Rousseau

It''s easy to forget how intelligent he actually is, with all the "off-field stuff". I believe he was doing a philosophy course last year, and he come across very well on Question Time a while back. He's always been an articulate man, quoting Nietzche etc., but it's easy to be deceived by the 'tough guy' persona/perception.

I can see a double pivot of Barton and Rositter next season; a deep-lying playmaker role for Barton with a bit of aggression and steel. It sounds quite exciting!

I thank them for their services, and wish them well. They tried (Clark in particular) but were found wanting, unfortunately.

I wouldn't mind keeping Shiels around: he seems to be content being a squad player (34+ games off the bench this season apparently), which is quite rare, I think; I still think he can do a job here and there.

Can I get "You're a joke, Tom" on a T-shirt?

Fantastic work Frankie! It must be soul-destroying to be consistently burned by logic.

I expect/hope so too Rousseau. However Warbs is on record as saying he likes to work with a small squad. I said back in August that I cannot square the circle of a small squad and the workrate we put into games, and that I believed we would struggle to keep our early season performance levels going for a whole season. It has been no surprise to see us losing lots of late goals in the last two months of the season as our legs have definitely gone. We havent played a good game of football (bar the adrenalin inducing OF SF) in about three months, and I think that is partly down to the intensity we played with for the first half of the season with the same 13 players playing every game. We constantly scored late goals and outworked our opponents in the first half of the season, and the reverse has been true in recent weeks.

 

Shades of '94 also when we wrapped up the league very early and went virtually on holiday prior to a Cup Final against a team that had never won the cup and that we had beaten comfortably on league duty. United were up for it then and we played poorly with a very tired squad making mistakes. And that was us going for historic back to back trebles, something that will probably never be closer again. At least United managed not to invade the park back then.

He likes a lean squad, but I don't think that covers struggling to name 5 players on the bench -- presumably he'd like more than that! Too light a squad, that meant we couldn't hope to sustain early season form. He may have to deviate from that desire, considering the amount of games we expect to play in a season. It's a learning curve for him, and I hope he'll take the lessons on board. He doesn't appear to be too stubborn; he's demonstrated he can change some things, even if the philosophy must remain.

We have a formation and a footballing philosophy, but we do not have any tactics. Tactics are an important part of the game. The great managers see the game unfold in front of them and use tactics to change the way the game is going to their favour.

 

Our manager has a footballing philosophy that he believes is the only way to play football and refuses to change any part of it during games. It is a naivety that is staggering, and is his greatest failing as a manager. Substitutions are a way in which good managers use tactics to change the pattern of play. Our manager uses subs as a method of squad rotation.

 

I have been banging on all season about the two bombscares masquerading as centre halfs and Warburton steadfastly refused to bring in replacements in January or make changes from his existing squad. In addition to this, his January signings must be questioned as two of them were cup-tied. Given the Scottish Cup was our only route to Europe, the purchases had to be able to play in this competition surely? A big error again, especially a loan signing who can only play in league games.

 

I have been pleased with Warburton overall but these major errors have to be fairly criticised as the criticism is most certainly due. Plenty for him to work on between now and our league cup sectional ties in mid July (how sad it is to even type that instead of UEFA Cup qualifiers). Thankfully we know he is a bit of a workaholic and we have good people around him that will all be working hard over the close season to ensure we are ready for the challenge of next season. I will be very disappointed if more than 6 players that participated yesterday start our first game, and I am giving the benefit of a lot of doubt to a couple of players in that. In reality, only Wallace, Holt, McKay and Waghorn look like top tier players, and it is doubtful if Wes, Halliday, Tav are going to be good enough when we step up a level. We know for sure that Kiernan, Wilson, Miller, Shiels, Clark, Law are all surplus to requirements but getting them all out of the squad will not be easy for those under contract. We have bought three players already but none of them are of sufficient quality to improve our first 11, more likely squad additions to beef up the squad with the above departures and loanees returning to their parent clubs.

That's a good point. I think this failing (to change tactics) is down to having very few options on the bench. Warburton must take the blame for that, but I expect (hope?) to see several additions made to rectify this problem in the summer.

Munich and barcelona----give it a rest!!

We are both predictable and ineffective,but hey lets carry on.Changing things up when needed is crucial,to all teams.

Seems to me, you have a set was of thinking and your not for changing either

To answer your question-----Rangers dont swing crosses into the box because we DONT..

OK -- I'll give it a rest. Thanks for this most edifying debate.

Here's another one:

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Yes exactly.Hard and fast rules that must be followed.

Problem being ,its turned into the most predictable team in the country.

There is NO team that hasnt got our measure,inc,alloa,livingston,falkirk etc.

Thats gonna have to change-----ill refer you to your----why didnt we put more balls into the box ?querie.

You can say the same about Bayern Munich and Barcelona: they play predictable football. There is a difference between being predictable and being ineffective. I think Hibs were fairly predictable -- 5 at the back and counter, then move to their normal 4-4-2 (diamond) when they were pushing to get back into the game -- but they were effective. Predictability shouldn't matter, if we're doing the right things, but it's the efficacy that is the issue. We need better players, and we need better options on the bench.

Why didnt we put more balls into the box--------cos we dont.

Why do we take so many short corners------cos we do.

Why do we make unnecessary subs----cos thats what we do.

why dont we change things up a bit------cos we cant or wont.

why did we loose------see above!!

Why dont we sit deeper when theres a cup final to be won in ten minuets time? you answer this one Rousseau.

What's your point? We don't do something, because we don't?

After game today and capitulation at end I don't think this would have happened if we had kept our POTY of last year.

He doesn't fit into the team. We need better players, certainly, but not players that don't fit. Moreover, he actually lost a heading duel to Miller for our equiliser, so he's hardly great in the air; Hibs have been poor in the air for a while. (It does beg the question, why didn't we put more balls into the box?)

Sorry Rousseau but if the head of media for the tories said what has been attributed to him on behalf of the Scottish Tories then he has brought politics full square into this. He has basically told us we are on our own and we should just shut up and take it while others can do exactly as they like. Had there been no pitch invasion I am sure we would have been disappointed but we would have accepted defeat without trouble as we have for other cup finals (without greeting to paraphrase our tory friend). Hibs caused this trouble not Rangers. Hibs players and coaches weren't assaulted and spat at and denied the chance to receive medals in public. If the party of union and law and order can't see that obvious fact then we are lost. God help us in the new Scotland.

Like I said elsewhere, he sounds like a nutcase, but I highly doubt he's speaking on behalf of his party.

Politics in this situation just makes it worse. There are many tweets/comments (and lack thereof) from all shades of the political spectrum. I don't care for political pointscoring in what is an already thoroughly disgusting and abhorrent situation.

Ok, sorry. the zoomer I quoted has been tweeting again about how there's nothing worse than pitch invasion haters as pitch invasions are "the greatest".

Sounds like a bit of a nutter...

I was only replying to a post that had.

Sorry - not directed at you; more a general statement as there's been a couple.

No need to bring politics into it.

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Just because we all need a wee smile:

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Blatant piece of spin by The Sun, but at least Andy Walker's telling the truth.

This is Gerry Hassan's tweet Frankie referenced above:

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Just posting what Frankie is re-tweeting:

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