St Mirren 2 - 2 Rangers (Miller 54; Holt 88)

[Bearman 9]

Worth noting we have 3 clean sheets out of our last dozen games...Dundee Q-F (4-0) Dumbarton league clincher (1-0) and Petrofac Cup (4-0)

 

Since the Hibz collapse we've stepped up to the plate when it matters really.

[colinstein 294]

Hopefully we can get Zelalem back for another season

I think Arsenal will be well pleased with his development...........he'll be a major player for us next season if we can get him

[MacK1950 2,376]

Funny he will never make it in a Rangers team,should have gone back south at same time as Oduwa.

[Bearman 9]

Hopefully we can get Zelalem back for another season

I think Arsenal will be well pleased with his development...........he'll be a major player for us next season if we can get him

 

Positives: He's a fancy player in the middle of the park who can keep the ball and find a player to his left or right.

 

Negatives: He hasn't got a killer pass and can't shoot.

 

Positives: Mark Warburton likes him.

 

Negatives: Rangers fans don't like him (myself included)

[Frankie 8,562]

It's strange that after all the discussion on Zelalem, people still don't seem to understand his role in the team. I urge his critics to have a re-read of this excellent piece by Rousseau in early February:

 

http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/19-match-analysis/575-gedion-zelalem-and-the-interpretation-of-a-role

 

The lad has actually been our best midfielder in recent weeks. That doesn't say much given the team have been so poor but he's being doing (well) the job the manager asks him to do within the system. It's actually guys like Holt, Ball and Halliday that have struggled to do their job - either create enough opportunities or protect the defence. Halliday, in particular, since the Celtic game has been awful, yet we see next to no criticism.

 

That's not to say Zelalem is perfect. He's clearly not. He is too lightweight at times, he does dally too often on the ball at times and he certainly doesn't have enough of a creative threat when he does get into more offensive positions. However, that's why he's at Rangers - to develop, improve and work on his game. And, slowly but surely, I think he is trying to do this and he's certainly getting into more dangerous positions than earlier this season.

 

I find it interesting when football fans get a bee in their bonnet about specific players. For bears, it seems to be Miller or Zelalem - both of whom (though especially Miller) have been reasonable enough this season and both of whom could help maintain squad depth for next season.

[der Berliner 3,744]

All about expectations, one can say. And there are probably 130 different ones on this board alone. With regard to how a player should be like, how he plays, how the team shall play and a multitude of other things.

 

Our admin over on the German board, i.e. the video and picture collection provider Caledonia, summarized events like this yesterday ...

 

"FT: St Mirren FC vs. Rangers FC 1:2 (1:0)

 

1:0 Calum Gallagher 41.min.

1:1 Kenny Miller 54.min.

1:2 Jason Holt 88.min.

2:2 Lewis Morgan 90+2.min.

 

Well, somehow a typical end for these last few weeks. But I take that on the stride, as it tells us that the team still has to work hard these coming three weeks, as the season isn't finished just yet. But what a positive luxury!

 

Still can't say a negative word. We've been crowned champions with 11 points ahead of the rest and have been promoted with style. We've spent roughly £1.1m on players and with those and players of our own we covered the loss of 20 (!!!) players, won the Challenge Cup, sent Celtic and another 2 Premiership-Teams out of the Cup, look forward to the Cup Final on May 21st (with a passage to Europe beckoning), while Celtic is probably planning that tour of Japan, which this dishonest and corrupt lot had cast into stone in 2008!

 

There's a lot of work to do! Till May 21st and over the whole summer! But if you watch what unfolds on and off the field, it is something to actually look forward to (for the first time in years)! And we all are going to appreciate it!

 

PROUD TO BE A BEAR!!!"

