Windass

[der Berliner 3,747]

I just don't get some people wanting Morelos our most dangerous player stuck out on the wing. I wonder if he can play in goals?

 

I just don't get some people's inability to grasp that we don't play a static 4-4-2 any longer, where two midfielders are "stuck out on the wing" and termed "winger". When you play a 4-2-3-1 the four attacking players form a dynamic spear-head where all can attack the area and will eventually interchange positions as the game demands it. Likewise, in this formation, those on either side might well play as wingers (like Candeias), but also simply as left-sided "shadow strikers" like e.g. Miller does if played there. And Miller is the prime example of someone roving about all accross the front-line. The same might very well work with Morelos, who would be by no means cut back in his efforts to go forward, as some seem to think. In fact, as soon as e.g. John goes on the offfensive, Morelos might go inside and supplement the main striker.

 

Interestingly enough, Morelos can play in that left-attacking slot, has all the attributes that some see missing in Windass, and also goes for goal each time the opportunity presents itself (no matter where he plays). At least for Windass' detractors this would be a mouth-watering option.

Edited October 17, 2017 by der Berliner

[pete 2,499]

I just don't get some people's inability to grasp that we don't play a static 4-4-2 any longer, where two midfielders are "stuck out on the wing" and termed "winger". When you play a 4-2-3-1 the four attacking players form a dynamic spear-head where all can attack the area and will eventually interchange positions as the game demands it. Likewise, in this formation, those on either side might well play as wingers (like Candeias), but also simply as left-sided "shadow strikers" like e.g. Miller does if played there. And Miller is the prime example of someone roving about all accross the front-line. The same might very well work with Morelos, who would be by no means cut back in his efforts to go forward, as some seem to think. In fact, as soon as e.g. John goes on the offfensive, Morelos might go inside and supplement the main striker.

 

Interestingly enough, Morelos can play in that left-attacking slot, has all the attributes that some see missing in Windass, and also goes for goal each time the opportunity presents itself (no matter where he plays). At least for Windass' detractors this would be a mouth-watering option.

 

So we take our most dangerous player and play him wide in the 3 of a 4-2-3-1 and saddle him up with defensive duties chasing back after an attacking full-back. Sorry DB you are right I don't get you on this one. Morelos has 8 goals I believe and was pivotal in at lest 2 of the goals on Friday. The reason Morelos is so dangerous is that he pulls defenders all over the place leaving room for Pena or others. If you stick Herrera there then you have reduced the movement by half as Herreras game is lying on the central defenders and winning flick-on's. Give me Morelos in that Central role and accept Windass or another until we can replace with more quality.

[craig 5,199]

some people want to shoehorn people into positions they aren't even suited to.

 

In Morelos situation he has been our most potent striker, scoring for fun for the most part. So it naturally makes sense to push him out to the left hand side - not to be cruel, but it is bonkers. Nobody else has proven themselves to be nearly as prolific yet this season so some want to see our most potent striker moved away from the central attacking position.

 

As much as dB talks about not playing a static 4-4-2 the reality is that moving Morelos to the left side of a front 3 absolutely moves him further away from the goal, no matter how you look at it. If the play is on the right wing then he is attacking the back post instead of being central and choosing whether to attack front, centre or back. That makes him less potent. And, undoubtedly, by playing the left side of a front 3 he would be expected to cover defensively more than he has to by playing centrally.

 

And, yes, I know it does sound cruel, but IMHO, moving Morelos away from the central striking role given his goals return so far really does sound absolutely bonkers to me. Even if our manager was Mourinho or Guardiola and he did that given what we have seen this season I would be questioning his sanity. You don't take a guy who is scoring goals regularly (especially if you don't have anyone who is as much of a goal threat as him) and move him further from goal. You milk his confidence for all it is worth.

 

If Pedro moved Morelos to the left side of a 4-4-2 or even the left side of a 4-3-3 you can be almost assured that the vast majority of fans would be calling for his head, or at least questioning his sanity.

