The Rambling Ger

  As I sit here now, Thursday the 25th March 2021, I have just opened up the livescore app to check the results of a number of international games. I don't particularly care about any of the results, though I do hope Scotland doesn't win, to each their own but I can'tback the SFA or Steve Clarke. At the time of opening, they're losing 2-1. My eyes are also drawn to the Romania game.  I open the fixture to see if Hagi has come on yet. He has, he came on in the 76th minute to replace Florin Tanese with Romania 2-0 up. I briefly think "I hope he has time to do something worth remembering and putting himself in contention for the next game". Not long after this however North Macedonia score 2 goals in quick succession and pull the game back to 2-2... oops.  But then up steps our boy Hagi. in the 86th min the ball comes across the 18yard box from the right side to meet him waiting on the left and he calmly puts it into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal. 3-2

  I sit here writing this after we've just been put out of the Round of 16 in the Europa League 3-1 to Slavia Prague after losing 2-0 at home in Ibrox. You'd be forgiven for thinking I'm about to go on a rant about how tonight wasn't good enough, about team selections not being right, and pointing out some individuals who didn't step up to the plate... however you would be wrong. Instead, I'm going to point out that today is Thursday 18th March 2021 and we just lost our first European game of a campaign that started way back on the 17th September 2020 in Gibraltar, half a year ago.  Over the course of that 182 days run this team has faced Lincoln Red Imps, Willem II, Galatasary, Standard Liege twice, Lech Poznan twice, Benfica twice, Royal Antwerp twice, and then finally Slavia Prague Twice. Going into this season I'm sure 99% of fans would have told you making the group stages for the 3rd season in a row would be great, but the focus had to be the league an

  So I've been planning on writing this piece for most of the week. I had it mostly mapped out, who it would centre around and where I would lead the discussion. There were one or two folks I intended to mention, who thoroughly deserve it, but they weren't going to be the main focus.  Then on Thursday "ball comes in, boy gets a good heeder to it, dive, stick my hand oot and didnae go in"... and with that some, not all, but some of the focus of this discussion has changed. I should start by discussing what makes someone a Rangers legend to me. These days the word legend is thrown around very quickly. I've heard nearly every player from when I first started following the Rangers in 1987 until 2012 be described as a legend. It's hard to argue against any of them because you are then giving yourself the impossible task of putting forward negative points about someone who, ultimately, you hero-worship.  I'm not about to start telling you, the reader, that Ronal

  I've picked one hell of a time to start writing a blog. I've received nearly 600 views in the first week which is absolutely mind-blowing, and this is the perfect time to capitalise on that with us officially winning the league... yet I've stared at this screen for hours. How do you do an occasion like this justice? How can you accurately put words down that convey to the reader just how much this means to you? You guys will absolutely be feeling the same overwhelming feelings I am too, but you come here to read what I have to say and, well to be honest I'm not even sure how I feel.  I have 10 years of frustration, anger, hurt, excitement, hope, misery, nervousness, fear, anxiety, and joy all hitting me in one massive wave of emotions.  To the outside world looking in this is a great story of redemption. You only need to look to social media to see the outpouring of congratulations from big names. The historical giant of football that went to the lowest ebb and has ma

  OK folks bear with me on this one. It isn't so much a match report as my thoughts while watching the match if that makes sense? If this is your first time reading the page I'd recommend starting with one of my other 2 blogs first though. Pre-Match: Starting 11:   McGregor, Patterson, Goldson (c), Helander, Barisic, Kamara, Davis, Arfield, Aribo, Kent, Morelos Subs:   McLaughlin, Bassey, Simpson, Hagi, Defoe, Itten, Zungu, Wright, Stewart When the line-up is announce I'm not too surprised by it. My initial thoughts were this is a huge opportunity for Patterson tonight and I hope he grabs it. If I was to pick one surprise it would be that Hagi isn't in the starting line-up but I think that's probably because the Livingston "pitch" doesn't lend itself to his style of play. I'm also glad to see Arfield back in the line-up. Stewart is just a waste of a bench spot at this point, I can't see any scenario where he comes on to play. My predicted subs

  At some point this month it's almost certain we will be crowned the champions of Scotland for the 55th time our history. An absolutely remarkable achievement given the journey we as a club and a fanbase have been on over the last decade. There were times over the course of that journey you could be forgiven for thinking this day may never come, times such as losing to Raith Rovers in the Ramsdens Cup Final, seemingly drawing with Alloa every few weeks or more recently losing to plumbers from Luxembourg and the manager standing in a bush pointing at fans in a strange Rangers version of the "woman yelling at cat" meme. That part of the journey is in the final furlong now though and us, the fans, are getting ready to celebrate it and release 10 years of pent up frustration in what will be one of the biggest celebrations in the history of football. I have seen a lot of discussion on social media of people planning to attend George Square and Ibrox. I won't be attending

  It's the 25th April 2018, I've just started my shift at work and my boss, a Sunderland fan, says to me "Steven Gerrard eh?". "No chance. People are just linking him with the job because Dave King was at the Liverpool game. People forget Dave King likes Liverpool though. There's no way we go for someone untested!" I reply, perhaps a little too quickly. Fast forward to May 4th and it's confirmed Steven Gerrard will be the 18th Manager of Rangers F.C (I'm only including permanent managers here, not double counting Jock Wallace and Sir Walter, and including Stuart McCall & Graeme Murty as both will tell you their contract said Manager, not caretaker Manager).  To say I'm not exactly sold on the appointment at first is an understatement. I was very aware of how great a player he was. How could you not be, the man was absolute world class, and if not for him Liverpool would never have attracted some of the stars like Fernando Torres and Luis