So what did that friendly tell you?

[smitzer007 198]

Playing a short pass from a dead ball every fuckin time does my head in!

[Real Ranger 3,195]

5 hours ago, tannerall said:

It tells me a championship team from England, the fifth richest league in the world, and a tough one, and now preparing for the EPL by buying in experience and top class players worth 10s of millions is better than a championship team from Scotland the 50th or 60th top league in Europe which is recruiting players from the English 1st division, loans and slightly past their best experienced players.

So result not a great problem as we are still in transition in a shit hole of football ability.

Probably a good result in many ways for us as it highlighted what we already know. Our style of play allows classier teams to hit us hard. and we are weak at the back. 

Our style of play puts the onus on us to outscore the opposition whilst leaving ourselves open at the back, so early in the game  we need a proven finisher. 

So simple answer, we're progressing reasonably and in a very short term we can now compete against most of what Scotland has to offer, but we need more steel at the back and opportunism up front to compete with the top three in Scotland and potential European opposition next season.

Even simpler answer which we've known for 12 months is we need an experienced commanding CB and a proven CF.

 

Agree with this, the league cup hasn't helped us as we haven't been tested until today's game and as dissapointing as it was we have to bare in mind that it was only a pre season friendly.

 

 

[Inigo 32,534]

That Rossiter as a regular is inevitable.

That the centre of the defence is shit. 

That the gap between us and an EPL team is clear as day.

That the Kranjcar that the QPR fans talked about does exist.

That we aint as good as we thought we were.

That winning the league is going to be a tough ask and an impossible one if we don't get another centre back.

That the team won't work with the number of older players in it as we had in the first 65 minutes and the younger players give us more zeal.

Maybe a bit harsh on the evidence of one game, but that's kinda how I feel the now.

[siddiqi_drinker 14,635]

13 minutes ago, Smile said:

Tav never links up with MOH always tries to find Waghorn. said it last season.

MOH played 10 games last season, hardly enough time to get to know each others names.  People also ignore the fact Wags and MOH are very different players.  One likes the ball to feet, the other likes balls he can run on to.  People like Barton and Nico should be able to provide the type of defense splitting pass that MOH likes

[dalton 1,192]

What always sticks in my mind was an on pitch interview our manager & neil mc cann said he loved our keep the ball style but it has to have another option ? ( neil only stated what we wanted to ask )

The boss said though he wouldnt change our playing style.

The progress the club and everything we have done and the boss has achieved is all so right 

But in a game like today

Our weakness against a decent team were exposed - No strikers

A midfield that is one dimensional under the barca keep the ball - unable to try to penetrate forward

Our wing play is Our attacking threat Barrie Mc Kay - Nulified then we are stuffed.

It was a harsh lesson today - getting beat by Burnley no disrespect

But how times have changed for the worst .

 

[THE_Ibrox_Preacher 2,812]

6 hours ago, KeyserSoze said:

For me:

I don't care if we don't come up against a player like Andre Gray again,  our defence is not good enough. Kiernan has again been poor he should not be a regular 

MOH looks dangerous but perhaps as a sub. 

Kranjcar looked way short of being fit (still?) 

Rossiter will be a star

and well, Andy Fucking Halliday likes his newish position. 

 

 

 

Didn't see the game today but on your points;

• The system/style/whatever leaves our CB's exposed and neither Wilson nor Kiernan are up to it unless they are partnered with a CB that can do his job and chunks of theirs. They've been found out too often at a lower level to expect them to be a feature of a title winning side.
• MOH is pace, he could be wide right or straight through the middle on occasion - maybe he's Millers replacement legs wise or maybe he's put on the right wing to mug someone at left back for pace - he's part of the squad that'll feature but I wouldn't say he's deffo the bench boy nor will he play every week, rotation as and when required probably.
• Kranjcar has played about 20 games a season for the last 6, he's likely not going to look 100% ever unless we know something everyone else and the player himself doesn't. If we get more than 25 games out of him this season we're doing well. I think basically you try and use him against the right teams and you bring him on against tired legs (60 minute sub) to get the most out of him but on form he's unlikely to look 100% and play 3/4 of a season.
• Rossiter is part of the future, the longer term, or someone to develop a little and pick up the pay day for, like Dodoo and Thompson I'd imagine.
• Halliday isn't the best but he gives you the effort, the kind of guy you can expect to do a shift after an absence imo, even if he's not quite at the level we need to be he's your Gavin Rae (I'm trying to think of someone who wouldn't normally get a game but gives you what he has as an occasionally used squad player and who wasn't completely gash/despised for the sake of argument presented).

