match thread (image) [FT] Rangers 3 - 0 Livingston (Candeias 20', Morelos 83', Arfield 88')

[craig 5,199]

3 hours ago, pete said:

So you win a header and stand still. That is a new one on me.  I was always told to move up and close down as quick as possible. We are not talking milliseconds here looking where the Livingston players are standing and the time for the ball to be headed away and come back. The fact that you seem to think that is normal defending is also worrying. It is also not the first time we have given away chances like that. 

It was abundantly clear that Halliday switched off for a second or two.  If you see that same incident from behind the goal, Goldson goes mental at him.

 

To Halliday's defence, in his post match interview he acknowledged himself that he hadn't had one of his better games.  Every player makes mistakes, Halliday has made few this season.  The fact we escaped one and the fact he has the self-awareness to acknowledge he hadn't a great game means he can (hopefully) learn from it.

 

Every other defender did their job at that incident - had Halliday have pushed up when he was supposed to then the Livvy player would, I think, have been offside.

[pete 2,499]

50 minutes ago, craig said:

It was abundantly clear that Halliday switched off for a second or two.  If you see that same incident from behind the goal, Goldson goes mental at him.

 

To Halliday's defence, in his post match interview he acknowledged himself that he hadn't had one of his better games.  Every player makes mistakes, Halliday has made few this season.  The fact we escaped one and the fact he has the self-awareness to acknowledge he hadn't a great game means he can (hopefully) learn from it.

 

Every other defender did their job at that incident - had Halliday have pushed up when he was supposed to then the Livvy player would, I think, have been offside.

I agree that Haliday was the biggest wrongdoer but 4 players standing in the same position ball watching worries me. They watched the ball go out and then watched it coming back in again. That is a fair amount of time. It seems I am the only one that it worries though so everything must be rosy in the garden. If it was one incident I could get that but it happens as a regular occurrence that opposing players are totally unmarked in our box after set pieces.

[craig 5,199]

36 minutes ago, pete said:

I agree that Haliday was the biggest wrongdoer but 4 players standing in the same position ball watching worries me. They watched the ball go out and then watched it coming back in again. That is a fair amount of time. It seems I am the only one that it worries though so everything must be rosy in the garden. If it was one incident I could get that but it happens as a regular occurrence that opposing players are totally unmarked in our box after set pieces.

The ball came back in from a different position than it was cleared from IIRC.  It was cleared at the front post but when it comes back in it is central to back post - and you can be sure those players weren't expecting Halliday to have stayed close to the line.  The guy being marked has nothing to do with the 4 players you mentioned.  They had done their job.  The guy being unmarked is Halliday's fault - because had he come out he would have been offside (my memory of the incident isn't that great a couple of days later).

 

Nobody is saying everything is rosy pete - Livingston hit the post from that and it was 0-0 so it isn't rosy - had it gone in the game completely changes.  

 

The main thing is learning from it.  We got away with one.  But were we not due a touch of luck given how little good fortune we have had this season ?

 

I think we have been far better defending set pieces this season - last season Livingston would have put AT LEAST 2 past us.  We are much more resolute this season in defence.  IMHO, McAuley will quickly be 1st choice defender and I would anticipate we will become even better defending set pieces.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

Im not sure where they were to run to or how quickly. 

[JFK-1 1,693]

On 25/11/2018 at 07:29, Tannochsidebear said:

I am no longer concerned with the other results in the league bar the bheasts, there is going to be no race for second this year, only for the title and I hope we can get enough points in December to keep in touch going into the second half of the season.

Seems the bookies heavily agree with you.

 

Top 2 finish

Rangers 1/6

Hearts 9/1

Sheep 11/1

Hubz 20/1