Season 2020’21: Game 16: Rangers (A)

[wellsince75]

I personally like that we parked the bus rather than try and go toe to toe. Being 1 up after 60 mins is more refreshing that being 3-0 by half time.

We couldn't maintain it for 90 mins, no big deal. Rangers are far superior.

I'd like SR to continue to evolve formations - he's clearly not a fan of 4-4-2 but with our current squad I suspect this would be a formation that works against most clubs and revert to 4-5-1 or 5-4-1 against the top 3-4 clubs.
 

[Kmcalpin]

Just watched the highlights, if we can call them that.

The first goal -  our midfield is sitting far too deep and no-one goes to challenge or close down the advancing attacking player -  a huge error.  He plays the ball out to the wing where there's a Rangers player all on his own - another huge error. He then slings over a cross and picks out his target. Mugabi does the rest. Not really defending him but at that point our central defence is put under totally unnecessary pressure.

Second goal - 2 Rangers players unmarked at the far post and thats the root cause of the trouble.

Third goal - downright calamitous play from a number of our lads.

Taken together our biggest failure was defending far too deep and allowing balls into our box. If you play like that your central defence will more than likely concede. 

To end on a positive note I thought our goal was very well worked.  Big Dec showed some skill in teeing up O'Donnell who then plays a peach of a ball to Lang who finishes well.

[joewarkfanclub]

8 hours ago, Yorkyred said:

I’m going to go against the general feeling that the substitutions cost us yesterday, I don’t actually think it made any difference. We were playing so deep it was only a matter of time regardless.

I think we can agree that you could see the goal coming. That being the case, you need to change it, otherwise you accept the inevitible. Im not suggesting a change wasnt needed, it clearly was. But most on here have identified this was happening because we were sat too deep. We needed a change to get us further up the park to take the pressure off the defence a little. What we got was one of our most willing runners taken off for another defender. I just dont get the logic in that?

[ropy]

9 hours ago, Yorkyred said:

I’m going to go against the general feeling that the substitutions cost us yesterday, I don’t actually think it made any difference. We were playing so deep it was only a matter of time regardless.

And 1-1 would have been a fine result, thereafter we created further chinks in our armour

[santheman]

You could see in the last 20 mins that both Rangers full backs were getting more and more of the ball because we had retreated into our own penalty area  and it was only a matter of time before one of their crosses landed lucky. There is such a thing as having too many defenders in your box sometimes.

Did Mugabi just miss the flight of the ball at the 1st goal or did he actually duck because he thought the ball was going behind and didn't see the player behind him? Not sure on that but yet another basic error. Who knows what would have happened if they hadn't scored from that.

 

[ropy]

1 minute ago, santheman said:

You could see in the last 20 mins that both Rangers full backs were getting more and more of the ball because we had retreated into our own penalty area  and it was only a matter of time before one of their crosses landed lucky. There is such a thing as having too many defenders in your box sometimes.

Did Mugabi just miss the flight of the ball at the 1st goal or did he actually duck because he thought the ball was going behind and didn't see the player behind him? Not sure on that but yet another basic error. Who knows what would have happened if they hadn't scored from that.

 

Did it also hit Mugabi’s arm, not sure?  Wouldn’t have been surprised at a penalty award.

[Stevie73]

Just seen the highlights, wow, how junior was that defending, I watch my 12 year olds team clear their lines better than that, Bevis looked like he was on ice skates, best defensive partnership all season has been Gallagher and O’Hara, Robo needs to watch back previous games grow a pair and pick the right team to take us forward.....

[Lan_Lad]

I think in the second half it simply became too much to contain them any longer. In that second half they brought on Aribo, Hagi, and Itten. One of that trio scored the other two provided assists. That's just one of the major difference between them and most of the rest of the league. That type of quality sitting on the bench waiting to be deployed with fresh legs if required.

To my knowledge Motherwell are the only Scottish team to have taken a lead against them in league matches this season and the only Scottish team to have scored a goal at Ibrox. Given the gulf in class and available resources on the bench it was an acceptable attempt.

