Midfield_General

FT. 1-1 on the night, Rangers go through 3-1 on aggregate. Seriously rode their luck as they got carved open multiple times in both legs, but Pana missed a hatful of chances, Butland made some massive saves and Rangers were absolutely clinical when they got sight of goal. Gassama scored off the bench in both games and looks like an excellent signing at £2.2m.

Yeah he's getting rinsed playing on the left. Ooooh should have been 2-2. Should have equalised. Edit: And Rangers score. 1-1 🤣

Pana get the ball in the net... VAR check for offside... Goal given. 1-0 Pana. 2-1 Rangers on aggregate. Ex-Saint Djuricic the goalscorer

Rangers living very dangerously in the second leg in Greece. Backs to the wall stuff and now been caught in possession twice in their own box only for the striker to miss a sitter. Scottish commentators tearing their hair out over the risks they are taking. But still 2-0 up on aggregate.

Lots of ifs and buts, but... Bednarek has already left. THB will leave because he doesn't want to play in the Champ. ABK and Taylor will leave (hopefully, if we can find buyers) because we don't want them anymore and will tell them they need to find new clubs. Stephens, Quarshie, Edwards will stay, with Sanda coming up through the ranks. So that's three senior CBs and a prospect. So IF * this was to happen then adding this fella would give us four senior CBs and a prospect which for a season of 46 league matches plus cup games is probably about right, especially if we want to have the option of playing three CBs. Agree it would be weird to sign anyone else in this position until THB, ABK and Taylor are definitely gone though, unless they're very well-advanced in the background and we just don't know it yet. And a move like this would probably mean Wood is on his way out too because if he stays then that would be five seniors and a prospect which I agree is probably too much. (* Because it's just a rumour, I know that MLG)

If we start the season with Baz and Macca on the wings then I think it's fair to say our transfer policy needs work Although playing a goalkeeper on each flank would probably still be more effective than when we had BBD and Armstrong on the wings and no-one in the middle in that U-shape vs. Forest at home last season

What that says to me is that we must spend whatever it takes to get Redmond back #WelcomeHomeNathan

Fair play, that's a flipping good showing - congrats!

He would do just fine.

Long-term 2030 vision is for Stephens to step up as manager with Macca as his goalkeeping coach. Great lads to have to have around the dressing room and they really love the club. Supported by Smallbone as head of physical conditioning, and Stewart as physio.

Yep, that was Dalek. Stated season after season that Saints long-term vision was to be a yo-yo club and that a 17th place finish in the PL was our ultimate ambition. Got roundly slated for it, but now we hear from those purporting to be ITK that that’s exactly how the club sees itself and that our strategy as soon as we got promoted was to get relegated again so we could have another year in the Championship with all our brilliant Prem quality players and then ‘come back stronger’. So it seems he was right all along! Who knew. #JusticeForDalek

Wasn’t there a fairly convincing case put forward that Alpine was one of Glasgow’s many alter-egos?

Anyone mentioned a seaside B&B yet? Man alive. It’s July.

Russ should get Lucy to help sweet talk the player into agreeing to the loan. Purely so the headline can be 'PINDER HELPS MARTIN GET WOOD'.

Absolute fire sale and still no takers for Valery

No Downs in the squad according to that graphic - que?

Ian Andrew(s) Dean Richard(s) Jack Stephen(s)

Yep. Came on and was immediately the best player on the pitch. Looks an exciting player.

2-0. Excellent goal on the break.

Now they go 1-0 up and the opposition have a man sent off. Football eh!

HT. 0-0. On another day they would be at least 2-0 down - Butland made two fantastic saves to keep them in it. They've been second to everything and overrun in midfield every time Pana come forward. They are a mess defending corners and have only had one shot on target. This is against a side most of their fans were expecting them to comfortably roll over. Fans already asking why they play it sideways when there is a forward pass on, and seem puzzled that the high-energy, aggressive, attacking football and high press they've been expecting is nowhere to be seen. Already questioning why players are being played out of position, why the full backs are so narrow and inverted, and whether this style of play will work against packed defences in the SPL. To be fair to them, 22nd July is very early in the window to be having a tough competitive fixture, and I'm sure the team they start the season with will look quite different to the side they've got out tonight. It's also somehow still 0-0, so it's not beyond the realms that they could nick something. But it's not a very good start.

Branfoot-era favourite, David Lee

They've brought some players in since he's been there but no-one of any real note. A few weeks ago they genuinely seemed to think they might come in for Ramsdale and Downes. Since then the highest-profile player they've brought in is Joe Rothwell, and they seem properly excited about him, which really does say it all about the difference between expectation and reality up there. The team they look like they're putting out tonight looks very, very average on paper. A bunch of £500k - £3m journeymen and loans brought in from the fringes of Luton Town and Peterborough. It's going to be fun watching them try to Beckenbauer their way out from the back with Champion's League qualification on the line.

Massive first game for Martin tonight. CL qualifier, first leg, at home. Will be watching with interest to see if he's learned from his experiences and adapted anything. This comment from one of their boards made me smile: You won't. The days of bluffing and excuses are gone. Russell Martin is a straight shooter and it's clear he wants not only to be the man at Rangers but to embrace the pressure and expectation. Come what may he's not going to waste time with junk talk. 😬