[der Berliner 3,747]

Well, we won't know how it works up until it is tried*, the rest remains assumption and conjecture and mine is as good as yours ... and up till then we could stop calling people with different opions' sanity into question.

 

*Since we haven't played Herrera as central striker that often before, have we? He's only slightly behind Moelos in the goals per minutes played stats for all we know.

Edited October 17, 2017 by der Berliner

[Germinal 27]

Windass has certainly got ability, but the Rangers first team is no place to learn your trade. A loan move from January - end of season to work on his decision making could be the making of him. But what level would be best?

[JFK-1 1,693]

The reason Morelos is so dangerous is that he pulls defenders all over the place leaving room for Pena or others

 

Agreed, even when he's having a barren patch he still creates such fear in the opposition that they use up resources trying to negate him while others step into the spaces those resources leave. The fear of him is evident in the ramblings of this Motherwell buffoon Hartley. Morelos is effectively getting goals for the team even when he's not scoring. He's one of the major reasons we're currently such a high scoring side.

 

And I don't think we're getting enough credit for that. The 'invincible' yahoos have scored just one more league goal than we have. Who would have though it after the goal dearth of last season.

[pete 2,499]

Agreed, even when he's having a barren patch he still creates such fear in the opposition that they use up resources trying to negate him while others step into the spaces those resources leave. The fear of him is evident in the ramblings of this Motherwell buffoon Hartley. Morelos is effectively getting goals for the team even when he's not scoring. He's one of the major reasons we're currently such a high scoring side.

 

And I don't think we're getting enough credit for that. The 'invincible' yahoos have scored just one more league goal than we have. Who would have though it after the goal dearth of last season.

 

It wasn't that long ago this season we were talking about our poor scoring form. The friendlies against Sheffield and Watford seemed to flick a switch.

[JFK-1 1,693]

It wasn't that long ago this season we were talking about our poor scoring form. The friendlies against Sheffield and Watford seemed to flick a switch.

 

Possibly just down to increasing familiarity and the manager tinkering with position and strategy. And I still don't think we have reached potential peak performance yet. That will come in the second quarter once we hit around 15 league matches or so and that's also when Pena will begin to hit peak.

 

Considering he has been fairly deadly recently it's mouth watering to think of what's still to come. We may become an even more high scoring team which could help to negate any recurring defensive frailties. Some of the great Man U sides under Alex Ferguson were losing a lot of goals relatively because they were such attacking sides but it didn't matter because they were consistently scoring even more.

[MacK1950 2,378]

Cummings may have been played at outside left by MW but IMO should be left outside of any Rangers thoughts.

[calscot 0]

Possibly just down to increasing familiarity and the manager tinkering with position and strategy. And I still don't think we have reached potential peak performance yet. That will come in the second quarter once we hit around 15 league matches or so and that's also when Pena will begin to hit peak.

 

I agree.

 

One thing that I think is different about our current manager and making him difficult to judge is that his tactics are pretty complex and even if you can explain them to players whose brains tend to be in their feet, they still have to work out how to adhere to them in the flow of the game where all situations have their differences even if just in the nuances.

 

I think the time is gone when a manager can come in, choose a 4-4-2 formation, then go out and get some quality players who are used to that formation and their position in it, and have instant success. It might still work if you have many times the financial resources to the rest and you can bring in high quality players but we're not really there anymore, and with Celtic we now have a lot less.

 

But in today's Scotland, even with plenty of foreigners, I think it will take a while before the players will feel completely at home in this system, and gain "unconscious competence" for much of it, where they start to become instinctive and not think about it so much.

 

So, I think there are some players who look like they are starting to get it and develop into it, which is why we're looking better and better as time goes on, and others who just aren't, and Windass seems to me to be one of the latter (along with KM, no matter how professional and intelligent he professes to be).