[Malvern 11,329]

45 minutes ago, Inigo said:

That Rossiter as a regular is inevitable.

That the centre of the defence is shit. 

That the gap between us and an EPL team is clear as day.

That the Kranjcar that the QPR fans talked about does exist.

That we aint as good as we thought we were.

That winning the league is going to be a tough ask and an impossible one if we don't get another centre back.

That the team won't work with the number of older players in it as we had in the first 65 minutes and the younger players give us more zeal.

Maybe a bit harsh on the evidence of one game, but that's kinda how I feel the now.

Seems a fair crtique to me but the real question is

Can Rossiter adapt? 

[Malvern 11,329]

13 minutes ago, THE_Ibrox_Preacher said:

Halliday isn't the best but he gives you the effort, the kind of guy you can expect to do a shift after an absence imo, even if he's not quite at the level we need to be he's your Gavin Rae (I'm trying to think of someone who wouldn't normally get a game but gives you what he has as an occasionally used squad player and who wasn't completely gash/despised for the sake of argument presented).

Joe Allen formerly of Liverpool springs to mind for me.

[KeyserSoze 14,603]

4 minutes ago, THE_Ibrox_Preacher said:

Didn't see the game today but on your points;

• The system/style/whatever leaves our CB's exposed and neither Wilson nor Kiernan are up to it unless they are partnered with a CB that can do his job and chunks of theirs. They've been found out too often at a lower level to expect them to be a feature of a title winning side.
• MOH is pace, he could be wide right or straight through the middle on occasion - maybe he's Millers replacement legs wise or maybe he's put on the right wing to mug someone at left back for pace - he's part of the squad that'll feature but I wouldn't say he's deffo the bench boy nor will he play every week, rotation as and when required probably.
• Kranjcar has played about 20 games a season for the last 6, he's likely not going to look 100% ever unless we know something everyone else and the player himself doesn't. If we get more than 25 games out of him this season we're doing well. I think basically you try and use him against the right teams and you bring him on against tired legs (60 minute sub) to get the most out of him but on form he's unlikely to look 100% and play 3/4 of a season.
• Rossiter is part of the future, the longer term, or someone to develop a little and pick up the pay day for, like Dodoo and Thompson I'd imagine.
• Halliday isn't the best but he gives you the effort, the kind of guy you can expect to do a shift after an absence imo, even if he's not quite at the level we need to be he's your Gavin Rae (I'm trying to think of someone who wouldn't normally get a game but gives you what he has as an occasionally used squad player and who wasn't completely gash/despised for the sake of argument presented).

Some great points preacher. I think MW is struggling with MOH. He is a player that likes it over his shoulder but the gaffer insists on the "keep ball philosophy" and perhaps has stymied that move on the park. 

I'm baffled by our defence in that the system we play should rely heavily on a pacey strong center back - the gaffer has (so far) not strengthened that position, he has went down the "protective" route with a stronger midfield - we can all see it, why not the gaffer? 

Halliday was our best player today - I don't know what that says about our display. 

[sammy cox 664]

11 minutes ago, KeyserSoze said:

Some great points preacher. I think MW is struggling with MOH. He is a player that likes it over his shoulder but the gaffer insists on the "keep ball philosophy" and perhaps has stymied that move on the park. 

I'm baffled by our defence in that the system we play should rely heavily on a pacey strong center back - the gaffer has (so far) not strengthened that position, he has went down the "protective" route with a stronger midfield - we can all see it, why not the gaffer? 

Halliday was our best player today - I don't know what that says about our display. 

Didn't just about everyone  on here want a cdm brought in to protect the back four.Wasn't that going to be the answer to our defensive problems according to everyone or a fair amount of people on here.

[ForeverAndEver 71,650]

1 minute ago, sammy cox said:

Didn't just about everyone  on here want a cdm brought in to protect the back four.Wasn't that going to be the answer to our defensive problems according to everyone or a fair amount of people on here.

The vast majority knew our Centre Backs wouldn't be good enough.

[THE_Ibrox_Preacher 2,812]

3 minutes ago, KeyserSoze said:

Some great points preacher. I think MW is struggling with MOH. He is a player that likes it over his shoulder but the gaffer insists on the "keep ball philosophy" and perhaps has stymied that move on the park. 

I'm baffled by our defence in that the system we play should rely heavily on a pacey strong center back - the gaffer has (so far) not strengthened that position, he has went down the "protective" route with a stronger midfield - we can all see it, why not the gaffer? 

