07 Aug 2026 13:21:44
I'm hearing Chris smalling to Rangers free transfer was in Saudi last year. We need someone that can control the defence badly as our lot look all over the place.
07 Aug 2026 13:27:40
This is the player I thought Lundstram was hinting about.
07 Aug 2026 13:30:21
I'd take that. Experienced and might settle Fernandez down.
07 Aug 2026 13:32:39
Now that would be the type I've been harping on about all summer.
A really experienced top quality centre back with English PL and European experience.
That's the signing we need at the back.
07 Aug 2026 13:34:06
36 years old, is this really how desperate we've become?
07 Aug 2026 13:36:19
He is 36 and he certainly wouldn't rock Scottish football, so I very much doubt that's who Lundstrum was talking about.
07 Aug 2026 13:41:03
Jfm, I get he's 36 but he would be good in Scotland. Think we signed Davie Weir when he was 36 and look how good he was. Every signing is a gamble thou.
07 Aug 2026 13:43:16
36? Rather, what I gather, this rumour started on a radio talk show, hopefully nothing more than that.
07 Aug 2026 13:43:45
Same age when Davie Weir signed for us.
07 Aug 2026 13:43:51
Chasni, it could very well be the player Lunny was on about but I'm hoping it's Billy Gilmour as one of the other posters mentioned.
07 Aug 2026 13:46:19
Yeah, Stevie G, I would take him and, if so, hopefully he can help big Manny get some form back.
07 Aug 2026 13:50:59
Really not sure where it came from, Dado. It just popped up on my news feed and I thought I would give the lads something to talk about and take the edge off from last night. Keep believing, lads. Hope we can turn this into a good season. I've got a feeling the team is going to look completely different when this transfer window closes.
07 Aug 2026 14:07:53
36 years old is fine. If he could give us 2 good years, that's great. Would bring great experience not just to the back line but throughout the squad.
07 Aug 2026 14:15:46
No disrespect but Chris Smalling isn't rocking Scottish football and to even suggest that is crazy if you're honest.
07 Aug 2026 14:16:24
A Davie Weir type signing if it happens.
07 Aug 2026 14:17:25
Is this just because he was on Talksport this morning, and people jumping in it? Did wonder when I listened if this would be on here. If he's fit, got no problem with it. He could be our new Davie Weir. We need some experience to sort out Manny.
07 Aug 2026 14:18:11
Actually, wouldn't mind this or something similar, anything to stop the brain farts and sketchy goals we lose weekly that put the whole team under pressure.
07 Aug 2026 14:18:49
See Leon Balogan has just signed for a club in Hungary at 38.
Smalling might just be the sort of signing that could work for us.
07 Aug 2026 14:22:54
This was taken from Talksport this morning. Complete non-starter.
07 Aug 2026 14:24:57
Only good if it turns out like David Weir. He is 36. Are we saying he is the best we can get?
O how the mighty has fallen.
We are so desperate now, we will settle for a 36 year old and justify it by saying it's like David Weir.
Even the fan base is showing a lack of standards.
07 Aug 2026 14:25:54
Last one out, turn off the lights.
07 Aug 2026 14:34:07
It's 40yr old Sergio Ramos who's sprinting up and down sand and looks fitter than most of our players. 😂
07 Aug 2026 14:41:59
Is it really like Davie Weir? Weird was signed from the Prem and an Everton side who was getting into Europe. Smalling has been playing for a very poor Roma side, and then out to Saudi. Not exactly the same levels.
07 Aug 2026 14:54:07
Just because he's the same age Davie Weir was, doesn't mean he'd work out basically good as Weir. Honestly, guys, have we no standards left.
07 Aug 2026 14:56:05
Would we be going back to David Weir tactics? A deep back line, with defensive full backs like Broadfoot and Papac? Left-footed players playing on the left and right-footed players playing on the right because we have no overlapping full backs? Sounds bliss, but not realistic, as it's not the modern way. 🙈🙈
07 Aug 2026 15:05:40
To those saying 'we have no standards left' and words of those ilk? Who do you honestly think we could get? We're not going to get international level players any more. It ain't the 90's or 00's any more! So yes, believe it or not, as much as you don't want to think it, this is exactly our level.
Chris Smalling on a free at 36 would be good for the defence.
07 Aug 2026 15:15:59
So, Madrid, in a big world of football, with 211 football nations, the best we can get is a 36 year old.
We are not even asking for an international player. We are looking for a player with attributes that we need, and a good age and experience, but not 36.
07 Aug 2026 15:19:55
I worry if we're looking to a guy about to turn 37 to sort us out at the back. That said, I have no knowledge about his fitness, recent past, etc.
