Smith's tactics 100% right

[kingtom28 8]

we blew it the sheep were there for the taking

[Muff 245]

4-5-1 worked - Mulgrew, Kerr, Miller, Mackie, Aluko and McDonald were quiet. Mulgrew wasn't allowed to make his surging runs from left back, and he rarely got the time and space to deliver a ball - which he is good at.

If we had gone with a 4-4-2, our midfield and defence would have been exposed - Aberdeen would have had more time and space, Mendes and Ferguson would have struggled against their midfiled duo resulting in Davis having to come inside, which would have left Aluko in too much space. The last thing we needed was an on form Aluko running at us all day.

Barry Ferguson and Kris Boyd cannot play together in a 4-4-2, we have seen this time and time again. Walter Smith got his tactics right, he got the personnel wrong and the players on the park didn't help much either.

4-5-1/4-3-3 is the way to go unless we have a Cousin type striker and replace Ferguson with Thomson.

[Wreckedroy 33]

In some of our more recent matches at Pittodrie we've been steam-rollered by them. That was the most effective performance we've seen for a while at the Dung Hill. As touched on before, if Novo stuck that chance in the net (and he should have) then it would have worked out perfectly.

I can kind of see why Walter may have opted for McCulloch, but WTF was he doing giving away all those free kicks?? If the Sheep were going to score it was going to be from a Mulgrew set-piece. Madness.

As an aside, Stevie Davis looked fcuking appalling. I hope he's not starting to tail off like he did last season.

I agree mate, but i think he hasn't looked the same since BF came back.

Barry has been a truly great player in his time, but taking the ball from our other midfielders all the time has 2 major disadvantages.

1) He rarely does anything better with it than the original player could/would have done

2) It promotes the assumption that somehow the other players are inferior to him, which for someone like Davis, who's a quiet lad as it is, must affect his confidence.

Unbelievable! Barry Ferguson is now to blame for Davis having an off day!

What next? The Holocaust maybe? Or world hunger?

[Gaffbear 4,104]

In some of our more recent matches at Pittodrie we've been steam-rollered by them. That was the most effective performance we've seen for a while at the Dung Hill. As touched on before, if Novo stuck that chance in the net (and he should have) then it would have worked out perfectly.

I can kind of see why Walter may have opted for McCulloch, but WTF was he doing giving away all those free kicks?? If the Sheep were going to score it was going to be from a Mulgrew set-piece. Madness.

As an aside, Stevie Davis looked fcuking appalling. I hope he's not starting to tail off like he did last season.

I agree mate, but i think he hasn't looked the same since BF came back.

Barry has been a truly great player in his time, but taking the ball from our other midfielders all the time has 2 major disadvantages.

1) He rarely does anything better with it than the original player could/would have done

2) It promotes the assumption that somehow the other players are inferior to him, which for someone like Davis, who's a quiet lad as it is, must affect his confidence.

Unbelievable! Barry Ferguson is now to blame for Davis having an off day!

What next? The Holocaust maybe? Or world hunger?

Definately world Hunger but the Holocaust is a bit far fetched.

[Polo 1,435]

Unbelievable! Barry Ferguson is now to blame for Davis having an off day!

What next? The Holocaust maybe? Or world hunger?

Definately world Hunger but the Holocaust is a bit far fetched.

[BoltonLoyal 2]

In some of our more recent matches at Pittodrie we've been steam-rollered by them. That was the most effective performance we've seen for a while at the Dung Hill. As touched on before, if Novo stuck that chance in the net (and he should have) then it would have worked out perfectly.

I can kind of see why Walter may have opted for McCulloch, but WTF was he doing giving away all those free kicks?? If the Sheep were going to score it was going to be from a Mulgrew set-piece. Madness.

As an aside, Stevie Davis looked fcuking appalling. I hope he's not starting to tail off like he did last season.

I agree mate, but i think he hasn't looked the same since BF came back.

Barry has been a truly great player in his time, but taking the ball from our other midfielders all the time has 2 major disadvantages.

1) He rarely does anything better with it than the original player could/would have done

2) It promotes the assumption that somehow the other players are inferior to him, which for someone like Davis, who's a quiet lad as it is, must affect his confidence.

