PromDeAnglais

I sort of knew this season was coming, just by looking at our recruitment. Kent and Morelos are probably leaving for free next summer. Loved the service McGregor, Davis and Arfield have given to us over the years but they're finished, they're now bit part players at best. McLaughlin isn't good enough. Decent back up. That's it. Never a Rangers number 1. How anyone thought any differently, I don't know. Barasic deserved to be told to find a new club the way Katic was this summer. Yet he remains. We let Balugon go and now play a defensive midfielder at centre back with a LB we can't trust. It's a step back. We really needed a huge overhaul that never happened. This is the result. I still think Colak looks awkward up top on his own. He's too slow and doesnt hold the ball up well. Wrong signing. If Morelos had been sold I doubt he would have been our only target. This all lies on the manager and the recruitment. Compare it to the beasts who got rid of Rogic and other players that were finished. We totally fucked it over the summer. And here's the consequences. We now let Kent and Morelos walk for nothing. Truly awful from the board.

It gives a slight advantage whereby their dressing room will be shambolic over the near future. They're potentially losing 3 first team starters in 1 day. Yes they will have capable players but you can't deny it's a small advantage to us in our preparation. I do feel for Ajax fans as well btw. I'd hate for that to happen to us. We've had interest in players like Kent and Morelos, obviously Bassey and Aribo but they've remained seemingly professional about it.

Summerising a few articles here. 3 Ajax first team members players have reportedly went on strike to force moves. Anthony has signed this morning for Manchester United. Edson Alverez and Mohammad Kumus have now refused to train to force moves to Chelsea and Everton. This all comes after Lisandro Martinez reportedly told the Ajax director of football Jordi Cruyff that he was "a fucking nobody" during negotiations to force a move to Manchester United earlier in July. Any further moves away from Ajax today may spell costly to the club after the Dutch FA admitted an admin error had assumed the European transfer window was shutting last night (August 31st), when the vast majority of European FAs had agreed to extend the window, meaning Ajax are now powerless to replace any potential outgoing players. Ajax kick off their Champions League campaign at home to Rangers on Wednesday, September 7th. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.90min.com/posts/eredivisie-transfer-window-close-early-dutch-fa-error/amp https://www.goodisonnews.com/2022/09/01/mohammed-kudus-pushing-ajax-to-accept-everton-offer/ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11168711/Chelsea-target-Edson-Alvarez-refuses-train-Ajax-Thursday.html The amount of power players have these days is just crazy. A bit of a mess 1 week away from playing us.

We'd peaked under him. 55 was it. I know we all wanted to build on that with him but it was going very stale last season. We were playing pretty shit towards the end of his tenure. No way we would have had the same season had he stayed. We were heading out of Europe until we got a bounce under Gio. Premier league is another level. He got 2 seasons here to get his team playing his style. No way you get that time in the EPL. Saying that. I don't know what Villa's objectives are. They've spent money, but so has every other team down there. West Ham have spent 150 million for example and are still looking to buy more. There's no other league in the world anywhere near the average spendature.

Monaco giving PSG a lesson here.

Great win for the youngsters.

PSV thumped Ajax a few weeks ago so who knows. Napoli are strong but not as strong as they have been in years prior, they were genuine title contenders 4 or 5 years ago and the only team to challenge Juve while the two Milan teams were struggling. Liverpool have stalled and have an injury crisis. Salah v Barasic though...

redditsave.com_today_is_the_day-djy88qp2nnj91.mp4

Golden Retrievers are an amazing breed. I've seen first hand the difference they make to kids with ADHD and people in general with mental illness. Great work this. Shameless plug to show you my one:

Doubt we'll even appeal them tbh. Lundstram tackle was never a red. Cynical yes but not dangerous whatsoever... Morelos.... doesn't matter if he catches his neck or not. It was stupid as fuck.

Good team. Physical but also good on the ball. A fully fit Morelos would've loved that challenge. Fingers crossed for the second leg. They are beatable though. We need more in the final third. That and manage our set pieces better. Had a feeling they were happy with the draw. They sat so deep in the final 20 minutes. Will be an interesting match, 1 goal either way.

For those needing a reminder. Van Bronkhorst v Van Nistelrooy as managers. I'm getting old.

