SIRB_72

Second half much better, more controlled and gave very little away apart from that corner at the death. Still too many alarm bells and red flags particularly with how we defend. Defending well is the only way we have a chance of winning this. We don't have the quality, particularly wide, and Dessers can be hit or miss. We don't have 3s and 4s in us. We're Rangers and even being depleted we always tend to score (24 blanks in 291 league games since 2016) in games which highlights the important of needing to defend well in our current predicament. Good three points in the end but probably saved by two goalkeepers and I'm not too confident going against Killie.

Dont trust these cunts at all but Dundee just have to keep themselves in the game. I think it's like 6/7 points that celtic have dropped from 90 minutes and onwards in the league and then you include what happened last week. Wont hold my breath.

Game of two goalies.

We need to be perfect at the back to win this title and we cant even deliver the basics at the back wether it's Tav unable to boot a ball to fuck or Balogun marking his man. Just like County, St Mirren are unlucky not to be ahead at half time. If we win this today it's papering over cracks. Not a chance we get past Kilmarnock never mind parkhead with that defence. It's clear our defence is just our shit as our attack but it's easier to keep goals out than score 4 or 5 a game. Again, just basic shit.

Really glad to see Sterling back in midfield even if it is on the right. Huge day for Dio, Silva and Borna on the left side, particularly the latter two. We need them to really perform with St Mirren's wing backs. Silva has to keep them deep and wide, something we struggled with last time in Paisley. We also need Borna high as well so Silva can come inside. I actually think Silva looks his best driving centrally. Sterling is obviously not a natural winger but gives me less concerns due to his ability to get around the pitch with and without the ball. He or Tav can come in creating and overloads centrally but Sterling can also get into really good positions and with the movement of Dessers and Cantwell can get on the end of chances if need be - Silva on the other hand is a guessing game. St Mirren also give a good bit to the other team down their left. The same applies since Ross County. Just keep a clean sheet and give our limited attack less work to do. I'll say 2-0 Rangers and we're due goals from quite a few.

Should have known, he was certainly due an injury. Fit for nearly two months as well...

Butland, Tav, Souttar, Balogun, Barisic, Sterling, Diomande, McCausland, Cantwell, Matondo & Dessers. I just think balance wise it's probably the best team but saying that you could replace 4/5 of these with someone else and it probably wouldn't make a difference good or bad.

Glad he's back in the team. I was honestly not his biggest fan and always thought he was a drop off on Helander first time round but they two alternating during 55 worked really well. However with Goldson dropping off at an alarming rate and Souttar being Souttar he has just managed to put in consistent performances. He's given Goldson and Barisic confidence earlier this season and I'm sure will do the same with Souttar. Mentioned this before but he's the only guy in our squad who has won something every year he's played with us. He's clearly a good influence in the dressing room, adores the club and I'm assuming isn't on massive money either.

Sima off the left is a huge loss, Sima off the right not so much. He's more of a wide forward than a pure winger. From the right he has to be a creator whereas on the left he is a goal scorer. Imo he can't do both as he just isn't the most creative player but he is an intelligent player who makes good runs, gets in great positions and is a superb finisher.

Getting into final is the most important thing and we've done that. We were never going to be perfect after the last week. Hopefully Sima is okay as his goals will be vital on this run in. Good to keep a clean sheet. I see it this way with our attacking options if we defend well and keep clean sheets then the reliance on them becomes even less as we dont need 3/4+ goals. It gives us a real chance.

Nice to see Balogun back in. Sterling is wasted at left back and the left side is too narrow. Sima better off the left but we'll see

So Lundstram, Goldson, Silva and Sterling at left back?

Chelsea must be the only team in the UK that has worse finishing than us

Butland Tavernier Souttar Balogun Yilmaz Sterling Diomande McCausland Cantwell Sima Dessers If Yilmaz isn't available then Barisic. This wont be the team though.

