No quality, no bottle, no Progrès - Should the manager be sacked?

[der Berliner 3,747]

... yeah, and I repeat:

 

It should give people some ideas that our first competitive game is still a month away, that our best defender was playing alst season's footie 2 weeks ago and that we had about 2 full weeks of pre-season training under our belt. Go check the record books about our pre-season games (and their dates) and the "record" we have in those. This tie, no matter against whom, was tailor made for a possible upset. Like the 30m-Yahoos' one in Gibraltar was last season. And while it was and still is embarassing, anyone on here really think that we would have gone past Limassol or anyone waiting in the next round or two? And rest assured, the cries for heads and apologies would be nigh as vocal ...

 

I simly do not buy in this pedigree and CV stuff until I have seen his new side string a few league games together and starting to click. IMHO, the way people go about this acute and minute analysis about a couple of games in June and some of the players has really gotten out of hand ... no matter how often the drum about our worst defeat in the history of the game will be hit.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

The ones in bold all played in our worst ever result in our 145 year history. So basically you are saying, lets wait and hope Pena and Dorrans can carry a team on their backs between them?

 

Make no mistake, that was Pedro's team (undercooked I will give you but so were our opponents) that humiliated our name on Tuesday. It appears he has done nothing to work on these "transitions" that he so loudly proclaims his teams will excel at. the cold truth is he played 7 defensive players against a team who were always going to play 10 defensive players, left our sole striker totally alone, made subs that only weakened our team, and generally looks like Ronny without the roar!

 

We can defend Pedro all we like, give him all the time we want to, but in the end I will stick with what was said on his appointment, he wont last a year. His CV was nowhere near good enough to get on a long list never mind a short list, never mind appointed, and this is bearing out with humiliation after humiliation after humiliation. But of course after every defeat we can always rely on some good Rangers fans being staunch and defending the indefensible, hoping for better days, while surely deep down (maybe not even that deep!) they all know what even the dogs in the street know, that this appointment was all wrong and cannot possible end well.

Alaves

 

 

[chilledbear 16]

The ones in bold all played in our worst ever result in our 145 year history. So basically you are saying, lets wait and hope Pena and Dorrans can carry a team on their backs between them?

 

Make no mistake, that was Pedro's team (undercooked I will give you but so were our opponents) that humiliated our name on Tuesday. It appears he has done nothing to work on these "transitions" that he so loudly proclaims his teams will excel at. the cold truth is he played 7 defensive players against a team who were always going to play 10 defensive players, left our sole striker totally alone, made subs that only weakened our team, and generally looks like Ronny without the roar!

 

We can defend Pedro all we like, give him all the time we want to, but in the end I will stick with what was said on his appointment, he wont last a year. His CV was nowhere near good enough to get on a long list never mind a short list, never mind appointed, and this is bearing out with humiliation after humiliation after humiliation. But of course after every defeat we can always rely on some good Rangers fans being staunch and defending the indefensible, hoping for better days, while surely deep down (maybe not even that deep!) they all know what even the dogs in the street know, that this appointment was all wrong and cannot possible end well.

 

The wrong appointment seems to be the verdict from my acquaintances.

[Tannochsidebear 2,414]

Alaves

 

Indeed, missed out the best signing of the lot by a mile doh! I think the point I was making still holds though!

[craig 5,199]

Indeed, missed out the best signing of the lot by a mile doh! I think the point I was making still holds though!

 

Right now the point you make is valid TB.

 

However, Alves, Dorrans, Pena and Herrera are ALL part of the spine of the team and that can be crucial in terms of solidity and also getting more out of your players.

 

The result was indeed catastrophic and excuses of not having had a pre-season are moot given Progres were at the same stage as us. However, if we are being honest, we knew that getting to the group stages was very difficult anyway. No excuse right enough.