Unbelievable! Barry Ferguson is now to blame for Davis having an off day!

What next? The Holocaust maybe? Or world hunger?

Ok then, go on, it's your open mike session.

Try and tell me BF has produced anything like a worthwhile display since he got back in the team.

I'm not saying he's responsible, but as someone who has played football (not pro but English NW Counties level), i'd be totally p*ssed off having to play 2nd fiddle to a bloke who at the present moment in time is in nowhere near the form i am!

I tell you what though - if it suits your agenda - we'll just leave Mr Rangers at security level 86 (untouchable).

Davis played better without BF in the team and for what it's worth i also think Mendes and Miller did as well.

If Thommo was fit i wouldn't even have BF in the starting 11.

[CanadianBacon 2,088]

In some of our more recent matches at Pittodrie we've been steam-rollered by them. That was the most effective performance we've seen for a while at the Dung Hill. As touched on before, if Novo stuck that chance in the net (and he should have) then it would have worked out perfectly.

I can kind of see why Walter may have opted for McCulloch, but WTF was he doing giving away all those free kicks?? If the Sheep were going to score it was going to be from a Mulgrew set-piece. Madness.

As an aside, Stevie Davis looked fcuking appalling. I hope he's not starting to tail off like he did last season.

I agree mate, but i think he hasn't looked the same since BF came back.

Barry has been a truly great player in his time, but taking the ball from our other midfielders all the time has 2 major disadvantages.

1) He rarely does anything better with it than the original player could/would have done

2) It promotes the assumption that somehow the other players are inferior to him, which for someone like Davis, who's a quiet lad as it is, must affect his confidence.

Unbelievable! Barry Ferguson is now to blame for Davis having an off day!

What next? The Holocaust maybe? Or world hunger?

Ok then, go on, it's your open mike session.

Try and tell me BF has produced anything like a worthwhile display since he got back in the team.

I'm not saying he's responsible, but as someone who has played football (not pro but English NW Counties level), i'd be totally p*ssed off having to play 2nd fiddle to a bloke who at the present moment in time is in nowhere near the form i am!

I tell you what though - if it suits your agenda - we'll just leave Mr Rangers at security level 86 (untouchable).

Davis played better without BF in the team and for what it's worth i also think Mendes and Miller did as well.

If Thommo was fit i wouldn't even have BF in the starting 11.

Now who can argue with that?

That aside, Smith's tactics sucked at Pittodrie - he basically shat out of going for their jugular with this line-up.

I mean furfuxsake, Lee McCulloch???

[docspiderman 1,260]

We should never be afraid against Aberdeen even at Pittodrie. Our record there has been good until Walter returned although that can be said about our away record. Play a normal set up to win matches away from home and play to our strengths instead of bigging up the opposition and altering our tactics, Walter!

[Cumbria_blue 51]

I can see what his thinking was - stifle their threat and nick a goal. And if we'd had players with more pace, and if we hadn't wasted so many opportunities on the counter attack, we would have won. I also think Miller was the wrong choice for the lone striker role.

[jbm26896 995]

In some of our more recent matches at Pittodrie we've been steam-rollered by them. That was the most effective performance we've seen for a while at the Dung Hill. As touched on before, if Novo stuck that chance in the net (and he should have) then it would have worked out perfectly.

I can kind of see why Walter may have opted for McCulloch, but WTF was he doing giving away all those free kicks?? If the Sheep were going to score it was going to be from a Mulgrew set-piece. Madness.

As an aside, Stevie Davis looked fcuking appalling. I hope he's not starting to tail off like he did last season.

I agree mate, but i think he hasn't looked the same since BF came back.

Barry has been a truly great player in his time, but taking the ball from our other midfielders all the time has 2 major disadvantages.

1) He rarely does anything better with it than the original player could/would have done

2) It promotes the assumption that somehow the other players are inferior to him, which for someone like Davis, who's a quiet lad as it is, must affect his confidence.

Unbelievable! Barry Ferguson is now to blame for Davis having an off day!

What next? The Holocaust maybe? Or world hunger?

Ok then, go on, it's your open mike session.

Try and tell me BF has produced anything like a worthwhile display since he got back in the team.

