Bit stunned at the criticism of Smith

[disgruntled_bear 157]

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

Exactly

Particularly in the press.

To use one of my replies from yesterday:

I've spent a lot of time speaking to GOOD journalists about Smith and McCoist, and basically because they're so 'nice' and always willing to negotiate with newspapers, they'll never get a hard time from one.

Strachan is the polar opposite of this. Even the Celtic supporting journalists I know absolutely despise the man.

Some would argue that this is the way club officials should conduct themselves, and shows again, the difference between us and them, I just cant see good manners as a bad thing

Manners ain't a bad thing, but your missing the point.

[kingtom28 8]

goodby walter your times up and take the other two with you

[outlaw69uk 123]

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

Exactly

Particularly in the press.

To use one of my replies from yesterday:

I've spent a lot of time speaking to GOOD journalists about Smith and McCoist, and basically because they're so 'nice' and always willing to negotiate with newspapers, they'll never get a hard time from one.

Strachan is the polar opposite of this. Even the Celtic supporting journalists I know absolutely despise the man.

Some would argue that this is the way club officials should conduct themselves, and shows again, the difference between us and them, I just cant see good manners as a bad thing

Manners ain't a bad thing, but your missing the point.

Am not, see my other replies

[disgruntled_bear 157]

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

Exactly

Particularly in the press.

To use one of my replies from yesterday:

I've spent a lot of time speaking to GOOD journalists about Smith and McCoist, and basically because they're so 'nice' and always willing to negotiate with newspapers, they'll never get a hard time from one.

Strachan is the polar opposite of this. Even the Celtic supporting journalists I know absolutely despise the man.

Some would argue that this is the way club officials should conduct themselves, and shows again, the difference between us and them, I just cant see good manners as a bad thing

Manners ain't a bad thing, but your missing the point.

Am not, see my other replies

I read your other reply's

[Guest Andypendek]

I have to agree with everyone who has raised the issue of Christian coming on, I honestly can't understand it either. Even if you swallow my line about experience (and it's pretty thin), for all the time that was left Edu would have been able to play without wrecking either himself or the team. I think it has to go down as an over cautious decision, it really does.

But I'd like to point out that Dailly ws unlikely to say to Smith, 'Nah, thrown on the big American.' If you're reading this, Christian, it's nothing personal!

I read Delparlane's Prevent defence as "Pervert Defence", which would possibly explain a lot. Either about me or Walter, I'm not sure which. Given Wattie's penchant for four strapping, lusty big CBs strung across the back, who knows what other secret fantasies he plays out when selecting the backline?

[bearwithasoarhead 0]

You make some good points, But i could have been manager of the 9 in a row team with the players we had. Walter done nothing at everton, and has taken rangers backwards. This is the worse celtic team since the early 90`s, and they are going for 4 in a row.

[outlaw69uk 123]

Interestingly, DJ seems to make a very valid point in the ET regarding Sundays game....

"RANGERS lost the Co-operative Insurance League Cup because their big-name players didn't turn up.

You can talk about formations, systems and tactics until you are blue in the face. Sometimes you can break a game down and analyse it too much.

I've listened to people blaming the fact Walter Smith once again started with just one up front and didn't include some of the more creative players such as John Fleck, Aaron and Steven Naismith in his squad.

But you know what - those aren't the reasons Rangers didn't get their hands on the trophy at Hampden Park on Sunday.

advertisement

The biggest difference between the two teams at the weekend was that Celtic's big-name players, the guys capable of being the difference on the day, hit top form. Aiden McGeady and Scott Brown were at the top of their game.

Rangers, on the other hand, weren't treated to big displays from their top stars such as captain Barry Ferguson, playmaker Pedro Mendes and one of their most creative midfielders in Steven Davis. All three failed to make a major impact on the game."

And Heres Your Link To The Full Article!

Why cant some fans just accept, or even consider, that the answer is as easy as that? Blindingly obvious to me haha

[Thermopylae 15,287]

Walter is a shitebag, he is obsessed with not losing, others are correct, even Queen's Park scored against that mob.

I think Walter is in this mindset of Old Firm games are never easy blah blah blah rather than just looking at septic as a football team and saying this mob are rubbish and we can beat them. He just seems determined to build septic up into something that they clearly are not

[Thermopylae 15,287]

You make some good points, But i could have been manager of the 9 in a row team with the players we had. Walter done nothing at everton, and has taken rangers backwards. This is the worse celtic team since the early 90`s, and they are going for 4 in a row.

So far as the 9IAR team goes it has to be said that they should have done a lot better in Europe given the players we had ... so even first time round everything in the garden wasn't rosey for Walter

[Guest Andypendek]

"Top of their game"

Pfffffffffffffffttttttttt

I was cast down at the end of the game, and unwisely retired to the kitchen to get something to eat. Turning on the wireless as usual, my good humour was instantly restored as that great dumpling, Murdo MacLeod, opined that it had been a 'masterstroke' to play the utterly anonymous Caldwell in midfield, and that Loovens had been majestic. I know his vocabulary is limited and he's not the sharpest (or most objective!) knife in the drawer, but such arrant rubbish cheered me up a tad. Now DJ comes thumping along, insisting that '3 runs between them over the game' Brown and McGeady were at the top of their game.

hahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahah

[ShootSpeedKillLight 0]

But I'd like to point out that Dailly ws unlikely to say to Smith, 'Nah, thrown on the big American.' If you're reading this, Christian, it's nothing personal!