It's as tedious as watching the players who all of this clearly effects. It is a major factor if not the defining factor for a good chunk of this squad and there are plenty of trends to show it. SInce Gerrard joined in 2018 after the winter break when we are a minimum of 2 points behind celtic or better we've had 3 occassions when we've dropped 9+ points to celtic between the first game after the break and the 3rd game of the season against celtic. In 2019 we had a drop of 10, in 2020 a drop of 11 and in 2022 a drop of 9 to celtic. We obviously never got to play that 3rd game against them in 2020 but in 2019 and 2022 we went onto to lose 2-1 on both occassions. After these two defeats we had a record of 5 wins out of 6 afterwards. Win% between Janurary and 3rd celtic game - 50% in 2019 and 2022. Win% after the celtic defeat - both 83%. I'm not going to denegrate our 55 success but I do think less external pressure did help and I think that helped this squad under Beale and now Clement and the numbers show it again. Beale comes in and we're 9 points behind celtic which carries on until, again, we lose to celtic in the 3rd game of the season after failing to beat them at Ibrox in December and the League Cup final. So we were comfortable with celtic at a distance but as soon as there was a chance to beat them in an important game we dont win. Which brings me onto results against celtic in general in these specific periods. So after the winter break our record when celtic win the league in all comps is 3 wins in 11. 1 win was that superb cup win under Gio and the other two were when we were 9pts behind celtic in 2019 and 13 points behind last season when celtic were confirmed champions both times. Clement comes into similar circumstances with us 7 behind and chips away and chips away celtic who drop more points than they did when Beale was here. We look like a proper team but lose at parkhead. So another big loss to celtic and 8 points behind (and I'm not counting games in hand because as we seen last night it means fuck all). Ater defeat at parkhead we bounce back and win 9 in a row and get ourselves to the summit and then another collapse where once again we've failed to beat celtic and are on a run of 1 win in 5 - not for the first time. This is the 4th time in 6 season that we've gone on a disastrous run when we only manage 1 or 2 wins in 5 or 6 matches. So between New Year and 3rd celtic game in 2019 we had a run of 2 wins in 5 and a cup KO to Aberdeen in between, in 2020 it was 1 win in 5 and a cup KO v Hearts but we managed to beat Braga in the EL (funny that) and in 2022 we went on a run of 2 in 6 but managed to knock out Dortmund - again maybe just a coincidence and nothing to do with pressure? Now we're on a similar run at just a different time in the season. Clement's managerial reign at Rangers has encapsulated every bit of failure parts of this squad has had under Gerrard, Gio and Beale just with some differences in timing. The big gap behind and the big run of wins when everyone thinks the league is done. Failing to beat celtic within a 9 point margain after January. A 5/6 league run that we fail to win even a third of those games which means celtic just have to have the most basic level of consistency to cause a major point swing. We're in the middle of a 5 point swing as we speak over the last 3/4 weeks and as I mentioned before history shows it'll probably get worse before it gets better. We've even had the underdog Euro performances. We've already won a cup so I'm assuming we'll cap this run off with defeat to Hearts or lose to celtic in the final and we'll have had the full bingo card either way. What is the one constant through this? Players. Specifically Tav, Goldson, Barisic and Ryan Jack. Roofe, Wright, Balogun and Lundstram also had a part to play in these seasons and the tradition is now getting passed through to newer members of the squad. It may be tedious but we're seeing trend and after trend that we've seen every year from this core group. Managers and other players have come and gone and here we are seeing the exact same traits from this team we've been seeing for 5/6 years. They're not just lacking in quality or tactical implementation or help with sports science they are also scarred and lack belief to go and win things regularly.

The "old guard" has to go but whether that is possible especially with Tav and Goldson is probably unlikely unfortunately. We have Jack, Barisic, Baolgun, Lundstram and Roofe all out of contract and Scott Wright with 1 year left. So that is something and I would definetely be pushing Wright out the door. Out of this group that has played 2+ years the only one I'd consider keeping is Balogun as a cheap and experienced centre half. Also the only player in our squad who has played more than 1 season and won something every year he has played with us. The batch who signed from summer 2022 and onwards a small percentage of them are any good and a high percentage of them are injured a lot. Though the experienced ones need removed the newer recruits hardly give you hope.

Part of that history and success is guaged on the cups as well as the league titles. Rangers need to win both. Just because we dont win the league shouldn't mean we just dont give a fuck about the cups. If celtic win the double they will have equaled our domestic trophy haul which was unfathomable even when we returned to the top flight. I take your point about the league being the priority, I don't think anyone would disagree, but I wouldn't be dismissing the importance of picking up cups especially now when our statement of the "most successful team in football" is at risk to them over the next 6 weeks.

He's losing a fighting battle with this core but I just think he got it wrong tonight. Doesnt mean I want him sacked.

Could play until next week and still not score. Glad to see us get a clean sheet and weren't too bad defensively apart from that first 10 minutes and when we were "chasing" late on. If we were going to do anything tonight and going forward we need clean sheets because, as we seen tonight, we dont have the firepower. Slow, ponderous and unbalanced. Sterling is wasted at left back, absolutely wasted, and when you look at how unathletic that centre of midfield is Sterling is, along with Dio, what we're crying out for in there. For me, as much as a shitebag he is, Barisic has to play if Yilmaz isn't available. We have 4/5 other bed wetters out there but at least another one might help us out tactically, even at least so I don't have to watch Tav hit about 10 corners in succession. Since we're on the left Silva is shite as is Matondo. Get Sima back out there and get McCausland back on the right with Tav getting forward. One side you have Barisic playing balls down the channel for Sima and on the other McCausland coming inside while Tav exploits the space. I'm not his biggest fan but alongside Sterling we should be trying Raskin. As I said that midfield tonight was as unathletic as you can get. At least Raskin and Sterling can sprint and I suspect he might be a better number 8 than Lawrence, Dowell and whoever fucking else we can chuck in before him. Cantwell is our only 10 at this point and he was a huffy we shite tonight. Didn't turn up and was right to get hooked. As much as Desser is a pain in the arse there is a reason he plays before Roofe and we seen why tonight. Roofe, unfortunately for him, is done. The manager is very limited here but I think there's other things he could be doing rather than what he is.

Last few weeks have been dodgy and the manager spoke about doing the basics. If we get back to basics, keeping clean sheets, giving little if nothing away then we can certainly beat Dundee. We sort ourselves out at the back the huge issues with Dessers become as minimal as possible. Relying on him and the likes of Silva to go and grab is 3/4 goals in a game is completely unrealistic at this point. Just win tonight and go from there but if we want to win this title, and the cup for that matter, it'll need to be 1/2 nils imo.

I have my doubts but if we were able to turn them over at their place with two games to go would be absolute scenes. A man can dream.

100%

I think if similar happens again and Clement is booted and the same core is at the club a lot of the support will turn. People paying thousands into the club every year to watch the same dross getting the same results year after year eventually takes a toll. These players, like you say, will and have run every manager, good or bad, out of the place and eventually it will be the support they chase away.

It was Gio. Looked like he was out the door in the January on loan at one point then started the 5-0 at home to Hearts and Thursday night Lundstram was born.

Another mad thing is that 35 year old Leon Balogun is our most succesful player based on what he's won and what opportunites he's had. The guy has joined us, left, joined us again and still has as many medals as the core group and more than some in that group like Lundstram.