Lack of Pre-season

[AntrimBear 44]

This can't be blamed, they're supposedly professional atheletes and can't beat the asda night shift? Berwick probably spent pre season getting their hole

[SuperAlly123 2]

The simple answer to what happened today was Berwick more than matched us all over the park today. We are more than capable of beating teams of their ability but credit where credit is due.

[broomloan blue nose 91]

Rangers will win this league i have no doubts,but u cant blame lack of pre season.they seemed ok at ibrox last week......

[No Hablo Inglés 32]

This is getting ridiculous now. It doesn't help anyone to keep pretending that McCoist is a good manager and that we are the most unlucky team ever and everything goes against us.

We are full time, we have certainly trained much more time than any other team in this league.

Also, we got extremely lucky with that disallowed goal at the end, and to be honest Berwick deserved it.

McCoist has not been good enough at any point in his managerial career so far and deluding yourself with excuses for him is not good for this club.

[ForeverBlue_Since91 2,895]

Aye that must be it. Our players are training Monday to Friday sometimes a Saturday depending on when our game is. These other teams players are training 3 times a week for about 1 hour.

So how can our players not be fitter?

Maybe we're just turning up and expecting to win?

Look what Goian said, he thought they would all be fat ametures. If he thought that i wonder what the rest thought?

[Gregor Stevens Fan Club 42]

If this is the problem then we might as well forget about ever competing in Europe again

[nachothelegend 1,932]

Poor Tactics and buying plauers to play this way is not good.

Need width and pace at the back .

Sort out tje RB problem get a fast winger ,and a midfielder with pace too.

[Tiebreak54 151]

This "we're full time" pish ignores the issue.

It's not ability to run fitness, it's match fitness, and without playing matches, there's no way to get it.

What were your thoughts on the tactics today?

[Stoorie 1,088]

The day we get beat in this Leauge this season, and it will happen, I will be staying in bed and not looking in on RM.

Some people need to get a grip. The team needs to play together for a while then I will judge them as a team.

To start blaming the irn bru ball (FFS), pre-season, Ally, the coaches and just about everything else under the sun is not healthy to our climb back to the top.

Its going to be hard with good and bad.

In :superally: we trust.

[Creampuff 22,628]

What were your thoughts on the tactics today?

I understand his reasons for not wanting to play "on the deck" football - but I don't agree with them.

[BigAmo'sThighs 848]

Put simply - a lack of match sharpness or fitness is no excuse for a lack of tactics or implementation of tactics.

At times we struggled to knock the ball 5 yards - I don't see what another three weeks of bounce games and running would do to solve that

[DEXYSC 23]

We should make the players work 40hours a week and train a couple of nights a week, then go out and play football.

I think this would make us more competitive in Div3.

Kick their arses Ally coz if you dont it will be yours getting kicked I'm afraid. Your still my hero though.

[graeme355 28]

The pre season thing is valid not for just a fitness perspective but from a team dynamic

This is a team of strangers who need games to blend ,the lack of pre season games with a semi settled team will be a factor in the way we play for another few games yet, especially if we add more players. By the end of sept I would expect us to be flying

[SkiBunny 441]

Some people need to get a grip. The team needs to play together for a while then I will judge them as a team.

To start blaming the irn bru ball (FFS), PRE-SEASON Ally, the coaches and just about everything else under the sun is not healthy to our climb back to the top.

Sure you've just agreed with me. A solid pre-Season would've had us playing 'together'

I'm not looking for excuses or blame. Let's establish the reasons we aren't matching these teams and let's do something about it.

[CanadianBacon 2,088]

Fitness and sharpness just isn't there. Right across the team. Perry good example, I thought he was tidy enough early on but as the match wore on he started to look very slow and indecisive.

We need a few more bounce games and perhaps a more rigorous training programme at Murray Park these next few weeks.

Sorry, but I disagree.

More bounce games and training won't fix this problem.

We need a new direction - we need new ideas - we need to think the unthinkable.

[simplythebest 11,453]

I'd expect to beat Berwick in pre-season.

[*Manticore* 1,893]

I'm sure there must be some reason we play three games abroad before the start of every (other) season.

[Edmiston Drive 3,846]

Sure you've just agreed with me. A solid pre-Season would've had us playing 'together'

I'm not looking for excuses or blame. Let's establish the reasons we aren't matching these teams and let's do something about it.

Pre season is designed to put the hard work in to see you through the later stages of the league season...............that is often said by managers and players, really for building stamina.

And frankly against part-timers we should be roasting them as the game moves into the later stages...........today had players playing deep.....ian black for one seems to be too deep.......sandaza needs to get the ball and run at players and get in to the box with the ball..............that is his strengths............Lee does not look at ease in midfield. But the players play to the managers instructions or they would be taken off or not in the team for the following game.

Ross Perry has been injured fro weeks and only joined in training a couple of days ago........yet straight into the team.....why not keep the lad Hegarty in, was ok the previous game. And introduce Perry for last 15 minutes.

[Crespie6 334]

Fitness and sharpness just isn't there. Right across the team. Perry good example, I thought he was tidy enough early on but as the match wore on he started to look very slow and indecisive.

