DMAA

Good for us away and probably good for some of our players at home

1 hour ago, Rousseau said:

The type of goals is a worry: they're mostly penalties or coming from a press. How many times to we get the latter in Scotland? (Or the former?!) Good for Europe. 

Yeh, he’s not good at heading either apparently despite his height.

2 minutes ago, Rousseau said:

I think Osijek have been playing a 3-4-3, so Maric has experience of playing in a front three, or with a central striker with a couple playing off him. He actually looks like he's played off the main striker too, which is strange but impressive. 

Maric is a difficult one to judge but I am impressed with his link up play and technique, he could be just what we need. 

8 minutes ago, Rousseau said:

I actually see him as a box-to-box player, rather than a DM. He's actually played in numerous positions: DM (31), CM (61), and AM (28) -- and even 20 games as a Left-winger!

 

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/bongani-zungu/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/240892

 

I see the benefit in bringing more energy to one of those wide central midfield roles we use.  

 

I'd like to see anther attacking midfielder too - or, at least after a couple of forwards. 

Yes by all accounts he is an energetic box to box player. 

10 hours ago, Bill said:

Perhaps we do if we're in the process of selling one or more players from that department. I'm sure there are many thing's we don't see.

My opinions always carry those caveats, I am also relying on YouTube highlights and making judgements on what he has achieved by his age which might not be fair. 
 

I felt last season above all we were exposed as simply less creative than Celtic, or possessing less overall quality in the attacking third. There was definitely a mental element to it too but that was the primary issue. One of the positions I felt could have been improved at times was the one beside Jack. Davis was excellent for a good bit of the season but going into this season I felt a creative player in that position with the energy to burst forward and score himself (like McGregor, sorry) could have been a game changer. If he even signs, maybe Zungu will do that. But from the very little I’ve seen and heard about him he seems more a player who wins the ball and moves it on. 
 

1 minute ago, Rousseau said:

 

This doesn't bode well for the rest of 2020 - @ian1964 has just corrected failed embedded tweet! 

It used to work for me by pasting into the comment box on an iPhone but it stopped about 6 months ago ?

Keen to see whether there is truth in the Maric link. Seems he is decent as a goalscorer but very good at link up play. 

https://twitter.com/timomouse/status/1288171120047337480

I’m not seeing it with this Zungu guy at all. We don’t need another defensive midfielder. I wouldn’t mind another centre midfielder but only if he was attack minded, sorry to say it but a centre midfielder who could contribute creatively in the way that Calum McGregor does. 
 

I really hope we sign an attacking midfielder though. We can’t go into yet another season relying on Kent. He doesn’t have the end product we need and isn’t good enough to break down deep lying defences. 
 

Very happy with Hagi, Aribo and Jack though. Those guys are at the level we need. 

1 hour ago, compo said:

A quick Google search 

Josh Maja 23 goals in his last 70 games

 

Isaac Atanga 7 goals in his last 26 games 

 

Andre Gray 14 goals in his last 84 games 

Not exactly mouthwatering 

Yeh but with a name like Atanga he must be fast

35 minutes ago, Rousseau said:

I like the profile of Maja: young, emerging talent, with a clear sell-on value.

 

From the clips I've seen there's two strikers there: the League One striker with Sunderland was quite raw, picking the ball up anywhere and running; and then with Bordeaux his goals have come from the penalty box. (I reckon at Sunderland he was played wide, whereas with Bordeaux he was a striker.)

 

The latter striker is more important to me, because he was in a packed box, getting on the end of crosses by creating that wee bit of space for himself. He certainly looks like he has the athleticism to deal with our game, but he's perhaps not got the finesse, yet. 

 

He's not prolific, but to be fair, he was too young at Sunderland and is not starting every game at Bordeaux.   

He looks promising from the clips on Youtube. However he just seems out of our budget both in terms of fee and wages. 

Josh Maya is an intriguing link, but I’m skeptical that one could be done. 

8 hours ago, Rousseau said:

You're right, but my idea of mobility and movement is that which would unlock those packed defenses. Mobility and speed on transitions is one thing, but I think we need more/better movement against those packed defenses too: We need to be moving and stretching those blocks. I believe SG wants a fluid and narrow front three, like Liverpool, and they unlock packed defenses through their movement, not by playing it into a target man.

 

However, I agree a more physical presence would be beneficial too - I'd hope we're looking at both these types. We certainly need more than one new forward addition.