I've not seen anyone criticising Dailly, and rightly so. He can't help being a bad footballer.

[outlaw69uk 123]

"Top of their game"

Pfffffffffffffffttttttttt

I was cast down at the end of the game, and unwisely retired to the kitchen to get something to eat. Turning on the wireless as usual, my good humour was instantly restored as that great dumpling, Murdo MacLeod, opined that it had been a 'masterstroke' to play the utterly anonymous Caldwell in midfield, and that Loovens had been majestic. I know his vocabulary is limited and he's not the sharpest (or most objective!) knife in the drawer, but such arrant rubbish cheered me up a tad. Now DJ comes thumping along, insisting that '3 runs between them over the game' Brown and McGeady were at the top of their game.

hahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahah

haha thats true enough

Sadly, the bit about our midfield i sadly correct, and, the fact theres wasnt great, makes it worse

[Ivybank 4,589]

lay off dailly for god sake its wally that put him on

[Bakbear 3,586]

Why cant some fans just accept, or even consider, that the answer is as easy as that? Blindingly obvious to me haha

I can't speak for others but the reasons I struggle to accept this as the simple answer are as follows

>What is rotten in the dressing room that NONE of your key players turn up for a CUP FINAL against your Arch Enemy? What is the probability of Ferguson, Mendes and Davis all having an absolutely shocker on the same day? Perhaps not impossible but unlikely I would think? Is it a motivation issue? Is it an inability to gel with their playing partners, is it choking on the big occassion, is it a disagreement with the role they are being asked to play? Whatever the answer it must be one which the manager should have identified long before now.

>The well documented outrage at having Dailly anywhere near the squad but also that he got on ahead of Edu which I think everyone agrees was a ridiculous decision and subsequently went into an advance role. Tactical Ineptitude, nothing to do with player performance

>The Decision to withdraw Kyle Lafferty when he was quite clearly the only one causing them problems. A decision that cannot be laid at the door of non-performing players but at the management.

>The tactics of punting the ball up the park and completely missing out our midfield for most of the game when it is quite apparent that this causes them no problems at all and that we have limited ability in the air

> Finally and possibly most importantly, this is not a one off. This has happened quite regularly since Smith returned. The only time we have had a run of decent football in that time has been at the start of this season when Thomson was in the Middle and Ferguson was out injured....

I do not think there is any over reaction here. I think there is a reaction that is a direct result of many fans being incredibly patient and giving Walter more time than most other managers would get to turn things around. Myself included. The frustration has been building in me for months. The Bizarre decisions, the tactical ineptitude, the arrogance, the excuses, the lack of passion, the lack of commitment, the lack of basic footballing skills, the lack of any improvement in our set pieces, the lack of creativity and the cowardice when faced with the chance to go top of the league...

our team on the field is shambolic and there is quite simply no-one else to blame but the manager. He buys the players, he picks the team, he sets up the formation, he is responsible for motivating them and he coaches them on how to improve their game. He is failing in every one of his duties.

[outlaw69uk 123]

Why cant some fans just accept, or even consider, that the answer is as easy as that? Blindingly obvious to me haha

I can't speak for others but the reasons I struggle to accept this as the simple answer are as follows

>What is rotten in the dressing room that NONE of your key players turn up for a CUP FINAL against your Arch Enemy? What is the probability of Ferguson, Mendes and Davis all having an absolutely shocker on the same day? Perhaps not impossible but unlikely I would think? Is it a motivation issue? Is it an inability to gel with their playing partners, is it choking on the big occassion, is it a disagreement with the role they are being asked to play? Whatever the answer it must be one which the manager should have identified long before now. - unlikely perhaps, but, has happened on more than one occasion, sunday being one. Can you legislate for your big names not to turn up? The second part of that, who knows, but, surely if they were even decent pros, that shouldnt matter? They should be motivated, they should want to win, but they dont seem to, I just think blaming the manager is the easy cop out, just my opinion.

