Bit stunned at the criticism of Smith

[Guest Andypendek]

Having thought it over and read the threads (the titles at least...most don't leave much to the imagination!) I gotta say: are we over-reacting? Taken in context it is nothing more than a bad showing in a minor Final. Certainly I'd have liked to have won it, and certainly I'd have liked to have seen a buccaneering performance....or even just some swash....but there's reasons for all the decisions WS made on Sunday, and when viewed in context make some sort of sense. They certainly won't make you feel much better, but it may make Walter seem less like some demented torturer, intent on turning Ibrox into the Abu Ghraib of Scottish Football.

It all comes down to the long term. Given that we're skint, and given that we won't be bringing in more than 2 'name' players in the summer (and even that's optimistic), Smith knows that the younger elements (say ages 20-25) of his squad are the ones who will be in the team over the next 4 or 5 years. But they're not ready yet. Naismith would have been at that stage now, I think, had he not been assaulted in the Cup semi last year. Thomson is another who has come in, settled and looked good. Edu needs another year, maybe 18 months, who knows? Bit by bit introductions into the maelstrom of Rangers World is the way, not getting a start in an OF Final played on a freshly harvested cornfield. I can quite see why Walter would entrust Barry and Lee with the backing up of Davis and Mendes: bluntly, their showings are their own fault.

Even given that neither has shown much form of late, they represented the better option pre-match. Even things like experience of Hampden, gained with Scotland, counted for them. They should have been able to do the job. I feel Lee did OK, but Barry huffed and puffed to little effect. Certainly not for the want of trying, but it didn't happen.

Smith, I think, doesn't want to flood the team with inexperience at this stage. He knows he's going to have to do it from next season on, and I'm quite sure in my own mind that we will see Naismith, Edu, and Fleck more often than not, while Ness, Efrem and Shinnie will become the Fleck of this season: on the edges, trying to become a regular. What, after all, would we have gained from a win yesterday? Another trophy, yes, and more than that a right good kick at timothy. But what we stood to lose with a younger team outweighs that, imo. That's a hard argument to make stick: I realise that. But it's the only line that justifies introducing Dailly.

What, after all, are the alternatives? That Walter is a tim? That Walter hates us and wishes to see us suffer? That upstairs at Ibrox has been taken over by the Ministry of Magic, and they have banned under-age wizards?

It's maybe just wishful thinking, or grasping at straws. The alternative is another season of watching football's equivalent of a resthome 11 pissing down their shorts. I'll take the straw.

[simplythebest 11,453]

Nobody is saying Walter wants us to fail, we're saying he's a poor manager.

[bluenose4life 5]

Its the same old pish though from him. predictable. so negitive. Look at the 4-2 victory, we went there and ATTACKED and won - ibrox we didnt attack much and lost, torbett towers we went and played safe and got a point when all 3 were there - aberdeen we got a draw when they lost week before and we could have had all 3 if we went for it, and yesterday we lose 2-0 to a below avergae tim team.

fact is, smith is scared to lose, so will play for a draw. he has no balls.

[Wreckedroy 33]

Excellent post Andy.

Nice to see some common sense at last.

[Scott-RFC 308]

I just cant defend Smith anymore

Theres few managers around atm that I wouldnt take over him

[papaguy51 912]

Nobody is saying Walter wants us to fail, we're saying he's a poor manager.

Indeed.

My only criticism is that I feel, at times, he'd rather persevere with his failing tactics so that on the off chance that they actually work, he can turn round to us and say 'Told you so'.

Doesn't seem to be willing to try anything radical or different, even when the situation requires it.

But to go any deeper than that with Walter would be daft, he doesn't WANT us to fail. That's plain silly.

[bluenose4life 5]

I just cant defend Smith anymore

Theres few managers around atm that I wouldnt take over him

100% the same here - i used to defend him, saying he was the right man to take us in to games to win but since our defeat to st mirren it has started to go all wrong, aberdeen, celtic, etc.. games we shoudl have won, and went negitive to draw was bad but the final straw for me was losing 1-0 at home to ICT....

[minstral 5,375]

no andy walter is not a tim, just a manager who sets out to not lose a game instead of trying to win it. Plus we have not even scored a goal against them in the last three games. You and i both know and walter admited it himself that in his last spell as manager he could take us no further, and he should never have been brought back.

