We do need to strengthen - don't we?

Making 7 changes rarely doesn't result in a drop off for any team to be honest. Individually each of those players we brought in are fine more or less.
Correct and even more so when the manager made it clear all the focus was on Sunday. Last night was just a game we wanted to get out the way and was used, as much as anything, to simply get some minutes into legs. I really wouldn't look too much into the performance and on the whole, very few players have let us down this season when they've had to come in for individual games or short periods to cover injuries or suspension.
 
Always need to strengthen from a position of strength or u just stay static. Midfield is a must for me even if kamara was to stay. Davis should be playing the amount of games jack is realistically so you are getting the best out of him everytime hes playing and you cant rely on jack right now with injuries but hopefully he gets the problems sorted out. Like to see more energy in the middle of the park even though the players have been excellent this season.
 
2 midfielders who would go straight into the team and a replacement for Defoe we're good for keepers and Defender's a lot will depend on who leaves as well
 
The key question for me is this: if last night’s team played every week, would they be capable of winning the League? I would suggest that they probably could, but might stutter in the first couple of matches before achieving consistency.
 
Also St Johnstone are no mugs, especially at home.
They’re not that good, prior to last night their last 4 home games, they lost to the filth and Aberdeen, and beat Riss County and Hibs 1-0, that’s 7 points out of the last 15 at home. We were poor, but comeSunday with a strong starting 11 we will do them.
 
If the team that started last night had strung a few games together had played a few more games together they would have beaten St. Johnstone. Probably with ease.

Making 7 changes straight away very rarely has the team in full flow and winning easily. Bayern. Dortmund, Real Madrid, Barcelona etc. doing the same thing would probably result in their team struggling a bit as well.

So, no, we do need to strengthen for the Scottish league. We do need some more strength in to go further in Europe. However, the idea of having back-up players is so that you can make a change or two. Not 3/4 of the team. Of course we wanted to win last night but giving the players a rest before the game on Sunday was more important.
 
We will clearly add in the summer but I am not going to call all our subs shite because we drew with St Johnstone in a literally meaningless game. As I am not mental.

Roofe's season has been stop and start with no pre-season. We keep him injury free until the summer get a good pre-season in him and he starts enough games next season he will hit 20 goals.

Itten there is a player in there. Ittens only issues are game time and he lacks a bit of pace. I think Itten is more of a target man than a winger. His hold play can be excellent at times, he can play really intelligent passes and other times he looks off the pace. That inconsistency comes with match sharpness.

Defoe is always going to be bit part at his age.

We need to replace Zungu in the summer as we need more cover in the midfield.

Jack being back will be a big bonus if all works out with his operation.

I think our squad is strong but I think these players have not had enough minutes to be truly match sharp.

We add 2, possible 3 players to that squad that improve it we remain injury free from long term injuries that is then we can go on a similar run next season like we have this one.
 
Absolutely need to strengthen. We should never stand still in that respect.

The players who have just won the title will be legends of our club but we have to bring in first team starters who are better than some individuals.
 
We definitely need another CM if not 2

Hope Jacko injury can get fixed as we miss him

Zungu won’t be staying so he needs replaced

Depends also on Kamara Barisic Alfie if they stay or go

Im confident Ross Wilson has various targets depending on how things go in the summer
 
Of course we need to strengthen, we need to improve and continue to get better.

There are a few who may leave, ones that are ageing, ones that struggle with niggles through out a season.

For example; if we were to lose Morelos, then he needs replaced. Roofe (injury prone) and Itten aren’t a patch on Alfredo.

The midfield needs addressed.
 
agree, we need to continuously improve.
Not all signings will be a success either.
But The filth this season are an advert of a team that failed to strengthen from a position of power and it has stung them.
 
Some smart bosman transfers could help a lot with that.

Lundstram, Ryan Gauld, Fashion Sakala all will be available on free transfers this summer in areas we need to improve in and could get let us sell people like Hagi or Kamara for significant profit while not weakening the squad.
Ryan Gauld motm a few days ago I seen on Twitter. 8 goals 5 assists in 27 is a tidy return. feel like he’s been about forever but he’s still 25
 
agree, we need to continuously improve.
Not all signings will be a success either.
But The filth this season are an advert of a team that failed to strengthen from a position of power and it has stung them.
They were creaming themselves over their signings in the summer and looking back they thought they had strengthened massively

The reality is they bought utter shite and it has likely set them back years
 
Its obvious we will strengthen, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels and we wont.

Its no coincidence that we've dropped points and lost the St Mirren game, whilst attempting to utilise the depth within our squad.

Midfield will undoubtedly be strengthened, width is also an issue if god forbid Kent is ever injured.
Jermaine Defoe has been a fantastic addition, however he is not guaranteed to be there next season, Itten hasn't played much to be fair to him, however he doesn't look as though he's anywhere near the finished article.

