CRO.org : No More Excuses , Ally

[djbroxybear 660]

by Andy McKellar | Deputy Editor

Rangers’ entry into the SFL Third Division was exuberantly heralded as the opening of an exciting and thrilling new chapter in the glorious tale of our Club’s history. In the aftermath of a hateful and turbulent summer the loyal supporters rallied behind our fallen institution in what was to be the beginning of the quest to restore Rangers Football Club to its former glory. It was utterly remarkable, quite bizarre but beautifully heart-warming to witness the strength and passion of our fans. We boldly set sail into uncharted waters filled with joy and optimism. Somewhere down the line however we appear to have run aground.

The procrastination, incompetence and negligence of the football authorities meant that preparations for this campaign were far from ideal. Rangers started the season with just six players, were denied any sort of pre-season and were hamstrung by the uncertainty that surrounded our league status. Eventually though things began to come together. With season-tickets hastily being sold in record numbers, and in record time, we were able to assemble a squad which pleasantly surprised the fans and which was set to begin its ruthless assault on the lower leagues of Scottish football with considerable style.

While I’m sure the vast majority of supporters would rather be challenging for the SPL title and competing against the top talents from the continent in the Champions League, there was a realisation that we had been inadvertently presented with a uniquely glorious opportunity to rebuild, rebrand and revamp the Club in a less demanding, less cut-throat environment. It was a chance to improve our scouting, our youth development and our training methods. It was a chance to bravely move our club forward, to produce a football philosophy and ethos that would lay the foundation for decades ahead. Unfortunately though it is one which we are letting slip through our fingers and I’m not even sure some people at Rangers realise it.

The latest calamitous performance and result came yesterday afternoon against Stirling Albion. Once again the team left the field of play to a chorus of boos, something which has been overly regular this season, and to a display of disillusionment from the supporters in the stands. The Union Bears, normally the most positive influence within the stadium, even felt the need to voice their concerns at the current state of affairs with a banner which read: “Less time tweeting, more time training," and who can blame them?

The display should not be interpreted as literally as it reads. The supporters aren’t really concerned about players taking a few seconds to send a tweet, although the content could sometimes do with more consideration, but more the lack of fitness, hunger and desire which has been evident recently. There is nothing to suggest that we have taken a step forward this season or that we have are making progress and are moving in the right direction. In fact I’d go as far as to suggest that, if anything, we have went backwards.

Let’s add some perspective to our current situation. Rangers currently operate with the second-highest wage budget in the country, train at the best facilities and play in front of the largest crowds. We have highly paid, experienced full-time players competing in a part-time league. There can be no excuses for some of our performances and results this season. There can be no justification for our lack of fitness or even basic organisation. We have woefully underperformed. It’s about time some people accepted that and stopped hiding behind the “but we’re going to win the title” argument.

The manager has quite rightly come in for considerable criticism for a number of reasons. We’ve had to endure the constant deployment of a formation which quite simply isn’t working. We’ve watched as our best striker is shunted onto the wings and we’ve had the misfortune of continually witnessing perennial underperformers retain their place in the team for no apparent reason. Unfortunately however such criticism seems to be met with deflection, denial and complete disinterest.

Following the humiliating defeat at the hands of Annan Athletic a couple of weeks ago we were reminded of our lack of pre-season (this is March by the way) and told that we had a young, inexperienced team (we didn’t). This week Ally McCoist has told us that everything we do at training is excellent, that the players work “exceptionally hard” and that everything will be fine because we will eventually “get over the line.” The excuses are becoming as tiresome and depressing as the performances and they show a complete lack of respect for the same fans who pay their disproportionately high salaries.

It saddens me that our standards have fallen so dramatically that our management and some supporters are willing to accept the constant dross that we’ve witnessed this season as long as we win the league. Some people need to open their eyes and look at the damage that is being done as a result.

At the start of the season the stadium was bouncing, the fans were happy and the matches were played in a cacophony of noise created by the supporters. Compare and contrast that with our last couple of games. The number of blue seats is visibly growing with each passing match, as is the displeasure and boredom of those in attendance. Yesterday the vast majority of the crowd, our lowest at a league match this season, simply could not be bothered. They were there in body but their minds wanted to be anywhere else. And with season ticket renewals due to be issued in the not too distant future, that has to be a major concern for Charles Green and the rest of the Rangers boardroom.

It is abundantly clear that something has to change at Rangers Football Club. The fans are losing interest and the team is going nowhere. The supporters are without doubt the most vital component in the rebuilding project that is currently underway and it would be foolish and negligent to ignore our concerns. Many have already decided to vote with their feet and that trend is something which can’t be allowed to continue.