I'm not saying he's responsible, but as someone who has played football (not pro but English NW Counties level), i'd be totally p*ssed off having to play 2nd fiddle to a bloke who at the present moment in time is in nowhere near the form i am!

I tell you what though - if it suits your agenda - we'll just leave Mr Rangers at security level 86 (untouchable).

Davis played better without BF in the team and for what it's worth i also think Mendes and Miller did as well.

If Thommo was fit i wouldn't even have BF in the starting 11.

wrong , Barry would be in the team whether Thommo was fit or not

[Muff 245]

Even if we had Gerrard, Xavi, Iniesta and Lucho Gonzalez, Barry Ferguson would still be in the team.

[davy1shoe 63]

Neutralised Aberdeen's threat, which had to be done given we knew they'd come out flying, dominated possession and created enough chances to win the game twice.

Walter - 100% spot on.

Players - 0% for execution.

If you think we should be slaughtering Aberdeen away there's no way you'll agree with this but I think today showed how much more Walter understands about football than we do.

Id rather have a nil nil than the 4-2 pumping they did the week before to the scumbags.

[MadBarry 2]

Even if we had Gerrard, Xavi, Iniesta and Lucho Gonzalez, Barry Ferguson would still be in the team.

True but none of them would give him the ball lol

[ShootSpeedKillLight 0]

wrong , Barry would be in the team whether Thommo was fit or not

True. If Barry wasn't in the team then Rangers would cease to exist

[BoltonLoyal 2]

wrong , Barry would be in the team whether Thommo was fit or not

I said I wouldn't have in the team, therefore it would have to be right. I understand that if WS continues to pick the team then Barry is virtually guaranteed a place, if that's what you meant.

[BoltonLoyal 2]

Even if we had Gerrard, Xavi, Iniesta and Lucho Gonzalez, Barry Ferguson would still be in the team.

True but none of them would give him the ball lol

They'd have to i think it's written into the players contracts - i can't see any other reason why our players keep doing it?

[outlaw69uk 123]

In some of our more recent matches at Pittodrie we've been steam-rollered by them. That was the most effective performance we've seen for a while at the Dung Hill. As touched on before, if Novo stuck that chance in the net (and he should have) then it would have worked out perfectly.

I can kind of see why Walter may have opted for McCulloch, but WTF was he doing giving away all those free kicks?? If the Sheep were going to score it was going to be from a Mulgrew set-piece. Madness.

As an aside, Stevie Davis looked fcuking appalling. I hope he's not starting to tail off like he did last season.

I agree mate, but i think he hasn't looked the same since BF came back.

Barry has been a truly great player in his time, but taking the ball from our other midfielders all the time has 2 major disadvantages.

1) He rarely does anything better with it than the original player could/would have done

2) It promotes the assumption that somehow the other players are inferior to him, which for someone like Davis, who's a quiet lad as it is, must affect his confidence.

Unbelievable! Barry Ferguson is now to blame for Davis having an off day!

What next? The Holocaust maybe? Or world hunger?

Ok then, go on, it's your open mike session.

Try and tell me BF has produced anything like a worthwhile display since he got back in the team. -not really no, but its not relevant to Davis' performances

I'm not saying he's responsible, but as someone who has played football (not pro but English NW Counties level), i'd be totally p*ssed off having to play 2nd fiddle to a bloke who at the present moment in time is in nowhere near the form i am! - would you not, well, try to show him up with your superior skill? A player who goes into his shell for that reason is pathetic

I tell you what though - if it suits your agenda - we'll just leave Mr Rangers at security level 86 (untouchable).

Davis played better without BF in the team and for what it's worth i also think Mendes and Miller did as well. - we had thomson, the team had a tackler

If Thommo was fit i wouldn't even have BF in the starting 11. - yeah, i would agree with that 101%

Hmmm, had to comment haha

The guys point was fair enough, rather than just accept the fact Davis has been underperforming, as he did towards the end of last season, its intimated that its Fergusgons fault. Thats laughable.

[BoltonLoyal 2]

Perhaps i overstated the point, i have said once i don't hold BF responsible for Davis' bad performance. (post #182)

But i also think BF stifles the creativity of the other midfield players by constantly demanding the ball and then doing arguably less with it, than the player he takes it off.

