Beam me up, Scotty - Rangers & Scotland CM Story
Forum Discussion
LINEUP FOR RETURN LEG IN FRANCE (BEST 11):
Celtic pulling free, and now with no European distraction. Not looking good.
A good recovery against Rennes and the draw for the next round was fairly kind, from the looks of it.
@CO88LER5 wrote:Celtic pulling free, and now with no European distraction. Not looking good.
A good recovery against Rennes and the draw for the next round was fairly kind, from the looks of it.
True, Celtic just don't drop enough points. And with me unable to beat them in the derbies so far, I am starting to realize that they might win it this season. After two back to back doubles for my club. But hey, that does provide a new goal for me, trying to get it back next season. But then again, Celtic only won 1 game in the last 5 last season, so if they make a similarly disastrous end this time, maybe it's still too early to call it.
- @JustinCase0110
8 points clear with 15 to win. Celtic really are going to have to collapse, but as you suggested, that's not impossible.
Benfica late winner. Still very possible to overturn it, though, just like the previous round. Last time I responded, we were in March 2026. Meanwhile, I missed a painful loss to Celtic on the European stage though you did claim another league title. A 3rd place for Scotland. Currently well behind Celtic and at a disadvantage against Benfica in UEFA Europa League. So, that big breakthrough on Champions League level did not occur yet in the first four seasons; nice to see realism holds out for so long into the future.
@CO88LER5 wrote:
8 points clear with 15 to win. Celtic really are going to have to collapse, but as you suggested, that's not impossible.
Benfica late winner. Still very possible to overturn it, though, just like the previous round.Yes, I've been building quite the pattern through these knockouts. First game a real stinker. Second game a great turnaround.
@Danimal5981 wrote:Last time I responded, we were in March 2026. Meanwhile, I missed a painful loss to Celtic on the European stage though you did claim another league title. A 3rd place for Scotland. Currently well behind Celtic and at a disadvantage against Benfica in UEFA Europa League. So, that big breakthrough on Champions League level did not occur yet in the first four seasons; nice to see realism holds out for so long into the future.
Yes, a lot has happened since. Welcome back, and thanks for making such a thorough readup, bringing you up to speed for the present. I hope everything is all right at home with your daughter.
I agree with the realism part, I usually have this constant upgoing curve making me a Champions League winner in season 7 or 8 or something, with the form only going up until then. Even when a played with Vejle two years ago! But this season with Rangers, and perhaps also the one before, I've been stalling a bit, after reaching 101 points in the 2024/25 season.
Usually I would have taken another step by now, and that is actually why I was also a bit reluctant to take a club like Rangers in the first place, maybe being a bit too close to the top to begin with. But the current development seems to hold something back, so I still have things left to explore, before I (maybe) reach that summit. Celtic's incredible form is also helpful in that regard, I might add. I remember I few years ago, playing in the Premier League, I could end the season with 75 points and be crowned champion. I believe that my current two-horse race with Celtic is incredibly realistic, so I'm thoroughly enjoying the development so far.
- @JustinCase0110
Second leg recovery again. Becoming a real pattern.
Going to be interesting to see how you do against Petrol Sain-Germain. Do they still have Mbappe, I wonder?
@CO88LER5 wrote:
Second leg recovery again. Becoming a real pattern.
Going to be interesting to see how you do against Petrol Sain-Germain. Do they still have Mbappe, I wonder?Yes, they do. Both him and Ousmane Dembélé, with Jack Grealish completing their front three. Pedri, in midfield, has apparently continued the tradition of PSG signing players from Barcelona (after Neymar, Messi, Dembélé). Which is actually something I've seen through various saves.
- @JustinCase0110
I had a feeling the title race would end up being Celtic's. Too big a gap, really.
@JustinCase0110 wrote:Yes, a lot has happened since. Welcome back, and thanks for making such a thorough readup, bringing you up to speed for the present. I hope everything is all right at home with your daughter.
I agree with the realism part, I usually have this constant upgoing curve making me a Champions League winner in season 7 or 8 or something, with the form only going up until then. Even when a played with Vejle two years ago! But this season with Rangers, and perhaps also the one before, I've been stalling a bit, after reaching 101 points in the 2024/25 season.
Thanks, daughter is alright for now (knock on wood)...
Well I think it's brill really, 2024 Celtic, 2025 Rangers, 2026 Rangers, 2027 Celtic..., seldomly have I seen the AI 'bounce back'. Most of the times, once one has the winning team or formula, one just keeps on winning. I think this motivates to get that league title back to the Gers; one more season!
@CO88LER5 wrote:
I had a feeling the title race would end up being Celtic's. Too big a gap, really.True. In the light of Celtic's home defeat to Hearts, it was a bit frustrating not to get the win myself in Aberdeen. That might actually have been that little piece of rope I was looking for. But the title was lost over the course of the season, really, with too many draws and not really being there in the derbies. But I suppose that just keeps another challenge ahead of me, in stead of just winning a third consecutive championship. But first, I still have this season's cup final and the Europa League semi final ahead.
@Danimal5981 wrote:Well I think it's brill really, 2024 Celtic, 2025 Rangers, 2026 Rangers, 2027 Celtic..., seldomly have I seen the AI 'bounce back'. Most of the times, once one has the winning team or formula, one just keeps on winning. I think this motivates to get that league title back to the Gers; one more season!
Yes, exactly my point. Usually it's just up, up, up. This development is quite new to me, so there's certainly motivation to bounce back now.
- @JustinCase0110 A very creditable draw against PSG.
Interesting, though; I could never really see Grealish there...
@CO88LER5 wrote:
A very creditable draw against PSG.
Interesting, though; I could never really see Grealish there...Maybe not. But hey, a technical inverted left winger, who dives a lot, and who is a fashion icon and likes to party? Perhaps he and Neymar aren't so different, and the Brazilian went there, you know... Now I think of it, David Beckham could also have been used as reference here. Or else it's just FIFA being FIFA. But a a player moving from one oil club to another, perhaps it's not the strangest transfer they've made...
- @JustinCase0110
Honourable defeat to PSG. You must be fairly satisfied.
Also recovered a bit of honour against Celtic at the end.
@CO88LER5 wrote:
Honourable defeat to PSG. You must be fairly satisfied.
Also recovered a bit of honour against Celtic at the end.Yes indeed. A respectable way to end a run that was also full of struggles and second leg comebacks. In that light I suppose a final would have been too much to ask for. I do hope to take a step further next season though.
Yes, finally a win vs Celtic, and once again I can only look back on my recent draw vs Aberdeen. I would have ended above Celtic, if I'd won that game.