As much as it saddens me to say it, I’ve yet to see anything which suggests to me that Alistair Murdoch McCoist MBE is the right man to take our club forward. He may be a club legend, he may have been one of our greatest ever strikers but, for me, he isn’t a football manager.

Judging by previous comments from Charles Green however it would appear that Super Ally will at least get next season to prove me and his growing number of doubters wrong. And do you know what – I hope he rams my words right down my throat and makes me look foolish for ever questioning his ability. I’d love nothing more than having to say sorry for getting it completely and utterly wrong.

But please, Ally, stop hiding behind pathetic excuses and insulting the intelligence of the supporters who are paying to watch the rubbish put in front of them. It's not doing you any favours.

[ritchieshearercaldow 22,123]

And so say all of us

[djbroxybear 660]

Great post and hard to argue with what Andy has wrote

[TAFKA 545]

Almost exactly my view in the "Enough" thread with one exception.

I'm sorry but he has had the opportunity to improve the very basics (passing, looking for the ball, closing down, making angles etc) and these show no sign of improvement.

Indeed, we are actually going backwards.

Green will act once the title is confirmed - he doesn't do "sentiment"

[AlBear. 8,499]

There is nothing to suggest that we have taken a step forward this season.

Considering what happened I always saw this season as us getting back on our feet.

The fans are losing interest

To a degree it had to be expected interest would wane in SFL3. I understand the performances aren't good enough but this attitude is what is really depressing. So quickly we forget.

Fair article though, I hope he's wrong too.

[The Godfather 71,663]

Great article.

It's just not good enough on all levels

[GWR1979 1,964]

Great post.

Sums up the way alot of people are feeling.

[elephants stoned 2,994]

Totaly sums up how i feel

[Zulu 981]

I dont think CG will give him another season can he afford to.

[Bears r us 30,770]

Great article, agree with every word.

[jimmy millar 107]

Very reluctantly,I find myself agreeing with every word.Sadly,the Annan game was enough for me.I cannot continue to pay to watch,and by inference support what is masquerading as a Rangers team.I cringe when I see that we have no one to take a decent corner,or when the ball is lumped up the park.Passing to another blue shirt seems to be a difficult task.Speed of thought,a bygone era.Recently we have been outplayed and outfought by part time teams.DJ said yesterday that Stirling Albion were better organised than Rangers.That is a damning indightment.The past has proven that it is the fans who decide the future policy of the club,and ticket sales will be the ultimate judge.As many have already said in other threads,I would love to be proven wrong by Ally.My own opinion is that a major overhaul of the management structure should be conducted at the end of the season.

[SaneBear 46]

The boo boy attitude isn't going to make a line in the history books. Neither will sleepless nights suffered by the legion of supporters - very little, if any, of the "current" discontent will be covered in the history of rangers.

What will be covered is the the fight to recover what is rightfully ours.

The drip drip drip of doubt, disagreement and unrest does not reflect well on the supporters who wish all the best for the club. I do agree with some of the OP but by doing dirty laundry in public you reveal aspects of your own character which should remain private.

One league won - three to go.

[Redwhiteandblue 3,330]

This season should just be taken as a lesson.

Next season is where the real rebuilding starts. I would give Ally till Christmas. Have a look at who he plans to bring in. If his list is shite and we're still playing shite football, then it's time for a change.

[Bears r us 30,770]

Very reluctantly,I find myself agreeing with every word.Sadly,the Annan game was enough for me.I cannot continue to pay to watch,and by inference support what is masquerading as a Rangers team.I cringe when I see that we have no one to take a decent corner,or when the ball is lumped up the park.Passing to another blue shirt seems to be a difficult task.Speed of thought,a bygone era.Recently we have been outplayed and outfought by part time teams.DJ said yesterday that Stirling Albion were better organised than Rangers.That is a damning indightment.The past has proven that it is the fans who decide the future policy of the club,and ticket sales will be the ultimate judge.As many have already said in other threads,I would love to be proven wrong by Ally.My own opinion is that a major overhaul of the management structure should be conducted at the end of the season.

You make very good points J M. 99% of us who have lost faith in Ally 'the manager' (not 'the man') would love for him to prove us wrong, but it is not working and as much as I would like to be wrong I cannot see it happening.

What I would add is that I think Ally will get part of next year by Charles to see if he can change things.