Yes, we need a forward with a bit of guile and intelligence to break down stubborn defences. A player who can play a defence splitting pass himself, as well as pulling centre backs from their position to make space for others. Defoe actually does this pretty well. But I do believe it would be a waste not to have a forward who is good in the air too given we have Tavernier and especially Barisic who specialise in crosses. 
 

If Morelos is sold, I trust our scouts to find a good replacement and I still wouldn’t be averse to having Dykes as a squad player too. 

52 minutes ago, Rousseau said:

I suppose I wouldn't call him a goalscorer -- and, you're right, he does have a wingers game, in a way. His work-rate, movement off the ball, and on the ball is superb. (I'm obviously going on what I saw from Leeds Utd last season.)

 

I get the feeling SG wants a narrow front three, where they all chip in with goals -- where we're not necessarily relying on one man to get 25+. I think in a narrow front three, Roofe offers the movement and versatility. He can score a decent amount of goals. His record in Belgium is pretty good, so I presume he'd be more than able to cope with our league.

 

I'm not saying he's the missing piece, but he'd be a very good addition; strengthening the first-team.  

Yeh, I’m sure he would do well but I think I would prefer an out and out striker be signed who can link up well with the midfield. I think I’m a bit skeptical too because English players who made their reputation playing at the top of the Championship are notoriously overrated and poor value. If there is truth in the link he would probably fit the bill for one of the number 10 positions though. 

14 minutes ago, Rousseau said:

Kemar Roofe would be an excellent signing. 

 

I don't trust that source at all, though. 

 

Saying that, his wiki page has him currently playing for "the famous Glasgow Rangers", so it must be close.  

I keep hearing people saying he would be brilliant. I have only seen his highlights reel but I don’t see it? He looks a natural winger and not a striker. His record isn’t inspiring either. Is he really hood enough?

36 minutes ago, MacK1950 said:

Not from the words in some of the posts giving him a lot of crticism.

 

Agree with rest of your post but he WILL be hard to replace IMO.

My attitude hasn’t changed, I’ve been consistent in saying he is overrated on this forum. He has been brilliant at times but overall it has made sense to cash in and strengthen the squad for some time. 

I trust our scouts. We need a new striker and an attacking midfielder who walks into the starting 11 and this could give us that chance.  It is clear as day to me that there is a lack of quality behind the striker. 
 

Personally I’ve always believed Morelos is overrated by our fans. 12 goals in 26 in the league and no goals since December isn’t good enough and make no mistake about it, it cost us. Most of his 12 league goals came in very comfortable wins too.
 

I genuinely believe our scouts can find a player who will score more league goals. I don’t mean to downplay his achievements, but I do believe many very poor performances were overlooked because of his European exploits.  

Aribo has end product. He is a quality player, I’ve got no concerns about him at all. 

20 hours ago, BlackSocksRedTops said:

Agreed. Look at Andy Robertson. He went from Queens Park to Liverpool in 4 years and is now a CL winner, Premiership winner and is regarded as one of the best left back in he world.

I think there’s a danger in reading too much into a major exception. I don’t think we undervalue our players, I think it’s far more common to overvalue them. If you asked most Rangers fans to value our players you would end up with a £100m starting 11 who were 10-13 points behind Celtic by March. 

3 minutes ago, ian1964 said:

I thought it was a good work out for us, Coventry played like most teams will when they come to Ibrox, sit & defend stubbornly.

Aribo was class again and scored another great goal, Hagi was class as well and has a tremendous work ethic, Edmundson had another good game.

Morelos played well I thought but failed to score again, young Paterson is looking better every time I see him and defo has a good future ahead of him, and us.

Agree with all of that. I genuinely think Edmundson could be our best defender soon. I know he hasn’t been tested massively defensively but he is brilliant on the ball, strong as an ox and faster than any centre back I remember us having. 

I hope Patterson gets a chance too. I’m a Tavernier fan but when our play gets stale, a player like Patterson can bring a bit of life and energy to our game. 

Good work out I suppose. 
 

I would really like to add another attacking midfielder though. We can’t rely on the same guys who ultimately fell short last season. I still believe Stewart should play a greater role though and I would love to see Murphy break through but I can only assume Gerrard isn’t going to give him the chance. 

4 minutes ago, Tannochsidebear said:

Yes if you are a ST holder, it’s the same setup as the Motherwell game.

I am the unfortunately, and I’m not paying Premier £12 for a friendly. Rangers TV used to do audio too but I can’t see it on the website. 

Can we watch it on Rangers tv?

Disappointed at this. Certainly one of our most promising youths. And although I don’t think he could contribute much this season, we don’t have many players like him in the senior squad.