Edited May 2, 2016 by der Berliner

[pete 2,499]

It's strange that after all the discussion on Zelalem, people still don't seem to understand his role in the team. I urge his critics to have a re-read of this excellent piece by Rousseau in early February:

 

http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/19-match-analysis/575-gedion-zelalem-and-the-interpretation-of-a-role

 

The lad has actually been our best midfielder in recent weeks. That doesn't say much given the team have been so poor but he's being doing (well) the job the manager asks him to do within the system. It's actually guys like Holt, Ball and Halliday that have struggled to do their job - either create enough opportunities or protect the defence. Halliday, in particular, since the Celtic game has been awful, yet we see next to no criticism.

 

That's not to say Zelalem is perfect. He's clearly not. He is too lightweight at times, he does dally too often on the ball at times and he certainly doesn't have enough of a creative threat when he does get into more offensive positions. However, that's why he's at Rangers - to develop, improve and work on his game. And, slowly but surely, I think he is trying to do this and he's certainly getting into more dangerous positions than earlier this season.

 

I find it interesting when football fans get a bee in their bonnet about specific players. For bears, it seems to be Miller or Zelalem - both of whom (though especially Miller) have been reasonable enough this season and both of whom could help maintain squad depth for next season.

 

Sorry Frankie there has to be an end product or productive meaning to a players role. I don't see in this day and age a place in a top team for a player who just strolls about the midfield looking good. Look who is going to be Champions in England. Is there 1 player who just strolls about. Barry Ferguson played the same role roughly but Barry had a deciding pass or even made a run from midfield. Zelalem does make runs forward but we are sometimes possibly over indulged in the tippy tappy at times that the ball is played square instead of looking for the decisive pass. I love the way we play but i think it is sometimes too exaggerated. As for busting a gut to get back to defend, forget it.

I cannot believe I am talking good of Barry Ferguson, I must be getting soft.

[Rousseau 10,604]

I actually thought Miller's overall game was poor on Sunday, but there he is grabbing a goal again. He has several flaws, and although unfortunately I'd rather not see us need to depend on him next year, his contribution this year has been excellent and he deserves praise.

 

Zelalem has been bright the last few games. His flaws are self-evident, but I'm not sure I agree there is no 'killer pass'. For me, he's looking for that 'killer pass' every time, but has rarely been given an option by a teammates. I think it was Waghorn (maybe Holt?) that made a good forward run and Zelalem found him with a nice through-ball. It's difficult when these guys are already on the shoulder rather than being a few yards further back, for a player to notice the run; if they're already on the shoulder, any hint of movement and they're offside.

 

I think we're missing someone to hold the ball up with a defender to his back, so a Holt, Zelalem etc. can push a ball into him and move to receive the one-two. Too often on Sunday a player receives the ball, back to goal, and then runs away from goal; it undo's the forward momentum. Miller's not really brought that, but I felt Clark gave us that quality in another game. Ironically, Clark didn't do it on Sunday but did provide the pass into that player (not sure who it was?) to set up Holt's goal. It was a nice goal; something we need to do more.

Edited May 2, 2016 by Rousseau

[der Berliner 3,744]

The "problem" people may have with Zelalem (and the team of late) is probably the way we have been playing all season, i.e. fast attacking power football. Which has been missing of late, be that because of certain players or simply because we've won what was to be won and the next important game is weeks away. We should accept that our style of play - and we still dominate the opposition - takes its toll on the players (including minds here). IMHO, decent possession play or not, Zelalem much like Law slows our overall play down, which gives the opposition time to wall themselves in. And after that starts the testing- and probing marathon. When ... we might have hit them on the counter every now and then, had we played the ball quicker. Ifs, buts and may-bes. We'll have Crooks and Windass here next season, possibly a few others too. Forrester will be available as well, so for now I'll leave that Zelalem and/or Law debate, as I doubt we'll see either next term, and possibly not even in the Cup Final.

Edited May 2, 2016 by der Berliner

[alexscottislegend 2,320]

Warburton. Sorry I did indeed not make that clear.

 

The thought of losing him is enough to send me into a fit of depression, like when we lost Souness. I think if we make into Europe he will want to stay.