07 Aug 2026 15:20:48
His age has absolutely zero bearing on the situation,
If anything, his age is a massive plus, not a negative.
How can anyone watch our first 2 games and decide Chris stalling in that defence isn't a massive positive?
Insane!
07 Aug 2026 15:34:57
How many times have you seen him play in the last two years, Stevie? I haven't seen him. One thing I know, if he was playing like Davie Weir, he wouldn't be available on a free. What sort of wages will he demand? He's been on 5 million a season the last two seasons.
Can't believe this is where we are at.
07 Aug 2026 15:42:06
Just in principle, we haven't done too badly with old codger signings. Weir, Davis and Balogun definitely offered plenty at a ripe old age (Seems crazy calling a 36 year old man old at my age, I'm officially old). I wouldn't say it's a lack of standards to accept Chris Smalling as a potentially beneficial signing as those were guys who probably raised standards in the dressing room and on the park.
If we take bias out of it, Smalling has probably been considered a higher level player than any of them for most of his career.
We know these types of signing can be highly beneficial, whether we're actually interested in him I have no clue, but I don't mind the idea compared to pursuing weird loan players who'll likely never play for their parent club. Loved watching Hibs play when Franck Sauzee was there. He'd slowed down considerably since he gave us fits playing for Marseille back in the day, but he was miles ahead of everyone else in his head. It's not always a lack of ambition to go for experience if the quality is still there.
07 Aug 2026 15:53:14
Stevie, do you think he is the best we can get?
07 Aug 2026 16:07:38
Zungu, how many leagues have we won in 10/15 years? Your concept on not too badly and mine are completely different.
07 Aug 2026 16:08:14
Very poor Roma side 😂 a million miles ahead of us though.
07 Aug 2026 16:57:22
Really hope we never go down this route again. We need someone at or near peak level who can play almost every minute like Goldson did for us, or we have taken several steps further backwards. It's definitely not a transfer that would have the hordes jumping for joy.
07 Aug 2026 16:57:34
It ain't a signing to rock Scottish football, but I'll take all the experience and help we can get. That defence is shambolic.
07 Aug 2026 16:59:21
Taking a second to respond to you, Huistra. I'm not saying he's the *best* we can get, but for a free, he'd be great. We've been down the Robin Propper Street before, in that amongst "211 footballing nations" there are other options out there, but we don't always know what we're getting.
What I believe with a player like Chris Smalling is that we would know what we're getting with him turning up.
07 Aug 2026 17:14:47
I appreciate it's just a rumour, but if that's the case, the recruitment team need to be shown the door.
07 Aug 2026 17:17:46
Jfm, I've not seen him play much either, only in European games at Roma, and he was outstanding, albeit 2 years ago.
I know he was very highly rated in Italy while he was there, Mourinho rates him massively.
Also, mate, Weir, Davis and Balogun were all on frees, and for me there's a massive amount of players coming up on frees every season now, so no fee doesn't mean anything these days imo.
Huistra, I'll actually turn that question on its head and say I don't think we can actually attract him or his likes, never mind is that best we can do.
I think he'd do a tremendous job for us in this league and Europe.
He is exactly what we need, some lads can confirm I've been on about his exact profile all summer without picking a name.
Literally couldn't be more exact in terms of what I think we need and him.
Can only hope McInnes sees the interview and the reaction to it and thinks "ye know what".
07 Aug 2026 18:07:37
Just remember, all of those saying he's a free. He'll demand a big signing on fee and a large salary. He has been on 5m euros a year for the last two years. He'll not be coming for 10 grand a week. No such thing as free.
07 Aug 2026 17:44:27
Fair point Huistra but in terms of 36 year old players performances in that time I'm just saying I don't have an issue with an older player if they still have quality like Davis and Weir did, they never let the club down like a lot of others did, many just weren't anywhere near good enough but you can blame 15 years on a tiny handful of old players who actually did perform if you like.
I know I'd rather sign someone like them than the likes of Djiga or that guy from a French club who's name I've forgotten already who hardly played because we'd have more chance of winning a league title, that goes for our £40million superstar Manny Fernandez as well because he's genuinely terrifying to watch, I'd have been demanding £140million for Carlos Cuellar if he was here now. I think you'll find those old guys do actually know something about lifting silverware for Rangers and doing well in Europe too.
