ian1964 10,596 Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 ...at the hands of unstoppable Celtic says Murdo MacLeod 06:00, 18 Oct 2016 By Lindsay Herron HE insists there hasn’t been much to suggest the Gers have made the necessary improvements from that Parkhead pounding to trouble Brendan Rodgers’ side. MURDO MacLEOD reckons Rangers are on a collision course for a second demolition derby on Sunday. The former Celtic midfield star and assistant manager watched the Hoops blitz Rangers 5-1 last month. MacLeod believes they have become even more powerful since then, especially after their 3-3 Champions League draw with Manchester City . And he insists there hasn’t been much to suggest Rangers have made the necessary improvements from that Parkhead pounding to trouble Brendan Rodgers’ side. Celtic are seeking to take a massive step towards post-Christmas Euro football when they take on Borussia Monchengladbach tomorrow night. And MacLeod reckons the level they are performing at is far too rich for Mark Warburton’s outfit. He said: “On current form you can’t see anything other than a Celtic win. “The 5-1 game was a convincing victory but the Man City match has taken them further away from Rangers. The pace they showed that night took them up a level again. “Of course, you have to go out and do it on the day and show you are the better side. “They definitely did that in the last meeting. It’s all about who turns up in these matches and Celtic turned up that day. They were very strong, got their goals and won comfortably. “They have taken a step forward since then. It will be even more difficult for Rangers in the semi-final. “Celtic have aspirations of finishing third in their Champions League group and producing European football after Christmas. “However, they will want to get to the League Cup Final and Brendan will want to get his hands on his first trophy in November.” While Rangers have picked up with four clean sheets in their last five matches they have not really been hurting teams at the other end. Moussa Dembele ran riot in the last meeting with the first Hoops hat-trick in a derby since Harry Hood’s treble in 1973. Rangers were outmuscled in the midfield and struggled to pose problems for the Celtic defence. MacLeod feels a lack of goals has hurt Rangers badly and he can’t see them rediscovering their potency against such a strong Celtic. He said: “They must make sure all the problems from the last game are solved. “They have to be better at the back, make sure they can handle Dembele – if it’s him who starts – or Leigh Griffiths. “In the middle of the park they have to get the balance right so they can try to dominate possession. And of course, up front they have to score goals. “After the first nine games they have negative goal difference and I don’t think I have ever seen that happen to a Rangers team after that amount of matches. “You can have a lot of the ball in Old Firm games but the most important thing is goals and Rangers just have not been scoring many. “They got a lot of goals from their full-backs last season but if James Tavernier and Lee Wallace bomb forward again in the Old Firm game they can leave gaps at the back. “There is a lot to think about for Rangers.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-heading-another-derby-day-9066195 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 745 Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Don't think so Murdo. Back at a Neutral venue makes things a bit more level. We self destructed at Parkhead and admittedly the manager got his team and tactics wrong. The fact we don't have to wait until New Year to rectify that is a boost and probably an advantage. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 I am not even going to read all the shit like this. They will be rolling everyone and his dog this week to give an opinion on how they are going to thrash us. We have already had Mutton so all the rest of soothsayers will be lining up to roll by. I will say I personally would be tempted to play Hodson at RB and move Tavernier forward to RH. I also think Rossiter and Halliday are certain to start. I may be tempted to go 4-4-2 and go: Hodsen Hill Wilson Wallace Tavernier Rossiter Halliday Forrester/ McKay O' Halloran\Dodoo Waghorn\Garner Why? Because if Celtic use their pressing game better than us as the last time we can go more direct with speed up front. I also think Tav would rip them apart from a more advanced position without such stern defending obligations. I doubt that will happen but as I said I think Rossiter and Halliday are certs. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gunslinger 3,366 Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 They will be strong strong favourites and rightly so. But you never know in a one off game. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,471 Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 (edited) As someone sai last week, the manager will probably play a front line of Waghorn, Miller and McKay again ... even though both Waghorn and McKay have been off form in recent weeks. And they will be probably first to admit that. IMHO ... Rossiter won't be thrown into a Scum game after weeks out. Maybe we will go 3-5-1 for this game, as the Yahoos ran over our midfield at the Scumhut and we should keep tabs on Dembele and Sinclair. Up front we should play Garner, since he is a pest and will sure draw the odd foul around the area. He needs to keep his head though. Dodoo is a left (sic!) winger and should play either there or through the middle. That left slot should be taken up by Forrester, since he has a few more tricks up his sleeve than McKay and can (and does) shoot with either foot. I wouldn't play McKay through the middle either, as - right now - he'd probably be food and drink for Brown and their defence. I'd keep Dodoo and O'Halloran for the latter stages, as their agility and pace might cause them problems. Foderingham / Hill Hodson - Hill - Wilson Tavernier - Holt - Halliday - Forrester - Wallace Garner For all the theory though and after seeing that "on paper", I don't see us lining up like that. It will be 4-3-3 no doubt, with the only real starting change in defence will be pending on which CH is fit. It will be Holt, Halliday and Kranjcar in midfield, and Waghorn, Miller and McKay up front. Unless either of these are ill too ... Edited October 18, 2016 by der Berliner 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 745 Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 I will say I personally would be tempted to play Hodson at RB and move Tavernier forward to RH. I also think Rossiter and Halliday are certain to start. I may be tempted to go 4-4-2 and go: I said the same before the last OF game, play Tavernier on the right wing and Hodson at RB in a 4-5-1. The other option is O'Halloran but I think Tav is out best right sided attacker. Is Rossiter fit? The central trio will be interesting, does he play Rossiter with Halliday then Holt infront of them or Windass or Forrester.....Plenty options. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
26th of foot 5,953 Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 I suspect Murdo is succumbing to a sense of entitlement? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,199 Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Yes Gribz, Rossiter is fit. Too soon for him IMHO. Which is a shame as I think he would be perfect for this game. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,596 Posted October 18, 2016 Author Share Posted October 18, 2016 Craig Thomson appointed to referee Rangers vs Celtic Betfred Cup semi final 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gunslinger 3,366 Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Huge advantage for celtc then. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.