Frankie 8,562 Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 On the main site today, @brasstacks_ discusses our season so far and the pressure on the team and manager going forward. http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/news-category/current-affairs/693-finding-the-feel-good-factor I last penned an article in the aftermath of the Old Firm defeat of mid September appealing for a bit of patience to be given toward Mark Warburton and the squad. Since then, we’ve seen Joey Barton suspended from the club for a breach of club conduct (and has since had his exile extended by a further week), a draw to Ross County described by Warburton as “our best 90-minute performance of the season”, a routine win against Queen of the South in the League Cup Quarter-Final followed by a cruel if not inept performance and defeat against Aberdeen at Pittodrie before finishing up for the international break by disposing of Partick Thistle 2-0 at Ibrox – a game not without it’s nervous moments it must be said. Midfield performances have improved. The re-introduction of Andy Halliday to the holding midfield position along with Jason Holt’s running and guile, has brought welcome improvement to the intensity of Rangers performance of late. Niko Kranjcar – and his match fitness no less - get better with every start and is capable of the sublime as witnessed in his performance against Partick Thistle but I still believe he is better served as an impact player. Defensive performances, at centre back at least, have been unspectacular if not more assured since the return of Danny Wilson through injury combining with both Hill and Senderos over recent weeks. Alarmingly, James Tavernier and Lee Wallace continue to show only glimpses of last season’s attacking form and Wallace especially has had a torrid run of form in a defensive capacity this season. I do not feel further scrutiny of Wallace is required – he knows himself only too well the quality of performances that are demanded from him as Captain. In attack we look a shadow of ourselves. Barrie McKay, the shining light of last season’s campaign, looks utterly devoid of confidence and dare I say it, burnt out. Martyn Waghorn continues to flirt in and out of games from a wide position where personally I believe him to be less effective than playing him as a central striker. Joe Garner has not kicked on from his Old Firm goal and has not imposed himself in attack like I thought he would yet patience must be shown. A more vocal minority have begun to question what Michael O’Halloran must do to displace either McKay or Waghorn for a wide berth. A slightly more extensive if not downbeat summation of where I feel we are - sitting a lowly 5th in the league having scored just ten league goals this campaign. So where do we go from here? On paper, Celtic apart, we should be looking at yielding a maximum return of points before we play Aberdeen at Ibrox on the 3rd of December. Home games against St Johnstone, Kilmarnock and Dundee sandwiched between trips to Inverness Caley Thistle, Ross County and Partick are games we should be looking to build up momentum in by scoring many, conceding few and returning 18 points in. Yet, as we’ve seen, there are weaknesses in this current Rangers side currently being addressed. The Joey Barton saga has become a tiresome distraction, which, if allowed to rumble on I fear will end up not only undermining our season but our manager. Given the corporate nature of football I do not think we will ever fully get the real story, but if some of the rumours pointing to a strained relationship between Barton and Warburton are true there can only be one winner – Barton simply must be shown the door. By the same token, pointing to Barton and saying “He was the cause for our early season form” just does not wash. Celtic’s impressive start to the league campaign has further exacerbated our inability to have hit the ground running. It’s served as a reality check for many within the support – we have nowhere near the money to match not just what they spend on transfers but their overall wage bill. The recurring theme is that we didn’t spend enough on key positions - well another side to that argument is numbers. We needed to sign all 11 players this summer so it shouldn’t be used as a stick to beat the manager with. Had we spent all our resources on just a defender, a midfielder and striker – we could have been in a worse position than we currently are given how injuries have helped to hamper the season so far. What we are seeing this term is having an ambitious young (by managerial terms) manager in place who’s ideals on the game are geared toward higher reward type football having to play it more pragmatically in the short term with regards to transfer dealings. It won’t be what Warburton wants, it won’t be what the Rangers support wants, but we must support the plan and the manager. A win on Friday in Inverness followed by a reassuring display (and here’s hoping a win) against Celtic in the League Cup semi-final would go a long way to recapturing last season’s feel good factor with optimism for the remainder of the campaign. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blinkyman 0 Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 Thank-you Frankie for the reality check - sad but true 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,744 Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 As I said elsewhere, I doubt that games against the likes of ICT or Ross County will be straight forward affairs. Never have been. Thus, keep the expectations at a reasonable level and hope for some clever skills by those on the park. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilledbear 16 Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 Considering where the Manager came from, and his experience. Considering where the players came from and their previous experience. I would say we are about where we should expect to be, if we can keep our best players injury free, a second place would be a very good season. Signing for a big Club doesn't mean you turn into a better player overnight, though sometimes many in the support expect it. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinstein 294 Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 ok Tavernier is not going forward so much, but he has shown much more in defence. He's one of the few who have upped their game to top tier level. He can't bomb forward and cover the back line at the same time. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERRAB 3,674 Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 (edited) I still think our summer signings weren't good enough. We signed too many MF players and didn't bring in a quality CB & top drawer striker which were needed most of all. Performances so far have been largely disappointing as a result Edited October 11, 2016 by RANGERRAB 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuGers 477 Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 I still think our summer signings weren't good enough. We signed too many MF players and didn't bring in a quality CB & top drawer striker which were needed most of all.Performances so far have been largely disappointing as a result Being honest, I think the times of Rangers signing a "top notch" striker are in the distant future! We simply can't afford to pay top dollar anymore. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilledbear 16 Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 Being honest, I think the times of Rangers signing a "top notch" striker are in the distant future! We simply can't afford to pay top dollar anymore. I hope 'distant future' is correct and not 'distant past'. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERRAB 3,674 Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 Being honest, I think the times of Rangers signing a "top notch" striker are in the distant future! We simply can't afford to pay top dollar anymore. this is where a good scouting system is needed 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuGers 477 Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 this is where a good scouting system is needed Fingers crossed! Maybe Hardy can step up to the plate? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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