampton_Loyalist said:
A single Bassey sale gives us more net income (match fees, bonuses, police and stewarding etc etc) than a season in the CL.
Click to expand...

Not this season €43m guaranteed just for qualification plus gates and TV money.

Probably looking at a £30m profit after expenses and that’s without winning a single game.
 
Northampton_Loyalist said:
Sorry, not questioning the income at all, it is what it is. The profit from the income is not even close to the 66% you suggested.
Click to expand...

I’d guesstimate that with qualification income, four sell out home games (hopefully) increase in TV revenue and maybe a point or two in the group we’d be looking at £45m combined.

I’d be amazed of expenses were anything more than £15m unless Ibrox isn’t available.
 
FDB1978 said:
I’d guesstimate that with qualification income, four sell out home games (hopefully) increase in TV revenue and maybe a point or two in the group we’d be looking at £45m combined.

I’d be amazed of expenses were anything more than £15m unless Ibrox isn’t available.
Click to expand...
There was a really good detailed breakdown on our net profit from Seville and it was (purely from memory) something around 15%-20% of the gross.
 
The shit period that the OP describes hasn’t just arrived, it has been here for most of the past 12 seasons, that’s why bears are getting so impatient when it looks like we are going back the way.
 
Northampton_Loyalist said:
There was a really good detailed breakdown on our net profit from Seville and it was (purely from memory) something around 15%-20% of the gross.
Click to expand...

Probably a lot of that would have been win bonuses for each round etc. At most we’d win one game in the UCL.

We’d also have less travelling costs due to playing four away games rather than seven.
 
steniebear said:
I think "zero patience" is harsh when you think we have won 3 trophies in 13 years, have been horsed by Celtic in every meaningful game for 3 seasons and sold the best part of £40 million pounds worth of players while qualifying for a Europa League final then the Champions League group stages which brings in millions.

Filling the stadium during all that shows fantastic patience and i am sure if that had happened across the city they would be riots at the front of the stand.

Even older guys like me, who have been through harsh times like their 9 in a row and the early 80s are getting a bit tired of the fiasco that is Glasgow Rangers.

The stadium works and NEH should have been a by product of success not taking funds away from the team
Click to expand...
The zero patience I was alluding to was what the manager is trying to do at the moment .A process that will take time . Will the fans allow him time? I very much doubt it. I accept many of your points by the way.
 
THEGOVANFRONT said:
Got to agree to disagree on that. Yes the Hearts performance was excellent but in no way for me was there any signs of that coming or continuing. It disappeared as quickly as it came.
Injuries had a massive impact but I think most people are just struggling to see what style of football we play, how players are being coached etc as at times some of the football is/was really really poor even when getting results & unfortunately that eventually caught up with us with the players and management all needing to take responsibility for the outcome.
Click to expand...
Some fans (not necessarily you) are beginning to manoeuvre for that annual assault on the manager and part of it is omitting the bits that don’t fit in with the narrative they want to portray, such as erasing or diminishing the parts most of them were probably gushing about during Clement’s first few months in charge.

There was a lot to like about us then, from our energy to our movement, our positioning and our passing. There were very few dissenting voices at the time and round about February we were looking like the favourites to go on and win the thing.

I think it’s important to keep all of that in mind when criticising the manager now because there was a style, but it vanished once injuries, fitness levels and certain players checking out all hit home at the start of the spring and we haven’t been able to rediscover any of it since.

Last night was very poor. Despite the players available, I was hoping to see signs of some sort of shape and structure beginning to appear. You’d like to have believed that by the third full pre season game there would be some visible improvement, but there really wasn’t.

It would be remiss to dismiss it all as the incipient throes of a manager trying to stamp his own identity on a team comprising players that are no longer in his plans and others just in the door, because there actually aren’t any guarantees that he will come good in the end.

I do believe however that we just need to tough this one out no matter how bad it may appear over the next few weeks because the likely alternatives to sacking Clement are going to be much less appealing.