[trublusince1982 768]

full of great ideals, but no idea on how any of them can be implemented.Thats the reason you write instead of being a famous manager. everythings allys fault nothing to do with the players or the club refusing to implement any sort of football infrastructure,nothing to do with the fact good players dont want to sign for us,nothing to do with the pressure the fans are putting on an inexperianced side,all you have to do is instruct a player on how to pass and hey presto player is great at passing. So all any of us need to become a professional player is a decent manager to talk us through games and we can all pass like beckham. The hysteria from our support is beyond belief,are you all aware we are winning the league?

so hes to spend no money

lower the wage budget to the lowest percentage/ revenue in Britain

win the league by more than the 20 points WE currently lead by (as all the complaining shows isnt good enough)

challange for a cup

attract good players for the same money or slightly more than they are on now, to one of the worst leagues in Britain if not europe

find young talent without any scouts

Play only attacking fast paced football

only sign players under 26 that we can sell on

teach young novice 17-20 year old players how to handle the pressure of playing in front of 40000 irate booing ungreatful fans

improve all our players be it defence or attacking immediately in all areas of their game

play 442 no exceptions

keep an eye on Green for us or warn us if anything iffy is going on

meet every fan who asks

train the players for longer than any other team

find us players who are as good as we are used to for free and on a fraction of the wage we used to pay

replace a £30m team in two weeks for £1.6m

Replace all the coaches at murray park for world class ones.

and most importantly stop players tweeting they should be working, even though i am reading them at work dont let them do it.

AND MAKE SURE YOU DO ALL THIS IN LESS THAN 8 MONTHS OR GET TO FUCK.

fuck it ally its your fault the pies are shite aswell

and before anyone says thats not what we are saying yes it is, everyone of these demands have been made on here nearly everyday for months now.

[scarkev 3,540]

Very good and factual piece without the deflection and excuses many still make! It's actually getting embarrassing and reflects worse on our club than any "booing" ever will....if you want to find excuses you can ally but if you want to change things then you and more importantly the players are the only ones with the power to do so!

Something ally said the other day that resonated with me was that we are doing the same amount and same level of training as 20 years ago? Now surely with a younger, less able team the level if training should increase to push them on? The top class players we had 20 years ago maybe didn't need the same level of training as some of our current "stars"....we really need to modernise and change our whole philosophy and quickly!!

[djbroxybear 660]

full of great ideals, but no idea on how any of them can be implemented.Thats the reason you write instead of being a famous manager. everythings allys fault nothing to do with the players or the club refusing to implement any sort of football infrastructure,nothing to do with the fact good players dont want to sign for us,nothing to do with the pressure the fans are putting on an inexperianced side,all you have to do is instruct a player on how to pass and hey presto player is great at passing. So all any of us need to become a professional player is a decent manager to talk us through games and we can all pass like beckham. The hysteria from our support is beyond belief,are you all aware we are winning the league?

so hes to spend no money

lower the wage budget to the lowest percentage/ revenue in Britain

win the league by more than the 20 points WE currently lead by (as all the complaining shows isnt good enough)

challange for a cup

attract good players for the same money or slightly more than they are on now, to one of the worst leagues in Britain if not europe

find young talent without any scouts

Play only attacking fast paced football

only sign players under 26 that we can sell on

teach young novice 17-20 year old players how to handle the pressure of playing in front of 40000 irate booing ungreatful fans

improve all our players be it defence or attacking immediately in all areas of their game

play 442 no exceptions

keep an eye on Green for us or warn us if anything iffy is going on

meet every fan who asks

train the players for longer than any other team

find us players who are as good as we are used to for free and on a fraction of the wage we used to pay

replace a £30m team in two weeks for £1.6m

Replace all the coaches at murray park for world class ones.

and most importantly stop players tweeting they should be working, even though i am reading them at work dont let them do it.

AND MAKE SURE YOU DO ALL THIS IN LESS THAN 8 MONTHS OR GET TO FUCK.

fuck it ally its your fault the pies are shite aswell

and before anyone says thats not what we are saying yes it is, everyone of these demands have been made on here nearly everyday for months now.

Do you go to Ibrox mate ? Are you happy with what you see on the park watching Rangers that in 9 months we can't play the basics ?

[Loyal-Bear 229]

Great article, Every person i speak to at the games have the same opinion. It's very worrying and the fact it's deemed acceptable or excuses made for it only makes it worse.

[Dutchy 1,200]

There's certainly some trouble down Ibrox way as far as performances go. Is it all Allys fault? I don't think it is, I'd say the players have a lot to answer for, but as everyone knows, it's the mamager that gets the bullet if things don't change.

The article provides a good assessment of our current troubles, now and historically. I just wish the players could get themselves up for these games as much as the opposition does, but in the end, Ally will be blamed.