Our players, Manager, backroom staff and board have excelled this season for which we are eternally grateful.
That said, the riches of the Champions League may not be far away, strengthening whilst we are top dogs will undoubtedly enhance our hopes.
 
Is 'fine' enough for where we want to progress ?

I think you’re trying to justify the obvious here. Of course we need to strengthen. Any club/team that wants to build on success needs to do that. There’s no argument- it’s just a fact of life.
 
Always need to strengthen, never ending.
We've not made progress in Europe by the very basic yardstick of going out in the same round so we should be looking to strengthen and push on from a position of relative strength. I don't think any of us can begin to predict what's going to happen next season with players due to uncertainty over who might be sold.
 
Jack must this time come back injury free.
Dont see bassey doing it and zungu will be away.
We need to players in over the next year, a lot of experience and quality will be lost in defoe, davis and mcgregor.
Stewart, jones and edmunson are finished as well.
Quality and being able to cope with a big team and crowds will be needed.
 
With Davis and Arfield at the back end of their careers, Kamara being a sellable asset and Jack being a bit injury prone of late, some strengthening of the Midfield is required in my mind this summer
 
Wonder how Nnamdi Ofoborh has been getting on at Wycombe this season, can't seem to find too much information about him, wonder if he will replace Zungu
 
We always need to strengthen. We always need to better ourselves and don't make the mistakes the tims made in staying still and hoping their rivals don't improve. We are streets ahead of them currently and should be strengthening from a position of power
 
My dear old Grandad tried to explain why we were shit in early 80s to a young me:

"We don't have a good enough eleven and very little on bench....Celtic, Aberdeen, Dundee United have better squads, and less drop off when injuries or suspensions hit home".

So, what about today? Superb romp to 55...and S Cup to come....but where are we beyond the 'starting eleven'? A few bears seem to think we just retain squad, don't sell, and it's a repeat of this season...we have enough.

I was thinking about the categories:

1. Reserves or subs who don't diminish quality at all: we have one and that's Nathan P
2. Reserves or subs who generally do well and don't cause huge drop off: we have so many debates on this! :) I'd name McLaughlin, Arfield, Aribo in midfield (generally, although many disagree), Balogun (generally, although many disagree), Defoe, Hagi
3. Reserves or subs who can be argued over: Bassey, Simpson, Itten

Injuries: Roofe and Jack. Never fit enough for a long run and when fit both seem to be 'recovering fom and fitness' for ages
New guys: only Wright seems likely to push on but hasn't played enough

So imho (ready to be destroyed by incoming flack) is that we need more guys pushing for a place who are as good as guy whose jersey they want....

Thoughts?
Don’t dare suggest Kemar Roofe has injury issues, the fanboys will garrotte you, I picked this early started a thread on it and as per the usual suspects accuse you of talking nonsense.
 
Need a top midfielder and 30 goal a season striker to take us on to the next level and let us at least be competitive in the Champions League.
 
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Beat me to it ya bassa!:)

Of course we will change and, hopefully, improve as part of that process. Gerrard has made that very clear. Standing still in football is not an option.

There are some question marks over some of our recent signings but many of them have been huge successes. That's the nature of the beast. I'm not writing anyone off yet as I believe every one of them has shown they've got 'something' about them. Whether they can bring it to the table at the required level week after week is the only debate.

We will see change again this Summer though. I'd expect to see circa 5 in and 5 out at least, some of them peripheral players but probably a couple of important moves as well.
Looking at some of the players we currently have and what we got them for,it's a pretty tough act to follow I'd suggest:

Shagger,Davis,Arfield,Jack all free

Kamara infamous 50k, Wright 150k, Tav 220k

Morelos circa 1.2 million, Aribo not much more after fees included

You could argue they've done more for the club than Kent,Hagi,Roofe,Itten,Helander and Goldson collectively I suppose despite the difference in costs although there is more to come from all of the above imo,and Goldson and Helander have been top drawer the whole season past too.

The point I'm badly trying to make is our recruitment has been extremely positive for the very large part.
 
we have largely scrapped past teams since December so we need to strengthen a little bit.
 
Yes, and I think we will.

However, we probably do need to sell first, or wait to see if we qualify for the CL proper.

There’s also a considerable hole in the finances that needs attention so the degree we strengthen is probably going to be governed by a combination of those three factors.

Personally speaking, if no one was to be sold I still think we need a minimum two new additions, both for the midfield, that go straight into the starting line-up just to avoid standing still, but as detailed above, I think that’s unlikely without a significant injection of cash.
 
Disagree with the concept that only Patterson is a suitable replacement in his position.

In a normal scenario our first 11 is:

McGregor
Tav Goldson Helander Barisic
Kamara Davis Jack
Kent Morelos Aribo

That gives us a backup of:

McGlaughlin
Patterson
Katic
Balogun
Arfield
Hagi
Zungu
Roofe
Wright
Itten
Bassey

Are we honestly saying the likes of Roofe Arfield Wright Katic aren't good enough to play for Rangers? Are we honestly writing off Bassey, Itten and even Simpson with his massive 1 start for Rangers?

