Have we made progress?

[BLUEDIGNITY 33,638]

NO.

[Ivybank 4,577]

Not at all

[chris182 6,279]

1 minute ago, The Godfather said:

Sadly all true.

People will want to pretend we are making progress and I don’t blame them but look at it on paper and see where we are and how we have performed in all 3 competitions domestically and it’s dismal stuff. 

We don’t have a team capable of winning trophies and the likes of Jordan Jones isn’t changing that. We have got guys like Davis and Defoe who can’t get a game taking home a combined 50 odd grand a week.....mon tae fuck

I think Jones might well be a good squad player for us but is he a step up on whether we have already, probably not.

The Davis and Defoe signings have been a failed gamble. Defoe doesn't fit our "Morelos" system and Davis is a shadow of what he was. End their loans in the summer.

[HG5 11,082]

1 hour ago, The Ibrox Derry said:

The cunts beat a pish celtic at New Year. Thought they were billy big bollocks. Went and swanned around in Tenerife, then came home and shat the bed.

Losers and abject failures one and all.

celtic will be pissing themselves laughing at us again.

Give or take a few good halves against the bottom feeders, or against 10 men, performances & results since December make me wonder if the rumours about the scum being flu-struck were true.

 

[chris182 6,279]

It honestly seems that every year for the past 7 years this football team conspire to ruin my Spring and Summer.

Heartbreaking.

[bluenoz 30,689]

We went 25 years without losing to Aberdeen at home and now twice this season. I don't slate often on here but that performance showed no progress.

[HG5 11,082]

1 hour ago, sandyinroyalblue said:

Is being slightly less of a failure progress?

That’s how I live my life, mate....

[writingranger 1,412]

Yes but we still don't have an attack that can break down a decent team with a packed defence.

[HG5 11,082]

36 minutes ago, McEwan's Lager said:

I think he’d be gone if he was anyone else apart from the captain for King’s favourite club.

As it’s quite clear that his standing in the game means fuck all up here, we’re left with a trainee.

A trainee who’s already managed a season and a quarter’s worth of matches.

Who’s played everybody twice, three times or even six times - learning opportunities come thick & fast, given the wee bubble we play out football in.

You’d have thought that would be enough to sort out their weaknesses.

Looks like it’s enough time for everybody else to work out ours...

[Swagger 7,890]

The quality of the squad is slightly better.

The shitebag loser attitude is still the same though

[Bigdave30 8,698]

A squad full of average players and a manager that’s still wet behind the ears.

I realistically set my bar (reasonably low by some people’s expectations) at a strong second and a cup final and we have failed at that.

I do believe we have the strongest spine to a team we have had for a good while but that’s not saying much since our recent past has been littered with illustrious names like Rob Kiernan, Philip Senderos, Carlos Pena etc etc etc. I think we have the ‘squad players in place and a handful of key signings could put us right.

If we are taking a punt on Gerrard (he was never going to be an overnight success at least not in my mind) despite the disappointments we need to have patience or say hello to ‘rebuild Mk4’

[The Godfather 71,735]

1 minute ago, Bigdave30 said:

A squad full of average players and a manager that’s still wet behind the ears.

I realistically set my bar (reasonably low by some people’s expectations) at a strong second and a cup final and we have failed at that.

I do believe we have the strongest spine to a team we have had for a good while but that’s not saying much since our recent past has been littered with illustrious names like Rob Kiernan, Philip Senderos, Carlos Pena etc etc etc. I think we have the ‘squad players in place and a handful of key signings could put us right.

If we are taking a punt on Gerrard (he was never going to be an overnight success at least not in my mind) despite the disappointments we need to have patience or say hello to ‘rebuild Mk4’

It’s a rebuild regardless because our first 11 and squad is littered with losers and requires millions yet again

[TMB 14,167]

In my opinion no.  

 

[Laudrupsleftfoot 10,784]

Europe seems a long time ago but to be competing on that stage and holding our own was in of itself enough to 'prove' we have made progress compared to last season or the one before.

We've beaten the scum for the first time in however many attempts with one of the most one-sided games we've had against them in twenty or more years.

Overall we've had a real mix of excellent, mediocre and fucking woeful performances but the excellent ones have been better than anything since returning to the top league.

Anyway, all this talk should be left until the end of the season. Two wins against celtic will put a very different spin on things compared to two losses.

[Bigdave30 8,698]

6 minutes ago, The Godfather said:

It’s a rebuild regardless because our first 11 and squad is littered with losers and requires millions yet again

I don’t think we will need or see as much of a rip out as we needed after warburton but I could stand corrected, we will find out in the summer.

We were never going to be an easy fix. , If we manage to bottle 2nd place again I’ll be surprised if Gerrard doesn’t get hunted and I might jump off the Kingston bridge.

[simplythebest 11,453]

Marginally but nowhere near as much as people like to think 

I don't expect him to get sacked but people need to get over the cult of Gerrard, he still has everything to prove after this season 

[Lothianbear 361]

No, well i think we‘re a whole point better off than last season , that dosen’t merit success, even Murty knew how to beat the sheep , Mr Gerrard gets off lightly but its a results driven business we keep hearing so he has to be accountable same as any other manager 

[mitre_mouldmaster 21,509]

I genuinely think we have.

Yes, we have had some stinking results and our points tally isnt much better but to me that isnt the whole story.

We control matches far more than we have in recent seasons. We struggle against teams who are well organised and sit in and hit us on the counter, but with the right recruitment of a few creative players who can unlock that kind of situation, I think we will see a drastic improvement in the returns.