There needs to be some stability, but we also need encouragement that there is effective coaching taking place to create a structure and produce a brand of football the fans can get behind.

We did see this originally from the manager; his job now is working out how to get us back to doing it.
 
juan guy said:
Spot on, although I don't think this season is a write off by any stretch. We're still to sign at least half a dozen first team players and if we get those right we'll have every chance domestically.
Click to expand...
There’s no chance we are going to sign half a dozen players. It’ll be 18months before six new players arrive. Probably three years before six first team ready ones arrive.
 
If we can get Dessers, Lammers, Lawrence, Dowell, Cantwell, Davies, Wright, Hagi and Tav away then I'd be happy that the squad is being tidied up with the big wages that are wasted now being saved.
We would obviously need some ins but I'd be happy with a few quality loans and some buys that involve younger players with development in the Barron mould on lower wages.
Looking at that list there, that's 9 players on very good wages not producing and don't want to be here.
 
SDF said:
All supporters want is wee signs of where the manager wants to take us - Patterns of play, a identity in terms of tactics and shape, style of football, organisation, structure. We all know this is going to take time but pre season is where you start implementing your ideas and vision.

We're seeing nothing new this summer. That is what is most concerning. The manager is wedded to playing a 10 and watching us be overrun in midfield and weak down the middle. How often are we going to watch teams just dink it around our attempts at pressing and find themselves with a clear shot on goal ? How often are teams going to carry it 30/40 yards down our middle without us even looking like trying to stop them ?

I'll tell you what's most worrying for me, the way Clement last night post match shot down any notion that his tactics are part of the problem and just lumped it all on the players being at fault.
Click to expand...
Almost laughable that he continues to play a 10 when we don't actually have one.
 
Mis management from the top is the reason we are talking about this. The team Gerrard built over a few years reached its ceiling and players were at the highest sell on value after the European final. That was the time to off load sell high and bring good fresh talent. What we have done is let players decline run out their contracts and leave for nothing. This will and is putting the club in a perriless position financially. What we witnessing now is a club with no money to buy decent players and a manager told to get a tune out of free transfers and youth. The bheasts from the east have had their house in order for quite a while now and are always looking to sell their best talents for the highest value. What they have been good at is replacing with decent players after cashing in. What I’m most concerned at is Clement is doing a full clearout and leaving us vulnerable to an absolute hiding this season, there is far too many squad players who are definitely not up to the standard required.
 
themoffster’s ghost said:
There’s no chance we are going to sign half a dozen players. It’ll be 18months before six new players arrive. Probably three years before six first team ready ones arrive.
Click to expand...
Haha right.

You reckon we still plan to sell Goldson, Hagi, Lammers, Cantwell, Wright, possibly also Tavernier and Dessers, and just not bring anyone else in until January 2026?

I know things are bleak but that's just pessimism for the sake of pessimism.
 
Northampton_Loyalist said:
We have been saying for years that the entire footballing side of the club needs to be ripped up and a new way of operating needs to be enforced. A serious lack of trophies and an approach to transfers that has seen millions walk out the door for no return, with the odd bright moment, can leave nobody with any question that we need to do things differently.

Last season the squad issues hit tipping point, with aged and declining players once again failing to achieve enough, a wage bill significantly impacted by players holding no resale value at all and who we were paying significantly more than their market value in order to get them in the door.

Clement has set about the task of addressing these issues as a priority because until we reach a point where we generate cash on the playing side, nothing will change and we will lurch from free transfer to free transfer, paying more than they will get anywhere else, rendering them very difficult to sell.

In order for us to move away from a squad of established players on high wages and with little transfer value we literally need to rip the squad to bits and start again. For the Lumstrams and Bornas walking out the door, and the Tavs and Goldsons looking to go, with a raft of others too, we are seeing the entire core of a group being destroyed and no matter how that is done, it is always going to cause carnage.

New players coming in are kids for the most part, every one of whom is being asked to take a step up in terms of level and of expectation.

