Holmes_and_Watson

All of the players Chelsea keep signing do turn up somewhere don't they? It's not some elaborate trafficking scam to keep Ronaldo in organs, to prolong his playing career?

Ramsdale's xG is 0 for the season. 🙂

At this pace of recruitment, you'll soon be changing the name to Vitesse Valenciennes. 🙂

Encounter

If we can help even one SR club get into Europe, then it will be worth languishing in the championship for. 😄

I think that was the draw for Brand Martin. He sticks to his guns and gets bigger jobs. MK Dons, Swansea, Saints and Rangers (if that's finalised). He's now in European competition. A whole new set of suitors when his time at Ibrox ends. SR left him with a weaker squad in the PL than his promotion squad. If Rangers have the personnel to even fill the big gaps such as Adams type striker and an experienced DM, then they should be finishing second. If he gets a decent European campaign (which is far from certain for Scottish clubs) then he can fail, but now have that experience on his CV.

A quick peek at footy stats shows Rangers were getting an overall 65% possession anyway in 24/25. Hiring him, because you want higher possession, is madness. As one of the big two against teams holding out for a point or a set piece, they get plenty of the ball already. Citing his narrow defeats is also madness domestically as the expectation is to win every game. The expectation and approach required are very different. Hoping to have more control in European games is different. Perhaps one of those adaptable managers could have more than one approach. Odd to say it's hard to judge him on our bad season, when he was in charge of it, and led the way to the drop. Martin's style took a bit to settle in, for various reasons. While we did have that unbeaten run, I never got the feeling it had all clicked into place. Some of it yes, and in some games a lot, but overall not. Someone has their tartan bonnet on a bit too tight I think.

Earps was wanted in the squad, but didn't want to go and potentially warm a bench. If she wasn't considered number 1, then she saw the future of not playing, and pulled the plug herself. Kirby, despite the experience and skill, is just down to manager's choice. Bright was injured for a long spell in 23/24, and has worked hard again to get back a few times. She's making a choice for herself longer term. I don't think Bright has retired from England? There is also the scenario where the manager just felt Bright wasn't quite back to her best, and was happy to let the player break the news. Also, these are ll veteran squad members. As opportunities and facilities are better, you'd expect an overall general jump in the players coming up. That's going to limit the length of time some players will manage to stay in the squad. It's a shame, after all their success, to see that team break up. But there were retirements after the last Euros, so it was happening gradually anyway.

Morning news... Next series of Doctor Who to be extended. "Budgets are really tight, and we needed a direction," said showrunner Echo Betterdays. "But that Giant Strawman turning up has not only slashed the need for CGI, but given us a villain for a 6 part series. We're in talks with MLG to play the scientist who fails to identify it and misuses it in his lust for power."

Energy

The stripe on the right goes down part way then vanishes. There's a double dark red stripe descending into the badge on the collar side. A collar that, as posted, does not fit the neck it's supposed to be attached to. Logo looks off colour too. Here's hoping it's a design they do end up using though.

They have a good grasp on what they are getting. 🙂

It's been a pointless league since the days of Ferguson at Aberdeen and McLean at Dundee United.

The Premier League should never have changed from the Premiership. That's just one more reason I'll be supporting the tactical masterclass of Russell Martin, if he joins Rangers in the Premiership. 🙂

Syringe

As if. We're packed with top striking talent. Archer, AA, TP, BBD, Stewart, Sule when we're doing that 1 up counter formation. No room for strikers here! 🙂

Not to panic. That's just the first one over the line. Deals for the three left backs they really wanted are close. 🙂

Sign of Saints shirts to come...

Will that be the mandated welcome, if P&O become our main shirt sponsors? 🙂

"We are taking this very seriously and are following positive lines of inquiry," said police, thrilled at finally having something to do on Arran, and hoping to get a TV mini series out of it. Meanwhile "Hundreds of people attended the first Arran Pride in a march along the Isle's renowned seafront in 2022." That will also include all the people trapped on the island before the next ferry, on the main street, with not much better to do and who can't drive past because of the parade. A place where it's hard not to attend an event.

After watching them this season, there's every reason to feel down. If they're just going to insult us, I'm going to listen to my Village People albums instead. 🙂

I was about to leap (well amble) to the defence of our overseas Saints supporters, who we all love as fellow fans. But you did say "identify with the strongest teams", so that clearly doesn't apply here. 🙂 Mind you, historically, football hasn't needed much of an excuse to be corrupt all the way back to incentives for amateur players, or ways round wage caps.

Looking forward to the new kit launch...

Comparing that to ourselves, part of how we present ourselves to players is a move to a top club within a couple of years. Less, if the buying club hits our price point, or we need to cash in. Our player trading approach, means the club don't want to have players hanging around for 5 years, although they also don't, have a structure in place that controls when bids come in, and keeps the squad building upwards. The result is that our squad gets weaker and weaker and the talents we do have vanish all the faster when we get relegated. We also spend a lot on multiple players we think we can sell on, rather than a better player who we want to stay and make us better over the long term. There, I knew I could make the Liverpool chat relevant to us. 🙂