match thread (image) [FT] Rangers 3 (Roofe 73, 90+4; Itten 82) - 1 Motherwell

[rbr 1,256]

The single most important goal he will possibly ever score,  Big Cedric I love you ?

[Whosthedado 1,685]

4 minutes ago, rbr said:

The single most important goal he will possibly ever score,  Big Cedric I love you ?

Wait until he scores the goal to win the title 

[ian1964 10,724]

Edited December 19, 2020 by ian1964

[CammyF 8,123]

Every outfield player in their own box, with 7 of them in and around the 6 yard box - expansive footbl right there  

[buster. 5,200]

How many thought about compensatory control at some point during this 90 minutes ?  ?

 

 

That's 3 games and no clean sheets against provincial clubs that have all gone down to the wire. 

We won the 2 most important of them and lost the other. In relative terms, it's a blip of sorts but importantly, it hasn't had a negative impact on pursut of the main title.

 

However, with a tough fixture list on the horizon, if we can't get back into the habit of regular clean sheets, we will start dropping points.

Yesterday, we didn't get our now customary first half goal(s) and given the loss in midweek, I wondered if the crowd sound effects would include a few boos at HT ? With a crowd, you wonder if the players would have been allowed to stick to the patient version of wearing an opponent down.

 

 

Yesterday saw our 10th consectutive League victory. 

By my reckoning, that is the first time we've done that since 2007/08, when Walter Smith's UEFA Cup Final team went 13 League victories IAR and it started on Boxing day with a 3-1 win at Ibrox against Motherwell. Like Roofe yesterday, Kris Boyd scored an injury-time third goal. This was less than a year since PLG sat in the dugout. Motherwell were involved then as well, with Boyd scoring a penalty accompanied by a 6 finger salute.

 

The warning being that after those 13 wins, came a nightmare fixture pile-up, 4 league games without a win and we got pipped at the post for the title. On the other hand, we also reached a European Final, but it came at a cost. With that in mind and an eye on the big prize, not having further League Cup games into 2021 might not be the worst thing. But for now, as 26th's thread says....one game at a time.

 

 

Edited December 20, 2020 by buster.

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,752]

13 minutes ago, buster. said:

How many thought about compensatory control at some point during this 90 minutes ?  ?

 

 

That's 3 games and no clean sheets against provincial clubs that have all gone down to the wire. 

We won the 2 most important of them and lost the other. In relative terms, it's a blip of sorts but importantly, it hasn't had a negative impact on pursut of the main title.

 

However, with a tough fixture list on the horizon, if we can't get back into the habit of regular clean sheets, we will start dropping points.

Yesterday, we didn't get our now customary first half goal(s) and given the loss in midweek, I wondered if the crowd sound effects would include a few boos at HT ? With a crowd, you wonder if the players would have been allowed to stick to the patient version of wearing an opponent down.

 

 

Yesterday saw our 10th consectutive League victory. 

By my reckoning, that is the first time we've done that since 2007/08, when Walter Smith's UEFA Cup Final team went 13 League victories IAR and it started on Boxing day with a 3-1 win at Ibrox against Motherwell. Like Roofe yesterday, Kris Boyd scored an injury-time third goal. This was less than a year since PLG sat in the dugout.

 

The warning being that after those 13 wins, came a nightmare fixture pile-up, 4 league games without a win and we got pipped at the post for the title. On the other hand, we also reached a European Final, but it came at a cost. With that in mind and an eye on the big prize, not having further League Cup games into 2021 might not be the worst thing. But for now, as 26th's thread says....one game at a time.

 

 

Our one and only focus should be 3pts against St. Johnstone away on Wednesday. Level of performance, clean sheets, GD etc. are all bonuses at this stage of the season. There is no point in playing amazing, getting a clean sheet and then only drawing the game. 

[buster. 5,200]

31 minutes ago, BlackSocksRedTops said:

Our one and only focus should be 3pts against St. Johnstone away on Wednesday. Level of performance, clean sheets, GD etc. are all bonuses at this stage of the season. There is no point in playing amazing, getting a clean sheet and then only drawing the game. 

Yes, but the reason we have gone on such a long winning run is because of those things.

 

If we drop those, we'll drop points and winning runs will become more consistent with the last few seasons, 3's and 4's.

In other words, we´ll leave the door open. 

[Uilleam 5,948]

Add 5 - 5 - 0 to the tactical lexicon, Marcelo. It's over there in the corner marked "Bin".

 

Motherwell's formation yesterday (which to be brutally frank, was often 10 - 0) made Craig Levein's 4 - 6- 0, versus the Czechs in Prague, look like a positive, aggressively attacking, line -up.

 

With 5 substitutes, modern fitness training, etc. and a decent amount of practice, it would be possible, using such set-ups, to destroy football completely.

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,752]

11 minutes ago, buster. said:

Yes, but the reason we have gone on such a long winning run is because of those things.

 

If we drop those, we'll drop points and winning runs will become more consistent with the last few seasons, 3's and 4's.

In other words, we´ll leave the door open. 

Agree but that level was unsustainable. There was always going to be a patch were our form dipped. It's just how we cope this time that will make or break or season.

[buster. 5,200]

2 minutes ago, Uilleam said:

Add 5 - 5 - 0 to the tactical lexicon, Marcelo. It's over there in the corner marked "Bin".

 

Motherwell's formation yesterday (which to be brutally frank, was often 10 - 0) made Craig Levein's 4 - 6- 0, versus the Czechs in Prague, look like a positive, aggressively attacking, line -up.

 

With 5 substitutes, modern fitness training, etc. and a decent amount of practice, it would be possible, using such set-ups, to destroy football completely.

IMO, Motherwell's mistake yesterday was not to look a little harder for a second goal when they had the lead. Any counter-attacks had almost full postcodes of space to exploit.

 

In other words, not being able to find the keys to be able to start the bus (5-5-0) in thje end, did for them.