match thread (image) [FT] Livingston 1 - 0 Rangers

[pete 2,499]

 

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The Luxury of choices. Livingston v Rangers match preview.

 

First of all I am going to start this preview with a rant. Livingston's plastic pitch should be banned. You see all those little black things getting kicked about well that is crumbed rubber made from old car tyres. It is well known that cancer causing chemicals are added to tyres. One of the funny, well, not so funny things about people working with crumbed rubber is that they are warned on the instructions not to breath in the fumes or get them on your skin. Football players are diving about on them. I honestly believe that one day every team in the world will be playing on artificial surfaces but the plastic pitches at this moment are not up to the standard required and nowhere near being a replacement for grass. In Holland virtually all teams in the higher league are returning to grass and for now that is the way it should be at the top level. I understand that it is cheaper to maintain and helps smaller teams bring extra money in to the club but until health issues are ruled out and they are up to standard these pitches should be banned, Rant over

 

As you may have guessed by now our next match is against the newly promoted Livingston. They are the surprise team of this season being equal on points with rangers. They are the only team to take points off of Hearts who are riding high at the top of the league.I think everybody had written their name down to get relegated this season but they are already eleven points clear of SPL basement team Dundee who have yet to get off the big zero points. One thing you know you are going to get is a fighting performance from them. They are a team who are well organised and super fit that fight and chase for 90 minutes. They play on the edge of being hard and sometimes crossing the line to putting in challenges which are pretty dodgy to say the least. The one thing we must not do is get involved in a physical dog fight with them.

 

As with any team who have less talented players but are hard workers the Rangers need to play a high tempo pressing game. Don't give them time to get the ball under control. We have seen in the last two games against St Johnstone and Ayr that if you play the high pressing game the only way out for our opponents is to revert to the high ball which in ninety-five procent of the time is mopped up by our defenders to start a new attack. That is obviously the way Gerrard is setting us up to play and up until now it has been pretty successful as we have scored more goals than any other team.

 

Picking the Rangers team is extremely difficult at the moment with most of the players returning to full fitness. At the time of writing I am not sure if Borna Barisic is fit again so the left back position will be open for Andy Halliday or Jon Flanagan. I think Gerrard has a soft spot for Halliday so I think it will be Andy taking up that position. We also have the luxury of having three good central defenders who have played well when used. I think Conner Goldson is the fast pick and I have to admit I have a soft spot for Nikky Katic so they would be my pick. I will admit I have not seen Joe Worrall do anything wrong up until now so I will have no problem in seeing his name on the team sheet. The other position we have now a purse of treasures is in the defensive midfield. Again I have seen no reports that Ryan Jack is fit again. That would leave my choice with Ross McCrorie as I do not think that Jordon Rossiter is fully match fit yet and will probably take a seat on the bench. Graham Dorrans has also filled in in that position before but I think he is far better in a more advanced role. We have so many choices for the forward positions it would take me another page so I will just name the team I think.

 

Going on the assumption that Barisic and Jack are injured I think the team will be:

 

McGregor

 

Tavernier Goldson Katic Halliday

 

McCrorie

 

Candeias Arefield Coulibally Lafferty

 

Morelos.

 

I think Ryan Kent may be rested for Thursday and that is also a strong possibility with Morelos and in that case Lafferty would move into the central strikers role. A win would see us moving further away from either Celtic or Aberdeen and if we are lucky and they draw it would be both so that gives us plenty of incentive to get intae them. I really can't wait for game days to come around.

C'mon the Gers!!!!

 

I have not got time to re-read this so excuse any mistakes. I am getting the sour gape from the wife.

[stewarty 2,025]

There's a few players I wouldn't risk due to the surface, but mainly Dorrans and Rossiter.  However it does limit our midfield options a little.

 

 

 

 

[compo 7,044]

Plastic  pitch is a great equaliser but we should have the players to get the result .

[buster. 5,196]

10 minutes ago, stewarty said:

There's a few players I wouldn't risk due to the surface, but mainly Dorrans and Rossiter.  However it does limit our midfield options a little.

Dorrans and Rossiter are an unexpected bonus at this stage and regardless of the surface, after their midweek match, I don't think they'd have been starting come Sunday.

 

Touch wood but our middle of the park options are beginning to have both quality and quantity.

 

Sunday will be a lot to do with attitude and application against what will be an aggressive and in your face opponent.

Edited September 28, 2018 by buster.

[Dave M609 100]

Good post pete, would be happy with that team, I'm with you if barasic needs a rest then he should definetly get it, would rather have him for Thursday.

 

Has anyone seen the press conference, I snippet just came up on sky sports there, who is the journalist Gerrard is being short with, I really don't think he likes him, its not the first time I don't think.

[Frankie 8,562]

Jack and Barisic should be both be fit but may not be risked on the surface.

 

It will be a very tricky game.  I was hoping for some rain to ease the surface a little but the forecast is fair so we can expect the ball bouncing all over the shop.

[pete 2,499]

3 minutes ago, Frankie said:

Jack and Barisic should be both be fit but may not be risked on the surface.

 

It will be a very tricky game.  I was hoping for some rain to ease the surface a little but the forecast is fair so we can expect the ball bouncing all over the shop.

waw does that mean Murphy apart we have a full squad?

[Frankie 8,562]

1 minute ago, pete said:

waw does that mean Murphy apart we have a full squad?

I believe so, yes.

 

Interestingly though there's been no photos of our training session today.

[JFK-1 1,693]

It's going to be one of those physical battles against a technically limited side. Put the questionable pitch on top of that and it's most definitely a tricky one. We're also going to need the ref to do his job from the outset if we're going to get any chance to outplay them.

[pete 2,499]

32 minutes ago, JFK-1 said:

It's going to be one of those physical battles against a technically limited side. Put the questionable pitch on top of that and it's most definitely a tricky one. We're also going to need the ref to do his job from the outset if we're going to get any chance to outplay them.

 

The referee doing his job. Ha Ha it is Craigy boy. How many reds we will get is probably the Question? I maybe hope he rests Morelos now.

Livingston v Rangers - Craig Thomson (Sky Sports, 1.30pm)

 

 

Celtic v Aberdeen - Bobby Madden
Hamilton Academical v Dundee - Willie Collum
Heart of Midlothian v St Johnstone - Nick Walsh
Kilmarnock v Motherwell - Don Robertson
St Mirren v Hibernian - Euan Anderson