Pedro, a man with dignity. Rangers v Dundee preview.

[der Berliner 3,813]

As I said before, the team probably needs till the end of September to get to know each other, the style of teams that they play against and how to cope with that and the demands of the club and its fans. I would say we are getting there, even if we end up losing against the Scum.

 

On Saturday, only Miller ('s finishing) and Dorrans left me a touch (sic!) disappointed. In Dorrans case it might be that he is doing the donkey-work for both Kranjcar and Miller, who are constantly roving about.

 

While people may argue that Niko and Kenny worked Dundee all day, it was indeed the impact of the speed and power of Windass and Pena who changed the game. I would expect that Windass may very well replace Dorrans in the next starting line up and that left midfield slot - unless PC opts for more power in midfield and leaves Kranjcar on the bench, with Jack and Dorrans in central midfield. We shall see.

Edited September 11, 2017 by der Berliner

[Frankie 8,665]

When I've seen Pena play in the past, he has had a knack of being able to find space, and on Saturday I thought he, Jack, Morelos, Miller and Candeias found acres of it. Pena is an exceptional talent and I'm hoping the goal is the catalyst he needs to start building momentum, because there's nothing like him in Scottish football since Gazza (although he's not in that league yet) and he could be an incredible player for us. I mention the others that were able to find space, because it's a real talent, and one that PC needs to implement his style of play. The problem we have is that the other midfielders and attackers need to develop this too, and it's one of the most difficult skills to teach. Of course, Miller has always been great at finding space, but he doesn't then have the consistent technique or decision making skills to do the right thing with the ball when he receives it. He's a workhorse though and there's no doubt PC rates that attribute highly.

 

Jack is a signing that few of us would have been excited about initially, but he could be pushing Morelos and Candeias for player of the season if he keeps up with this performance level. His positioning is excellent and he has enough composure to fill the stadium. He could be our next captain.

 

Although it's still very early days, Morelos is the one we've all been hoping for. He has all the key skills and attributes you'd want in a forward and gives it his all for the 90 minutes, meaning that he's even more likely to continue to be a fans' favourite. He will no doubt be working on his support play for team mates (in particular where he could be making runs to create space for them), but this is a relatively minor issue for someone who contributes so much for the team already.

 

Although PC has demonstrated his ability to spot and sign top players, I think it's worth pointing out that MW did leave us with one top player and that's Wes. He can look suspect sometimes (with his positioning), but what goalie doesn't. However, his shot stopping and reactions are top class, and his distribution can be as good as Neuer's, if not better. His pass out wide to Candeias would have attracted more attention and acclaim had he been Brazilian and playing for Real Madrid or PSG. That ability he has is worth millions if done consistently and there must be a good number of top teams watching him with interest. Fortunately he is OUR goalie and I hope he does indeed add a few more hundred to his appearances for us.

 

It's said that first you form, then you norm, and then you storm. I feel like the team has now just about formed, and PC seems to know how he wants the team to shape up to play the style he wants. The players seem to know exactly what they're supposed to be doing, and they appear to be enjoying it too which is great to see. We now need to start to norm, and for this to happen we need a dozen or so good games and results. If we keep this going this season, I'd really like to think we'll be ready to start the storming next season, if not for a cup before then.

 

Agree with all of that - good to read so much positivity.

 

Yes, we're still far from the finished article and arguably still one or two poor results away from more problems but there has been an improvement in our overall play under Pedro so Coop's match preview still holds water.

[chilledbear 16]

There has certainly been improvements, in the team and individuals, after the huge turnround in personnel it's as much as we can ask for.

An enormous game coming up in a couple of weeks, rightly or wrongly it could sway the support, for or against the Manager.

[der Berliner 3,813]

Double post ...

Edited September 11, 2017 by der Berliner

[ian1964 10,761]

There has certainly been improvements, in the team and individuals, after the huge turnround in personnel it's as much as we can ask for.

An enormous game coming up in a couple of weeks, rightly or wrongly it could sway the support, for or against the Manager.

 

Funny!, my doubts about PC were cast after the double header/hammering we took from them, rightly or wrongly, I just couldn't believe how weak we were in the second match!, it seemed to me at the time he learned nothing from the 1st match against them!.

 

I still have my reservations about whether PC will last in the job!, however he has my support and things are improving, but if we get another hammering from them I wonder what reaction we will see from the fans?

Edited September 11, 2017 by ian1964

[pete 2,499]

Funny!, my doubts about PC were cast after the double header/hammering we took from them, rightly or wrongly, I just couldn't believe how weak we were in the second match!, it seemed to me at the time he learned nothing from the 1st match against them!.

 

I still have my reservations about whether PC will last in the job!, however he has my support and things are improving, but if we get another hammering from them I wonder what reaction we will see from the fans?

 

The fact is he will not be judged on games against Ross county or Dundee he will be judged on games against the tims, the sheep and possibly Petrie's Pillagers.

[colinstein 294]

The fact is he will not be judged on games against Ross county or Dundee he will be judged on games against the tims, the sheep and possibly Petrie's Pillagers.

 

I think you're wrong

we will be judged on all games where we don't get 3 points

it's knocking off the diddy teams that get you most points

[Gonzo79 15,299]

If we keep losing heavily to that lot, PC won't last very long.

[Gaffer 1,665]

If we keep losing heavily to that lot, PC won't last very long.

 

On the balance of probability, we will lose each game to them for a while longer. It's a difficult situation to accept, but it's what we are faced with. I do however agree that we need to be able to demonstrate progress, and show that with each game we are closing the gap on them. PC's performance will be judged on our ability to take the majority of points from the other teams, and his ability to show we are challenging Celtic more and more.

[JFK-1 1,693]

He's going to be judged on league position. If we keep blowing away the lesser lights while others struggle to consistently take full points as I suspect they will we will have a minimum second place finish and at this stage I expect that's what's being asked of him.

 

We lost 11 out of 12 points to them last season but it was the failure to consistently beat the likes of Ross County that sunk us in the end.