29 Dec 2025 18:56:16
I understand people's aversion to signing players from certain leagues as that is natural.
But take Claudio Braga for example, people screaming for Rangers to sign him after his first 6 months of playing top tier football.
Prior to joining hearts he played in the 3rd then 2nd tier of football in Norway.
So on that note I would really hope we shop in every possible market to find value for money paid and actually get lift off on a real player trading model.
29 Dec 2025 19:32:13
Absolutely Aphe, however ro then bring a player into the melting pot of Ibrox stadium when things ain't going well that's the test. Many many talenTed players have failed.
I think bragas move to hearts has been great for him, learning curve for sure.
and either English championship or Rangers would be great move for him in the summer.
29 Dec 2025 19:33:59
I agree, the key caveat is balance.
We need a core of players who understand the UK game or our league, a couple of experienced pros to set standards, and then smart additions from wider markets. Right now, we're short on all three.
I get why people are wary of certain leagues, but talent can come from anywhere if you scout properly and profile players correctly something we've clearly not done well enough this summer.
With Bjornebye involved, we should see a more structured approach. His track record points to physically reliable, tactically disciplined players from Scandinavia and Central Europe coachable, adaptable profiles with resale potential rather than just punts. That alone should tighten the whole process in that market and add to the overall squad.
That's why we need to shop in every viable market, not just the obvious ones. The focus has to be value for money and finally building a real player‑trading model instead of pretending we have one.
If we start getting more right than wrong, the mood lifts, the football improves, and the club finally moves in the direction it keeps talking about.
29 Dec 2025 19:38:48
Aphelion, as we all know mate every transfer is a gamble but we have to minimise the chances of the gamble in anyone we do sign in january, as we must get all our signings spot on and forget the young upcoming player trade model, until we have a good winning team built first and foremost as we have to crawl before we can run and it really is paramount that we start winning trophies again, at our football club ? That means in the short term we need to sign experienced players that can handle playing for our club and can play in the rigours of scottish football mate that has to be our short term aim ?Tried and trusted as much as possible signings over project signings that might be good for us in the future ? This imo has to be the way just now.
29 Dec 2025 20:03:24
I certainly understand that logic SWS but I cannot understand that coupled with your desire to see us sign the likes of penrice as a 1st choice. A player who has been nowhere near the Scottish National team at any level.
Surely this is not someone who has the ability to handle playing for a club the size of Rangers by your logic.
We need a viable player trading model or any success will be short-lived as proven with the 1 title under Gerrard.
We did not sell and reinvest properly resulting in an inability to ensure continuous success.
29 Dec 2025 20:17:50
Aphe I also don't understand the fact that we need to sign players who understand the UK game or our league (or even Scottish). Take Hearts and other than Findlay could anyone name a signing who hits that box. so they signed 7 or 8 who all hit that risky signing box. Celtic under Ange and his Asian signings didn't hit the non-risky box.
So I agree that if the player is able to handle the physical aspects of a league, has the ability and talent and has the mental ability (even to be developed) then we should sign.
Having said that I would want our January experienced players to be less risk-based and would have played at a top league level.
as a support we are scarred by too few titles since we came back nd assume every other/most other overseas player is no use.
29 Dec 2025 20:21:12
You're both right in different ways. We do need proven players right now lads who can handle the jersey and the league, because January isn't the window for gambles. But we also can't ditch the player trading model completely, or we'll just repeat the Gerrard cycle of winning once and then standing still.
For me it's all about balance.
Get the experienced, ready made players in to stabilise things, and at the same time rebuild a proper structure that let's us sell, reinvest and grow. That's the only way we get short‑term success and long‑term sustainability.
We have to fly the plane whilst building it.
29 Dec 2025 20:28:58
I agree 100% Angus and definitely when it comes to experienced signings that is a must.
I do feel that Rangers should play it intelligently by targeting young high potential players from Norway and Sweden.
As you will know our leagues are summer leagues so the winter transfer window is our long window whereas in the summer our window is only august.
January is precisely the time where Scandinavian clubs are more likely to do business at a more normal financial rate.
29 Dec 2025 20:32:31
Good posts Jason ?.
29 Dec 2025 21:44:23
Aphelion, regarding james penrice my friend because he's not a regular for his country doesn't mean he can't/wouldn't be a good signing for Rangers my friend ?He knows the league is a good left back with very good delivery and good at defending so can't see your logic because he doesn't play for Scotland, that he wouldn't be a good signing for us because it's my belief he would be a good signing for us and last but not least, he undoubtedly for me could handle playing for a club our size and the expectations that come with it ?.
29 Dec 2025 21:47:19
What does a real player trading model look like?
Surprisingly our player trading model over the last 5 years has turned a profit of c£50m.
29 Dec 2025 22:06:24
EHL understand what you are saying in that sense but you will surely agree that the model in which Koppen was trying to implement is a more efficient model than what we have at this moment in time.
I would hope that we can create a model which provides at least 1 major exit each transfer window.
