DMAA

On ‎14‎/‎02‎/‎2020 at 15:18, 26th of foot said:

Philip was not brave, his wife is to be pitied, and the consensus was the whole thing had been carefully choreographed

Have to say I agree with them on this. If sources are to be believed, he groomed this 18 year old boy and was forced to go public after the boy threatened to go to the the papers when he was binned. His family didn't know anything according to friends of his wife and feel betrayed. He's a dirty, predatory cheat who doesn't deserve the effusive praise for "bravery" he's getting and I'm glad someone in the media is willing to say so after days of celebration. That's where my praise of the the BBC will end on this thread though ?

15 hours ago, BlackSocksRedTops said:

Morelos has gone from a player who could potentially reach a fee of 30 million to a player who looks like he cost us 30 bob. His decision making today was woeful

I've commented on here often how Morelos's passing, dribbling and touch frustrates the life out of me even when he is on the top of his game. It isn't really to do with poor form that is just the player he is, people just don't seem to notice or mind much when he is scoring. 

That being said I think the criticism of Morelos is a bit too much. Compared to other players who are out of form he is still producing. He has scored two goals in two games and has been robbed blind. In terms of assists he played two incredible passes in the last two games, one to Kent who didn't back himself to finish and went down under minimal contact (imo) and yesterday for Arfield I think it was which could easily have resulted in a goal. 

Kamberi looks very sharp and hungry but I'd bring him in for Kent instead of Morelos. That finish yesterday was brilliant and how good would it be for there to be someone in the team who can take the pressure off Morelos a bit.

On 16/02/2020 at 19:15, the gunslinger said:

Katic was all over the place today. 

I felt it was unfair to drop Edmundson after only two games. He hasn’t had the opportunity to prove himself that Katic has and he’s so much better on the ball. 

Kent seems undroppable. I’ve said since early last season he’s the most overrated player at Ibrox. He can contribute plenty at Ibrox but he’s nowhere near the player so many made out he was, he has always been lacking technically. 

On a more positive note, Livingston’s back line breaks shape once and Hagi instantly punishes them. It’s great to have a player with his vision and passing ability at Rangers. 

2 hours ago, Rousseau said:

Yes, but you don't need to change the whole formation to isolate Kent against the Full-back. 

 

If one of the wide CMs stepped up into the half-space, Barisic tucks in, then Kent can go wide. That's the sort of thing Man City do, to get Stirling in-behind. 

 

With the 4-4-2, there's no reason for the opposition FB and RM to stay narrow if there's no one there to mark. Not in every situation, but you know...

No the main reason is that on a tight pitch, especially plastic, a more direct style can be more successful because you aren't as dependent on a slick surface and open spaces. The utilisation of Kent on the right was just an example of how it could benefit us.

I would disagree that there is no reason for the opposition full back to stay narrow against a 4-4-2. I say this as a full back who played against 4-4-2 every week for a long time. A full back always wants to be reasonably narrow when defending because the pass that you dread is the one between you and the centre back by a centre midfielder. Once that is played the winger is into an excellent position to set up a goal. When the winger receives the ball to feet, as long as he isn't exceptionally fast you should have plenty time to shuffle over and close the wide space down. So for me a smart full back will always err on the side of positioning himself too narrow rather than too wide when playing against a wide player in a 4-4-2, but a very fast player like Kent (on the wing of his favoured foot) makes it very hard for you to do that.

5 hours ago, Frankie said:

1.  The manager simply has to be more flexible/adaptable in his selections and systems: relying on the 4-3-2-1 isn't working.

On tight grounds where it's hard to create space with intricate passing you have to wonder if 2 up front is worth a go and a slightly more direct style. I know it's horribly out of fashion but 4-4-2 has some strengths. Without Barisic in particular we lack threat on the left when Halliday steps in. In a 4-4-2 the need for a marauding full back isn't the same if you have a winger who can do it. At Killie we could have had,

Tav  Goldson  Katic  Halliday

Kent  Jack    Aribo/Hagi  Jones

    Morelos   Kamberi

Kent could be twice the player he is now if he was allowed to just focus on running onto through balls played in between the centre back and the full back and then cutting it back or chipping it to the back post. Just now he is playing as a playmaker at times which he is terrible at, and his shooting is awful more often than not. If he hugged the touchline on the right I think he could give a left back a horrendous time. If the left back stayed narrow (which they want to do when sitting in) he wouldn't be able to stop Kent running straight down the line and getting in behind. The left back would be pulled out wide which would open up a gap between him and the centre back which is exactly what you want.

I'm not saying the above would be a recipe for success in every game because the 4-3-2-1 has served us well but you'd have to think we are surely looking at alternatives now, especially when big players are missing.

