Negativity breeds negativity breeds negativity...

[Frankie 8,552]

What has happened to Rangers fans nowadays?

 

"We're crap", "Walter Smith is a twat (or worse)", "We won't win the league", "Everyone is out to get us", "We've no money", "Our strips are poor", "Player X is an embarrassment" etc etc etc - I could go on all day! And I thought I came online to get away from the boss' or the wife's moaning?

 

Let's begin by saying I totally understand why some fans are feeling a wee bit pessimistic. No league wins for 3 years and the disappointments of last season's failure to secure the title mean even the very best supporters amongst us will find it difficult to be overly positive. Add in a few injuries, a few signings that don't really excite and a few people stirring the pot; then we have a support that is suddenly in a negative vicious circle of the kind that breeds negativity hourly. But, we have to drawn the line somewhere surely?

 

I'd like to take issue with a few of the more hysterical claims, if I may.

 

1. The last two matches have been pre-season friendlies: you know, the kind of games we've all played in. Walking pace, lack of sharpness, warm weather, tactical experiments, personnel tests, niggling strains and less than impressive results against minor sides. Generally, games that don't mean a lot in the grand scheme of things - ask Chelsea after we hammered them last season at Ibrox.

 

2. Injuries. Love him or loathe him, Barry Ferguson will be missed. His injury is a worrying one but it might also enable others to step out of his shadow. The other injuries don't concern me as they're not serious anyway. I'm just glad we've got them now - not when the real games start. By that time, Beasley, Lafferty, Cuellar and McGregor will all be back playing. Four damn good players nice and fresh for a long season! Smith wont be long behind them.

 

3. Signings. Sure, they're not Laudrups, Gascoignes, Goughs or Hateleys. However, they are all internationalists, have shown decent pedigree at club level and a couple even do the business at international level. Sure one we may not want to have seen at Ibrox again but I think the other two are interesting enough. Lafferty particularly will be a good bit of business IMO. The management team have also said they're actively pursuing other targets. Patience is a virtue in that regard.

 

4. Midfield creativity. I certainly empathise with worries about the dearth of this in our team. Losing Ferguson won't help and with Burke/Naismith both out until next year, we're once again short in this area. However, was I the only person to see John Fleck sneak on the flight to Germany? Did no-one else feel a funny twinge when he showed his class in a short Scottish Cup final cameo? I'm sure he started last night and played well as he scored his debut first XI goal also? Obviously, we can't base our hopes on a 16 year old raw teenager though? I mean, none of us have said it's about time we played the youths...

 

 

Bears, I don't blame you for being worried. I am as well. We do need a couple of other players - a centre half and a midfielder would go a long way to quelling our fears. Imagine our Carlos with a aerially dominant partner with a bit of pace. Dream of Thomson winning a tackle and passing to a midfield dynamo who can run at the opposition. Do you really think Walter Smith - the man who led us to 9IAR - won't share those thoughts? Pull the other one!

 

As I type this, the date is approaching the 18th of July. This is a month that ends with our first competitive game of the season; with the SPL starting again 10 days later. Over 3 weeks until we can really judge our position and even then it won't be too accurate.

 

In that time we can moan more, we can panic more, we can slag each other off more and we can generally go against everything that is supposed to be about being a supporter of the Rangers.

 

Or we could accept where we are, draw a line and move forward. "The cry was No Surrender" if you like.

 

[UCF2008 0]

It's just just a product of mob mentality Frankie. We're inundated by mhedia negativity and wind-up merchant timposters ATM. They're f*cking everywhere - on the phone-ins, writing into the tabloids, writing FOR the tabloids and ESPECIALLY on internet forums. Can I just say at this point that gersnet is much better off on this front than most (take a look over on 606)...but not immune.

 

The trouble is that we've got so many real Gers fans in our midst that actually buy into the crap they're spouting and then it's out with the pitch-forks and bring in the boo-boys.

 

We've all got reason from time to time to get annoyed with the way things are going for our club. That's just part and parcel of being a football fan. It's just annoying to see this sort of propeganda having it's desired effect on us.

[alexscottislegend 2,306]

Good stuff, Frankie. You've put a bit of optimism back into me. I think when it comes to being hard to please Rangers fans are up there with Spurs - in our case it's maybe because we were spoiled.