[nvager 498]

We needed pace and width. We had Daily up attacking in extra time! Surely Edu can do better than someone who has not played all season. Edu managed well enough in other games.

Lafferty should have been kept on the pitch and McCulloch substituted for a striker when we needed a goal.

Walter has lost it this season. We have now dropped 4 points out of 6 using this scheme and lost a cup final. Wonderful. Scored ZERO goals as well. Will Walter use it again - YES!

[Wreckedroy 33]

Nobody is saying Walter wants us to fail, we're saying he's a poor manager.

He's proved over the years that he is not, in fact, a poor manager. Think back to the end of the PLG debacle, how thoroughly wretched we were on all fronts. At least now we are competing for trophies, albeit in a poor manner. I would have liked to see a lot more adventure yesterday too, but the sad fact is that because we play sellick 4, 5 or even 6 times a season there are no surprises left for a manager, therefore teams set up to negate each other.

[simplythebest 11,453]

Nobody is saying Walter wants us to fail, we're saying he's a poor manager.

Indeed.

My only criticism is that I feel, at times, he'd rather persevere with his failing tactics so that on the off chance that they actually work, he can turn round to us and say 'Told you so'.

Doesn't seem to be willing to try anything radical or different, even when the situation requires it.

But to go any deeper than that with Walter would be daft, he doesn't WANT us to fail. That's plain silly.

He seems far too scared of losing, it doesn't matter who is selected, what team we're playing against or what the formation is, it's always negative. If we're one goal up even against someone like Falkirk or St Mirren Smith's main priority is to hold on to what he's got. The players make very lighthearted attempts to go forward and the ball ends up going backwards rather than forwards when our midfield has it, half the time it ends up back at McGregor. I think especially when you're at home you should go for the jugular to kill the game the game off and perhaps entertain the fans along the way, the best form of defence is attack.

The fact that he keeps the negativity up in cup finals where the game is a total one is even more frustrating.

[nemisis 358]

I'm a bit stunned there isn't more criticism of smith.

[disgruntled_bear 157]

I'm a bit stunned there isn't more criticism of smith.

Exactly

[IDavisI 0]

The blame always goes to Smith, yet we have a striker whos not scoring, an awful back 4 bar Bougherra, and a lazy midfield. Smith makes some stupid tactical moves, but hes not all to blame.

[simplythebest 11,453]

Nobody is saying Walter wants us to fail, we're saying he's a poor manager.

He's proved over the years that he is not, in fact, a poor manager. Think back to the end of the PLG debacle, how thoroughly wretched we were on all fronts. At least now we are competing for trophies, albeit in a poor manner. I would have liked to see a lot more adventure yesterday too, but the sad fact is that because we play sellick 4, 5 or even 6 times a season there are no surprises left for a manager, therefore teams set up to negate each other.

Come on, we can't keep comparing everything to the Paul Le Guen situation. Quite frankly things couldn't have been much worse under Le Guen, it could only get better. If we keep doing that then so many things could be excused.

Just 'competing' for trophies isn't good enough, 1st is everything and 2nd is nothing. The league is the big thing and we failed to win it in Smith's first full season and probably will not win it again. The fact that we've put up a challenge to Celtic isn't good enough, it's still 2nd.

[ShootSpeedKillLight 0]

The blame always goes to Smith, yet we have a striker whos not scoring, an awful back 4 bar Bougherra, and a lazy midfield. Smith makes some stupid tactical moves, but hes not all to blame.

Who bought those players?

[IDavisI 0]

Smith got us to the UEFA cup final, and dominated the 1st half of the league last season. It comes down to are players under performing. Mendes has played shit lately, as has Boyd, Miller, Broadfoot and Weir.

[papaguy51 912]

Nobody is saying Walter wants us to fail, we're saying he's a poor manager.

He's proved over the years that he is not, in fact, a poor manager. Think back to the end of the PLG debacle, how thoroughly wretched we were on all fronts. At least now we are competing for trophies, albeit in a poor manner. I would have liked to see a lot more adventure yesterday too, but the sad fact is that because we play sellick 4, 5 or even 6 times a season there are no surprises left for a manager, therefore teams set up to negate each other.

When was the last time he won three SPL games in a row?

For a team that cost almost £30m, that's a horrendous record.