 

But the time to sack the manager isn't after a single competitive game with not even all his own players. Last season he had to use Warburton's duds so we can discount that to an extent. This season he has had one competitive game and, arguably, had to contend that game without his 4 main signings (Alves, Dorrans, Pena and Herrera), all of whom would operate in the spine of the team.

 

Just Alves would make our defense a completely different proposition and could bring out a better standard of performance across the back 4 and indeed in midfield (did PC play 2 holding midfielders to cover for Bates inexperi nice ?? He didn't need to but that MIGHT have been his thinking).

 

Dorrans and Pena, certainly on paper, appear to be an upgrade on Holt, Rossiter and even Jack (a tad unfair on Jack maybe).

 

The bigger issue from my perspective is the formation and tactics. Playing a 4-2-3-1 is a formation I like. However, given Progres were playing 5 across the middle and with very little attack-minded play, we had zero need for 2 true holding midfielders in Jack and Rossiter. It left us 2 players down in the middle of the pitch whilst our 2 holding midfielders gave us a defensive line of 6 against, technically, one Progres player - that was pointless. Holt should have been in there for his runs between the lines. Either that or play a 4-1-4-1 with Jack holding whilst Niko and Holt played the 2 central figures in the 4. This would, in turn, give us more options in attack and more creativity further forward. It also should have meant more bodies in the box which, for me, is our biggest failing right now. We simply don't get enough bodies in the box so the wingers we have are rendered pointless.

 

Pedro played for a draw the other night and that concerns me against such poor opponents. What also concerns me is that he didn't see that having 2 holding midfielders was a waste too - he should have noticed this after 30 minutes.

 

That said, I still think he needs to be given time to see how his new recruits fare - let's see how they have gelled come Christmas.

[Tannochsidebear 2,414]

The income received from a European run, even say 3 rounds of qualies, was essential to our budget, planning, future seeding, everything the club stands for and has been desparate to get back to for the last 5 years. Failure to beat a really poor team OVER TWO LEGS is not a blip, bad night, or any such write-off. It was his second most important remit for this season, behind closing the gap at the top and ensuring a clear second place.

 

I was happy for Pedro to use this tie to bed in his players and use it as a pre-season friendly. We should have been able to rest our entire first team and play our under 20 side who would beat the part-timers no problem. We used to send our U20 to play Linfield's first team and still beat them comfortably. Progres were that level of side, and should have been brushed aside in both legs without breaking sweat.

 

The nature of the capitulation was most worrying, not the fitness level, not the integration of team harmony, but the attitude of these players and that comes down to the manager. He has been gushing at pressers saying he has been working hard with them in pre-season and they all know what he wants. He has weeded out those who dont believe in him and vice-versa, and been heavily backed by the board in providing all his transfer targets were purchased at the earliest possible moment. Why Pena and Herrera were both involved in full training but didnt start (in Pena's case not even benched) when they cant be that far behind the others, and certainly would be no less fit than our opponents, is another question for the manager.

 

Going on from a few gutless performances last season since his introduction, including a OF cup semi final and the most humiliating OF home defeat, the evidence is there for all to see that this guy IS the dud that a lot of us worried he might be when news of his impending appointment was leaked.

 

The information I got from someone very close to the inside track and the Directors (who knew we had lost the BTC on Tuesday) is very scary as to the real appointment and recruitment process which hired Pedro and all the subsequent players.

 

We can give Pedro all the time that even his staunchest supporters want to give him - it is NOT going to turn around and Stevie Wonder can see it. It seems to me the main reason for keeping him is to avoid the embarrassment of binning him after backing him so much this summer. Unfortunately you dont have to be Nostradamus to predict therer will be further humiliations before the board are forced to act.

 

I didnt want the board to sack him on Tuesday, I wanted him to resign in disgrace. £420 for a 22 hour day with Rangers Travel Club to be rewarded by the most gutless performance anybody there has ever seen, or will ever hope to see.

