Match Thread [FT] Rangers 1 (Lawrence 14) - 4 Lyon

[alexscottislegend 2,374]

26 minutes ago, buster. said:

Individual errors, missing a bonafide sitter, etc don't help but Lyon were simply a far better team.

 

Their middle to front players made the most of the space we presented them with. That, IMO is down to the manager. How he set up the team and the players he selected.

 

Clement has a very difficult remit. We don't want to hear excuses but it is going to a gunfight with a wooden sword. But, last night he compounded the situation through his own decisions.

Agree except the manager can do nothing about the inability of Cerny to take, for example, to miss chances.

[alexscottislegend 2,374]

22 minutes ago, Graeme Ro55 said:

Considering the age/inexperience of some of our players I can forgive individual errors, but the miss from Cerny (not his first) was painful. The difference between us with Tav and us with Kasanwirjo was obvious. We should have had a penalty, I almost seen dessers nipples in the replay of the shirt pull in the box. But all that said we were never going to beat this Lyon side if they were up for it, and they were.  

Yes it's time we stopped making comments about Scottish referees; we've been cheated often enough in Europe too.

[Gonzo79 15,299]

Cerny isn't endearing himself to the support.  That miss combined with the tedious arms flailing 'come on' signal to the Govan front a while later - not a good combination. 

[alexscottislegend 2,374]

11 hours ago, Gonzo79 said:

I'd just like to reiterate how much I can't stand Cyriel Dessers. A diving fanny and a person who does nothing but make excuses for his poor play.  His demeanour, constantly complaining to referees and opposition players (none of whom are listening) whilst play goes on, is utterly pathetic and not becoming of a professional sportsman.

 

He's useless when it counts.

 

We really need to get rid of him.  

We will have to spend a lot of money to replace him with someone who can guarantee 20 plus goals and exhibit none of the characteristics you complain about. 

[Idisi 587]

11 minutes ago, Franc Ergs said:

Twente managed a draw at Old Trafford, which shows if you have the right mentality and tactical approach, that sometimes budgets can be irrelevant.

Rangers were very good in the Europa League during the last few years. Sometimes because teams did not know you and the players, sometimes because of luck, sometimes both. Yesterday, you played the same players like in every other game, and very open. It was clear at the Hibernian game which I saw with Der Berliner that this only works if all players are up for it. There was little change for yesterday, and quality like Lyon will punish you like no Edinburgh team will ever do. I would have "plugged their teeth" with more physical players and pressing, and waited for opportunities like in Malmö. It is a bit  strange that you constantly play the same system.

[Gonzo79 15,299]

11 minutes ago, alexscottislegend said:

and exhibit none of the characteristics you complain about. 

Plenty of strikers around who prefer having a shot to falling over.  

[der Berliner 3,798]

Well, we can do the German mentality thing and blame our players etc. more than we take that step back and look at the opposition. As Idisi said, the second half of the Hibs (!!!) game was really poor, and I didn't look forward to last night, knowing what little change Clement would do - and was able to do. We are where we are and have the players showing this.

 

What Clement has to deliver is a team that grabs the title and with it a chance for the golden automatic CL slot. We'll get slaughtered by the same teams that came and will come to Ibrox this season, but at least we can start building a team. That's the dire reality - and probably the very same which Swedish, Danish and other low-key league teams' face.

 

My main bone of contention remains the lack of change in players and system according to the task at hand. It broke, Warburton, McCoist, Caixinha, SG, Gio, and Beale. Madness really ... if you remember how few managers we had before Sir Walter.

[Gonzo79 15,299]

3 minutes ago, der Berliner said:

What Clement has to deliver is a team that grabs the title and with it a chance for the golden automatic CL slot.

No such thing next season.  

[onevision 1,587]

1 hour ago, Gonzo79 said:

Cerny isn't endearing himself to the support.  That miss combined with the tedious arms flailing 'come on' signal to the Govan front a while later - not a good combination. 

It was harder for Cerny to miss that open goal last night, took a lot of skill.

[CammyF 8,369]

4 hours ago, Sutton_blows_goats said:

Like the Dortmund the same season we got beat 3-1 by a weaker Lyon side than this at Ibrox? Then yeah. Outliers can happen. 

 

There is a massive difference between that Rangers side and this one. That one had been together for a number of years, had won 55 and was at the peak of its powers. This squad is still very much in a rebuild and will have its best days ahead of it when reinforcements come in.

 

What did Butland say about the manager?

But Dortmund want an outlier, we got to the EL Final beating teams with bigger budgets and better players.

 

Since Gerrard took over we've consistently gotten to the business end of the EL, so your argument is flawed, we go to quarter finals in Gerrards first season (IIRC).

 

However this is now the weakest squad since Pedro's and unless a miracle happens the squad will get worse before it gets better as we don't have the money to buy better players (as @RANGERRAB said it'll be more "experiments", loans and misfits).

 

As for what Butland said, listen to his interview - says we have to alter our approach, something the manager seems loathed to do.