I dont go into games expecting to get totally outplayed, which was a regular occurrence last season. I no longer go into Old Firm games hoping that we dont lose by more than 3 goals etc.

This was never going to be a 1 season fix. We need to recognize what is going right and what is not work to improving as much as we can.

Ripping it up and starting with a new manager and new squad is not going to get us anywhere.

I can see positives from this season, and although im not happy, im willing to give it time to see how we develop.  

[the brown brogue 1,909]

This time last season the league top three was:

Tarriers - P 29 - 67pts - GD + 39

Us - P 30 - 58pts - GD + 26

Sheep - P 29 - 53pts - GD + 10

This season:

Tarriers - P 29 - 67pts - GD +50

Us - P 29 - 59pts - GD +44

Sheep - P 29 - 51pts - GD +12

So in terms of the league everything is much of a muchness, Tarriers have stood still and Sheep a couple of points down, if we win our next game we'll be 4 points better off after 30 games than last season. The major difference is in the number of goals we've conceded - 14 less this season than last. 

If the players down tools now chances are we'll stumble to end of the season just like last year and end up on around the same points total - 70.

Tarriers won the league with only 82 points last season, chances are this seasons points total will be around the same and regardless of whatever you define as progress, that could only be considered a massive opportunity lost.

The cups have been as much of a disaster this season as last. 

This of course is in domestic terms, we can't deny there's been progress in European terms. However we're going to have to go on a similar run next season to reach the group stages and that will be a tough ask. 

[j1mgg 3,766]

We age made progress on the pitch, especially Europe, which will in turn help the off field progress.

The one place that has been a major disappointment is our signings, apart from McGregor, the rest have been bang average, if not worse, and that has been the main stumbling block with our progress this season.

[Smile 26,600]

I think the problem still is the manager learning the game a manager with experience would have had these players doing a lot better but we knew at the start of the season Gerrard would need time.

You don't just learn to be a manager in one season we do not know yet if he's going to turn this round or not but to me its not a shock the way we have performed under a man learning what it is to be Rangers manager.

[trueblueal 2,117]

10 hours ago, mitre_mouldmaster said:

I genuinely think we have.

Yes, we have had some stinking results and our points tally isnt much better but to me that isnt the whole story.

We control matches far more than we have in recent seasons. We struggle against teams who are well organised and sit in and hit us on the counter, but with the right recruitment of a few creative players who can unlock that kind of situation, I think we will see a drastic improvement in the returns.

I dont go into games expecting to get totally outplayed, which was a regular occurrence last season. I no longer go into Old Firm games hoping that we dont lose by more than 3 goals etc.

This was never going to be a 1 season fix. We need to recognize what is going right and what is not work to improving as much as we can.

Ripping it up and starting with a new manager and new squad is not going to get us anywhere.

I can see positives from this season, and although im not happy, im willing to give it time to see how we develop.  

Sensible post. We need an uplift in quality. A few higher level players could lift the functional ones with them. We have too many steady players just now who can't drive a team by force of personality or individual talent. We used to have exceptional individuals and if they didn't do it we could scrap with anyone. What I'd do for a Ferguson in midfield to cajole the weak minded and a DeBoer, Mols, Laudrup, Albertz to do something magical when it all looks fucked. 

[Reformation Bear 6,453]

Those who win cups and leagues celebrate those wins and point to the end product of a trophy.

Those who don't win cups and leagues point to the journey they have travelled and the degree of progress made (measured by all sorts of statistics).   The comfort of making some improvement being important.

There are 3 major trophies to be won in Scottish football.   We won none of them last season.  We're winning none of them this season.   Its season 2010/11since we last won a major trophy.    That for me is a real lack of progress (even allowing for the years in lower divisions where there were still cup trophies available to be won).

I much prefer measuring progress by the achievement of outcomes.  The outcomes being simply - winning the league title, winning the SC, winning the League Cup.   In seasons when winning one of these is not happening then measures of progress in other areas is a secondary matter.   

Does the Board want to win trophies next season?   If the answer is 'yes' then they need to find enough money for SG and the DOF to obtain a few more very much better players who can lift the squad from also ran triers into winners.     

[trueblueal 2,117]

The market we need to be in is 3-4 million players and maybe 4 of them. I'd sell Morelos for big money if its on offer and buy a centre back, 2 forwards and a centre mid for cash. And they all have to be captain material or an exceptional individual. That's how we will win this league, with better players. 

[gogzy 31,195]

11 hours ago, The Godfather said:

In terms of Europe yes 

Domestically no, if some can point out how we have made progress domestically I’d love to hear it. 

I'll have a bash.

In the games we have lost or drawn this season we have mostly looked the better team , that wasn't the case last season.

We have only lose twice all season at Ibrox, that's better than last season.

We have lost one game all season by more than one goal, and in a few of those games we could or should have done enough to win the game.  this is an improvement on last season. 

We beat celtic this season, we hadn't done that for ages.

Where we have failed to progress domestically is in our consistency, and our failure to put teams away at times.

On paper it looks like we have made no domestic progress, but had we had a bit of luck in some of our games where we dropped points, we would be sitting with the same points as them, or much closer at least.  We dropped 4 points recently from 2 last kicks of the ball and our European run helped cost us some silly points earlier this season.

Add to all that the absolutely terrible decisions from referees that have cost us points ( going right back to the first game of the season against Aberdeen).

 

We are through bad luck and a few bad choices not sitting top of the league.  Last season we were nowhere close and we couldn't blame luck of bad choices, we were just bad.