Rousseau

We now need to sign some Korean players.

Rangers 1 - 0 Sparta Prague FGS Danilo

Rangers vs Sparta Prague

My usual source doesn't cover cup games.

What are your thoughts, folks?

I think he is definately slowing down, but he's still so effective in what he brings to the team.

I thought Balogun showed his age a few times and was lucky to get away with it.

I've always liked Wright. He's a good squad player. However, you don't want him to be a first-team starter too often, IMO.

Some good scores, including two maximums! Correct Result (1 pt): Everyone who entered (except compo). Correct Number of Rangers Goals (1pt): BD, Devil, One, Moody, Franc, MacK, BSRT, Mal, 26th, FS, Ted, TB and Ian. FGS (2 pts): Lenny, FS and Ted. Correct Score (3 pts): Devil, One, Franc, Mal, 26th, FS and Ted. FS and Ted get a maximum! Latest Standings:

That'll do, Rangers.

I didn't think it was a dive. I didn't think it was a penalty, either.

I think Michael Stewart is a good pundit. He gets at the truth. In the sense that the truth is going to be the exact opposite to what he says.

O captain, my captain.

The build-up to that Cantwell chance around 27 minutes was sublime.

I captained Haaland. Citeh score six. Haaland does f*ck all. Donkey.

"Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is." -- Johan Cruyff

The title is mine - an attempt at being provocative. I'm not suggesting player positions are totally dead, but that they can be inaccurate - as with formations. It's just a little conversation starter. I just find 'roles' a better way of describing what a player does.

This article is a couple of years old, but I was reminded of it when thinking about our players. Many have been critical of our players, which I think is because they're being compared to static positions - a striker has to do x, y, z, but that's not quite how players are used now. They often have different roles. What roles do you think our players play? For example, what if we stopped comparing Lammers to a finisher, and compared him more to the target role or roamer role (i.e. someone more involved in the build-up)? Does that change our perception?

Positions are — let’s be honest here — a terrible way to think and talk about football. They’re supposed to suggest players’ job descriptions, even whole skill sets, but all they really tell you is approximately what patch of grass they run around on. It’s like sending employers a CV that says your desk was over by the potted plant in the north east corner of the office, a few rows behind the accountants and across from marketing. You might get a few weird looks at that interview. What if, instead of positions, we had a more detailed way to describe footballers’ tactical roles? Better yet, what if these roles are based not on subjective labels for starting formations but on the type and location of a player’s actual touches? “Players can be called one position and then do a totally different thing than another player who plays the same position. Sometimes, people don’t agree on what position a player is,” says Mike Imburgio, [...] “So I got really fascinated by the idea of, ‘What kind of player is this? What does this player like to do, and what are they tasked with doing?’.” [Breakdown:] Central attackers Finisher: Focused on getting in the box and finding shots. May be good on the ball but isn’t very involved in possession. Examples from the 2021-22 season: Erling Haaland, Lautaro Martinez, Romelu Lukaku Target: Involved in his team’s build-up play, especially in the air or by dropping towards the ball. Typically more of a goal threat than a creative passer or dribbler. Patrik Schick, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Gianluca Scamacca Roamer: Likes to drop deep or wide to create for team-mates when he’s not attacking the goal. Includes mobile strikers, false nines, and hybrid wingers. Harry Kane, Kai Havertz, Richarlison. Wide attackers Wide threat: Stretches the back line and gets into the penalty area. Does some crossing but likes receiving the final ball as much as playing it. Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Mohamed Salah Unlocker: Likes to play field marshal in the opponent’s half. Big on crosses, switches, and forward passes. More of a provider than an off-the-ball runner. Mason Mount, Neymar, Lorenzo Pellegrini Outlet: Gets on the end of dangerous passes but usually plays it safe on the ball. Takes a lot of touches in midfield or close to goal, not much in between. Draws fouls. Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish, Joao Felix. Advanced midfielders Box crasher: Doesn’t touch the ball much except when close to goal. More of an off-ball runner than a passer, but will play passes into the box. Likes to dribble. Phil Foden, Florian Wirtz, Serge Gnabry Creator: Looks to break lines with aggressive passes. Frequently central to his team’s play in the attacking half. Bruno Fernandes, Kevin De Bruyne, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic Orchestrator: Prefers midfield circulation to finding the final ball. Likes shorter, higher-percentage passes. Not afraid to do some defending. Bernardo Silva, Jude Bellingham, Nicolo Barella. Deep midfielders Box to box: Defends low but also gets upfield to receive progressive passes. Not very heavily involved in possession, usually cautious on the ball. Fabinho, Wilfred Ndidi, Eduardo Camavinga Distributor: Favours longer, more direct passes and switches. Active in the opponent’s half more than the defensive third. Joshua Kimmich, Fabian Ruiz, Youri Tielemans Builder: Serves as the main circulation hub in the build-up and as a stopper at the base of midfield. Declan Rice, Rodri, Aurelien Tchouameni. Wide defenders Overlapper: Gets into the final third, dribbles, and hits crosses. Would rather receive long passes and recycle them than play long himself. Includes a lot of wing-backs. Alphonso Davies, Achraf Hakimi, Reece James Progressor: Attempts long balls and progressive passes as well as crosses. Active in possession at both ends. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson, Joao Cancelo Safety: Stays home, getting involved in the defensive third while not taking many risks on or off the ball. Includes hybrid centre-backs or elbow backs. Benjamin Pavard, Timothy Castagne, Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Central defenders Aggressor: Likes to tackle and dribble. Not big on long passes or clearances. Includes a lot of outside centre-backs. Alessandro Bastoni, Lucas Hernandez, Ronald Araujo Spreader: Plays longer, more direct passes. Will sometimes step out in possession or to close down in defence. Marquinhos, Eder Militao, Jules Kounde Anchor: Plays safe passes and does his defending close to goal, especially with clearances and blocks. Ruben Dias, Matthijs de Ligt, Milan Skriniar. [Full article can be found here: https://theathletic.com/3473297/2022/08/10/player-roles-the-athletic/ ]

Hearts 1 - 2 Rangers FGS Danilo

Hearts v Rangers

What are your thoughts, folks?

As you were. No one had more than 0-4. Correct Result (1 pt): Everyone who entered. Correct Number of Rangers Goals (1pt): - FGS (2 pts): - Correct Score (3 pts): - Latest Standings: