millar brand 0 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 I have to say firstly that I’m delighted with where we are in the League at present and with the job Walter and his team have done so far. With the league title all but in the bag we have a lot to be grateful for.That said I have some serious concerns about our playing staff for next year in terms of the Champions League if we have no new owner and no serious investment in the team.I’ve read on this site recently that we are well staffed in midfield and need wide players, a new central defender and striker. While I don’t disagree with that I feel the team needs strengthening throughout, including midfield. While Thomson, Edu, and McCulloch have each done a turn for us domestically at different times in the season, probably more so McCulloch in terms of the number of games he’s played this year, all three are lacking in terms of serious quality. McCulloch I thought had a terrible game on Wednesday night. He didn’t win a ball all evening and his distribution when he was on the ball was poor, always the square or backwards pass and always behind the player he was passing it to. The thought of a midfield comprising two of those three or even all three in Europe would cause me some concern.Davis is the only midfielder we have who can play a decent ball forward but we don’t play him in the middle enough and we need to involve him more in areas where he can really hurt teams rather than playing him out wide.I feel we need some creativity in the middle of the park and a bit of pace and skill from the wider areas, players who can get past defenders and get decent balls into the box. I don’t see us having this type of player at the moment and to expect us to do anything in Europe with what we can currently put on the park is unrealistic. Naismith doesn't have it in terms of either pace or skill for that role and while Novo has pace, assuming he's still here next year, his distribution is at best erratic. Beasley has presumably had his chance and will be off, not having delivered often enough on the rare occasions when he wasn't injured.Up front we need a front player who has a bit of physique, a bit of pace, and who can hold the ball up and move central defenders around a bit to make space for others. None of these Boyd has so I’m personally not too heartbroken at the thought of him going. Miller is a workhorse but needs someone with a bit more guile beside him.I’m sure Walter and Ally will have a list of players they’d like to strengthen the team with. The problem I would say at the moment is that the only two players we have who you would reckon could produce in the Champions League would be Davis and Bougherra. Whittaker at right back is often an accident waiting to happen., sometimes brilliant when foraging up the park and sometimes a nightmare when tackling back. Papac for me dives in too readily and can cause problems at the back but can be good going forward. As for central defence Weir has done wonderfully for us but can he go another season, especially in Europe. If Wilson stays but doesn’t sign a new contract I’d dump him into the third team. No player should now be allowed to work their ticket like Boyd may be doing and cost us a decent transfer fee. If they want to leave fine, but only if we get a fee for them. If Boyd signs for Birmingham now having refused to go last year he‘s effectively cost us 3 and a half million in terms of what we could have got from them for him last year.This is probably sounding like a hatchet job on the team which I don’t mean it to be but I do have serious concerns at us going into the Champions League with what we’ve currently got. We want to be able to go into the group stages without fear of getting humbled by teams with no European pedigree as we have been in recent years. Here's hoping Ellis or King or whoever can provide some funds to get a little bit more quality in, just enough to give us a chance of standing our ground with the big boys. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muff 245 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 I'm not too sure if we'll be ready for the domestic season!? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
papaguy51 912 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 No, definitely not.But we don't need to be at the moment, so I'm not concerned.Ask me at the start of next season! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatPirateHooker 141 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 No. The fact that we are there is good enough for me though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc_Gorman 3 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 When you take into account some of the football played by the likes of Barca, Manure, Bayern and Inter etc etc . We really are a million miles away from Champ`s League Class.A couple of decent signing`s if permitted and we should be able to give a better account of ourselves in the group stages next year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovanFrontGers 1 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 In a word no. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluenose andy 1 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Just happy we're going to be in it need to wait and see what we do in the transfer market during the summer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithgersbear 3,225 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 What does it say on the badge? READY. If a Rangers team isn't ready, what is wrong?. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNuts 552 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 i think our midfield are ready. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muff 245 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 i think our midfield are ready.I don't. It lacks two wide players, and the best players are not alway's played when available. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
papaguy51 912 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Too many things up in the air.Right now, I know that most of the youth team, Whittaker, Papac, McCulloch, Thomson, Edu, Miller and Lafferty will be there next year.Outwith that, you couldn't say anyone else certainly will be. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muff 245 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Too many things up in the air.Right now, I know that most of the youth team, Whittaker, Papac, McCulloch, Thomson, Edu, Miller and Lafferty will be there next year.Outwith that, you couldn't say anyone else certainly will be.Unfortunatley - I'd love to move a few of the above names on!Could be a lot of change at Rangers this and next summer - a lot of players out of contract, especially at the end of next season!Who know's what's going to happen this summer, we need to make a number of changes, but we'll probably not be able to do so. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterD 7,448 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 far from ready, and by the time the CL comes round, we still wont be ready, to many changes needed to be able to compete even in the group stages Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithysmudger 6 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Sadly it will just be a case of take the money and run. No doubt we will get a few hidings in the process but we will just have to "take it on the chin" Mmmm have not heard that for a while Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrongbowLoyal. 36 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Has to be a No from me. Need several players Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluepeter9 5,167 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 I dont know when Messi joins us because 'We are the only team he ever wanted to play for' and 'Rooney' as well backed up by Wier in defence we should be ok. At least we wont have Rothen playing! but i agree with PG51 - to much up in the air - lets enjoy the rest of this season first! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace 3,557 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Of course we aren't ready & we won't be, even when the first game comes round.You have to look at the quality of the squads around us to see that we are bereft of the fund required to make a decent fist of the CL, unfortunately we have to look to 3rd place and even then that is a push.Remember .. 2 yrs since we have bought a player, i doubt there is another club in the group stages who has suffered under those conditions.I say we go along, enjoy the view and the football but remember ... the money is the important factor here, the football is secondary. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hammer 11 2,674 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 This is what we need to be ready :mcgregor: :whittaker: :wilson: :bougherra: :papac: New player :edu: :davis: :thomson: New player New Player/ :novo: / We might be able to do ok if we do that considering this may be the best team we will be able to get Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muff 245 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 This is what we need to be ready :mcgregor: :whittaker: :wilson: :bougherra: :papac: New player :edu: :davis: :thomson: New player New Player/ :novo: / We might be able to do ok if we do that considering this may be the best team we will be able to getIMO we need a RB, LB, CB, RM/W, LM/W and a ST.Whittaker, defensively is no use, Broadfoot is shite. I've never rated Papac, he just doesn't do it for me. Yes he 'does a job' but we need better than that. He's been terrible for months now. Novo and Naismith wont do for the Champions League, and neither will Lafferty. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddybear111 0 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Theres still a chance even when we win the league that we will have to play two qualifiers before the group stages and thats not as easy as anybody thinks.. You know what im talkin about Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeeBlue 39 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 We've got a decent spine to the team but thats about it. We need a RB, CB, RM, LM, CF and a good technical player to replace Davis when injured or unavailable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kplfishtank 4,675 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Theres still a chance even when we win the league that we will have to play two qualifiers before the group stages and thats not as easy as anybody thinks.. You know what im talkin aboutno we cant at worst case we play 1 game Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErraPolis 0 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 No, but hopefully we can get third and into the Europa, and a good run from that. Thats all we can hope for with the crop of players we have.We will get into the groups, get the money on offer from it, and maybe get some results but I wouldn't hold out much hope. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronniemca 479 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 no chance were ever going to be ready . just be content to pick up the money and run Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trueblue79 0 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Just been their is good enough for me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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