[FT] Hearts 2 - 0 Rangers

[Darthter 542]

I actually think that last nights long ball tactic was one of the major failures, we don't know if this was a tactic from MW or just the way the game played.

 

Far too many long balls from the back went straight to opposition players. this allowed Hearts to control the game. IMHO, if we had played more on the deck, from the back, it would have allowed us much more control over the pace/tempo & put us in the driving seat.

On the flip side, would the individual performances allowed for a more passing game - that is debatable.

 

Players were taking 3-4 touches too many - especially at the back - which invited Hearts onto us. Get the ball moving freely & make them run around. You can't control the game if you don't have the ball.

[RANGERRAB 3,732]

I actually think that last nights long ball tactic was one of the major failures, we don't know if this was a tactic from MW or just the way the game played.

 

Far too many long balls from the back went straight to opposition players. this allowed Hearts to control the game. IMHO, if we had played more on the deck, from the back, it would have allowed us much more control over the pace/tempo & put us in the driving seat.

On the flip side, would the individual performances allowed for a more passing game - that is debatable.

 

Players were taking 3-4 touches too many - especially at the back - which invited Hearts onto us. Get the ball moving freely & make them run around. You can't control the game if you don't have the ball.

 

We can play the longball if Garner is playing. I'd like to see him & dodoo up front in a 3-5-2.

Edited December 1, 2016 by RANGERRAB

[SteveC 150]

They are mostly English League 1 and 2 players who have not been able to step up to SPFL level.

 

I don't think that English league 1 is below SPFL level. And anyway they haven't failed in the sense that they are being relegated. They might yet end up second for all we know - which is about the level of English league 1. I think "failed to step up to the level of challenging for the SPFL" would be more accurate. Most players in any league are not challenging for the title, though, be it League 1 or SPFL.

Edited December 1, 2016 by SteveC

[Darthter 542]

We can play the longball if Garner is playing. I'd like to see him & dodoo up front in a 3-5-2.

 

based on last night....no we can't.

The accuracy of the long balls was terrible. It doesn't matter who is upfront, if we're putting it straight to the opposition - that was the problem....we punted it upfield, Hearts collected and instantly re-applied pressure.

[SteveC 150]

The referee, lack of an overwhelming transfer budget and now post traumatic stress disorder.

 

We must have been subjected to every conceivable crap excuse by now.

 

Please note, I never used the cup final aftermath and hatred as 'an excuse' for anything.

 

I was answering a post re the players seeming to enjoy playing for us last season but not to look like they are enjoying themselves now. I'm not sure it can be that enjoyable when everyone from those running the sport, to all other clubs their fans and the media hate you. Being attacked on the pitch and nothing happening to the perpetrators, who did it in broad daylight with malice aforethought and were filmed doing so, is quite likely to take the "fun" out of things.

 

Of course it would be enjoyable to give them all a GIRUY by winning...............or at least you'd like to think that'd be the case.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

BH "favours" was not ment in the literal sense, that's why I followed it with "or a level playing field" so please take a breath?. I agree with everyone that we are rotten. I also posted re other possible mitigating factors why we are so poor.

Anyway, it seems I have been misunderstood, I agree we are rotten and don't expect favours. I should have highlighted that in general, not last night, we receive some questionable calls. That however has nothing to do with how rank we are.

 

I know you didn't mean it quite as literally as it might have come across; no argument that we are rank, crap, dire etc.

 

All teams receive questionable calls from time to time, that's football. If you're a good team and winning you take them in your stride; if you're a bad team and not winning they appear to assume more significance.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

Before everyone tries to shoot cooponthewing down in flames: based on refereeing decisions in Rangers games this season, do posters on here believe they have 'evened themselves out'? Genuine question.

 

Posing this question takes nothing away from our dismal performances.

 

I really don't see the point of this question, unless you are suggesting a conspiracy against us?

[forlanssister 3,114]

I actually think that last nights long ball tactic was one of the major failures, we don't know if this was a tactic from MW or just the way the game played.

 

Far too many long balls from the back went straight to opposition players. this allowed Hearts to control the game. IMHO, if we had played more on the deck, from the back, it would have allowed us much more control over the pace/tempo & put us in the driving seat.

On the flip side, would the individual performances allowed for a more passing game - that is debatable.

 

Players were taking 3-4 touches too many - especially at the back - which invited Hearts onto us. Get the ball moving freely & make them run around. You can't control the game if you don't have the ball.

 

When Hearts played it long yesterday they did so by playing it over the top of our full backs into space for their wide players to run onto whereas when we played it long it was an aimless punt up the park.

 

Again yesterday Foderingham had many opportunities to throw the ball out quickly to someone in space and simply faffed about and ended up punting it up the park.

 

Agree re too many touches but that's something we've been doing all season when last season we move the ball far faster, Wilson and Halliday being prime offenders of that trait.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

I don't believe this to be the case, most are good enough skill wise. There is not that much of a gap from last season to this apart from teams being fitter.

We have no excuse not to work as hard as most teams do against us. We all know they raise their game when they play us but we don't seem to raise ours. If the players can't work hard for 90 minutes every game then they shouldn't be here. Like us all I hate getting beat but when you see most players looking like they don't care or playing like it's a training game then that bothers me just as much.

 

Actually, I think we're pretty much in agreement here. part of stepping up to SPFL level must indeed be working harder than was necessary to win games at a lower level; and part is having the required skill.

 

Do you genuinely believe that Tavernier, Kiernan, Windass, Crooks, Garner, have the necessary level of skill to play at SPFL level, never mind Europe if we get there?

[BrahimHemdani 1]

Just to be clear, the "honest mistakes" of referees is not mean to be an excuse. It is simply a statement of what I - and, it would appear, others - perceive to be fact.

 

The reason we are where we are is that we are not very good at football.

 

Contrary to popular belief, referees are human beings like the rest of us and make mistakes like the rest of us, including football players. If the refs made as many mistakes as football players, the game would indeed be a shambles.

 

"The reason we are where we are is that we are not very good at football." Absolutely no argument on that.