There is no easy way for this summer to be handled and no way of doing it without spilt blood, snotters and tears. The players who are in a bit of limbo will struggle to find motivation, players coming and going will disrupt the flow and it will be virtually impossible to get any kind of momentum going until well into the season.

Needing to sell before we buy is a clear and obvious issue, both in terms of getting players in quickly but also in terms of maximising revenue and the dealings we have done this summer so far are all players designed to be sold over the coming years for maximum value so the new guys will be definition not be ready made players, set to compete.

This season, as shit as it is, is a write off in terms of winning things. We should be able to make a fist of the league over the course and a trophy is a possibility given the right circumstances but winning this season, anything, is not close to being the most important thing and as a Rangers fan, that is obviously hard to take.

Sometimes in life you reach a point where you need to just suck it up, take the medicine and get through a shit period. That period is here now and we need to let it play out because there is absolutely no other way to get back on top than taking a step back, destroying the status quo and rebuilding from the ground up. We have tried half measures, we have tried front loading cash and we have tried throwing big wages at 'established' players and none of it has worked for anything other than the briefest of times. We have had a monumental task since 2012 and we have been fighting uphill all of the way. In general, given where we were, we have done far better than it could have gone but the methods used have gotten us so far and can take us no further. 3 windows like this, the right recruitment and a huge dose of patience could see us in a much, much healthier position than carrying on as we were.
Click to expand...
Brilliantly put! Paying the price of the last few seasons incompetence in the transfer market, I hope but have my doubts that the players we bring in have been well scouted and not signed on the strength of agents,or look good on paper etc that way you have individuals who must be held to account for every player recruited.
 
Maestro72 said:
We looked a bit more organdies and got a string of results when he came in.

Gio and Beale pretty much did similar.

Until, like Gio and Beale, we absolutely capitulated.

Not once in his time has he really carved out an identity or a recognizable structure, so I don’t agree he really has bought patience. No more than a Gio or Beale ever did.
Click to expand...
Problem is gio had a structure that when it clicked worked well. Was a struggle against low block but the recruitment was poor from Wilson while losing 10 players from the squad and a crazy injury list.

Beale had no clue what worked was gerrards formation and players when he tried out his own in it failed.

Clement took mainly mix of 3 managers and did what Gio did made them reasonable sold and moved fwd quickly.

Like gio injuries put end to the season. Reliance on lundstram/tav playing 60 games as well doesn't help.

Clement I kind of see what he trying to do implementing inverted fbs and moving ball quicker to front but we don't have players to play this way similar to when gio tried it and we dropped points he quickly changed it.

We needed the squad changed but we need be pragmatic as well solid defence pick players up tweak things to how they can play. Then slowly implement system he wants as gets better players.

Results are what matter here I don't care if we play badly but win. Smith made our bleed at times but ground out wins. Gerrard to in league.

We are not going do that unless we are solid at back and midfield which we are not.
 
FDB1978 said:
Probably a lot of that would have been win bonuses for each round etc. At most we’d win one game in the UCL.

We’d also have less travelling costs due to playing four away games rather than seven.
Click to expand...
8 games

I'd suggest we could against pot 4 teams get 2 wins and2 draws at home against maybe pot 3 teams which puts you around the knockout round ..... well 2-3 years ago

Now not sure what could happen
 
Chocolateleftfoot said:
A few preseason friendlies? It's been 9 months.
Click to expand...
Well if you're looking back to last season I would point out we looked excellent until we lost our entire forward line to injury.

Personally I'll wait until our business is done and we have players on the park that at least resemble our first 11 for the season ahead. I don't think that's unreasonable.
 
Our problem is that our chickens are coming home to roost right now.
This has been a few years in the making.
I believe it started with not selling Morelos for the £16m quoted.
I said at the start of the window we needed to offload at least ten and replace with six starters. I stand by that.
Clement is no fool and rebuild needs to happen in its entirety.
Tinkering around the edges won't do.
The nuclear option is necessary.
Harsh but true.
The status quoted is unthinkable.
 
