With no matches for the champions last weekend it allowed us extra time to reminisce over a fantastic victory in the old firm last weekend. We really were superb and it was the signature scoreline we were all craving. I still think there is more to come from this team and that result didn’t surprise me at all, in fact if Borna hadn’t pulled up I think we would have made changes and went for them sooner. We were a few goals light of that standard of opposition which is extremely weak at this moment.
Don’t get me wrong four was nice and the circumstances even better, we were told this was the day we would finally be beaten and we would see the ‘last dance’. Oh how we enjoyed it. But that’s also tempered by the fact we should have been at Hampden this weekend and that’s no disrespect to a very decent St Johnstone side. We blew that and it simply proves that we still have strides to make but we should always be aiming to do that because this is Rangers, standing still isn’t an option.
Expectations will be higher domestically and in Europe next season, titles will be expected now that has been conquered, cup triumphs will also be demanded but that’s life here at Rangers.
So with that Old Firm gone it surprised me that it was once again back page headlines in this mornings Daily Record newspaper.
An incident described as ‘Crude and classless’ made me stop dead and laugh at the desperation of it all.
I have known about this for a week and it wasn’t even worthy of a paragraphs on this blog let alone a national newspaper.
The truth of it revealed on Heart and Hand in it’s entirety. Scott Brown walked in the tunnel past some Rangers officials, he remarked as they celebrated and they laughed at his sour grapes.
He was laughed at. The end.
That’s it in it’s entirety. A guy who has had it large over our club for years, makes a point of goading opposition as recently as the cup final in December, is now running to a paper reduced to crying about how unfair it all is.
It’s almost as embarrassing as the article itself, which is befitting of a once proud paper, which is now nothing more than gutter trash.
You see when guys like Keevins moan about how journalists aren’t getting ‘full access’ at Rangers, the club’s stance is completely vindicated when trash like this is written. Why should we deal with them when this is their level?
The truth is this happens in games and there has been plenty of ‘sledging’ between the benches and clubs.
We don’t like them, they don’t like us and that’s a proper rivalry.
Incidentally if they do beat us in the future they will give us it back and that’s the way it is, the difference is we won’t be crying about it. Don’t forget it’s not like we haven’t had it tight for years.
They have lorded it over us, played ‘zombie’ music and on the pitch tied scarves and wiped their noses literally on our crest. Now we are supposed to not give it tight to those that have put it to us? It’s the way it goes in a Derby rivalry.
An embarrassing moment in print and for a supposedly ‘hard man’ captain.
Alfredo was right, ‘boo-hoo, boo-hoo’.
Moving on the major news of the week was the signing of Fashion Sakala on a Bosman deal to arrive this summer. An attacker with an eye for goal and 28 goal involvements this season, is certainly the calibre to excite the support. Said to be a fast and skilful attacker who plays predominantly as an inside forward, on paper he seems to be an excellent fit for our right hand side of the front three.
He can of course play through the middle or even from the left cutting in so he adds yet more options and firepower.
I’d imagine that one or two may head out on transfer because it makes us top heavy in attack but what the club are doing is pre planning for every situation or strengthening to do the deals they want. But that’s me speculating purely on the numbers that is there.
I wonder if Fashion will be the first of a few Bosman deals to arrive. A number of players have already been linked but Ross Wilson has now had time to put these deals in place with proper time to analyse everyone in advance.
By that I mean that I envisage he knows everyone who is available and can scout them in advance with windows to spare. Effectively I trust the club have a plan for every eventuality. So if we lose a big player then Ross Wilson and the management immediately have a list of alternative options well scouted and familiar to the team.
Rangers are now a well oiled machine throughout the club. What Sakala shows is we are now acting like it. Minimal speculation and everyone that knows about these deals working with the club to ensure no other team can scupper deals at the last minute. It’s nice to get a surprise notification from Rangers with signing news. I’d guess that Fashion won’t be the last deal to be announced this summer with very little coverage.
On now to Livingston who will be a stubborn tough nut to crack. Plenty of injuries so it won’t be an easy trip with the players focusing on a final push this season. I expect Livi to play freely and have a go on a difficult surface. They have always been a tricky opponent so we’ll need to be on it.
Then it’s trophy day and the moment we have all been waiting on. Ten years to the last title success at Rugby Park we will once again experience that moment.
It’s been a fine year and at the right moment the players deserve every credit and praise for a brilliant season.
Our supporters deserve it and I wish everyone a happy safe celebration.
It’s our time and it’s our moment. Live it and love it because once Monday comes it’s all about strengthening and going again for more.
Because this is Rangers, we don’t stand still and we don’t stop.
55 is ours, but it’s only the beginning….
Four Lads Had A Dream 