New-look Rangers XI – just three new signings….

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New-look Rangers XI – just three new signings….


We’ve all seen the work being done in the Algarve at present, and if the summer overhaul is anything to go by, next season’s Rangers, and, indeed, the one travelling to either Gibraltar or Kosovo come next month could be a significantly different one to that which finished last campaign so strongly.

Ibrox Noise wanted to speculate and look at a possible brand-new Rangers XI in light of all the new talent coming in this window.

Goals:

Obviously, this remains Allan McGregor. Best goalie in Scotland and one of the best in the UK. Just… calm the crazy stuff ok mate?

Defence:

Polster, Edmundson, Katic, Barisic.

Now, this is not us dropping James Tavernier, but pointing out that US international Matt Polster will be expecting more game time this term, and he’s certainly fit now. Furthermore, we suspect Gerrard will want to use his new defender, while hopefully Barisic’s promising pre-season augurs good things to come.

Midfield:

Davis, Kamara, Aribo.

Again, we’re not ‘dropping’ anyone, and Ryan Jack will play plenty – but Steven Davis ended the season in stellar form and has to be one of the first names on the sheet, while Kamara is a sure Gerrard favourite. Aribo is a cert to be a starter if/when he signs on the dotted line.

Attack:

Jones, Morelos, Arfield.

This is a tricky one. We have tonnes of talent for attack, and we know Greg Stewart, Jake Hastie and Sheyi Ojo will be hoping/expecting to play a lot, but Arfield cannot be dropped in the form he’s in while Morelos, despite Defoe’s fine end to the season, is still likely to be the first choice.

Final possible XI (4:3:3):

McGregor; Polster, Edmundson, Katic, Barisic; Davis, Kamara, Aribo; Jones, Morelos, Arfield.

Bench:

Foderingham, Tavernier, Goldson, Jack, Ojo, Hastie, Stewart

We can’t even fit in McCrorie, Defoe, Candeias, Docherty, Flanagan or Halliday on this occasion! And regular readers will know we’re massive fans of a number of these guys.

So this is just us postulating. While we want to theoretically include all the new players, that’s just not possible. We can’t realistically drop Davis, Kamara or Arfield because all had superb ends to the season in the split, and Gerrard needs continuity of that. Equally though he has a balancing act on his hands keeping everyone happy, and a lot of players just aren’t going to be. The Morelos issue is a curious one – despite his rollercoaster season, he still remains, on his day, the best overall striker we have and that plies his trade in the SPL – it’s hard to just ditch that unless he’s actually sold.

And the likes of Jake Hastie, Sheyi Ojo, Greg Stewart et al must earn their place, and hope that certain players lose form for that to happen.

Ultimately, Steven Gerrard has unreal strength and depth in some areas now, and picking a definitive and ‘best’ Rangers XI is kind of impossible.

We’ll all have our favourites, our preferred players, and we can certainly say this – Rangers’ bench this season looks set to be one of the best we’ve had in a decade.

We like it.

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11 COMMENTS

  1. McGregor,Flanigan,Katic,Goldson,Kent,Kamara,Davis,Aribo,Ojo,Defoe(4,5,1)
    Bench-Alnwick,Barisic,Edmunson,Jack,Jones,Stewart & Morelos

    • What a crap selection flanagan wtf kent in defence wtf not to mention we are nowhere near good enough to play with only ten players think you are a wee timmy

  2. Did Goldson catch Ebola? The guy's our best defender and Edmundson is 19 and from league 2, Englands 4th tear. Are you wanting to lose the league by Christmas? Have you guys forgot we conceded maybe 2 goals in 7 games excluding "holiday mode" to Kilmarnock? And laughing Celtic off the park with 2 shots on goal. Also polster wont play unless el capitano's needing a rest.

    • So we exclude Tav and it’s Goldson you’re offended by? And Edmundson is 21. Furthermore Polster is also a DM.

  3. Mcgregor,Tavernier,Katic,Goldson,Barasic,Kamara,Davis,Aribo,Murphy,Morelos,Arfield, Bench: Foderingham,Polster,Edmundson,Jack,Ojo,Jones,Defoe

  4. I/N, is there any word on the aribo deal actually getting announced, keep hearing medical done and heading to Portugal to meet up with squad. not counting nothing till officially announced. I'm really hopeing this one happens as he looks a really good young player.hopefully unvile him as a rangers player soon.

  5. TBH
    I just cant wait til we get going im dying to see the new ones especially Aribo [if he signs] & will we still have the buff??

  6. Only 3 definite, Mcgregor, Tav and Arfield the rest will be rotated to suit. Ojo has also not come to sit on the bench too often Liverpool will have dictated that.

  7. The new signings will need to be patient. I can't see any of the XI that beat Celtic losing a shirt to the current new signings unless Gerrard is mad and wants to alter the system that really clicked towards the end of the season…

    We also need to accomodate Jamie Murphy. If he can prove his fitness then he deserves another shot.

  8. Polster can expect whatever he wants but he won't play in front of Tavernier. Also there is no way we will go with 2 young defenders in Katic and Edmundson. It will be Katic and another though maybe Gerrard will have another look at 3 at the back.

  9. I will judge when I see our team play for points and cups. Friendly are only match fitness exercises and mean damn all as prizes go. I am not hopeful for next season. We've been here before with all the euphoria so many times, only to be let down time and time again!!
    I can only hope Gerrard does not make the same mistake as last season, continually changing the team to accommodate European games, because we suffered in the league because of it, totally inconsistent.
    We also need a system and the players who can get by parked buses, and not get caught on the counter attack, that cost us most of our dropped points last season.
    I will give the players, team and management all my support as usual this season, but I am very skeptical before a ball is kicked by the lack of quality signed so far! I pray to god that I am proved all wrong!

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