GR3RFC said:
I don’t think anyone is against the moves we are making conceptually, but the timing is a riot with previously key players who would be starters being shipped out just over a week before our first league game of the season.

If this was all happening a month ago I don’t think there would be as much fuss, the timing is a problem though.
Click to expand...
Agreed but you don’t get to control the timing in the transfer market unfortunately. At least it looks like we are serious about fixing a perpetual problem, finally. A continuation of what we’ve witnessed for seemingly a long time, definitely 4-5 years, which has been a cluster and we still win next to nothing, has to stop. I’d rather not win anything this season but have a real baseline in place for us to start winning trophies again, consistently, from next season on than continue the madness.
 
Texas ranger said:
Agreed but you don’t get to control the timing in the transfer market unfortunately. At least it looks like we are serious about fixing a perpetual problem, finally. A continuation of what we’ve witnessed for seemingly a long time, definitely 4-5 years, which has been a cluster and we still win next to nothing, has to stop. I’d rather not win anything this season but have a real baseline in place for us to start winning trophies again, consistently, from next season on than continue the madness.
Click to expand...
I absolutely agree with this part.
 
Northampton_Loyalist said:
We have been saying for years that the entire footballing side of the club needs to be ripped up and a new way of operating needs to be enforced. A serious lack of trophies and an approach to transfers that has seen millions walk out the door for no return, with the odd bright moment, can leave nobody with any question that we need to do things differently.

Last season the squad issues hit tipping point, with aged and declining players once again failing to achieve enough, a wage bill significantly impacted by players holding no resale value at all and who we were paying significantly more than their market value in order to get them in the door.

Clement has set about the task of addressing these issues as a priority because until we reach a point where we generate cash on the playing side, nothing will change and we will lurch from free transfer to free transfer, paying more than they will get anywhere else, rendering them very difficult to sell.

In order for us to move away from a squad of established players on high wages and with little transfer value we literally need to rip the squad to bits and start again. For the Lumstrams and Bornas walking out the door, and the Tavs and Goldsons looking to go, with a raft of others too, we are seeing the entire core of a group being destroyed and no matter how that is done, it is always going to cause carnage.

New players coming in are kids for the most part, every one of whom is being asked to take a step up in terms of level and of expectation.

There is no easy way for this summer to be handled and no way of doing it without spilt blood, snotters and tears. The players who are in a bit of limbo will struggle to find motivation, players coming and going will disrupt the flow and it will be virtually impossible to get any kind of momentum going until well into the season.

Needing to sell before we buy is a clear and obvious issue, both in terms of getting players in quickly but also in terms of maximising revenue and the dealings we have done this summer so far are all players designed to be sold over the coming years for maximum value so the new guys will be definition not be ready made players, set to compete.

This season, as shit as it is, is a write off in terms of winning things. We should be able to make a fist of the league over the course and a trophy is a possibility given the right circumstances but winning this season, anything, is not close to being the most important thing and as a Rangers fan, that is obviously hard to take.

Sometimes in life you reach a point where you need to just suck it up, take the medicine and get through a shit period. That period is here now and we need to let it play out because there is absolutely no other way to get back on top than taking a step back, destroying the status quo and rebuilding from the ground up. We have tried half measures, we have tried front loading cash and we have tried throwing big wages at 'established' players and none of it has worked for anything other than the briefest of times. We have had a monumental task since 2012 and we have been fighting uphill all of the way. In general, given where we were, we have done far better than it could have gone but the methods used have gotten us so far and can take us no further. 3 windows like this, the right recruitment and a huge dose of patience could see us in a much, much healthier position than carrying on as we were.
Click to expand...

We've been sucking it up for the last dozen years. Medicine? Castor Oil would taste sweet compared to what we've had to endure.

From McCoist and his Karoake.

To McCall wanting to clap Hearts onto the pitch for no apparent reason, because protocol didn't demand it. To getting whumped by Motherwerll in the playoffs.

To Pedro.

To Warburton, Barton, Senderos, Garner and the rest.

