DMAA

56 minutes ago, craig said:

I endured the highlights of their game last night.  Their goal was a keeping mistake - Christie scores direct from a free kick from 40 meters ?

 

Had Kabamba been a bit more pacy he would have been through 1-on-1 in the first half before either side had scored.

 

Jullien looked like a Sunday pub player.

 

Killie deserved AT LEAST a point.

 

But they will also get better - we need to maintain that 2 point gap so that the first OF game heaps pressure on them to get a win to stay in it....

Killie were very comfortable. One thing I have enjoyed so far is how we have been playing first. I think it is better psychologically to be top of the league and playing first to keep it that way. We are about to lose that advantage as they play before us on Wednesday and then at the weekend.

It is good to see how much Barisic has come on. He is starting to look like a leader, full of confidence and taking iniative. We'll do well to hold onto him. 

I've only seen the RTV highlights (11 minutes long!) but it was quite incredible how many chances there were. From the highlights it really seemed like a bombardment. 

I really liked that third goal. Tap ins are the kind of goals we want to be scoring because they are normally the result of breaking a team down with good play. 

Who knows how long Morelos will be with us but if that is his final game I'm delighted he has signed off on a more positive note. 

And it doesn't feel like much of an achievement but another clean sheet is always good to get. Counting friendlies we have now kept clean sheets against Nice, Lyon, Coventry, Aberdeen at Pittodrie, Motherwell and St Mirren. We conceded 1 to Leverkusen. Sure, we do expect to keep clean sheets against the level of opposition we are now facing in the league but I think the signs are good. And I wish I had seen more of Balogun but from what I'm reading it seems we have unearthed a much higher quality centre back than any of us expected too which could be crucial when the inevitable injuries and suspensions take their toll.

Plenty to be optimistic about at the moment and we have Itten and Roofe's contributions to look forward to.

20 hours ago, Bill said:

Who says Lille are the only buyer in the frame?

I’m sure they aren’t Bill. And I do trust Gerrard and the board to manage the situation. But given 2020 form I would be surprised if the fee wasn’t pretty close to that number. 

It has never been popular but I’ve said for a long time that he is overrated by our support. A bit like Kent at times, the expectation on the player became increasingly detached from reality (including the fee he will fetch).
 

If we have indeed rejected a £16.5m bid the club better be sure Lille aren’t going to walk away. 

30 minutes ago, MacK1950 said:

No problem it just seems,the way that i read it,you were playing down our achievement so my apologies.

Gerrard's achievements in Europe are staggering. The team over achieved this season again and went out to a team we had no chance of competing with.

That looks the most likely lineup to me, except Jack? Is he out? 
 

I would like to see Patterson get a start but Gerrard isn’t going to drop Tavernier. 

58 minutes ago, MacK1950 said:

Yet more glass half empty sounding,I for one am glad we done what have and remain glass half full and filling.

I just provided context to the numbers. 

They shouldn't be forced to play without 6 of their starting 11, that is crazy. Unless the league has set rules that, if broken, you suffer the consequences.

1 minute ago, Rousseau said:

But, but, but... he's slow...

 

 

Yeh milk turns quicker apparently. 

Helander gets it for me. I thought he was excellent, he made so many blocks and won everything in the air. One or two of the blocks looked like they were certain to be goals.

I actually thought Barisic was good too. He was denied an assist by Alfredo miscontrolling the ball in an excellent position and I thought he was our best chance of creating something all night.

Barker wasn't up to much, just hassling and harrying. Kent was better but a bit of a standard Kent performance, looking dangerous and giving us an outlet with his pace but time and time again it ends with nothing.

I thought Aribo was generally very good too. He did have a few blips but he stood out in the centre of midfield beside very average performances by the the other two. He again showcased his skill and strength.

1 hour ago, Rousseau said:

Jones actually looked quite lively too. Hopefully he's looking to buckle down and give his Rangers career a good go - although, I think he's been told he can leave? 

Gerrard said those rumours weren't true. I still wouldnt' be surprised to see him go though. He is a handy player in Europe away from home but isn't at the required level domestically in my opinion.

Big achievement but we only have more than Celtic because we started in the first round so played more games, and they started in the UCL with tougher opposition. 

1 hour ago, BlackSocksRedTops said:

How many goals has he scored on 2020? I know we've had the big break but it can't be many tbh

1 in 11, in a 4-1 win against Hamilton. 

Gerrard has said Morelos has had his head turned. I think he had no choice but to say that after that performance. He has been very poor in 2020 but worse since we came back. 

Disappointed not to get a goal tonight, plenty of opportunities and unlucky on occasion. Great to get Helander back in the fray, I firmly believe he can play a big part this season if he stays fit. Good for Davis to get minutes too. 
 

Leverkusen were always going to be a step too far for us so we move on. 

38 minutes ago, Rousseau said:

You know what? Morelos should be hooked.

 

What's the opposite of a black hole? It's just bouncing off him.

He was honestly so bad even in the first 15-20 minutes that he should have been hooked there and then. Stewart or Hagi would have offered so much more. I hope he doesn’t play again but it seems every game he plays his value is dropping because he has been poor for a long time. 

On a more positive note, our best centre back, Helander, has been fantastic. 

18 minutes ago, Rousseau said:

I wouldn't go that far - there's no one to replace him!!

Hagi, Jones or Stewart would do. Kent can go on the last man if need be. Morelos has been awful. 

4 minutes ago, Rousseau said:

I'm kind of hoping this is Morelos' last match - he's looking so poor.

 

(Wish him all the best, of course -- loved the wee man --, but maybe it's time...)

He needs hooked now. But he won’t be. 

9 minutes ago, Gonzo79 said:

Davis and Barker starting tonight...?

And Helander! Bizarre stuff. 

They’re too good. This isn’t Braga, they are a class above. Any positive result would be great here. 

Given Balogun went straight into the 11 due to be being fully match fit I wouldn’t be surprised to see the same with Itten. These are good dilemmas to have though. 

3 minutes ago, Tannochsidebear said:

If Roofe and Itten both play as you suggest could happen, who do you leave out?  Is Roofe really so much better than Kent or Hagi that he becomes first pick over either of them, given the amount we spent on both of them and just recently at that?

Well a big problem has been that nobody of consequence is left on the bench. Compare our bench to Celtic and it’s night and day. Now we have a bit of choice. I would say Roofe and Hagi at Ibrox but Kent has shown, and showed on Saturday, he is sometimes a better option than someone like Hagi. Whatever your view, we now have some options. 

2 minutes ago, Rousseau said:

Yes, but they have Broonaldo playing alongside him in a 4-2-3-1. So it would be Kamara sitting, with Aribo beside with a license to go forward. 

 

I agree, that's where I'd like to see him play. His ball-winning ability is really good, so he needs to be deeper. And, then running at defences and linking up with the forwards is another aspect of his game that is really good, which again suits a deeper position. 

 

At the minute we have Kamara sitting, with Jack to one side and Aribo the other. So, Aribo is already in that deeper position. I think it's Jack that is too reluctant to come forward that is the issue. 

 

I wonder if Hagi could come into that position, but then I'd worry about his defensive game - he's not one for winning the ball back. 

Yes Kamara is doing the sitting at the moment which is fine, but I'm sure he played alongside Davis often last season and I felt there was a contrast there when compared to Celtic in terms of the attacking abilities of the midfield.

Yes I don't think Hagi can come back, I think he needs to stay behind the striker. It's ok when you are up the field and your RCM is at the half way line but it's a different matter when you are on the back foot and he is marking a a man on the edge of your box. It would lose us goals.