Cammy F's CIS Cup Winning Rants

[CammyF 8,003]

One Down – 3 To Go

 

Well, where does one start trying to dismantle the CIS Cup Final? We didn’t really start the game well and were lucky not to be out of the final before half-time. We improved immensely after the break and whilst we had to wait until the closing minutes to score an equaliser, we looked like the only team capable of winning the trophy. However, the impressive Dundee United had other ideas. DUFC deserve credit for their performance but this Rangers side doesn’t know when they are beaten. After the excretions of Thursday, they could have been forgiven for throwing in the towel and moving on to the next game in our heavy schedule. But, not a word of it. They rolled up their sleeves and proceeded to drag themselves back into the game.

 

I don’t know what WS, AMc and Kenny McDowell and the rest of the backroom staff are doing / saying to this squad of players as they appear to like nothing better than defying the odds (and their many critics) by continually battling to gain the results required to ensure that we are still in the running for a clean sweep – lets face facts, at the start of the season, with no ‘big buys’ we couldn’t have dreamt that we would currently be in this position. The first domestic cup decked in red, white and blue ribbons, 3 points clear (with a game in hand) in the league, nicely placed in the Scottish Cup (well, until Wednesday at least) and in the Ã?¼ finals of the UEFA Cup (after giving a more than decent showing in the CL group of death).

 

However, the players whilst deserving enormous credit, cannot rest on their laurels as the hard work starts now. One thing that has come across so far this season is that the players who have been asked to step up to the plate have, as yet, not been found wanting. This must continue, as due to the amount of games and their continued and growing importance, we will require them all the players in the squad to put the team before their own feelings. To be fair to them, they have been doing this, and CIS Cup hero Kris Boyd is a prime example of this. He has had to sit on the bench and watch his team-mates progress on all fronts, but when he was asked to salvage the game on Sunday, he does what he does best – dispatch the ball into the net.

 

Hampden Reaction

 

I hate to piss on our CIS Cup success parade, but there is a section of our fanbase that are never happy. I heard mutterings on Sunday from some fans who were upset at the players performance, the fact that we required penalties to win the cup and the joyous reaction of the players and the majority of the fans to winning the CIS Cup. Can I just remind those fans that it has been 3 years since we won a trophy and ALL trophy successes should be enjoyed as if they were your first / last trophy. I thought that 3 years in the wilderness would have shown this as a harsh reality, but obviously not. We have historically been very hard to please (and I am one of the worst offenders!) but I feel that a small section of our fans take this to the extreme.

 

What did they expect on Sunday? Were DUFC just to turn up to make up the numbers rather than trying to gatecrash the party and actually try and win the cup for themselves? We cannot and will not destroy all teams that turn up to play us. We have to gain the right to win games and trophies.

 

Another disappointing aspect on Sunday was the small section of supporters that abused Chris Burke during the game and more disturbingly, booed Chris Burke when he lifted the trophy. Those who indulged in this (there was some around me) should be utterly ashamed of yourselves.

Had to laugh at the DUFC fans chanting ‘United We Love You’. Hell, you love them so much that less the 300 of yous managed to make the away game against Gretna and I’ll bet that your next home gate will be under 7K. Ironic or what?

 

I’ll try and finish on an upbeat note and whilst it was hard to find praise for many of our players on Sunday, Kris Boyd and Alan McGregor have rightly grabbed all the headlines for their heroics but as both were quick to point out, this Rangers team / squad isn’t about ‘individuals’ it is a collective effort. Let’s hope that this mentality can see us through the tail-end of the season and ensure that we have plenty more celebrations come May.

 

 

Cammy F – Support The Dublin Loyal - We Are The People….

[bmck 117]

cheers cammy. i have been quite stunned by the reaction too. its almost like we never won the most dramatic cup final in recent memory. ive stuck it on newsnow.

[ian1964 10,720]

Great read,again,Cammy.I agree with you some fans will NEVER be happy,some fans are always saying that it would be good for the SPL and Rangers if there was a third team pushing the old firm,and then when you get that they complain that we should be easily beating the likes of Dundee UTD !!!!!!!,when this team is sitting 3rd in the SPL and have just went to the piggery and got a good result.Then to the criticism of individual players is also unbelievable,this Rangers team has a superb battling quality and play as a TEAM,something i've not seen for a long time,but you still get,'' He's shite,he's not Rangers class '',and all the rest of that shite.Me,i'm fooking delighted at the way we are progressing,one trophy in the bag and another three to play for....................................I think we should sell half the team,sack the backroom staff and then go and waste millions on better players ???????

[johnnyk 158]

As you say some fans will never be happy no matter what. some fans want us to play like Barcelona with the players we have and in the SPL where you get virtually no time on the ball and compete against the top teams in Europe who spend millions and have the best players in the world. they also slag of players who do well against every other team apart from the 'BIG TEAMS' don't you have to beat the 'SMALL TEAMS' to win things?

 

end of the day it's up to WS and his team to get results and so far on his return he has done that yet still the fans complain. this time last year if you said we would have done what he has achieved and be where we are no one would have believed it but here we are doing fantastic and they moan about his tactics and team selection instead, so fickle IMO, just remember where we were this time last year and what we had left to play for.

[Gazza_8 233]

I wasn't happy with the performance, I'll put my hands up. The result is the most important but I'd have liked a better performance. The selection was piss poor and WS has just about came out and said so himself.

[bmck 117]

^ i dont think we should be too harsh on people who criticise. to be honest if we didnt have our fair share of people who didnt think not winning 11-0 in every game was an offence to their very soul, we wouldnt be a big club, ne ver mind people voicing opinions on forums. we would have that horribly scottish self-depracating "charm" that partick thistle have. i thought the lads done well on sunday because i do think that there is such a thing as a european hangover, and dundee utd are a decent side. teams of recent years would have just given up, and im grateful for the change. but you are right - there were a good few mistakes, and forums are the place for talking about these things, but i just find each and every reservation i have about ws and team selection just evaporating every time we win. it always seems like if the opposition were just a little bit better we would get humped, but it just doesnt seem to be happening.

[calscot 0]

I think our fans may overestimate the ability of most of our players. I think we have a very good squad but it was cobbled together on a fairly modest budget, and we didn't exactly cherry pick from the cream of Europe.

 

They should be good enough to beat United and probably thrash them on a good day, but with the Tangerines playing out of their skin and our players looking like they had bad Euro hangover, then in that situation, it's game on.

 

I agree that many teams would have just thought it wasn't their day and not battled on like our team did. Many times this season our players have shown a desire that has resulted in them digging deep despite being off form.

 

In the end we have to remember that all teams sometimes struggle against what on paper are weaker teams. Chelsea just lost the league cup to Spurs, Man U just struggled to beat Derby, and just look at the FA cup!

 

Even just statistically we are due a bad result and there is only one Rangers team that has gone through a season and won every game.

 

We have a good squad but we have no right to expect them to stroll to a win every week against the best of the rest in Scotland. It didn't happen during 9IAR or with our most expensive team under Advocaat, so why would it happen now?

 

Sometime you have to battle hard for your wins, and our lads did just that - and yes, they won!

[ian1964 10,720]

Constructive criticism is fine,but some of the harshness aimed at individual players is what gets me angry,a good team will always have players who don't perform but still get results.