>The well documented outrage at having Dailly anywhere near the squad but also that he got on ahead of Edu which I think everyone agrees was a ridiculous decision and subsequently went into an advance role. Tactical Ineptitude, nothing to do with player performance - not a favourite of mine by any means (although he is a nice guy), it was a safe/sensible option to have on the bench (on paper at least), however, the fact he went forward is the issue here. It makes no sense. Then again, I am unsure as to the impact a pretty much untested Edu would have had

>The Decision to withdraw Kyle Lafferty when he was quite clearly the only one causing them problems. A decision that cannot be laid at the door of non-performing players but at the management. - true, although, at the risk of sounding like I am commiting the cardinal sin of "defending Walter" I did think he was looking tired

>The tactics of punting the ball up the park and completely missing out our midfield for most of the game when it is quite apparent that this causes them no problems at all and that we have limited ability in the air - I have complained about this all season, although, on Sunday, it might have been a good thing given how the midfield were playing

> Finally and possibly most importantly, this is not a one off. This has happened quite regularly since Smith returned. The only time we have had a run of decent football in that time has been at the start of this season when Thomson was in the Middle and Ferguson was out injured.... - Thats true as well. I have said for some time, the main problem we have, is Thomson being out. He was/is our engine room, the midfield has no bite without him, and, seemingly no drive. Should we blame the manager for Thomson getting injured? I think the guy is vital to our team, I dont think Edu is ready to replace him, but, should be backup

I do not think there is any over reaction here. I think there is a reaction that is a direct result of many fans being incredibly patient and giving Walter more time than most other managers would get to turn things around. Myself included. The frustration has been building in me for months. The Bizarre decisions, the tactical ineptitude, the arrogance, the excuses, the lack of passion, the lack of commitment, the lack of basic footballing skills, the lack of any improvement in our set pieces, the lack of creativity and the cowardice when faced with the chance to go top of the league...

our team on the field is shambolic and there is quite simply no-one else to blame but the manager. He buys the players, he picks the team, he sets up the formation, he is responsible for motivating them and he coaches them on how to improve their game. He is failing in every one of his duties.

The last 2 paragraphs I can see your point, completely, but, again, blame the manager for everything? Why are the players untouchable? I dont understand that, I really dont. The "blame" should be shared. It has been said that the players should be motivated to win themselves. Am I right in thinking the only players in our squad to have won anything significant are Ferguson, Novo and Mendes? I saw a piece somewhere stating players thought they had "made it" just by signing for us? Perhaps they have that attitude.

For me, Smith takes some of the blame, and, so do the players. That team SHOULD have been able to beat celtic, and, they damn well should have been able to beat inverness! I do appreciate the questions you ask, as, many dont, they simply state, must be the managers fault, and, thats that. I think there is more to it than that. Players under performing? check, well regarded manager under pressure from the support? Check! When and where did we see this before? A certain Frenchman?, Eck? Its happening again. How can 3 managers be so poor?

[Bakbear 3,586]

The last 2 paragraphs I can see your point, completely, but, again, blame the manager for everything? Why are the players untouchable? I dont understand that, I really dont. The "blame" should be shared. It has been said that the players should be motivated to win themselves. Am I right in thinking the only players in our squad to have won anything significant are Ferguson, Novo and Mendes? I saw a piece somewhere stating players thought they had "made it" just by signing for us? Perhaps they have that attitude.

For me, Smith takes some of the blame, and, so do the players. That team SHOULD have been able to beat celtic, and, they damn well should have been able to beat inverness! I do appreciate the questions you ask, as, many dont, they simply state, must be the managers fault, and, thats that. I think there is more to it than that. Players under performing? check, well regarded manager under pressure from the support? Check! When and where did we see this before? A certain Frenchman?, Eck? Its happening again. How can 3 managers be so poor?

There are often many people to blame but the responsibility is carried by the man in charge. I would debate that smith as the manager should identify the non performing players and address the problem. If they had all played to the best of their ability for weeks and suddenly had a shocker then it can be forgiven. But they have not. Ferguson has been poor for a long long time. Mendes has dropped way off his peak since Ferguson returned. Davis has been poor since the trouble in his personal life (the odd game excepted) Miller has been rank since the turn of the year Boyd has been rank since The transfer window closed, Broadfoot has not had a good season. I could go on and on, but the point is that of our players who CAN perform most have NOT performed for most of 2009. That, to my mind at least, indicates a problem in the dressing room. If there is dissent, confusion, lack of trust, or whatever the permutations that can lead to dressing room unrest then that is Smiths problem to address...

The point about Thomson: of course Smith cannot carry the blame for the injury, however, a team that has spent 30 million should never be so reliant on a single player. Edu was one of the guys that Smith invested heavily in to fill that position. We have Hemdani who was the fans player of the season just 2 years ago more than capable of the position, Fergie himself could do a job in DM, yet Smith plays McCulloch in there. (as an aside , I think McCulloch has actually performed pretty well in DM, my point is more about the effect this has on other players morale and dressing room harmony)

Something stinks at Rangers right now, the players in our squad are capable footballers, arguably and in my opinion better than any other team in the SPL including that lot... so why are we not showing this on the park? Who takes responsibility for players not performing to the best of their ability? Who takes responsibility for poor tactical decisions? Who is responsible for ensuring that a team is all fighting for the combined cause and pulling in the same direction?

In my job, if my team is fractious, disobedient, playing at politics, in the huff or whatever then the finger gets pointed at me for inadequate leadership and management. I take the responsibility for not giving the team members sufficient motivation, for defining their goals, communicating the strategy, aligning their expectations with that of the company and occassionally disciplining those that act unreasonably.... I see Walter as the man to take that role for the playing side of Rangers