2 hours ago, JohnMc said:

Every side gets injuries DMAA, that's what we've got a squad for (Morelos wasn't injured, he was suspended). Successful sides cope, they have a balanced squad and are able to provide cover. I mean it's not like we were forced to throw in young boys last night, kids with no experience. If we've no cover at full back or upfront then that's fairly damning on it's own. It hurts to type this but Celtic played us in a cup final without a recognised forward on the pitch and still somehow managed to lift the trophy. 

I don't think Gerrard should be sacked, far from it, but I don't accept that injuries are behind this. Last night's side was only missing Barasic and maybe Helander, we should be able to beat Kilmarnock. As for Hearts, frankly, there is no excuse for that defeat, none at all. 

I did say that it wasn't an excuse, but that Gerrard should be cut some slack and I said that the starting 11 had been ravaged by injuries and suspensions.

Yes every team gets injuries but my point is that Gerrard has had exceptionally bad luck since Dec 29th in losing the backbone of his team at the same time. A lot of people seem to think this should have had no effect on form. They have seemed surprised that we didn't just carry on steamrolling teams like we did in the 19 games till Dec 29th. The reality is that we always knew we were reliant on Morelos, Tavernier, Jack and Barisic and it shouldn't be a shock when we stutter without them. Even in the first half of the season when we did falter it co-incided with key men not playing. It's not an excuse for the points we've dropped as you say but there is a mitigating context to Gerrard's failure in recent games.

3 hours ago, JohnMc said:

however since the Celtic match we've been abject and the management team need scrutinised for that

I take your broader point but you can't legislate for the bad luck we had with injury. Our starting 11 has been torn apart since the 29th.

In the 8 games we've played,

• Helander has missed 8
• Tavernier has missed 5
• Jack has missed 4.5
• Defoe has missed 4
• Morelos has missed 3
• Barisic has missed 2

Defoe aside, those are all key members of our starting 11 and the backbone of our team. In the loss to Hearts we were without Helander, Tavernier, Morelos and Jack for 50 mins. That is huge. For the draw to Aberdeen we were without Tavernier and Jack and last night we had less excuse but badly missed Barisic. 

What can be forgotten is that even when you get players back they are not going to be 100% fit and there has been disruption to the line up which will have an impact too.

It might sound like I'm making excuses and I'm not but I think we should cut Gerrard some slack because he has had his starting 11 dismantled by injury and suspensions.

18 minutes ago, Frankie said:

 

Exactly, I highlighted this in my thread a few weeks ago. I said our starting 11 have shown themselves to be good enough to win the league but we don't cope when we lose key men. Every game we have dropped points we have had key men missing. Jack and Morelos missed big ones too, including earlier in the season.

3 minutes ago, Gonzo79 said:

Kent needs dropped.   He has done f*ck all for weeks.

It’s the same every time for Kent, he does something that looks good and then either messes it up or just passes it sideways or backwards. For me he is lacking in real quality. 

Just don’t know what to make of that tonight. Disgraceful refereeing. Disgraceful capitulation. 

18 minutes ago, les186 said:

and Kilmarnock always looked likely to score

Have to disagree there. Two goals without ever creating anything. I don’t know how they keep doing it, other than that we allow them. 

Rory Mackenzie should have had 3 or 4 yellows now and he still hasn’t had one. He literally tried to block a throw in with his hands there and nothing. 

Disgraceful

Hearts keeper has had a howler to gift Celtic the goal apparently. 

Hibs are dominating and “Docherty has been outstanding in the opening 45” according to the half time report. It is testament to the shape he has kept himself in that he can waltz into their starting lineup and dominate games for them. 

That’s both Power and Dicker on yellows. Good news for us because they will both be at risk of a second yellow. 

Fantastic long shot from Arfield. Spins away from the keeper, real quality. 

Real quality from Hagi with that pass there. That is what we have lacked. 

I’m a little concerned after seeing the line-up too. It shows how much the squad has been disrupted by injuries that our line-up is so irregular. You can understand the rationale in bringing Katic back in but if Killie press then he is a risk. This is a big game for Hagi too. If it doesn’t go well the narrative will b already written that he is lightweight and isn’t ready for these games, or even Scottish football. Hopefully he can show his quality in what is likely to be a game with little of it. 

11 hours ago, Gaffer said:

I agree.  This is an excellent statement, but the hatred runs too deep for any of them to apologise.  I, like every other bear, will remain angry until these disgusting commentators get what thy deserve.  Every one of the most should be sacked, and in any other country that's what would happen.  I've ways been proud to be Scottish and British.  Unfortunately these days I'm becoming disgusted at what our little country is becoming.  I hope we can somehow recover.

I reported Michael Stewart to Kick it Out for demanding proof that a young black player who claimed he was racially abused was in fact abused and even insinuating that it was made up. Only in Scotland could a BBC employee say that on national radio and go unchallenged. 

Fantastic statement from the club. It has anger running all the way through it. 

Now that the Police have charged an individual with racially abusing Alfredo Morelos at the Old Firm game on 29 December, it is necessary to state yet again that racist abuse, indeed abuse of any form, must never be condoned or dismissed.