Halliday was our best player today - I don't know what that says about our display. 

 

O'H was dismissed by the support when he didn't quite click and made stop-start appearances last season, he is a fucking whippet though and if a few of his efforts had went in instead of rattling the post or whatever last season he'd be a lot more highly regarded, he's shown in pre-season that he shouldn't be written off and that the manager spent some money on him for a reason. I think he's a better Novo once you get him firing.

The manager tried to strengthen the defense with Mariappa, it never panned out and Hill was brought in (probably as a separate entity). I have my doubts about Hill because he went for the ball against an East Stirling player (non league) and tackled both of the boys legs successfully while completely missing the ball such was his timing (seems off even if he's just lacking a little game time or whatever. I have to assume though by the fact that he's been signed that Hill will come good. Who we get as an alternative to Mariappa (with that deal seemingly deader than his countryman Marley) is a mystery, however, many players contracts are up tonight and alternatively, with the money transfers happening someone is dropping down the pecking order. These are where I see our new CB coming from because if we had money I think we'd have done it already, too risky to go for a youth team prospect surely i.e. CB equivalent of Dodoo?! That's not to say we wouldn't part with a small fee for the right player but if we had the readies for picking up someone that isn't a fringe or sub-500k I think we'd have done it by now.

Halliday probably has more reason than most to bust a gut in a game that could injure him needlessly - he's unlikely to play with Crooks, Barton, Kranjcar, Holt, Rossiter. I like having someone like him there in the background, we'll have to call on him at some point most likely and you can expect that he'll produce a shift having not played in 10 games, furthermore he seems to turn up his level spinal tap style to 11 - he over the course isn't good enough but drop him into the side against Celtic after an absence and he'll probably not be the problem. I like him, maybe not at the level we need to be but he's a top notch squad man. 

 

[sammy cox 664]

1 minute ago, ForeverAndEver said:

The vast majority knew our Centre Backs wouldn't be good enough.

The vast majority wanted a cdm as the vast opinion was Halliday was not good enough at covering that role.The manager has now strengthened the midfield with the cdm that was asked for ( Barton/Rossiter ) and now we are back at the defence not being good enough.I'm not saying that the defence is free from fault but if they sign two new ch and still lose goals what next.

[ForeverAndEver 71,650]

2 minutes ago, sammy cox said:

The vast majority wanted a cdm as the vast opinion was Halliday was not good enough at covering that role.The manager has now strengthened the midfield with the cdm that was asked for ( Barton/Rossiter ) and now we are back at the defence not being good enough.I'm not saying that the defence is free from fault but if they sign two new ch and still lose goals what next.

Then something needs to change, but except Wallace our defence is rotten - Hodson isn't a starter imo so not including him - and has been for the majority of Warburton's 'era'.

[sammy cox 664]

1 minute ago, ForeverAndEver said:

Then something needs to change, but except Wallace our defence is rotten - Hodson isn't a starter imo so not including him - and has been for the majority of Warburton's 'era'.

I said in a previous post that everyone has to be at their best and that includes Wallace who along with Krancjar,Hill and Miller weren't today.I do believe and it was pretty obvious to most that when these guys were subbed the team looked sharper. I say again everyone is going to have to be at the top of their game not just one or two.

[Dickie 12,905]

5 hours ago, siddiqi_drinker said:

It tells me, going by the Andre Gray performance,  that we have a manager with an eye for a player and the contacts to get them signed which in the long term must bode well for the club.  Makes the signing of Windas, Crooks, Rossiter and Dodoo all the more exciting.

 

Andy gray could have had a hat trick against that defence

[Smile 26,610]

1 hour ago, siddiqi_drinker said:

MOH played 10 games last season, hardly enough time to get to know each others names.  People also ignore the fact Wags and MOH are very different players.  One likes the ball to feet, the other likes balls he can run on to.  People like Barton and Nico should be able to provide the type of defense splitting pass that MOH likes

 

Moh when he came on had the pace to trouble Burnley Waghorn struggled badly in the game and looked lost at times coming further and further back for the ball. Moh is equally adept at taking the ball to feet and beating a man with skill or pace.

[THE_Ibrox_Preacher 2,812]

5 minutes ago, sammy cox said:

The vast majority wanted a cdm as the vast opinion was Halliday was not good enough at covering that role.The manager has now strengthened the midfield with the cdm that was asked for ( Barton/Rossiter ) and now we are back at the defence not being good enough.I'm not saying that the defence is free from fault but if they sign two new ch and still lose goals what next.

