match thread (image) [FT] Union SG 2 - 0 Rangers

[stewarty 2,025]

A bad night at the office.  We need to hope a home crowd spooks them and ideally get an early goal next week.

[alexscottislegend 2,323]

We looked world beaters v West Ham and Spurs, both teams a class above Union. Don't tell me they were playing at half-pace.

[Scott7 6,006]

@der Berlinerdid warn us.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

13 minutes ago, Scott7 said:

@der Berlinerdid warn us.

He did. 

 

They aren't a team of stars but they are really wells set up, confident and know how they want to play and how they want to make the opposition play. 

 

We made a mistake going 3 at the back. 4-3-3 has always been the way to play v 5-3-2. Losing Kent was huge here. 

[the gunslinger 3,366]

the good thing is we have the solution to a lot of our issues last night already in place. 

 

Barasic is a great LB when you are dominating teams and he has space to work in and is mostly attacking. Yilmaz should be able to skin a player and go in behind in games like this. 

 

Davies is a LCB our only one really and should play there from now on. 

 

Lundstrum back in MF if we do need a 3 at the back sands looked much better at RCB than LCB. 

 

Kent to come in and take the ball forwards. 

 

Morelos a huge upgrade on Colak though they are very different in fairness. 

 

We do still need to ideally sell Kamara and get an AM as our balance there is wrong. We need a CM who is really comfortable on the ball and can go create. A proper number 8. 

 

Beyond that perhaps we need to look at a keeper next bit early to say. 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2022 by the gunslinger

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,752]

So many things about last night were perplexing. Seeing us with rigid line of 5 across the back whilst we were behind was bizarre. Why didn't Matondo play inside? He was basically playing 10/15 yards in front of Tav on the right side.

[26th of foot 6,082]

Last night's performance was akin to watching Rangers in European action forty years past. A brief period of optimism eradicated by over an hour of reality.

 

The first twenty minutes were encouraging, on the front foot, three attempts on goal comfortably dealt with by the Union Keeper. The Belgians realised any forward movement by Rangers began with several square passes, they stepped up and began to intercept. They played for several minutes, scored and, got comfortable in playing balls down the channels. They were happy to continually turn us. Berliner did warn Gersnet.

 

I thought the second period called for two subs, Scott Arfield's grit was needed in midfield and, Scott Wright reprising Aribo's last season role as the false nine. Both would have thickened a midfield being overrun. The VAR decision is correct by the laws but, it is hard to take. A deflection hits a raised hand on the very edge of the box. 

 

We could not change it, a McLoughlin save in the last minutes ensures we have a small chance of progressing. We learned the Union centre backs do not enjoy direct running. Perhaps Gio can work with this for Ibrox next Tuesday?

 

I fear, like Malmo last season; we have blown this tie?

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,752]

3 minutes ago, the gunslinger said:

the god thing is we have the solution to a lot of our issues last night already in place. 

 

Barasic is a great LB when you are dominating teams and he has space to work in and is mostly attacking. Yilmaz should be able to skin a player and go in behind in games like this. 

 

Davies is a LCB our only one really and should play there from now on. 

 

Lundstrum back in MF if we do need a 3 at the back sands looked much better at RCB than LCB. 

 

Kent to come in and take the ball forwards. 

 

Morelos a huge upgrade on Colak though they are very different in fairness. 

 

We do still need to ideally sell Kamara and get an AM as our balance there is wrong. We need a CM who is really comfortable on the ball and can go create. A proper number 8. 

 

Beyond that perhaps we need to look at a keeper next bit early to say. 

 

 

Agree about midfield. There was literally no one in the actual middle of the park to receive the ball last night. We should be giving McLaughlin options through the centre as teams have rumbled our play it wide from the keeper tactic. Much like Henderson/Fabhino do for Liverpool. Van Dyke and Mario usually spread wide leaving a huge channel for the centre of the pitch for Allison to use as plan B. Our insistence on getting everything down the flanks is our downfall IMO. 

[Sutton_blows_goats 5,335]

8 minutes ago, the gunslinger said:

Beyond that perhaps we need to look at a keeper next bit early to say. 

We 100% do.

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,752]

2 minutes ago, Sutton_blows_goats said:

We 100% do.

There are many things to sort out with our team and set up. A new goalie is not going to make an ounce of difference to how we are actually playing.