Former Rangers midfielder Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed that Dutch international team-mate Ruud van Nistelrooy was scared of the Ibrox atmosphere the last time he played there in the UEFA Champions League. The Barcelona man, on loan this season from Arsenal, played against the Manchester United striker in 1999, when the Old Firm giants defeated PSV Eindhoven 4-1 in Europe's top club competition that year. The Dutchman thinks van Nistelrooy found the atmosphere at Ibrox in 1999 to be very intimidating and believes the Scottish Treble holders can disrupt United's rhythm when they face each other on Wednesday. "It is not made up that players can suffer from an intimidating atmosphere when they play at visiting grounds," said van Bronckhorst. "I know from Ruud that when we beat PSV at Ibrox in the (UEFA) Champions League, he thought it was very frightening. "He said it was one of the most atmospheric matches he had ever experienced - and now he has to face it again. "For him to come back to Ibrox, it will be the same experience." https://www.skysports.com/football/news/2278624/van-bronckhorst-ibrox-scares-ruud

This is what I'm realising with this signing. Literally took me 10 minutes of research to see how you need to play him to get the best out of him. And we don't play that way.

Need to look at Ross Wilson IMO. He's signed him after Malmo last season. Gio wasn't here to see him. Bad choice of signing if we're not changing our front 3 tactically.

Absolutely agree. I just find it strange that he's basically proven in a 4-4-2, done shit in 1 up top. Yet we went for him and expected something different?

Requires a total reshuffle from our current tactics. Also not sure what we do with all our wingers plus Tav/Yilmaz if we have 2 up top.

You can blame a system for that. If he doesn't fit the formation or tactics then it'll end poorly. Better players than him have flopped due to this. Look at Lukaku in Tuchels Chelsea for example. But for us to then sign him in to a similar formation, after watching him do well in a 2, and expecting something different to happen is inexcusable.

This signing makes absolutely no sense then. Took me 10 minutes to work it out.

Don't want to make a thread bashing another player. But I've have noticed something regarding Colak. He's not a lone striker in my opinion. Quite simply put. 4-3-3 or 5-2-3 with 2 wides is not going to work with him. Let's look at his stats: Rijeka, 38 goals in 76 games. "Rijeka usually play with two forwards and then get the width from their wing-backs. On paper, their attacking formation will often look something like a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-1-2 with an attacking midfielder, two strikers and full-backs who serve as wing-backs and even wingers when in possession." Source: https://totalfootballanalysis.com/head-coach-analysis/simon-rozman-rijeka-201920-tactical-analysis-tactics#:~:text=Rijeka usually play with two,even wingers when in possession. PAOK: 3 goals in 25. Formations: 4-3-2-1 (22 games), 3-4-2-1 (8 games) Source: https://www.footballcritic.com/paok/formations/1494/45922 Malmo: 22 goals in 41. UCL formation: 3-5-2 Source: https://onefootball.com/en/news/ucl-stats-gallery-chelsea-vs-malmo-ff-xg-aerial-duels-and-more-33950119 Malmo v Rangers: We've signed someone who flops up top on his own but excels in a 4-4-2 formation (or tactics with 2 up top). Either Gio changes his system once Morelos and/or Roofe are back fit or this guys career at us is as good as over already. Boyd in his prime was never a lone striker. He needed a Miller type to link up with. This is very similar in my opinion. Either Gio had told Ross Wilson he'll change his system once our other strikers are back fit or this transfer is extremely poorly researched and makes no sense in regards to our formation for the last 4 seasons. He looks lost in the two games so far.

Correct. I genuinely think he set out for a 0-0 tonight. Away in the Europa last season was the same. Backfired tonight big time against poorer opposition than we played last season. Sands Goldon and Lundstrom in a back 3 is shocking. We let Balugon go, why? Playing midfielders in there isn't an answer. Same as the keeper situation. We've kept McGregor but demoted him. All of a sudden McLaughlin is good enough to be our number 1 in Europe? Sorry, but he isn't good enough. If McGregor isn't good enough to be our no 1 any longer then he shouldn't have been offered an extension and we should have targeted a number 1 from elsewhere. We've played 4-3-3 for 4 years now. And now we'll revert to it and try and salvage something. Colak, Mutondo and Thillman offered nothing tonight but we wait until we're 2 down and bring on Wright and Lawrence. Like for like and 0 change in formation or tactics.

An absolutely shambles of a performance. Shite formation. Shite tactics. Passive pish. No pass marks for anyone. Said it at the end of last season, McLaughlin isn't good enough to be our number 1. If McGregor is finished then he shouldn't have been offered an extension and we should have signed a proper number 1. Not give it to our second choice for the last 2 seasons. Colak looks like a Croatian James Beattie.

Hopefully get to see Tillman. Rangers TV, £7.99. https://www.Rangers.co.uk/tv#/

Obligatory hype video before the 4 month injury layoff.

No arguments from me. But fuck trying to play an open 4-3-3 with our current attacking options. We've not produced a quality winger since McCann or striker since McCoist. And even then, the 2008 squad that came close under Walter/McLeish would beat Clarkes team.