I've not been to a 3rd div game this season, but after winning a few quid last week, I've penciled in the Clyde game in April.

Hopefully, Clyde are so bad it will be a winning match for me to watch, but I'm worried that these teams are becoming ever increasingly confident of denting our title hopes.

All will be revealled after the game and I certainly don't want to wandering the streets of Glasgow in a depressed mood after the game as I might get myself into bother.

[Bluepeter9 5,167]

by Andy McKellar | Deputy Editor

Rangers’ entry into the SFL Third Division was exuberantly heralded as the opening of an exciting and thrilling new chapter in the glorious tale of our Club’s history. In the aftermath of a hateful and turbulent summer the loyal supporters rallied behind our fallen institution in what was to be the beginning of the quest to restore Rangers Football Club to its former glory. It was utterly remarkable, quite bizarre but beautifully heart-warming to witness the strength and passion of our fans. We boldly set sail into uncharted waters filled with joy and optimism. Somewhere down the line however we appear to have run aground.

The procrastination, incompetence and negligence of the football authorities meant that preparations for this campaign were far from ideal. Rangers started the season with just six players, were denied any sort of pre-season and were hamstrung by the uncertainty that surrounded our league status. Eventually though things began to come together. With season-tickets hastily being sold in record numbers, and in record time, we were able to assemble a squad which pleasantly surprised the fans and which was set to begin its ruthless assault on the lower leagues of Scottish football with considerable style.

While I’m sure the vast majority of supporters would rather be challenging for the SPL title and competing against the top talents from the continent in the Champions League, there was a realisation that we had been inadvertently presented with a uniquely glorious opportunity to rebuild, rebrand and revamp the Club in a less demanding, less cut-throat environment. It was a chance to improve our scouting, our youth development and our training methods. It was a chance to bravely move our club forward, to produce a football philosophy and ethos that would lay the foundation for decades ahead. Unfortunately though it is one which we are letting slip through our fingers and I’m not even sure some people at Rangers realise it.

The latest calamitous performance and result came yesterday afternoon against Stirling Albion. Once again the team left the field of play to a chorus of boos, something which has been overly regular this season, and to a display of disillusionment from the supporters in the stands. The Union Bears, normally the most positive influence within the stadium, even felt the need to voice their concerns at the current state of affairs with a banner which read: “Less time tweeting, more time training," and who can blame them?

The display should not be interpreted as literally as it reads. The supporters aren’t really concerned about players taking a few seconds to send a tweet, although the content could sometimes do with more consideration, but more the lack of fitness, hunger and desire which has been evident recently. There is nothing to suggest that we have taken a step forward this season or that we have are making progress and are moving in the right direction. In fact I’d go as far as to suggest that, if anything, we have went backwards.

Let’s add some perspective to our current situation. Rangers currently operate with the second-highest wage budget in the country, train at the best facilities and play in front of the largest crowds. We have highly paid, experienced full-time players competing in a part-time league. There can be no excuses for some of our performances and results this season. There can be no justification for our lack of fitness or even basic organisation. We have woefully underperformed. It’s about time some people accepted that and stopped hiding behind the “but we’re going to win the title” argument.

The manager has quite rightly come in for considerable criticism for a number of reasons. We’ve had to endure the constant deployment of a formation which quite simply isn’t working. We’ve watched as our best striker is shunted onto the wings and we’ve had the misfortune of continually witnessing perennial underperformers retain their place in the team for no apparent reason. Unfortunately however such criticism seems to be met with deflection, denial and complete disinterest.

Following the humiliating defeat at the hands of Annan Athletic a couple of weeks ago we were reminded of our lack of pre-season (this is March by the way) and told that we had a young, inexperienced team (we didn’t). This week Ally McCoist has told us that everything we do at training is excellent, that the players work “exceptionally hard” and that everything will be fine because we will eventually “get over the line.” The excuses are becoming as tiresome and depressing as the performances and they show a complete lack of respect for the same fans who pay their disproportionately high salaries.

It saddens me that our standards have fallen so dramatically that our management and some supporters are willing to accept the constant dross that we’ve witnessed this season as long as we win the league. Some people need to open their eyes and look at the damage that is being done as a result.

At the start of the season the stadium was bouncing, the fans were happy and the matches were played in a cacophony of noise created by the supporters. Compare and contrast that with our last couple of games. The number of blue seats is visibly growing with each passing match, as is the displeasure and boredom of those in attendance. Yesterday the vast majority of the crowd, our lowest at a league match this season, simply could not be bothered. They were there in body but their minds wanted to be anywhere else. And with season ticket renewals due to be issued in the not too distant future, that has to be a major concern for Charles Green and the rest of the Rangers boardroom.