 

I will always be there to back the team home, away and in Europe, but I feel I can write in here amongst my fellow bears what I feel in my heart about the current situation without being branded negative or not wanting us to do well. I have been walking about totally depressed since I got back. Many tims that I discuss football with and would normally be giving me stick if we lost to Motherwell or Inverness didnt even slag me about this as they knew this was worse, much worse than anything they could ever do or say.

 

That tells you everything about just how bad this was.

 

Pedro should not have seen another sunrise as Rangers manager. Perhaps his agent can arrange the pay-off from the 10+ commissions he has "earned" from our club since April.

[RANGERRAB 3,677]

My own view of PC so far is he seems to have ideas & ambitions well beyond his own abilities as a manager

[the gunslinger 3,366]

My own view of PC so far is he seems to have ideas & ambitions well beyond his own abilities as a manager

Or budgets perhaps.

 

We may need a big eck type.

 

 

[Gribz 850]

We may need a big eck type.

 

I think Big Eck is great at gathering the troops and has always had a early impact. Would be interesting to see him working with the likes of Neil McCann.

[Gribz 850]

The income received from a European run, even say 3 rounds of qualies, was essential to our budget, planning, future seeding, everything the club stands for and has been desparate to get back to for the last 5 years. Failure to beat a really poor team OVER TWO LEGS is not a blip, bad night, or any such write-off. It was his second most important remit for this season, behind closing the gap at the top and ensuring a clear second place.

 

I was happy for Pedro to use this tie to bed in his players and use it as a pre-season friendly. We should have been able to rest our entire first team and play our under 20 side who would beat the part-timers no problem. We used to send our U20 to play Linfield's first team and still beat them comfortably. Progres were that level of side, and should have been brushed aside in both legs without breaking sweat.

 

The nature of the capitulation was most worrying, not the fitness level, not the integration of team harmony, but the attitude of these players and that comes down to the manager. He has been gushing at pressers saying he has been working hard with them in pre-season and they all know what he wants. He has weeded out those who dont believe in him and vice-versa, and been heavily backed by the board in providing all his transfer targets were purchased at the earliest possible moment. Why Pena and Herrera were both involved in full training but didnt start (in Pena's case not even benched) when they cant be that far behind the others, and certainly would be no less fit than our opponents, is another question for the manager.

 

Going on from a few gutless performances last season since his introduction, including a OF cup semi final and the most humiliating OF home defeat, the evidence is there for all to see that this guy IS the dud that a lot of us worried he might be when news of his impending appointment was leaked.

 

The information I got from someone very close to the inside track and the Directors (who knew we had lost the BTC on Tuesday) is very scary as to the real appointment and recruitment process which hired Pedro and all the subsequent players.

 

We can give Pedro all the time that even his staunchest supporters want to give him - it is NOT going to turn around and Stevie Wonder can see it. It seems to me the main reason for keeping him is to avoid the embarrassment of binning him after backing him so much this summer. Unfortunately you dont have to be Nostradamus to predict therer will be further humiliations before the board are forced to act.

 

I didnt want the board to sack him on Tuesday, I wanted him to resign in disgrace. £420 for a 22 hour day with Rangers Travel Club to be rewarded by the most gutless performance anybody there has ever seen, or will ever hope to see.

 

I will always be there to back the team home, away and in Europe, but I feel I can write in here amongst my fellow bears what I feel in my heart about the current situation without being branded negative or not wanting us to do well. I have been walking about totally depressed since I got back. Many tims that I discuss football with and would normally be giving me stick if we lost to Motherwell or Inverness didnt even slag me about this as they knew this was worse, much worse than anything they could ever do or say.

 

That tells you everything about just how bad this was.

 

Pedro should not have seen another sunrise as Rangers manager. Perhaps his agent can arrange the pay-off from the 10+ commissions he has "earned" from our club since April.

 

Was going to say - dont hold back there! But you paid your 400 plus quid and are very entitled to that.

 

Good post.