Rangers Europa League Squad Submitted - No Danilo / Matondo

[JohnMc 2,801]

1 hour ago, Rousseau said:

Has Lowry not been told he can leave?

I don't know for certain. Whatever issues he has that's three managers in a row who don't trust him, despite his obvious talent. He's still at the club so I assume he'll make the Europa League bench just because of circumstance. 

He's not making our first team unless there's a raft of injuries, so expect him to start in about 3 weeks time! 

 

It's so frustrating, he has genuine ability, he could have a wonderful career, but clearly something is missing mentally. 

[Frankie 8,651]

I believe his mother passed away last April so I think that event (and probably the lead up to it) has affected the lad more than many of will relate to.

 

Ultimately we don't know why he's not making the best use of his undoubted ability but I do have a worry that we seem to struggle to get the best of of certain players; especially those with an attacking/creative persuasion. 

 

[Uilleam 5,959]

Matondo may be the 'new' Kemar Roofe. 

Danilo seems to be moving, gingerly, towards Sebastian Rozental status (and, I hope, for, primarily, his sake, that I am unduly pessimistic, and that he can recover). 

Do we have an Oleg Kuznetzov de nos jours?

 

I don't think that we have a latter-day Daniel Prodan on the books. Maybe in the next window, if we are desperate, enough. 

Who can forget the 'capture' of that Romanian International full-back, whom -bizarrely, insanely- we acquired, despite him having only one functioning knee joint?

 

The strategy for Matondo must be, surely, to get him fit, and move him on, preferably in January. The Club must implement, forthwith, a four month course of fitness training and physiotherapy (even if he doesn't need the latter, because he might just think he does), and a course of hypnotherapy aimed at convincing him that he is Brian Laudrup. 

But, honestly, even if that comprehensive strategy worked, I don't think he is a 'keeper'. 

 

As for Danilo, I do think that the Club can only go through the medical card with him, and hope............

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Uilleam 5,959]

50 minutes ago, Frankie said:

we seem to struggle to get the best of of certain players; 

 

Indeed, we do; and this is not a recent phenomenon. 

It was often put down to the manager and/or the Captain and senior pros, discouraging the creative ball players from displaying their skills fully, because such would show up the rest of the side, and upset them. 

 

On the other hand, while our more skilled types can appear stifled -and not always by the opposition- sometimes, just sometimes, say once or twice a match, on average, our duds look to be the duddest duds that ever donned football duds; and that must count for something, non?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[yuddie 1,693]

Just on the Danilo omission - the paranoia being built up online I've seen in relation to the club withholding information and him seemingly never kicking a ball again is unreal.

 

He's just off of a serious long term injury and has suffered a setback. Let's say he's 'out' for 6 weeks and then takes another month to be match fit - I can see the logic in withholding him from the Euro squad.

 

Purely from a player welfare and game management point of view, let him build his fitness up in the less intense domestic games.

 

A lot of our fans still don't realise that this season is going to be like the Seville run if we make the KO's of the UEL and go far in the cups in terms of the schedule intensity.

 

Tbh I think Celtic are in for a shock in that regard too.

 

We've just seen Chelsea leave Palmer out of their UECL squad for those reasons. This decision is in a similar vein, if anything it's more understandable.

 

Clement, to give him his credit, has always tried to use the squad in a holistic manner.

 

I've got no qualms with this decision tbh.

[Gonzo79 15,299]

27 minutes ago, yuddie said:

A lot of our fans still don't realise that this season is going to be like the Seville run if we make the KO's of the UEL

Bit early to be on the sauce.  

[yuddie 1,693]

13 minutes ago, Gonzo79 said:

Bit early to be on the sauce.  

Aye true enough, it'd be a pretty dismal UEL campaign if we don't manage to get into the top 24 though.

 

I wasn't suggesting we make the final, more that with the expansion we'll hit a similar number of games as the run to Seville if we make the playoffs.

[Sutton_blows_goats 5,455]

1 hour ago, yuddie said:

He's just off of a serious long term injury and has suffered a setback. Let's say he's 'out' for 6 weeks and then takes another month to be match fit

Its muscle memory for supporters to be cynical. Every major injury one of our players gets turns out to be far longer than ever predicted. Hagi's dad was saying a few weeks before the Europa final he would be back in training and ready for it for example.

 

Then there is Roofe, Matondo, Yilmaz, Dowell, Lawrence, Soutter etc

 

Its not a new thing either, Amoruso missed pretty much his first season. Negri disappeared into the ether after a storming 6 months. Rozenthal, Kuznetzov, Prodan.. Its almost part of our heritage as a club to pay big money for guys to get injured and vanish.

 

Not sure how you can blame anyone for being pessimistic about this one tbh.

[yuddie 1,693]

3 minutes ago, Sutton_blows_goats said:

Its muscle memory for supporters to be cynical. Every major injury one of our players gets turns out to be far longer than ever predicted. Hagi's dad was saying a few weeks before the Europa final he would be back in training and ready for it for example.

 

Then there is Roofe, Matondo, Yilmaz, Dowell, Lawrence, Soutter etc

 

Its not a new thing either, Amoruso missed pretty much his first season. Negri disappeared into the ether after a storming 6 months. Rozenthal, Kuznetzov, Prodan.. Its almost part of our heritage as a club to pay big money for guys to get injured and vanish.

 

Not sure how you can blame anyone for being pessimistic about this one tbh.

You're not wrong, our medical record is beyond the pale.

 

But the decision to withdraw him is sound though.

[Devil's advocaat 1,617]

5 hours ago, Uilleam said:

Matondo may be the 'new' Kemar Roofe. 

Danilo seems to be moving, gingerly, towards Sebastian Rozental status (and, I hope, for, primarily, his sake, that I am unduly pessimistic, and that he can recover). 

Do we have an Oleg Kuznetzov de nos jours?

 

I don't think that we have a latter-day Daniel Prodan on the books. Maybe in the next window, if we are desperate, enough. 

Who can forget the 'capture' of that Romanian International full-back, whom -bizarrely, insanely- we acquired, despite him having only one functioning knee joint?

 

The strategy for Matondo must be, surely, to get him fit, and move him on, preferably in January. The Club must implement, forthwith, a four month course of fitness training and physiotherapy (even if he doesn't need the latter, because he might just think he does), and a course of hypnotherapy aimed at convincing him that he is Brian Laudrup. 

But, honestly, even if that comprehensive strategy worked, I don't think he is a 'keeper'. 

 

As for Danilo, I do think that the Club can only go through the medical card with him, and hope............

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prodan was a central defender.