 

To be fair I'm under the impression that Barton/Rossiter are both central midfielders that get stuck in as opposed to outright defensive mids, i'm thinking they get stuck in in the challenge offer you a bit more in central midfield like barry/thomson would as opposed to Holt/Zelalem but neither would be seen as Hemdani.

Worth bearing in mind the one true DM we've signed is Crooks and he's yet to appear, he gives us much needed height though for a start. Halliday is maybe not his understudy? With Barton and whoever being the more CM than CDM?

The defense wouldn't look as bad if the midfield tracked back at pace on the counter but we play to be left open and understrength in defense and you basically have Wallace and Tav caught out of position frequently as they attack and teams on the break play a quick punt into space for their attackers to run on to. We either tell the midfield to play more traditional i.e. help in defense tracking back OR (more likely) we upgrade the two that's been given a huge ask of defending alone (most part) being the CB's - I said elsewhere if we had Amo and Bougherra at the back they could do the job that's being asked of Wilson/Kiernan but we obviously don't and Wilson/Kiernan aren't good CB's anyway which makes it worse.

 

[THE_Ibrox_Preacher 2,812]

35 minutes ago, ForeverAndEver said:

Then something needs to change, but except Wallace our defence is rotten - Hodson isn't a starter imo so not including him - and has been for the majority of Warburton's 'era'.

Hodson is the back up for Wallace and Tav because if they get injured we have no one. Hodson will likely feature instead of Tav on occasion though helping push him (in theory) into playing better week in week out.

Hill (we hope and assume) is removing one of the Chronic Combo out, the other is yet to be signed and either that'll be in a few days as a result of players contracts running out or we're looking for someone being pushed down the pecking order at another club when someone is brought it there. We obviously tried to sign Mariappa which in anyone's book is an improvement on Wilson/Kiernan. Now will we get our man? is obviously the question, we seemingly have peanuts to spend so we're alongside every other tom dick and harry trying to get a good player for fuck all. On evidence though our management have well in that regards so far so let's see. 

[danger ranger 922]

15 minutes ago, sammy cox said:

I said in a previous post that everyone has to be at their best and that includes Wallace who along with Krancjar,Hill and Miller weren't today.I do believe and it was pretty obvious to most that when these guys were subbed the team looked sharper. I say again everyone is going to have to be at the top of their game not just one or two.

Burnley were 3 up by then and cruising, at times in the first half we couldn't get out of our own half as just about every player for Rangers were just too slow and I am not talking about running. The Burnley game will have to be forgotten about, as we are not in their league, the SPL sides will struggle to compete with Rangers. We have spent sod all this summer and it shows at the top level.

[sammy cox 664]

1 minute ago, danger ranger said:

Burnley were 3 up by then and cruising, at times in the first half we couldn't get out of our own half as just about every player for Rangers were just too slow and I am not talking about running. The Burnley game will have to be forgotten about, as we are not in their league, the SPL sides will struggle to compete with Rangers. We have spent sod this summer and it shows at the top level.

I agree with what your saying today's game taught us a lesson and we should hopefully learn and after all it was a friendly and I'm doubtful if we will come up against a better side in the Spl.In saying it was a friendly it still showed that we have a fair bit to do and all of the squad need to be at their best and some a good deal better than they were today not just the usual suspects.

[danger ranger 922]

1 minute ago, sammy cox said:

I agree with what your saying today's game taught us a lesson and we should hopefully learn and after all it was a friendly and I'm doubtful if we will come up against a better side in the Spl.In saying it was a friendly it still showed that we have a fair bit to do and all of the squad need to be at their best and some a good deal better than they were today not just the usual suspects.

I watched the second half of the scum game today and the second team for Barca ran them ragged, although I want the best for Rangers, I still think we have a team that will challenge them for the title.

[sammy cox 664]

1 minute ago, danger ranger said:

I watched the second half of the scum game today and the second team for Barca ran them ragged, although I want the best for Rangers, I still think we have a team that will challenge them for the title.

I've no doubt we definitely have the squad not only to challenge but win the league but every player is going to have to be at the top of their game when called upon.

[HG5 11,154]

First picks in midfield lack pace.

In that scenario, Barton won't be much cover for the CB's, despite what folk expected.

[andyhrfc 2,242]

It tells us what we already know.   Burnley, a team from a town with an 80000 population that will struggle to sell out 20000 tickets week in week out,  and will measure success as survival in the EPL; is streets ahead of anything Scottish football can offer.   I would have expected a similar result for Burnley against Celtic, Aberdeen or Hearts.  It does NOT tell us that we need to panic and won't be competing at the top of the League.