Rousseau

If we're blocking off the centre and forcing them wide, then I think I'd prefer Alves instead of McCrorie; he's just better in the air, and at clearing things. 

McCrorie is not quite dealing with Dembele.

Looks like a 4-3-3, with a narrow front three like Liverpool.

Hopefully that allows us to block off the centre, forcing them wide.

I think that's 4-5 bluenoses in the starting line-up? Hopefully it helps.

3 minutes ago, Bluedell said:

Got it correct

Was it you that leaked it?

Just now, buster. said:

Murty said we'd be playing 3 in the middle.

Oh well; Halliday will do a job then.

Do you think Murty reads the forum?  

I'd prefer Goss for Halliday, but it's ok; the energy will be needed.

It depends whether Dorrans plays in a flat three (or 1-2), or as a #10. If it's the former, fine; if it's the latter then I'd prefer Goss. 

We've always got Windass to come off the bench later on.

Why is our team getting leaked?

Speculation is fine, but why would anyone release it early?

1 minute ago, Gonzo79 said:

Don't!

 

I doubt I'll go OTT with any celebrations if we win tomorrow.  2016 is the main reason for that.

What's disappointing is they don't make many interceptions.

We need that more; that reading of the game, stopping forward passes into our defensive area.  

For all those saying Alves has been poor and that Bates has been good, there's not much between them.

Those radars suggest Alves is better. 

Bates attempts to get the ball back more and makes fewer errors, but Alves wins more aerial duels and is superior in passing forward. 

It would be interesting to see Martin's, but he's not played enough yet.

Talking of CBs:

I think he's a good professional -- I can't remember who said it, but in the match programme last week, he's apparently always training or in the gym. He's a good player to have around, and he does a solid job. 

I don't want him in the first-team, though. We need someone better. 

Saying that, we'll beat them tomorrow and get screwed by 'Well in the final...  

Article about Germany's superb young coaches:

Germany's youthful coaching revolution is showing the way forward in Europe

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/bundesliga-hoffenheim-julian-nagelsmann-schalke-04-domenico-tedesco-a7839166.html

32 minutes ago, 917 said:

No coaching academy in Scotland? Have you never heard of Largs, where Mourinho learned his trade & first met Steve Clarke?

 

We need to be realistic here. Mark Allen is the main man, & seems to be slowly building a good squad, but only a low profile coach would work under him. We are not going to appoint a big name, even if we could afford to, the only realistic option I’ve seen on this thread is Clarke & even he might knock us back.

 

i suspect it will be Murty who guides us into Europa League qualifiers (if we finish 2/3rd) as the statement from Dave King was deliberately vague. We won’t win the league until either Rodgers leaves (to Chelsea this summer?) or some billionaire sheik comes in like at Man City, so we just have to be content with gradual progress. We are a better team than last season, so add half a dozen first team players & we should be well clear of Aberdeen & Hibs next season. Unless we gamble & bring in a new manager who is probably going to be worse than Murty!

Yes, I know of Largs. It's different, though. I'd need to do more research, but it's not just about getting your badges, but about developing methodologies, tactics, training methods etc., and I think it's linked to clubs as well. 

No, I think most managers will work under a DoF nowadays -- unless it's an old-fashioned British type that wants absolute control; but we don't want -- or should not -- want to go down that route. 

I don't think Murty was ever going to get the job. I believe -- or perhaps it's hope -- that a new man will be appointed at the end of the season. 

1 minute ago, buster. said:

IMO Sunday is more about an effective collective (team) set-up in a specific way, than the merits of individuals.

 

Mentality, commitment and desire also play a huge part in these games and have to be considered.

 

On a messageboard, rather than at the training sessions makes it only 'gut guesswork' and we'll soon enough see what actually transpires.

Of course, but you still need the best mix to create that collective. You were the one who identified individuals without recourse to the game-plan.

I'm just thinking about the type of game we might play and trying to fit in the players to suit that; as were you. 

However, like you said elsewhere, I'll take a win any way we can get it!

Double for Windass...  

Has to be Tavernier/Candeias, and you'd be hard pressed to overlook Morelos.

34 minutes ago, buster. said:

If we want a different outcome I think we need to chaange the way we go about things.

