pete 2,499 Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 (edited) On Tuesday Rangers return to Firhill for the second time in 5 days. On Friday night both teams fought out an exciting 2-2 draw. It was tale of 2 halves. In the first half Rangers dominated most of the play and should really have been more the 1-0 up before the break. After the break was a different story with Thistle looking far sharper and far more up for the fight. That is quite alarming really as it seems to be coming a serial fault. In the game against Dundee we were also lucky not to have lost a goal directly after half-time as we seemed to be hunting for first gear let alone third gear. Partick were far more aggressive in the second period and that showed on the amount of time the players were allowed on the ball before a crunching tackle came in. Thistle were given a lesson on just how dangerous Morelos is when he gets a sniff of the goal. One touch and wham the ball lay in the back of the onion bag. As I reported in my match preview might happen, they then put a defender purely to mark him out the game in a stop him at all cost mission. Jordon Turnbull was assigned to the task and he did his job well in pulling,pushing and generally doing everything to frustrate the Rangers Striker. In fact thistle had 5 yellow cards and 1 red to Rangers 0 yellow cards which may tell a story on it's own. Thistle should have had a player sent off when the score was 1-0 for Rangers. Ryan Edwards foot came over the ball crunching in to ryan Jacks shin. whith his other foot stamping on Jacks foot. Whether this was intentional or not it should have been a red card as it was a possible leg-breaking challenge. The learnings from this game and indeed the Hibs game which we also lost seems to be how we handle things when teams up the aggression stakes and how much will a referee allow before he sends players off. The Hibs game was a disgrace in refereeing and hopefully such will never be seen again on a football pitch. Some of the crunching tackles on rangers players this season are bordering on assault and many seemingly with the rubber stamp from the referee. So Tuesdays game will largely be based on how aggressive Thistle and Rangers come out of the starting blocks and how much the referee will permit before pulling in the reigns. Not all aggression is bad of course and it is a part of the game that Rangers can probably improve on. We will certainly need to learn how to handle it when other teams come after us. One thing is for sure, Morelos can expect Jordon Turnbull to be waiting for him in the tunnel at Firhill and will try not to leave his side until they reach the dressing room after the game. The saying “By hook or by crook” springs to mind. Rangers Captain Lee Wallace is out of the next 2 games with a groin injury leaving the left-back berth open for the new loan signing Declan John. He made his debut on Saturday with a reasonably competent display, willing to push forward when needed. He now has the next few games to try and make himself first choice for the left back berth. Nico Kranjcar and Jorden Rossiter are both struggling with knee injury problems and although Nico trained on Sunday he will be assesed by a surgeon as it is the same knee that kept him out for most of last season. That certainly doesn't sound like good news. Rossiter is not training and won't be considered which will also probably mean he is out for Saturday as well. In the past Pedro has rested Wes Foderingham for cup games so we will probably see Jak Alnwick in goals. The rest of the team will probably stay the same as Saturday's starting line up, except for Wallace of course. Alnwick Tavernier Cardoso Alves John Candeias Dorrans Jack Windass Morelos Miller There is a possibility of course that Pedro will rest Miller to keep him fit for the Old Firm game and thus bring Herrera in as the front man with Morelos playing around him. I doubt if Pena will get a start in place of Windass but it would be nice to see what he can do over 90 minutes or at least the first sixty minutes. Hopefully the defence will stop giving stupid goals away as a cup success early in the season would boost our confidence levels no end. Come on the Gers!!!! Just threw something together quickly. For me anyway. Edited September 18, 2017 by pete 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,744 Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the fringe players being involved, be that Hodson, Dalcio, Nemane, Holt and Hardie. Perhaps not from the start, but sure with an eye on damage limitation in terms of injury. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted September 18, 2017 Author Share Posted September 18, 2017 Miller is not even stripped tomorrow. He has been given a day off. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,199 Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 Miller is not even stripped tomorrow. He has been given a day off. No doubt the jungle drums will turn this into a falling out between Pedro & Miller. In all honesty, dropping Miller needed doing anyway, from a playing perspective. From a mental perspective probably even moreso because he IS an intense guy, he probably needs a rest mentally from it all. I would go with Herrera up front beside Morelos to see how that works with a view to next weekend. And maybe give Hardie 30 minutes to prove himself too. Either that or play Pena as a false 9, dropping off and pulling defenders with him. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted September 18, 2017 Author Share Posted September 18, 2017 No doubt the jungle drums will turn this into a falling out between Pedro & Miller. In all honesty, dropping Miller needed doing anyway, from a playing perspective. From a mental perspective probably even moreso because he IS an intense guy, he probably needs a rest mentally from it all. I would go with Herrera up front beside Morelos to see how that works with a view to next weekend. And maybe give Hardie 30 minutes to prove himself too. Either that or play Pena as a false 9, dropping off and pulling defenders with him. I don't think miller has been dropped i think he is being rested for Saturday. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangersFCSLO 3 Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 Following Friday evening’s match there were a number of complaints, largely around turnstile waiting times and queueing. Rangers have held extensive talks with Partick Thistle and Police Scotland to address these issues. As a result, the ticketing access procedure has been changed for tomorrow evening’s match with additional staff on duty to facilitate gaining entry to the stadium. Please note that the scanners used on Friday evening will not be in use for this match. Instead Supporters should present their tickets with the Betfred Cup mark clearly visible to the turnstile operator as they enter the turnstile. It is hoped that this should significantly reduce waiting times. In addition, we encourage all supporters to arrive as early as possible in order to aid in ensuring all Supporters gain access to the stadium for kick off. Turnstiles are open from 18:15. Rangers Football Club would like to thank our Supporters for their patience over this issue. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,199 Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 I don't think miller has been dropped i think he is being rested for Saturday. I agree pete - but you know how the social media jungle drums work. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,199 Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 I don't think miller has been dropped i think he is being rested for Saturday. I agree pete - but you know how the social media jungle drums work. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,744 Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 RangersFCSLO ... would that be Rangers FC Supporters Liason Officer? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted September 18, 2017 Author Share Posted September 18, 2017 RangersFCSLO ... would that be Rangers FC Supporters Liason Officer? yes it is! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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