The first thing to be made clear is that even though many others commented on the issue of abuse (racial and sectarian) directed towards Alfredo Morelos, Rangers had a duty of care not to say anything that might compromise a live Police Scotland investigation. What none of us should ever do, however, is dismiss, or trivialise abusive behaviour as too many media outlets, journalists, and pundits have done in this instance.

Perhaps there might be a bout of contrition and one or two may feel a pang of guilt now that the evidence some of them so loudly demanded is there in the form of this charge.

If enough of our media had been of a mind to treat the issue with the gravity required from the outset, as normally happens with these issues, there would have been none of the dismissive comments which have helped pollute social media, newspapers and broadcast platforms. Social media is, of course, largely lawless but some of the pieces written and broadcast around Alfredo Morelos in mainstream media were and remain disgraceful.

He has been described as a waster, a cheat, an angry brat and one columnist/pundit actually wrote that if you can’t take the vitriol you are in the wrong city. The implication seems to be that the fault lies not with those who choose racism and abuse, but with a young immigrant who chose to come to our country. This is a deeply disturbing attitude and that it was actually expressed in a national newspaper defies belief.

When a player is at the centre of an abuse claim he is treated with respect and sensitivity and given support. That is certainly the case in England, but not here and most certainly not with Alfredo Morelos, who is actually being demonised in many quarters of the media.

A number of factually incorrect stories have been written and published about Alfredo recently causing a great deal of stress and anxiety within his family at a time when his heavily-pregnant wife should be calm and relaxed.

A river of negative and hurtful attention has been flowing towards the Morelos family without thought or concern for the individuals involved and the way they have been treated is shameful. Especially vulgar is the manner in which claims of abuse, racist and sectarian, have been dismissed in some quarters – BBC Scotland in particular – where the overall situation has been mocked amid outrageous claims that Rangers were behind the leaking of certain stories. None of this shows our media and country in a good light.

Perhaps now some people will take a long and honest look at themselves and who knows, they might even apologise, but all of this serves only to make Rangers even more committed to our Everyone Anyone campaign. We will not stop or slow our efforts to make Ibrox a place open and welcoming to all.

Finally, Rangers would be more than happy to accommodate the young person involved in this latest incident on one of our courses designed to help people understand why racist and sectarian abuse is unacceptable. Indeed, if any of those journalists/pundits who got it so badly wrong would like to attend we’d also welcome and help them.

2 hours ago, JohnMc said:

Scottish football is crying out for an authoritative voice, someone with genuine insights and understanding and who is capable of explaining the intricacies of the beautiful game to us ignorant fans.

48 minutes ago, craig said:

I'm biased, but I could listen to Kevin Thomson's footballing insights any time

I'm biased too @craig but I actually think I would be perfect for the job.

32 minutes ago, T-1000 said:

I am less sure that bringing Kent onto the middle would be successful

He already plays in the middle but he has never looked comfortable there. He doesn't have the skillset. He wants too many touches and wants to dribble all the time, if there's no space to dribble he'll just pass the ball back where it came from or lose it. He's ball turnover stats are very high. A player who is natural centrally has good vision and passing ability which enables him to move the ball quickly and pass through teams. I still think Kent's most natural position is the right wing, where he can focus on hitting the byline. Leave the intricate stuff to those who have that skillset.

6 hours ago, Frankie said:

This is exactly it.

 

Opposition sides are flooding the half-spaces with as much as four players when we go wide and it forces us back more often than not.  As such, both Barisic and Tav need to come inside more often and Kent also needs to work on his positioning.  Hagi seemed to grasp this in the second half and that's why he was better.  Aribo also made more of an effort to get in the box and that was key to us forcing Hibs further back meaning we could win the turnover quicker

I still haven't seen the game so I can't comment on it, but what really frustrates me about Kent at times is that he doesn't get in the right attacking positions. He doesn't make off the ball runs in behind the defence to stretch them. Others like Aribo and even Arfield are better at getting in dangerous positions but Kent often defaults to a kind of left back position where his pace is useless and he ends up playing a neat and tidy type game where he takes the ball direct to feet and simply passes it back infield.

In Kent's defence, I think the system we play is designed to pull opposition defenders inside to provide space for Barisic and Tavernier. You could say Kent is almost sacrificed in a system like that because he is there to distract defenders rather than to actually get through very much. However my counter argument to that is that there is a reason why he has been sacrified, because his final ball and decision making is very often hopeless.

All things being equal though the system makes best use of the qualities of Barisic and Tavernier and on a good day makes best use of Kent's qualities which are pace and dribbling but not passing or crossing.

9 minutes ago, les186 said:

Good win in the end. Played a lot better in the second half, but Kent is really struggling.

I said before the game he should be dropped. I didn’t see the game but I’m not surprised Hagi came up with a goal.