BlackSocksRedTops

Or Fabinho. They do change it sometimes.

After watching Man City and Liverpool dominate by playing a back 4 with high pressing full backs, 3 CB's seems very outdated. Would prefer Lundstrum as one holding midfielder to sit in front of the CBs. As Henderson does for Liverpoool.

Rangers 4 Killie 0 FGS Colak

---------McLaughlin-------- ----Goldson-----Davies---- Tav------------------Ridvan ---Lundstrum----Kamara--- -----Tilleman/Lawrence---- Matondo---------------Kent -------------Alfie-----------

I know it's early days with this raft of new players (so quite hard to assess) but out of interest, what do you guys consider as our best starting XI? Going on the premise that all new players have done well and all established players are fit...

I hear you Mack. It was a bitter pill to swallow but like you I've seen a lot of Rangers games. IMO we were always going to have a hangover after last year's amazing run. This was different to 2008 in so many ways as we got to this final by reaching the heights. I just didn't think the come down would be so brutal! I think we need to focus on what we want this season. The title is THE priority IMO. Europe is a bonus (if it works out). We've brought in some good players that just need time to settle and get used to what is required at Rangers. For me, our immediate aim is maximum points in the league until we head to the cesspit in the east of the city. Hopefully over that period we get established players back and get some new players gaining confidence. Do I want us to pummel the Belgians next week? Of course I bloody do but it is a long season and I don't want to derail it before the first stop because we've not replicated the Euro success from last year.

Just a wee post script from last night...can anyone tell me why Goldson was booked (after penalty debacle). Surely the "offense" wasn't worthy of a yellow? Or was it for verbals (with good reason tbh)

Let's all slow down...everybody probably looks good in training. As much as we are all slightly baffled by what unfolded last night, all the new players (7?) will require time to settle. Let's be patient and realistic (not attributes that are commonly associated with Rangers fans to be honest...)

The chasm between the back 5/midfield and our attacking players was like the Grand Canyon.

This. With bells on.

Dare I suggest that it will make little difference until we know how we want to play. Colak literally got no service last night which is a worry. That therefore to me suggests that swapping to Alfie is not going to simply provide the magic bullet to our current predicament.

Apologies for picking that up wrong. Reading too quickly!!

Agreed. Whatever issues we have as a team, dropping John McLaughlin is not going to solve any of them.

Possibly but I don't see it being a priority IMO. There are countless more pressing things to sort before we even start to think of changing the goalie. McLaughlin (or whoever) is relying on what's in front of him to offer protection. Last night was a mess on top of another mess.

There are many things to sort out with our team and set up. A new goalie is not going to make an ounce of difference to how we are actually playing.

Agree about midfield. There was literally no one in the actual middle of the park to receive the ball last night. We should be giving McLaughlin options through the centre as teams have rumbled our play it wide from the keeper tactic. Much like Henderson/Fabhino do for Liverpool. Van Dyke and Mario usually spread wide leaving a huge channel for the centre of the pitch for Allison to use as plan B. Our insistence on getting everything down the flanks is our downfall IMO.

So many things about last night were perplexing. Seeing us with rigid line of 5 across the back whilst we were behind was bizarre. Why didn't Matondo play inside? He was basically playing 10/15 yards in front of Tav on the right side.

Can we assign that horrible pastiche strip to the same bin as the lilac number?

I would say that even the Europa League is above our level. Last season we punched well above our weight IMO.

Let's all calm down. GVB was rightly praised for they way he adapted his tactics on the way to a major European final last season. Tonight he got it wrong but at the same time probably didn't legislate for every outfield player turning in a dire performance.

He should have saved their first goal tbh but he did ok with what came his way after that.

Despite the mess that emanated from Belgium tonight, I can see us turning them over if we have a full and vocal Ibrox behind us. They were an ok team but we've played countless teams inbthe last 4 years that were superior to them.

I'm still trying to work out how we are planning to utilise Colak, Matondo, Lawrence, Tilleman et all to actually create chances? Seeing us with 2 players hugging the right flank with 15 yards between them was baffling to say the least.

You know its always going to be a bad night when James Tavernier is one of the poorest players on the pitch. He looked so far off it I would have asked for a bloody DNA test after the game. That wasn't our captain out there tonight.

Kamara will undoubtedly get slaughtered (as they all should) but at least IMO he tried to turn on the ball an create things through the centre. Did it work? Not really but at least he tried. As much I get Lundstrum at the back to accommodate our full backs going forward, Do we really need him as part of a trio of defenders continually playing the ball from side to side? There were so many times in that game when we never actually had a player in the middle of the park.