The capitulation under GVB, and Gerrard also, it has to be remembered.

To the chaos and farce that was Beale.

To the collapse in the last two months of last season.

Nah, it's not any more sucking up we need. We need revolution.

And it's okay I already know your excuses. Nobody wants to buy the shares/nobody wants to invest in Scottish football.
It doesn't matter. We need rid of the people running us into the ground.
 
wee bud's pit boots said:
We've been sucking it up for the last dozen years. Medicine? Castor Oil would taste sweet compared to what we've had to endure.

From McCoist and his Karoake.

To McCall wanting to clap Hearts onto the pitch for no apparent reason, because protocol didn't demand it. To getting whumped by Motherwerll in the playoffs.

To Pedro.

To Warburton, Barton, Senderos, Garner and the rest.

The capitulation under GVB, and Gerrard also, it has to be remembered.

To the chaos and farce that was Beale.

To the collapse in the last two months of last season.

Nah, it's not any more sucking up we need. We need revolution.

And it's okay I already know your excuses. Nobody wants to buy the shares/nobody wants to invest in Scottish football.
It doesn't matter. We need rid of the people running us into the ground.
Click to expand...
One day, maybe, you will read a post and actually take the time to understand it. Maybe.

I think our board are an absolute shambles and have been for years.


If you can give me one single reason why anything that has gone on before this summer changes what we need to happen this summer I will engage with you.

History has shown us clearly that engaging with you is a one way street and rarely, if ever, worth the effort.
 
strathavenbear said:
If that's the plan then Bennett, when he addresses the fans, needs to come out and state that this is the plan for the future. If he doesn't the pressure is going to be heaped on the manager as soon as we have a bad result.
Click to expand...
I think we all know the likelihood of that, although obviously you are correct.

Even something just saying bluntly we are changing the way the football side operates and we will be seeing it through would help.
 
RabSpackman said:
I agree with all you say, especially the performances in the last couple of matches… however the first game of the season at Tynecastle is 9 days away and it feels like we are weeks behind where you would want to be at this stage.

As you say though… the scale of change & turnover is necessary.
Our support simply will not tolerate the season being in tatters before the August bank holiday though.
Click to expand...
Our support tolerated us being put to the bottom of the leagues. People calling for instant success fail to appreciate what our support will tolerate. We need to be investing in potential, developing it into the finished article and selling for a huge profit. It needs to be a conveyor belt with the structure in place to be constantly recruiting excellent young talent.

IMHO this season is seeing the beginnings of that although lying to the manager at the recruitment process was snide at best. Fortunately PC seems to be up for the revolution.
 
Great post. Patience is key. We failed to capitalise on Gerrard’s good work but we should remember that it took three seasons and a Timplosion to realise its value. The boos rang out for GVB when results were poor within twelve months of him joining the club, despite GVB steering us to a UEFA Cup final and a Scottish cup win the season before and then, with a weakened squad, to champion’s league qualification. Having been granted only a fraction of the funds generated, he was very promptly dismissed and replaced by Michael Beale who, though having no track record in management, could talk for England and charmed the board into allowing him to spend on players that turned out to be mostly poor and sometimes disastrous. Hindsight is a marvellous thing, but to those already sharpening their pitchforks for Clement I say: mind you don’t cut yourselves.
 
Northampton_Loyalist said:
We have been saying for years that the entire footballing side of the club needs to be ripped up and a new way of operating needs to be enforced. A serious lack of trophies and an approach to transfers that has seen millions walk out the door for no return, with the odd bright moment, can leave nobody with any question that we need to do things differently.

Last season the squad issues hit tipping point, with aged and declining players once again failing to achieve enough, a wage bill significantly impacted by players holding no resale value at all and who we were paying significantly more than their market value in order to get them in the door.

Clement has set about the task of addressing these issues as a priority because until we reach a point where we generate cash on the playing side, nothing will change and we will lurch from free transfer to free transfer, paying more than they will get anywhere else, rendering them very difficult to sell.

