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Remember that feeling of joy as a kid when it was your birthday party and the house was full of balloons. Throwing a balloon in the air and hitting it with your hand keeping it up in the air and then trying to head it. As it came down again it was time to try and nose it back into the air. Then as you were projecting your nose forward that nasty cousin that always seemed to pest you, burst the balloon in your face. That is the feeling I had on Wednesday night after Rangers 2-1 defeat against Kilmarnock at Rugby park. After the win against Celtic on the 29th of December we have been floating on air. We probably could have reproduced a copy of Nina's big hit 99 red balloons calling it 55 red white and blue balloons. That is how high our hopes had risen, That floating on air feeling grew further when on the 12th minute Jermain Defoe gave us a deserved lead as we were all over Killie. Minutes later Alfredo Morelos crashed a header off the post that should have put us 2-0 up. Higher and higher we were flying. Then on 22 minutes, “ BAAAAMMMM” Joe Worrall got the ball in the last man position with acres of space and looked and waited, And waited. And waited, Then panic. He realised Eamon Brophy was only a few yards away and tried to turn back to the keeper. Too late, Brophy had picked his pocket and proceeded to plant the ball past McGregor into the net. Brophy had pricked the Rangers Balloon which created a huge vacuum amongst the players and the support. It must have been a helium balloon as it had the Kilmarnock fans killing themselves laughing to the end of the game. This changed the game completely and let Kilmarnock play their park the bus and hit on the break game.It just had to be Jordan Jones who clinched it for Killie. Due to signing a pre-contract for Rangers people said his heart would not be in the game. Unfortunately he showed more heart than the Rangers players. It looks like all those balloons were indeed red balloons. One with an extremely red face. Now is time for that old Cliche, 'We have to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves down and move on'. On Sunday we travel to Livingston and go from red balloons to black rubber balls. Yes again we are playing on that infamous plastic pitch which throws up more rubber in one kick than a Chinese condom factory does in a year. I will get my rant over for this preview. These pitches should not be in football at this level. There that feels better. Stevie Gerrard has been criticised that he got his tactics wrong for the Killie game. After beating Celtic many thought he should have went with the same team but he decided to go with the four man diamond and play his two new signings Jermain Defoe and Steven Davis. Personally I think he did get it wrong as I am a big Ross McCrorie fan and I think he is the best ball winner we have. Ryan Jack also seems to lift his game with the knowledge that McCrorie is next to him. Davis and Defoe are obviously not match fit. I question whether we have the speed at the back to play that diamond shape. For that you need your backs creating the width and with McAuley, where a taxiing Boeing 777 turns quicker, we leave ourselves open to the counter attack behind the backs as Jorden Jones showed on Wednesday. Livingston will have the exact same tactics as they always do and it is virtually the same as Kilmarnock's in letting the back four pass the ball to each other and press the midfield and attacking players and wait for a mistake. This is the tactics that seem to get us time and time again. Personally I believe the best way to beat this is by using the wings so I certainly wouldn't be contemplating going with the midfield diamond shape. It would seem if you drop Candeias then you are also cutting out most of the danger Tavernier creates. I find it very difficult to find a place for Defoe and Morelos simply because we do not have the speed at the back to go to a 3-5-2 so for me it is a 4-2-3-1. McGregor Tavernier Goldson Katic Barisic McCrorie Jack Candeias Arfield Kent Morelos I really hate dropping Andy Halliday but I think Barisic will bring more to the team. I will also need to see Davis earning his starting place and not just being gifted it There is no more room for error we really have to start winning games as falling further behind Celtic will probably be the end of our title hopes. C'mon the Gers!!!

0-0 HT: Game just restarted and Docherty scores a screamer, 8th goal this season. Rudden scored as well for Falkirk in the first half, HT: Falikirk 1-2 Inverness

It depresses me having to look out for the results of the teams around us, but the 0-0 between Kilmarnock and Aberdeen is a good result for us.

Leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again.

Let's hope his departure from Hibs means his departure from Scottish football altogether! wishful thinking from me!

Yeah I didnt think the midfield worked the other night. Jack didn't seem to know where he was supposed to be playing and Kent seemed to have a free role to just roam about. Even when Candeias came on there was no width in the team

The potential problem is some players have 'the fear' and effectively hide from the ball. The analysis on the other thread from the Kilmarnock game shows Jack doing this.

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/the-king-and-queen-in-scotland/query/Ibrox

Especially as he covers the right side of defence where his right back is more often than not up-field hence the need for Candeias to start each game

See if we don't win the league I would love Kilmarnock to do it. It would be the best thing to happen to Scottish football for years.

Paranoid drivel. We should be beating the likes of Kilmarnock and Livingston - no excuses.

Charles has talent which may be revealed one day. To be honest the succession beyond him doesn’t look too good either. The Princess Royal could probably hack it but you can’t pick and choose your monarchs

Wish I could blame that! but I'm not on it yet, might be old age?. Docherty having a real good match here, very strong running & sending in some great free kicks

That's the cider mate. ?

I'm settled petal. I sometime don't know if I have changed the title or not?

Well it does explain rather better why a thread about Shrewsbury is in the Rangers chat. Settle petal.

This thread is now reopened but may be closed again if people can't avoid the usual political bunfights. As for moderation of this forum, please contact admin if you want to discuss such matters. Posters should know however that we are entitled to enjoy our weekends as well without having to waste time smacking bottoms on here. As such don't expect some moderation to be done immediately.

I think the SFA has taken over Gersnet!!!, mysteriously disappearing threads...……………………...

I am locking this before it turns into another political ravel.

Nope!

Noticed that before with Kent playing. The others seem to sit back and expect him to make the break through.

Maybe if he stuck eith a team that works and stopped chopping and changing things, he'd feel less deflated.

It'll be interesting to see what SG&Co do in terms changes, formation and/or players. IMO, SG came accross as somewhat deflated in the press conference yesterday.

Better watch DB is on spelling watch.

He has clearance he has just to round his personal things up and join up.

This is the start of the thread if you want to read / watch through all of them. Some interesting stuff.

He also points out an issue with Jack that I think we all had an inkling about but couldn't quite pin-point. He's not making himself available and he's not breaking the lines. (It's something that Broony -- I know... -- did well. Sorry. )

Manager v Player impass = Sooner (hopefully) or Later (eg.Mourinho).....Manager gets the push Manner of this should ensure he doesn't emerge back in the Celtic job one day, so hopefully he'll not be back in the Scottish game for a while. Probably have to suffer his punditry though #PQ+BT

Apparently, it was an incident at yesterday's training that has seen Neil suspended, pending further investigation. Former Rangers season ticket holder and Hib's Chief Executive, Leeann Dempster flipped an unsuspecting Neil, then she ploughed his keester(sans lubrication) with her favourite wooden strap-on. Her west highland terrier, Hamish was also involved in the assault. Neil feels violated, and is currently receiving treatment for his phobia reference small white dogs. Pray for Neil.

So Talbot would pump Dundee Utd too....

Sectarian suspension by the club who instigated sectarianism in Scottish sport. Candlelit vigil for dental hygiene at the banana flats tomorrow.

Hibs and Dempster must be racist

Manufactured incident. He'll return as the chairman of SFA's VAR committee !!

The park is a mixture of grass and artificial fibres, and is known as a "hybrid pitch". If you ask me, it was looking for trouble installing such a surface when your manager has had well publicised previous problems with hybrids.