Which Thelwell signing would you believe can get that kind of Igamane, Bassey type profit?
29 Dec 2025 22:08:10
SWS you are entitled to have that opinion my friend i would never take that right away from you.
I am allowed to have the opinion of believing that Penrice would be a good back up and no more.
There must be a reason why he looks to have lasted only 6 months away from Scotland.
29 Dec 2025 22:34:38
Page just to clarify mate, I think both myself and coops, along with the others who want penrice, think he'll take Meghoma a shirt because we rate his attributes for what we need.
Coops can of course speak for himself but I think I speak for us both when I say we don't expect penrice to be no1 come the summer, we know we need and we expect to get a better left back, one that fits the trading model, with a good solid pro like penrice providing cover and filling the Scottish trainee quota mate.
I think that's been lost along the way here.
We expect a new first choice in the summer.
29 Dec 2025 22:37:23
I have no idea about Penrice ability. Never paid attention to it and i doubt many on here have. It screams squad player for me but you never know. He might have a great left peg but who's getting on the end of the cross currently.
29 Dec 2025 22:39:06
The vast majority of that £50m came this season as the player trading model was just starting to show sign of working under Koppen. Sadly scrapped I can't see many if any from this year's recruitment turning into a decent profit like Aphelion says.
29 Dec 2025 22:40:11
EHL, I agree we have made decent profits from sales in the last 5 years. I think we want to buy good young players and develop them primarily to do well on the pitch. secondary is to make is money in transfers. we need the first bit to fuel the second bit.
But I would like us to try to replicate the profit which Celtic generate. In the last 5 years they are 19th in the CIES football observatory list of most profitable transfer clubs. we are 240th. so even in our own backyard we can do better. but we also need to get the balance right by buying pitch ready players to help those younger players to develop.
Aphe a question, when Bassey first came into the team did we think he would sell for £20+M just 18 months later and he had experience around him. it is harsh to judge our current young lads based on the time they had under Martin. under Rohl there is improvement but they will do better when we get the right experience in beside them as we can't really judge any player in the environment they have faced.
to me Penrice is a loan/back up until we get someone like Tuur Rommens or similar quality. good player but not top class or going to get there.
29 Dec 2025 23:07:48
He hasn't properly settled and homesick i'm told Aphelion ?.
29 Dec 2025 23:09:27
Absolutely Angus and i have to say I was terrified seeing Bassey on the team sheet at the start.
I would not be against Penrice signing as a backup.
I agree that we need more SPFL experienced players in the team i just don't feel that it would be a good signing if intended to be a first choice.
I have given everyone a clean slate since Röhl has become manager and I truly believe that Antman will prove a fantastic signing also.
Chermiti, Miovski and Rothwell are the 3 I have given up with to be honest.
I think Fernandez is going from strength to strength.
All the loans in my opinion we should not be looking to extend.
I think we can find a more fitness reliable defender than Cornelius who in my opinion is our best loan.
29 Dec 2025 23:15:38
And here comes the chicken and egg question Angus. what comes first, an accelerated players trading model or a successful team?
Because we can't do both at once.
29 Dec 2025 23:42:42
We must first build a successful team.
Get the basics done first.
No point buying and selling players and not winning trophies.
This league title is there for the taking if we bring in the right players dor these last few months of games.
30 Dec 2025 00:19:04
We are too weak and lethargic we need more energy more dig more character - any sniff of weakness and other teams take advantage - woudl not have happened in the days of butcher coisty numan gough woods hately Gazza Gattuso etc etc the list goes on / we are too weak and need strength and dig in the team / real leaders like a bazza or Stuart McCall and the like - shankland and mulligan were ideal but not to be - hope DR addresses this and gives us more fight in the team.
30 Dec 2025 01:31:23
Was just going to ask you that EHL.
Be good to know the net profit on that 50 million you have said in players sold against money spent.
For me the priority has to be a winning team on the park which will surely benefit the trading model more.
30 Dec 2025 06:20:55
Absolutely Stevie G?We must build a successful, winning team first that starts winning trophies before we focus then heavily on our younger project talent/player trading in the future, as i'm like most sick of us not winning trophies and letting that other lot hoover them up, with practically the minimum of fuss ? Aphelion, i really do like the scandanavian market my friend and there's absolutely good players to be got their ie.
norway, sweden etc and we've had a lot of very good scandanavian players at Rangers over the years and they settle in to our league pretty good/quickly ?.
30 Dec 2025 07:19:28
Rosevale, £50m is the net profit.
30 Dec 2025 09:55:47
EHL I don't know the answer to that. I do think that we need some experience into the young group we have so is that the answer. then who knows they will progress and be worth some cash. at the moment I don't think/know that our experienced players aren't passing that learning and support on.
so it is about getting the right balance between having experienced pros, first team ready 'development' players and then those who are not ready but will make money eventually.
I guess what I meant by Celtic's model is they have a few like that who they sell every season so they have made more profit. Our £50m net was largely made up by 3-4 players I think.