In order for us to move away from a squad of established players on high wages and with little transfer value we literally need to rip the squad to bits and start again. For the Lumstrams and Bornas walking out the door, and the Tavs and Goldsons looking to go, with a raft of others too, we are seeing the entire core of a group being destroyed and no matter how that is done, it is always going to cause carnage.

New players coming in are kids for the most part, every one of whom is being asked to take a step up in terms of level and of expectation.

There is no easy way for this summer to be handled and no way of doing it without spilt blood, snotters and tears. The players who are in a bit of limbo will struggle to find motivation, players coming and going will disrupt the flow and it will be virtually impossible to get any kind of momentum going until well into the season.

Needing to sell before we buy is a clear and obvious issue, both in terms of getting players in quickly but also in terms of maximising revenue and the dealings we have done this summer so far are all players designed to be sold over the coming years for maximum value so the new guys will be definition not be ready made players, set to compete.

This season, as shit as it is, is a write off in terms of winning things. We should be able to make a fist of the league over the course and a trophy is a possibility given the right circumstances but winning this season, anything, is not close to being the most important thing and as a Rangers fan, that is obviously hard to take.

Sometimes in life you reach a point where you need to just suck it up, take the medicine and get through a shit period. That period is here now and we need to let it play out because there is absolutely no other way to get back on top than taking a step back, destroying the status quo and rebuilding from the ground up. We have tried half measures, we have tried front loading cash and we have tried throwing big wages at 'established' players and none of it has worked for anything other than the briefest of times. We have had a monumental task since 2012 and we have been fighting uphill all of the way. In general, given where we were, we have done far better than it could have gone but the methods used have gotten us so far and can take us no further. 3 windows like this, the right recruitment and a huge dose of patience could see us in a much, much healthier position than carrying on as we were.
Click to expand...
A lot of sense talked here.
However, we need a proper board, Chief Executive and Chairman to lead us forward. And the majority share holder is also very important.
We've been a shambles since 2012.
We'll never sort out the pitch mess until the board room is organised.
Our manager looks top quality and let's hope he wants to stay on.
This could be a long journey.
 
Papatango said:
Our support tolerated us being put to the bottom of the leagues. People calling for instant success fail to appreciate what our support will tolerate. We need to be investing in potential, developing it into the finished article and selling for a huge profit. It needs to be a conveyor belt with the structure in place to be constantly recruiting excellent young talent.

IMHO this season is seeing the beginnings of that although lying to the manager at the recruitment process was snide at best. Fortunately PC seems to be up for the revolution.
Click to expand...
This is where I have sympathy for Clement, plenty of hiring managers will say what they want to potential candidates for the job then leave a few months later to pastures new.
 
Captain_Buns said:
Increased stadium capacity & increased income from NEH will enable more to be spent on the team keeping within FFP.
Click to expand...

NEH loans will need to be paid back first for us to generate any profit and that’s likely to take several years.

In terms of upgrading capacity I’ve always thought that was a good idea however the way it’s been handled will probably see us lose a lot more money by having to relocate this season than the 600 seats will bring in.

The best way to increase income is to have a successful team in the pitch as that generates interest in players, brings in better sponsorship and more money from Europe etc.
 
FDB1978 said:
NEH loans will need to be paid back first for us to generate any profit and that’s likely to take several years.

In terms of upgrading capacity I’ve always thought that was a good idea however the way it’s been handled will probably see us lose a lot more money by having to relocate this season than the 600 seats will bring in.

The best way to increase income is to have a successful team in the pitch as that generates interest in players, brings in better sponsorship and more money from Europe etc.
Click to expand...
The income from NEH immediately increases our turnover which immediately increases our ability to spend within FFP, however. The profit is obviously important, but increasing revenue on it's own is a bonus to us straight away and adds flexibility.
 