It is abundantly clear that something has to change at Rangers Football Club. The fans are losing interest and the team is going nowhere. The supporters are without doubt the most vital component in the rebuilding project that is currently underway and it would be foolish and negligent to ignore our concerns. Many have already decided to vote with their feet and that trend is something which can’t be allowed to continue.

As much as it saddens me to say it, I’ve yet to see anything which suggests to me that Alistair Murdoch McCoist MBE is the right man to take our club forward. He may be a club legend, he may have been one of our greatest ever strikers but, for me, he isn’t a football manager.

Judging by previous comments from Charles Green however it would appear that Super Ally will at least get next season to prove me and his growing number of doubters wrong. And do you know what – I hope he rams my words right down my throat and makes me look foolish for ever questioning his ability. I’d love nothing more than having to say sorry for getting it completely and utterly wrong.

But please, Ally, stop hiding behind pathetic excuses and insulting the intelligence of the supporters who are paying to watch the rubbish put in front of them. It's not doing you any favours.

what complete and utter pish but I am sure the whole anti ally brigade on RM will be in the thread is hung it's praises. No appreciation a

of the task in hand, no appreciation of support for aan who held us together last year and no sense of perspective. Ally needs judged once he has a couple of real transfer windows under his belt and not before. As for the ''no excuses ' slogan was his not used by the great unwashed when we lost the league on the uefa cup final season !!!

[tartansmokie 36]

Great article, agree wholeheartedly with everything said.

[Crespie6 334]

what complete and utter pish but I am sure the whole anti ally brigade on RM will be in the thread is hung it's praises. No appreciation a

of the task in hand, no appreciation of support for aan who held us together last year and no sense of perspective. Ally needs judged once he has a couple of real transfer windows under his belt and not before. As for the ''no excuses ' slogan was his not used by the great unwashed when we lost the league on the uefa cup final season !!!

stop saying this!!! people are not 'anti-Ally' (note the capital in his name). people are against poor football, poor tactics, players out of position, hoofball nonsense. i'd say the supporters who are voicing these concerns are more concerned about Ally than you are - there is no way i want him to show up in the top division with the kind of 1-dimensional crap that is enough to get us by in this league. we will get murdered by aberdeen, never mind Pacific Shelf. that would be a travesty to see.

the facts of the matter are - yes, no pre-season, a transfer embargo and a small squad (compared with Rangers teams of old, although not when you compare us to the rest of SPL3). But we certainly have more than enough to scoosh this league. this was a very easy chance for Ally to show how he can face a slight bit of adversity. if he cant get it right here in the easy leagues he has no chance in the top league when it matters.

[scarkev 3,540]

what complete and utter pish but I am sure the whole anti ally brigade on RM will be in the thread is hung it's praises. No appreciation a

of the task in hand, no appreciation of support for aan who held us together last year and no sense of perspective. Ally needs judged once he has a couple of real transfer windows under his belt and not before. As for the ''no excuses ' slogan was his not used by the great unwashed when we lost the league on the uefa cup final season !!!

You really do need to open your eyes....so is everyone with a differing opinion to you wrong then and we should all accept the mediocracy and the excuses which are beginning to embarrass our club.....

And for the umpteenth time it is NOT anti ally and you fucking know this....it is anti awful football with little or no progress....the reality is if it was anyone but ally you would not be making these excuses....you still haven't answered my question re le guen but that won't suit your argument so I understand!

[mason boyne 40]

jesusness, how would you perform if your baws were cut off, every man and ther tic has waded into us, Sat game was poor but we were 8 men down, basically back to the beginning of the season, f.k me fickle c...ts, grow a set and support our team, our men and our club, f........g dobbers hang the messenger

[pcbear 10,913]

what complete and utter pish but I am sure the whole anti ally brigade on RM will be in the thread is hung it's praises. No appreciation a

of the task in hand, no appreciation of support for aan who held us together last year and no sense of perspective. Ally needs judged once he has a couple of real transfer windows under his belt and not before. As for the ''no excuses ' slogan was his not used by the great unwashed when we lost the league on the uefa cup final season !!!

Ally the man is a legend, Ally the player is a legend, Ally the manager is not the man for the task, treading water or even going backwards as a club is not acceptable and its happening by the week, very very few Rangers fans are anti Ally the man, but his failings as a manager are there for all to see, he should be mutually consented handing the batten to a tried and tested manager.The job he done off the pitch last year was incredible and will never be forgotten but we need a new manager pronto.