 

Another thing to add - I remember Andy Townsend on TV annoying the life out of me by saying Cuellar wouldn't be at Ibrox this season .The fact we've held on to him and McGregor is almost as good as a 'marquee' signing.

[Tannochsidebear 2,405]

I think a lot of it has to do with the lack of an exciting signing for many years now, together with the signing of Miller, the loss of a title that was in the bag, and a poor showing in the UEFA final.

 

It is the build up effect of many smaller things that has bears upset at the moment, and will only be eradicated by winning matches. The fact that we dont have any important matches for another couple of weeks means that unless we pull a top signing out of the bag (no laughing at the back) we can expect another few weeks of moaning before it all dies down again.

 

My policy at this time of year is to not buy any newspapers, listen to local radio or click onto "neutral" football sites. I stick purely to sites like this for my info on the bears, and ignore everything else, including the threads that look like going off on the type of moaning you are talking about.

[pete 2,499]

I will admit i edge on the negative when it comes to Walter Smith. I do not mean i will not support him i just don't think he is the right man for the job.

We definitely need a midfield play-maker. A 16 year old advanced midfielder is not going to make the difference. I was always told you have to have a strong backbone meaning CH,CM and striker to have a strong team. We lack at centre-half and centre midfield.

My glass may be half full but it is the top half that is empty.

[Gribz 847]

Good post Frankie, it just comes down to the time of year: We're all depressed with no football

 

But id also say we all expect high standards of Rangers and we are in a bit of denial in the financial era we are in. We all still hope the Murray and Smith will pull a Laudrup, Gazza or Albertz (people forget it was WS who signed the Hammer) out of the hat.

 

We are getting frustrated by the lack of encouragment and excitement the team has - we have absolutely nobody who we think can turn on a bit of magic for us. Yes we have a few young guys who look good but many just know for fact there game time will be limited.

 

I agree patience is needed, i still think we'll add to the squad, I also agree pre season friendlies are for nothing else than shaking rust off the players after 5 weeks on the beach.

[Frankie 8,552]

It's just just a product of mob mentality Frankie. We're inundated by mhedia negativity and wind-up merchant timposters ATM. They're f*cking everywhere - on the phone-ins, writing into the tabloids, writing FOR the tabloids and ESPECIALLY on internet forums. Can I just say at this point that gersnet is much better off on this front than most (take a look over on 606)...but not immune.

 

The trouble is that we've got so many real Gers fans in our midst that actually buy into the crap they're spouting and then it's out with the pitch-forks and bring in the boo-boys.

 

We've all got reason from time to time to get annoyed with the way things are going for our club. That's just part and parcel of being a football fan. It's just annoying to see this sort of propeganda having it's desired effect on us.

 

Cracking post mate.

 

The effect of the media does not help. It's amazing how many people are quick to slag the media off (rightly of course) but are just as quick to believe everything they write!

[Frankie 8,552]

I think a lot of it has to do with the lack of an exciting signing for many years now, together with the signing of Miller, the loss of a title that was in the bag, and a poor showing in the UEFA final.

 

It is the build up effect of many smaller things that has bears upset at the moment, and will only be eradicated by winning matches. The fact that we dont have any important matches for another couple of weeks means that unless we pull a top signing out of the bag (no laughing at the back) we can expect another few weeks of moaning before it all dies down again.

 

My policy at this time of year is to not buy any newspapers, listen to local radio or click onto "neutral" football sites. I stick purely to sites like this for my info on the bears, and ignore everything else, including the threads that look like going off on the type of moaning you are talking about.

 

More good points mate.

 

The quicker we get back into the competitive stuff the better!

 

Hope you enjoyed your holiday btw...

[gart 0]

another gem from frankie lets hope he is right because i fear for our club if he aint...

[bmck 117]

negative atmospheres dont arise out of nothing, even though it usually ends up displaying as disproportionate moaning, it's usually not without cause.

 

though i hate the term, there's no feel-good-feeling at ibrox just now, and it's not just the fans. everything has been subdued with every statement seemingly designed to lower expectation.

 

i dunno. i definitely agree that while it is nowhere as bad as the comments you see, that these comments exist at all shows how little it feels like we're progressing at all.