We need a few more bounce games and perhaps a more rigorous training programme at Murray Park these next few weeks.

i havent gone through the other 3 pages of responses, but here is mine:

if one of our players did 4 hours of my work a week (sitting in front of a computer), i would not expect him to have anywhere near the output i have. similarly, when our team is training full-time, and a part-time team show up, we should destroy them. plain and simple. its patronizing to say all this "Div 3 will be hard" shit. its not. even if our players cant pass a ball, we should be hammering them in the last 25 minutes of each game - but it looks like we are the tired ones!! this is disgraceful.

to sum up why i am so upset:

1. no long-term plan. we seem to have signed players that are too good for Div2 and Div 3 (some may rightly argue this mind you), but certainly nowhere near good enough for the SPL.

2. what do we do when we get near the SPL - looks like we will need to spend about 10-12m getting a better team together. we then face the prospect of 6 months of the players "getting to know each other"

3. no passing - it appears we are simply trying to get into the SPL as soon as possible. no long-term playing style to take us there, just simply get the hell into the division as soon as possible (Ally's references to this with numerous players are really concerning, he seems to be ignoring where we are).

4. because Ally has bought players and we are in Div3, i think he feels obliged to play them all the time - not only because they are getting paid so much, but also because he wants to keep them happy playing here, so he keeps playing them (being out the squad for a Div3 game i would imagine is embarrasing). who suffers here? Youth players, and Rangers in the long-run.

5. the only way round this is to focus 100% on youth. these players (simply by being fitter than other teams) should be able to get us through this league (with help from the more experienced players who stayed (i.e. Jig, Little, Alexander etc). by the time we get to Div1, these players will have some good experience, and if they are decent enough, they stay in the squad, if not, we slowly buy some players in preparation for the SPL. at the moment, we need a complete overhall.

its immensely frustrating how we are ignoring our youth set-up. lets get some good coaches in, and build for the future.

this rant is by no means over, but my fingers are bleeding as i type this, i'm so pissed off. i need a new unsmashed keyboard

[Ivybank 4,636]

i havent gone through the other 3 pages of responses, but here is mine:

if one of our players did 4 hours of my work a week (sitting in front of a computer), i would not expect him to have anywhere near the output i have. similarly, when our team is training full-time, and a part-time team show up, we should destroy them. plain and simple. its patronizing to say all this "Div 3 will be hard" shit. its not. even if our players cant pass a ball, we should be hammering them in the last 25 minutes of each game - but it looks like we are the tired ones!! this is disgraceful.

to sum up why i am so upset:

1. no long-term plan. we seem to have signed players that are too good for Div2 and Div 3 (some may rightly argue this mind you), but certainly nowhere near good enough for the SPL.

2. what do we do when we get near the SPL - looks like we will need to spend about 10-12m getting a better team together. we then face the prospect of 6 months of the players "getting to know each other"

3. no passing - it appears we are simply trying to get into the SPL as soon as possible. no long-term playing style to take us there, just simply get the hell into the division as soon as possible (Ally's references to this with numerous players are really concerning, he seems to be ignoring where we are).

4. because Ally has bought players and we are in Div3, i think he feels obliged to play them all the time - not only because they are getting paid so much, but also because he wants to keep them happy playing here, so he keeps playing them (being out the squad for a Div3 game i would imagine is embarrasing). who suffers here? Youth players, and Rangers in the long-run.

5. the only way round this is to focus 100% on youth. these players (simply by being fitter than other teams) should be able to get us through this league (with help from the more experienced players who stayed (i.e. Jig, Little, Alexander etc). by the time we get to Div1, these players will have some good experience, and if they are decent enough, they stay in the squad, if not, we slowly buy some players in preparation for the SPL. at the moment, we need a complete overhall.

its immensely frustrating how we are ignoring our youth set-up. lets get some good coaches in, and build for the future.

this rant is by no means over, but my fingers are bleeding as i type this, i'm so pissed off. i need a new unsmashed keyboard

agree with all your points,except no5. we cant beat teams with experienced players.so by playing youths we would get humped

every week and be stuck in this league forever!a mixture of both is needed

[Crespie6 334]

agree with all your points,except no5. we cant beat teams with experienced players.so by playing youths we would get humped

every week and be stuck in this league forever!a mixture of both is needed

Damn you Ivybank! Damn you!!! (need an emoticon shaking an angry fist)

[SkiBunny 441]

Sorry, but I disagree.

More bounce games and training won't fix this problem.

We need a new direction - we need new ideas - we need to think the unthinkable.

You're probably right mate, tell us them.

[SkiBunny 441]

Any solutions?

[CanadianBacon 2,088]

You're probably right mate, tell us them.

My solutions? I'd keep it simple.

You wouldn't put on a Rangers jersey until you can control a ball (with both feet) at the first touch and then pass a ball to a team-mate (to his feet, not two-feet above his head).

Tactics and so on I'd leave until last - we need to get the basics right throughout the club.

I'm afraid we've a number in our midst who wouldn't make it in my squad.