match thread (image) Rangers 1 - 1 Kilmarnock

[pete 2,499]

In one week we went through a whole catalogue of emotions. Love, hate, desperation, frustration, anger and sadness. The only one that we seemed to miss out on is happiness. On Sunday the level of expectation was so high against a poor Aberdeen team that most of us never even contemplated a defeat. Well actually we all knew where our weak point is. We knew how Aberdeen would play. It is in fact the way virtually all the Scottish teams with the exception of Celtic, Hearts and possibly Kilmarnock our opponents on Wednesday have played against us. Kilmarnock and Hearts both paid the price both falling to a 3-1 defeat. Recently Livingston snatched victory from us by parking the bus and waiting for that one chance coming from a set play moment. I actually believe it has become a tactic to defend in numbers punt the ball up to the loan forward to do his best to get free kicks around our penalty area. Back in the day an Aberdeen team would have come out and made a game of it but it seems they have dropped down to the role of a diddy team with diddy team tactics. I must admit though it is all about the end result and Aberdeen are in the final and we are left licking our wounds. We can't complain though it is also a tactic Rangers have used in the past and I remember Barcelona filling the papers with the same complaint that we parked the bus and played negative football in a European game. Daniel Cousin played the loan striker role that day and could have snatched victory in the end for us missing a chance in the dying minutes.

 

So now it is time to use that old, no antique, cliché that football managers use. “We will now have to get up, brush ourselves down and go again.” As I mentioned Kilmarnock tried to play football at Rugby park and we beat them 3-1. Steve Clark was sitting in the stand watching the game and will also be well aware of what has been our achilles heel over the last few months. Not being able to break down packed defences. Rangers will play to dominate so Clark has a decision to make in parking the bus hoping for a breakaway goal or try to come out and play football. For Killie there is a danger in parking the bus as it is not their normal game so they will have to adopt to a whole different style as they are used to. Do they have the disciplined defenders to do it? Well we all know Kirk Broadfoot is willing to use all devious methods to stop anyone. One thing about them over the last few weeks is that they have been giving away the first goal. If they park the bus and lose a goal then they would need to completely change their whole game plan. I don't believe Killie will come and park the bus. Yes they will try and keep it tight at the back as every team should do but it is not their style and I think it would be suicide for them to try it. They also have good players in Jordon Jones Greg Stewart and you can never give Kris Boyd get a yard in the box. Kris may talk a better game than he can play these days but I suppose that is open to argument from both sides.

 

Well we all know Rangers won't be the same team as Thursday night. The hugely obvious change will be the return of Alfredo Morelos. We saw TV pictures of him in the stand with his grumpy face on and I really hope he was thinking that a part of that defeat against Aberdeen lay in his hands for getting a stupid yellow card. We really did miss him on Sunday. Not only is he our highest scorer but his link up play is also a huge part of everything that is good in this Rangers team. Apart from that the team will not be much different.

 

McGregor will play in goals, with a back line of Tavernier. Goldsen Worrel and Flanagan. Flanagan for me is a slightly better defender than Hodson was but offers totally nothing going forward and is part of our problem on playing sideways to Goldson or Worrel. I doubt Wallace will ever return so we really need another good full-back who can play forward in my eyes. I would play Halliday in place of Flanagan.

 

Rangers were at their best when Coulibaly and Jack played together in a 4-2-3-1 set-up so hopefully our manager will go off the 4-3-3 and move back to our best tactical positions.

 

I would like to see Ejaria, Arfield and Kent in the midfield with Morelos leading the line. I love Candeias but he is so predictable and his final ball is poor.

 

My team is:

 

McGregor

Tavenier Goldson Worrel Halliday

Coulibaly Jack

Ejaria Arfield Kent

 Morelos

 

 

[ranger_syntax 4,422]

4 hours ago, pete said:

Flanagan for me is a slightly better defender than Hodson was but offers totally nothing going forward

Oh aye.

[buster. 5,257]

4 hours ago, pete said:

 

 

My team is:

 

McGregor

Tavenier Goldson Worrel Halliday

Ejaria Arfield Kent

 Morelos

Playing with nine might make it more of a challenge  

 

Re. LB: .....We have Barisic to come back once his injury is sorted.

 

 

Edited October 30, 2018 by buster.

[pete 2,499]

59 minutes ago, ranger_syntax said:

Oh aye.

A post like this is just a waste of space.

[pete 2,499]

26 minutes ago, buster. said:

Playing with nine might make it more of a challenge  

 

Re. LB: .....We have Barisic to come back once his injury is sorted.

 

 

Yes I forgot to put in Jack and Coulibaly. It was late when I wrote it.

[pete 2,499]

31 minutes ago, buster. said:

Playing with nine might make it more of a challenge  

 

Re. LB: .....We have Barisic to come back once his injury is sorted.

 

 

Agreed but if Tav or he is injured we only have Flanagan and I aired my opinion on him. The Mermaid took him to the cleaners on Sunday and as I say he offers nothing going forward and is part of the problem of just passing it to Worrel or Goldson.

[buster. 5,257]

26 minutes ago, pete said:

Agreed but if Tav or he is injured we only have Flanagan and I aired my opinion on him. The Mermaid took him to the cleaners on Sunday and as I say he offers nothing going forward and is part of the problem of just passing it to Worrel or Goldson.

Flanagan is a fairly robust and adaptable defender that the manager has confidence in. IMO he's excellent cover for Tav, someone who up until now hasn't missed many games through injury.

 

For a more offensive approach, we have Barisic.

 

 

GMS is currently on a decent run of form, taking on just about all full-backs and getting by them.

 

Passing the ball along the back line happens a lot in modern football and is often down to other reasons than the defenders inability to do something else.

[pete 2,499]

12 minutes ago, buster. said:

Flanagan is a fairly robust and adaptable defender that the manager has confidence in. IMO he's excellent cover for Tav, someone who up until now hasn't missed many games through injury.

 

For a more offensive approach, we have Barisic.

 

 

GMS is currently on a decent run of form, taking on just about all full-backs and getting by them.

 

Passing the ball along the back line happens a lot in modern football and is often down to other reasons than the defenders inability to do something else.

Funny how Tavernier seems to get it forward on a regular basis but Flanagan can't. That is a hell of a lot of other reasons per game.

[buster. 5,257]

12 minutes ago, pete said:

Funny how Tavernier seems to get it forward on a regular basis but Flanagan can't. That is a hell of a lot of other reasons per game.

Over the piece, I think Tav has been an exceptional creative outlet during his time with Rangers and to compare him with other full backs wrt to going forward will often see the other way behind him.

 

That said, when Barisic is available and playing well, he isn't far off him.

 

Having Barisic, Flanagan and Halliday for LB is more than adequate.

 

Tav and Flanagan for RB aswell IMO.

[Frankie 8,663]

Because Tav is so attacking, Flanagan is almost always going to tuck in when that happens.  Tav is one of our primary attacking outlets so even when Barisic plays I wouldn't expect him to be gung ho either on the other flank.

 

Flanagan is limited in attacking sense (mainly due to be on the opposite side) but he's twice the defender Hodson ever was.