It's not like it's been hot competition in Scotland, Celtic fans should be as disgruntled as we are at how stagnant they are despite all the titles, they've blown any opportunity they had to capitalise on our misfortune and they're atrocious too, I wouldn't mind seeing some wise old heads at all, he a refreshing change from headless chickens. Looking at you Djedi Gassama 😂
I do get you on standards mate, I remember Richard Gough, Cuellar, Amoruso and Boumsong etc, the problem with that is we're simply no longer an attractive prospect to that level of player. Same time if you can tell me that Weir and Davis didn't perform to an acceptable standard that would see us absolutely walk the SPL and not embarrass us in Europe if we had 9 other player of comparative ability in the respective positions I'd tell you that you were speaking nonsense, they were very good players for us and they're not what the problem has been all that time. I'd love to go out and sign the new Arthur Numan and Jorg Albertz, we all would love that, it's not realistic because it would cost an absolute fortune and there are far nicer parts of the world than Glasgow, bigger clubs than Rangers and more attractive competitions than the mighty SPL.
I do like Tuur Rommens, that kind of quality at that kind of price to later be sold at a profit is the sustainable business model, reality of it. I can't understand the valuations of Raskin, Fernandez and Chermiti who have yet to contribute like Davis or Weir did, the latter two in particular you'd need to be mental if you'd watched them play more than 3 times so don't be thinking I'm delighted with what I've been witnessing, you're telling me what my standards are. We're not a very inspiring football team and haven't been for a long time but what's your expectation of what it should look like? Advocaat era? Tugay and Claudio Reyna on the bench? Good times indeed, Tugay would currently be our best player five times over if there was such a thing as times machines 😂
I don't disagree if you say it's inexcusable that we struggle in the SPL because we have guys that cost more than other teams entire budgets, that is unforgivable, we have the resources to be hammering these clubs if not competing in Europe, you should be able to find half decent footballers for £4million or at least ones that don't struggle to compete with a guy who's possibly cost less than a week's wages and we've been guilty of that for years. Is that a fair standard?
I do actually expect we'll be okay this year domestically and I'm not panicking just yet, my standards this year are to compete domestically and then hopefully have a settled pre-season next year, I'll worry about Europe then if McInnes has shown he can manage Rangers in Scotland. I don't want a repeat of the same old story every single year, we have been fairly pish for all that time you mentioned but I don't blame it on Davis and Weir, or Allan McGregor for that matter because he was the best 36 year old signing of the lot and that's probably not even close because he was outstanding. I'd say he was the difference between a league title or not so that's why I don't agree with you on old farts, it's something that has worked out "not too badly" for us when the rest of our recruitment policy has largely failed. I do respect your opinion and I too wish we had endless coffers where we could sign proper footballers like the good old days but we don't, we were spoilt growing up and it's hard to watch sometimes so condolences for what you've had to endure lol, we all know that same pain 😂
07 Aug 2026 18:09:56
Stevie, I agree, but like I nearly did in my response, you forget Allan McGregor who's the ultimate example of how a 36 year old on a free can be good business for us, he was phenomenal and we'd never have won the league without him. I appreciate Weir and Davis as outfield players are perhaps more relative to a discussion about an outfield player. Weir was signed under a similar pretext to Gareth McCauley and Leon Balogun rather than big fanfare like Bruno Alves, we got the player Alves was meant to be in Weir while Balogun probably had the best form of his career as well.
I think Smallwood probably would come with Alves style expectation rather than being expected to play a Gareth McCauley role lol so it's just slightly different, but you're right about attracting them too, there are far more attractive/lucrative options for tired old men that would be unambitious of us to pursue.
07 Aug 2026 19:29:17
Anyway, looks like our new right winger is 2 footed so that's nice, though I watched game on a Polish channel and it was a tad sticky, but from what I saw he had no fears with his right foot.
07 Aug 2026 21:10:49
Zungu, I left McGregor out due to him being a keeper but you're right to mention him mate.
We've had the Alves and Barton's etc but, Smalling is British and an ex England international for me he'd fit into Scottish football perfect. His style is big, strong, dominant, he's not a fancy, he'll be super fit from the Italian lifestyle and training twice a day every day if the week like the clubs do over there.
For me he's literally the exact player we needs top of my list I'd say as there's not many in that category we could attract.
I'd happily pay him £4m signing in fee and 35k a week for 2 years. Bonuses for 15 clean sheets and trophies.
He's the difference from a shambles ro an organised solid defence for me.
He may want home with his family Manchester ain't far from Glasgow.
He may want to sample Old Firm games and try for trophies and Europe again that he won't gwt in England now.
It's worth exploring is all I'm saying surely.
07 Aug 2026 23:25:45
No argument there, Stevie. No idea if there's anything to the rumour, but if there is, then after last night I would be happy to lay my hat on a 36 year old Smallwood being a more dependable defender than Fernandez is ever going to be. Makes sense to me.
08 Aug 2026 00:05:02
If it's not been explored it should be, mate.
It's a no brainer.
He was very Pacey when he was at Man United, he won't be as fast but he's still going to have that about him too.
He and Godfrey would be good, and we need to see how Makhanya does.