[Youllneverwinaway 0]

no andy walter is not a tim, just a manager who sets out to not lose a game instead of trying to win it. Plus we have not even scored a goal against them in the last three games. You and i both know and walter admited it himself that in his last spell as manager he could take us no further, and he should never have been brought back.

Spot on Minstral

[minstral 5,375]

Smith got us to the UEFA cup final, and dominated the 1st half of the league last season. It comes down to are players under performing. Mendes has played shit lately, as has Boyd, Miller, Broadfoot and Weir.

you dont win titles in the first half of the season.

[chris_glasgow 2]

we have won 4 games in a row thats our records

fcuk me Hamilton have a much much much better record than thatt

out club is run by clowns from top to bottom

[Muff 245]

IMHO he's got off lightly. Imagine Big Red or Le Guen had been our manager - supporters and the mhedia would be on a mission.

[simplythebest 11,453]

Smith got us to the UEFA cup final, and dominated the 1st half of the league last season. It comes down to are players under performing. Mendes has played shit lately, as has Boyd, Miller, Broadfoot and Weir.

He got us to the UEFA Cup football with his negative football, to his credit it worked but he got more than his fair share of luck.

And so what if we dominated the 1st half of the league? The only thing that matters is where we are on the final day in May.

[IDavisI 0]

Smith got us to the UEFA cup final, and dominated the 1st half of the league last season. It comes down to are players under performing. Mendes has played shit lately, as has Boyd, Miller, Broadfoot and Weir.

He got us to the UEFA Cup football with his negative football, to his credit it worked but he got more than his fair share of luck.

And so what if we dominated the 1st half of the league? The only thing that matters is where we are on the final day in May.

And thats because of are players under performing! We slaughtered them 4 - 2 at the start of the season.

[slimjim1690 4,534]

Having thought it over and read the threads (the titles at least...most don't leave much to the imagination!) I gotta say: are we over-reacting? Taken in context it is nothing more than a bad showing in a minor Final. Certainly I'd have liked to have won it, and certainly I'd have liked to have seen a buccaneering performance....or even just some swash....but there's reasons for all the decisions WS made on Sunday, and when viewed in context make some sort of sense. They certainly won't make you feel much better, but it may make Walter seem less like some demeted torturer, intent on turning Ibrox into the Abu Ghraib of Scottish Football.

It all comes down to the long term. Given that we're skint, and given that we won't be bringing in more than 2 'name' players in the summer (and even that's optimistic), Smith knows that the younger elements (say ages 20-25) of his squad are the ones who will be in the team over the next 4 or 5 years. But they're not ready yet. Naismith would have been at that stage now, I think, had he not been assaulted in the Cup semi last year. Thomson is another who has come in, settled and looked good. Edu needs another year, maybe 18 months, who knows? Bit by bit introductions into the mealstrom of Rangers World is the way, not getting a start in an OF Final played on a freshly harvested cornfield. I can quite see why Walter would entrust Barry and Lee with the backing up of Davis and Mendes: bluntly, their showings are their own fault.

Even given that neither has shown much form of late, they represented the better option pre-match. Even things like experience of Hampden, gained with Scotland, counted for them. They should have been able to do the job. I feel Lee did OK, but Barry huffed and puffed to little effect. Certainly not for the want of trying, but it didn't happen.

Smith, I think, doesn't want to flood the team with inexperience at this stage. He knows he's going to have to do it from next season on, and I'm quite sure in my own mind that we will see Naismith, Edu, and Fleck more often than not, while Ness, Efrem and Shinnie will become the Fleck of this season: on the edges, trying to become a regular. What, after all, would we have gained from a win yesterday? Another trophy, yes, and more than that a right good kick at timothy. But what we stood to lose with a younger team outweighs that, imo. That's a hard argument to make stick: I realise that. But it's the only line that justifies introducing Dailly.

What, after all, are the alternatives? That Walter is a tim? That Walter hates us and wishes to see us suffer? That upstairs at Ibrox has been taken over by the Ministry of Magic, and they have banned under-age wizards?

It's maybe just wishful thinking, or grasping at straws. The alternative is another season of watching football's equivalent of a resthome 11 pissing down their shorts. I'll take the straw.

I really am trying to see it from your point of view andy and most of your post could make for a good argument, but the bold line say's it all for me I'm afraid I can think of no justification of having Daily anywhere near Ibrox never mind on the bench yesterday, just the latest in a season of mind bogling decisions.