[Yorkyred]

11 hours ago, joewarkfanclub said:

I think we can agree that you could see the goal coming. That being the case, you need to change it, otherwise you accept the inevitible. Im not suggesting a change wasnt needed, it clearly was. But most on here have identified this was happening because we were sat too deep. We needed a change to get us further up the park to take the pressure off the defence a little. What we got was one of our most willing runners taken off for another defender. I just dont get the logic in that?

I think my argument would be we were’t getting further up the park regardless of who we changed, the mentality was everyone behind the ball and sit deep. When you add in the quality of players Rangers had coming off the bench it was pretty much inevitable in my view. Rangers are probably as far ahead of everyone else now as Celtic have been in the past with real quality right through the squad. I know it’s not generally acceptable to praise a manager of Celtic or Rangers but Gerrard has done a terrific job and if it were not for the fact he will move down south the minute an opportunity comes up  I could see Rangers being the dominant force in Scottish football for some time.

[ropy]

It was disappointing to have a point wrestled from our grasp on the 82nd minute but it would have been seen as a valiant attempt. The third made it look like a perfunctory defeat.

[Spiderpig]

2 hours ago, Yorkyred said:

I could see Rangers being the dominant force in Scottish football for some time.

Sadly that's the way Scottish football is these days, think its been over 34 years since a team outwith the ugly sisters won the league.

Celtic have been the best for the last 9 years especially the last 4, now its Rangers turn, the most the rest of us can hope for is 3rd place, Europe or a cup win.

[Lan_Lad]

2 hours ago, Yorkyred said:

I know it’s not generally acceptable to praise a manager of Celtic or Rangers but Gerrard has done a terrific job and if it were not for the fact he will move down south the minute an opportunity comes up  I could see Rangers being the dominant force in Scottish football for some time.

I have a suspicion that Gerrard may not leave anytime soon for anything but Liverpool. As everyone knows he's a born and bred Liverpool boy raised in a Liverpool supporting family. Came up through their academy system from about 9 years old to ultimately captain them and putting aside the one year at LA Galaxy I think it was to finish off his career he spent that entire career at Liverpool.

Effectively a one club man despite the fact at his peak he frequently appeared in world best 11 selects and could have had his pick of teams to play at. He never moved despite the fact Liverpool were in a relative slump so he gave up the chance to win more trophies and probably earn a lot more money to stay at his beloved Liverpool.

When I think of Gerrard i'm reminded of something Sir Alex Ferguson once said after being offered the job of England manager. When asked why he turned it down he stated that it was tempting but there was no way he could lead out an England team against Scotland. I suspect Gerrard may feel the same about Liverpool.

If though Klopp were to step down and Gerrard were offered the job he would be on the M74 before the dropped phone hit the floor.

[Al B]

They need over 8 million just to make it to the end of the season, and already need around 14 million to make it through the following season....and that's as it stands without any further debt that accrues between now and then. Since 2012 they have made a net loss of around 85 million, and don't have a single major trophy to show for it.

Rangers won't be dominating anything in years to come, they are Martyring themselves to stop Celtic getting 10-in-a-row.

 

Steven Gerrard has spent multiple 10's of millions on players and hasn't won anything in a league packed with players that are genuinely terrible, and it took him 2 years to even look a good side with that money. I can't see how anyone could think he's done a teriffic job by any way you measure it.

[Yorkyred]

1 hour ago, Al B said:

They need over 8 million just to make it to the end of the season, and already need around 14 million to make it through the following season....and that's as it stands without any further debt that accrues between now and then. Since 2012 they have made a net loss of around 85 million, and don't have a single major trophy to show for it.

Rangers won't be dominating anything in years to come, they are Martyring themselves to stop Celtic getting 10-in-a-row.

 

Steven Gerrard has spent multiple 10's of millions on players and hasn't won anything in a league packed with players that are genuinely terrible, and it took him 2 years to even look a good side with that money. I can't see how anyone could think he's done a teriffic job by any way you measure it.

When compared to previous managers he’s on a different level. It takes time to build and he’s done it, not sure how much better he could have done. He’s about to walk the league.

[texanwellfan]

Done well in Europe too