Bornabear said:
This is where we need more communication from the directors that they are backing Clement and it's a long term project.
There'd a large portion of our support who just expect instant success all the time and it's unrealistic and has the potential to derail any long term objectives.
Click to expand...
I thi k a lot of season ticket sales would be at risk if the board said 'this is a 3 year project, don't expect us to win the league'
 
Northampton_Loyalist said:
We have been saying for years that the entire footballing side of the club needs to be ripped up and a new way of operating needs to be enforced. A serious lack of trophies and an approach to transfers that has seen millions walk out the door for no return, with the odd bright moment, can leave nobody with any question that we need to do things differently.

Last season the squad issues hit tipping point, with aged and declining players once again failing to achieve enough, a wage bill significantly impacted by players holding no resale value at all and who we were paying significantly more than their market value in order to get them in the door.

Clement has set about the task of addressing these issues as a priority because until we reach a point where we generate cash on the playing side, nothing will change and we will lurch from free transfer to free transfer, paying more than they will get anywhere else, rendering them very difficult to sell.

In order for us to move away from a squad of established players on high wages and with little transfer value we literally need to rip the squad to bits and start again. For the Lumstrams and Bornas walking out the door, and the Tavs and Goldsons looking to go, with a raft of others too, we are seeing the entire core of a group being destroyed and no matter how that is done, it is always going to cause carnage.

New players coming in are kids for the most part, every one of whom is being asked to take a step up in terms of level and of expectation.

There is no easy way for this summer to be handled and no way of doing it without spilt blood, snotters and tears. The players who are in a bit of limbo will struggle to find motivation, players coming and going will disrupt the flow and it will be virtually impossible to get any kind of momentum going until well into the season.

Needing to sell before we buy is a clear and obvious issue, both in terms of getting players in quickly but also in terms of maximising revenue and the dealings we have done this summer so far are all players designed to be sold over the coming years for maximum value so the new guys will be definition not be ready made players, set to compete.

This season, as shit as it is, is a write off in terms of winning things. We should be able to make a fist of the league over the course and a trophy is a possibility given the right circumstances but winning this season, anything, is not close to being the most important thing and as a Rangers fan, that is obviously hard to take.

Sometimes in life you reach a point where you need to just suck it up, take the medicine and get through a shit period. That period is here now and we need to let it play out because there is absolutely no other way to get back on top than taking a step back, destroying the status quo and rebuilding from the ground up. We have tried half measures, we have tried front loading cash and we have tried throwing big wages at 'established' players and none of it has worked for anything other than the briefest of times. We have had a monumental task since 2012 and we have been fighting uphill all of the way. In general, given where we were, we have done far better than it could have gone but the methods used have gotten us so far and can take us no further. 3 windows like this, the right recruitment and a huge dose of patience could see us in a much, much healthier position than carrying on as we were.
Click to expand...
A first class post that sums up the position we are currently in and what we need to do as a Club and support to address the melise that has set in.
1. We do need to trust in the manager who has a proven record of winning and who managed to get a song out of a squad who were frankly broken last season up until they fell back into their shells
2. The clear out / rebuild may not conclude this window it will take a nos of windows and some of our early signings pay testament as they are for the future
3. It’s clear that the previous board didn’t have the vision to rebuild the club hence Gerrard leaving when the backing wasn’t forthcoming to enable him to build a squad that could have dominated for years.
4. This board must focus on the rebuild of the team and find means to enable this to be progressed year on year
5. There will be bumps on the road of that there is no question but we as a support need to back the team and create a bond that will help them get over the line. In European ties the support have made Ibrox one of the most feared stadiums in Europ and enabled us to win ties that on paper we should never have been at the races. If we can give the players that level of belief then every home game is winnable.
6. We need to remember that in the preseason friendlies the manager is currently treating them as minutes in the legs and we haven’t yet fielded our strongest 11 and Even when we start next Saturday there will be further additions to arrive that will immediately strengthen our starting 11
7.Finally to those who have left or still to leave that have served us well over the seasons with the Club thank you for the memories you have left us with and let’s not forget they leave us as Rangers Men who have in some instances delivered us trophies and a European Final
Thanks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Latest posts

Back
Top