We strengthen in the summer but its 2 quality additions and maybe 1 or 2 to work on throughout the season.
 
Need a top midfielder and 30 goal a season striker to take us on to the next level and let us at least be competitive in the Champions League.
I know it's said pretty much every season but we genuinely are only two- three players off being a seriously scary team to play against.

You'd think if things go our way in getting really decent fees in for one or two players added to hopefully qualifying for the champions league,that Ross Wilson will be able to source those few players to take us up another level with a bit more cash in the pot to play with.

I'm excited.
 
Each year under Gerrard we have brought in more quality and moved to the next level. We need to try and do the same this summer, it will be tough now because we have very good players but I’m confident Gerrard and Wilson will know exactly what we need
 
A lot of people are talking about last night's game when that isn't what the OP was about.

It's a question we are going to be discussing for the next few months but at the moment we have no idea who will stay and who will go so it's very hard to answer.

At present, centre midfield would be the obvious position to strengthen due to Jack's ongoing problems and Davis and Arfield getting a year older.
 
Folk seem to think that our likeliest sales are Kamara, Barasic and Helander because they’re in Euro2020. That would weaken us incredibly on the left.
My unpopular theory is that Tav is probably the player who we could sell with the minimal impact on the team.
Patterson has shown he is more than able, and that new contract should see maximum price secured if we do get a serious offer in.

I’d be more concerned about Goldson, Helander or Kamara generating interest.
Our defensive partnership over recent months has looked solid and while Katic, Balogun etc are tried & tested to some extent, coming back from bad injury in Katic’s case is likely to be bumpy and then the loss of Goldson’s organisation across that defence would be something to replace.

Midfield is where we need a bit of thought & investment IMO.
Jack, Kamara + 1 across the midfield should be the future over the next year but that is subject to Jack’s fitness and Kamara staying.... and finding someone who can sit just in front of them and support the attack AND slot in to support the defensive work when needed. I struggle to even think of a player who does that anywhere.
 
We will clearly add in the summer but I am not going to call all our subs shite because we drew with St Johnstone in a literally meaningless game. As I am not mental.

Roofe's season has been stop and start with no pre-season. We keep him injury free until the summer get a good pre-season in him and he starts enough games next season he will hit 20 goals.

Itten there is a player in there. Ittens only issues are game time and he lacks a bit of pace. I think Itten is more of a target man than a winger. His hold play can be excellent at times, he can play really intelligent passes and other times he looks off the pace. That inconsistency comes with match sharpness.

Defoe is always going to be bit part at his age.

We need to replace Zungu in the summer as we need more cover in the midfield.

Jack being back will be a big bonus if all works out with his operation.

I think our squad is strong but I think these players have not had enough minutes to be truly match sharp.

We add 2, possible 3 players to that squad that improve it we remain injury free from long term injuries that is then we can go on a similar run next season like we have this one.
I like the look of Itten - seems an intelligent player. The big issue for me is that he doesn’t look like the guy who will play that lone striker role - he looks like he will fare better in a partnership of some description.

Agreed on Roofe... let’s see him after a rest over the summer and a pre-season preparation with Rangers. I think Roofe is a cracking player - bags or ability and willing to do the hard work in tracking, pressing and bringing others into the game.
 
Disagree with the concept that only Patterson is a suitable replacement in his position.

In a normal scenario our first 11 is:

McGregor
Tav Goldson Helander Barisic
Kamara Davis Jack
Kent Morelos Aribo

That gives us a backup of:

McGlaughlin
Patterson
Katic
Balogun
Arfield
Hagi
Zungu
Roofe
Wright
Itten
Bassey

Are we honestly saying the likes of Roofe Arfield Wright Katic aren't good enough to play for Rangers? Are we honestly writing off Bassey, Itten and even Simpson with his massive 1 start for Rangers?

We strengthen in the summer but its 2 quality additions and maybe 1 or 2 to work on throughout the season.
Didn't say anything like that. I said they weren't as good as the man they were replacing, not that they were hopeless or not good enough to wear the jersey.
 
We need to be looking at least two “starting 11” players who go straight in and be first choice in that engine room to compliment Kamara.
We cant ask Davis for another season like this. It wouldnt be fair
 
Yep.
What did they need being honest to win the last couple of games against us?. We can mock them but reality is the games were tight and a new manager and just a couple of fresh faces could in theory have been enough to swing those games.
We need to kick on a level.
 
The big issue is we have paid decent money for a few players that don't look quite up to scratch - Itten and Roofe being the obvious two. Hopefully after a full pre-season they can show their true worth but on current form we won't win the league next season if these two are leading the line.

Also we seem to be adding prospects and squad players when it's clear we need quality over quantity. The midfield needs some serious quality additions added to the mix but we will likely need one or more of our star players leaving for that to be fully addressed.
 
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