 

I think we have to make it difficult for them to play, protect our central defence via a sitter (McCrorie) and make the midfield as solid as possible.

I made a point of watching part of the Hamilton v Celtic game last weekend and they were dismal in the last third, haven't been scoring that many goals of late and wouldn't find a well organised defence easy to create against.

 

Don't worry too much if we aren't making too many chances aslong as they don't score and become more adventurous in the last half hour. And although we want to win, remember, we don't need to win this game to go through (penalties are possible).

 

I'd like to go through and I don't care if it takes 'boring football' to do it.

 

---------------------

 

No passengers allowed so Windass, if fit, can take a seat on the bench. As can Goss.

 

I'd consider Holt, Haliday and Miller. Players who have already put celtic out of the Cup, know what the fixture is about and work hard at the parts of the game that will be necessary. I'd drop Docherty for this one (celtic will target it him with an immediate press because his distribution has been poor at times).

 

 

I don't get how you can drop players for inferior players, just because they've 'done it before'? It was actually a draw, where we played with backs against the wall and they took shot after shot at our goal. It wasn't great; our last game against them was better.

I don't mind the tactical shift to a deep block -- not a bad idea, and it could work -- but, for me, Holt, Miller and, to a lesser extent Halliday, don't provide the best options for that; Docherty and Goss are actually better suited in that sense, as they are tougher in the tackle, can carry the ball (Docherty) and control the ball in tight quarters and pass it accurately (Goss) when we break. Windass is unsuited for this too -- unless he's playing up front.

I'd prefer a high pressing game though; which would require Windass and Docherty -- even Holt, but you know how I feel about him -- but not a Goss. 

It's amazing how some players seem to become world-beaters once they've been out of the team for a while!

2 hours ago, Bill said:

Today I see an ad proclaiming ...

 

”TAKE ONLY ONE PILL AND FUCK ALL NIGHT AGAIN” accompanied by explicit graphics. There’s a funny side of course but I find it hard to believe Gersnet welcomes this pornography on its website. 

Do the ads not come from your recent viewing history... 

8 minutes ago, ian1964 said:

I don't follow any football other than Rangers, so I have no clue who you are talking about!.

 

My post was a more general comment on what type of manager will be the next! I don't have any ideas who I would want in, however I lean towards a British manager simply because the Scottish league is based on kicking opponents off the pitch, look how the best ever invincible scum team fairs in Europe! a European manager might try and build a proper football team! that won't work in Scotland .

Rodgers had better quality players to deal with than we have!.

Fair enough.

I do appreciate that argument; my head says it's a logical argument, but my heart yearns for something more... 

4 minutes ago, ian1964 said:

These managers are working with far higher quality players than we will ever have at Rangers! none of these managers would be successful at Ibrox unless they have cash to improve the quality of player they would require...........................I think?

True, but my main point was that they (Germany) have progressive young coaches coming through; we have nothing. It's not come out of nowhere, because they've set up coaching academies.

I also think they have good grounding, and good ideas, that they'd be able to do a job at most clubs. 

Why couldn't we go and get a young German coach? Rodgers has transformed a poor Celtic side, without spending a vast amount on that first team -- although, he has wasted a lot on fringe players. 

We're very close-minded, I think. 

7 minutes ago, craig said:

So you are saying Murty is our man ?

Oops!

Bundesliga sides have an extraordinary track record of promoting youth coaches straight into top jobs. Klopp was a youth coach at Mainz before getting the first-team job, before going to Dortmund; Tuchel followed the same route. But you've also got Nagelsmann (Hoffenheim), Tedesco (Schalke), Titz (Hamburg), Dardai (Hertha), and now Kovac (Frankfurt).

They've all generally been promoted straight from the Academy, and they're all tactically progressive. 

I believe the German FA actually run a coaching academy (-type thing), where these young coaches are given the time and space, assistance and knowledge to develop and learn. 

Nagalsmann and Tedesco are actually called 'Laptop managers' in Germany, but it's not pejorative! Cathro was ridiculed here -- OK he didn't do a great job, but we're very dismissive of anything different. Our managers are just ex-players that haven't actually developed or learned anything as coaches.