This of course takes us back to Walter's insistence on playing personnel who are out of form, more often than not, because they are 'established' players rather than 'in form' ones.

I hold no malice against anyone who wears the shirt even KM, and the ultimate responsibility has to lie with Walter.

He is paid to manage the team effectively and IMO he isn't doing that.

[dbyst 570]

Perhaps i overstated the point, i have said once i don't hold BF responsible for Davis' bad performance. (post #182)

But i also think BF stifles the creativity of the other midfield players by constantly demanding the ball and then doing arguably less with it, than the player he takes it off.

This of course takes us back to Walter's insistence on playing personnel who are out of form, more often than not, because they are 'established' players rather than 'in form' ones.

I hold no malice against anyone who wears the shirt even KM, and the ultimate responsibility has to lie with Walter.

He is paid to manage the team effectively and IMO he isn't doing that.

spot on

[rfc_no1fan 13]

The idea that 4-5-1 is a completely defensive formation is utter bollocks.

Miller is the only option as striker in a 4-5-1 as mobility and hard work are essential. Not even you can say that Boyd is anything other than useless up front on his own, at least not with a straight face.

The tactics worked insofar as we completely nullified the sheeps' front 2 by playing McCulloch in the hole which also gave Mendes and Ferguson the necessary freedom to dominate the midfield, which they did with ease for most of the game.

As for dropping the 442 and dropping Boyd, there are many on here who have been constantly criticizing Smith because we're too predictable, yet when he changes things he still gets it in the neck!

I think the players have to take a major share of the blame for the result on Saturday. The team that took the field should have beaten the sheep with something to spare, no matter what the tactics were. They are all highly paid professionals and should be able to think for themselves.

Its not utter bollocks at all, ok, the 4-5-1 isn't always seen as a defensive play, but in this match, with this team and Walter at the helm, it was, its a step back from fully attacking with a 4-4-2, which we needed to do as we wanted to go top.

And aye, Boyd isn't too great up front on his own, but neither is Miller, sure thats where he's played his whole career, but tbh he's more of a 'get the ball to boyd to score' lad recently, his shot/accuracy is pish, you can tell that from the 'mygrannycouldhavescoredthat' shot he missed (albeit offside).

Walter stuck a player up front on his own who couldn't hit a barn door, what does that tell you? We had Novo, Naismith, and Fleck that could have done that position better, (Even McCulloch, he plays everywhere ) It was almost as bad as watching Darcheville getting the ball lobbed to him and then falling over

What was most annoying was taking Miller off, and dropping Boyd into his place, in the same 4-5-1, we all know Boyd can't play that roll too great, he may as well have left Miller on, although imo he was more effective than Miller there.

He should have changed at that point (if not earlier) to a 442, left Miller on, put Boyd next to him, or put Novo/Fleck up front with him, and move it around a bit.

We only looked like scoring at all in the last 10-15 minutes.

2 points lost, pish.

4-5-1 can be defensive, but it can also be a very attacking formation, which allows you to dictate play and control the tempo of the game.

If we had set out for the draw and to be defensive.... why did we take the game to Aberdeen, enjoy a lionshare of possession (Most of which in the Aberdeen half) and not allow Aberdeen to attack us then?

Your just upset cause your bumboy Boyd never played from the start

Walter was right to go 4-1-4-1, His personnel was questionable as were the time/substitutions. On another day we win that game. Lets move on.

[simplythebest 11,453]

Smith's 4-5-1 is anything but attacking!

[ForeverBlue_Since91 2,895]

COMON, THE RANGERS FANS HAVE DONE IT BEFORE PLZZZ GET HIM TO FUCK

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

PLZZZ

[macleod1873 0]

Who do you suggest we replace him with ?

[ForeverBlue_Since91 2,895]

Who do you suggest we replace him with ?

ANYBOADY THAT PLAYS ATTACKING FOOTBALL AND HAS BEEN IN THE GAME FOR A WHILE

[macleod1873 0]

Who do you suggest we replace him with ?

ANYBOADY THAT PLAYS ATTACKING FOOTBALL AND HAS BEEN IN THE GAME FOR A WHILE

Thres not many that have been in the game longer than that old farrt and would be willing to come to rangers