der Berliner

Long for the day when talent like him plays alongside talent like Tillman.

Matchday 1 fixtures: Sunday November 20 Qatar vs Ecuador 0-2 Monday November 21 England vs Iran 4-0 Senegal vs Netherlands 2-2 USA vs Wales 1-2 Tuesday November 22 Argentina vs Saudi Arabia 3-0 Denmark vs Tunisia 2-1 Mexico vs Poland 1-1 France vs Australia 4-1 - joker Wednesday November 23 Morocco vs Croatia 1-3 Germany vs Japan 4-1 Spain vs Costa Rica 5-0 Belgium vs Canada 3-0 Thursday November 24 Switzerland vs Cameroon 1-2 Uruguay vs South Korea 3-0 Portugal vs Ghana 1-2 Brazil vs Serbia 3-2

We need some no-nonsense guy who can work with what he's got and who is willing to change tactics and/or people according to the opposition/task at hand. And someone who is willing to kick non-performers' backs. I've seen Sean Dyche being mentioned, who would be that no-nonsense guy. Yet, we also need someone who knows his way around Scottish and preferably European games too ... maybe as an assistant. Neil McCann maybe. You do wonder what sort of influence the people around Gio actually have, since, e.g. I would have assumed that Roy Makaay would have seen our shortcomings against the brickwall brigade in terms of strike-force and finishers.

IMHO, we will see a different Rangers once most of the currently injured people are back. Some will take longer, some may never play a game again, but Roofe, Hagi, Lawrence, Davies and Sakala will all play a part. Likewise, we might well cut a few chaps loose in January and sign some much needed inforcements. I won't start a new transfer thread for a couple of weeks, though, so some can cool down their nerves before that ... 😛

Well, you have to stay on the objective side of things. We were hammered by a decent Yahoo side on a day that many switched off. The defeats against the CL teams may be hard to take, but hey, these teams were and are head and shoulders above us, even IF we had a fully fit squad. For the best part of the season, we've been down to playing at least one fourth or fifth choice centre-half, at times even both. King and Sands played in almost all our CL group games ... against 50+ million people. So please, let reason set in. In general, it is hard to remember a season when we have been ravaged by injury to so many important players at a time. If fit, Helander, Davies, Lawrence, Roofe and Hagi would all be in my starting line-up. Probably even Ridvan. Goldson and Lowry add to that, and IMHO Morelos hasn't looked the same after his injury and has failed to grab any chance given to him since Colak signing that he is capable (and/or willing) to remove the Croat from his starting slot. That said, I'd play 2 strikers or real attacking players anyway. Since we have seen that one striker alone does not yield enough countable results. If he's in the mood (and one has to get back a few months/years here - in terms of league business), Kent is a mean beast on that flank. Yet, far too often - given that he knows he's an auto-pick for the starting XI - he's just not delivering. Hence, put him on the wing, but play one more real striker in that left striker slot. That the right flank remains a project doesn't help either, and you have to ask the manager why he has been shoe-horning player in and out there all season. BTW, SG did that with Hagi too. In essence, no matter what happens to Gio, we need to get our players fit and finally start utilizing them in their correct or most productive position, AS WELL AS adopting tactics and line-ups for the task at hand.

Missed that challenge (and their goal), but from the looks of it, a clear red card.

Our players out on the park produced little in terms of clear-cut chances. The attacking options on the bench were: Arfield, Matondo, and Ure. Not much more to chose from, right? And if anything, Matondo is another player most Scottish teams know little of in terms of ability and how he likes to play, as opposed to Kent, who was quickly doubled up on. So yes, Matondo would have been another attacking option.

Well, at least he used VAR and bowed to that decision. There's light at the (far far) end of the tunnel.

Simple enough. Many on here agree that 4-2-3-1 or the like is modern football and the way ahead. That's how we lined up under SG and mostly under Gio as well. No matter whether the opposition plays open football or brickwall stuff. Today, you might agree on that style, not least since we hadn't enough players to play any differently. Yet, instead of Lundstram attacking the area, it was "I-don't-want-to-shoot" Kamara up there, and we ended up with naught. Arfield should have given us more options, yet, he was out of sorts too. So ... Matondo and/or Ure might have come in to bolster the attack line, who was shooting blanks. And maybe McCann, who might have brought another spark into midfield too. Couldn't have been any more disjointed than it was for the best part of 90 mins. Without VAR, we could have ended this game without a point ... who would have thought that?

Thing is, we are running on bare bones, while their essentially fully fit squad grinds out results. You may say: that's title-winning stuff, but their last few games showed that they are hardly the gang who runs away with anything. Ill luck with injuries and some really atrocious fortune for e.g. St. Johnstone doesn't help either. Our remaining staff is either not good enough for grinding results out, or simply no longer of a consistently good standard required. We need to build on the past teams and great better ones, so questions need to be asked. Gio sure can't help it if injuries and poor performances keep it low, not least since most of his most inspired signings and our better players are not available. What he could have helped with might have been different tactics, but in that regard, most on here agreed and agree with him (and SG), so these people have no basis to criticize him in that regard. What I also can't fathom that despite having the option to throw 5 subs on each game, we hardly use it ... or too late.

We got 1 point more here than the Scum in full swing, so there's that. The last 9 mins had more chances and better play than the 90 before, too many again flatter to deceive, and we are working with the bare bones of a squad at that. We seriously need to get players back and whip some form into others. And Gio needs to find some in-form striker of the Colak breed, who is also sturdy as the ox that had been Morelos when he signed.

Grade A stats fraud by Kent and Tavernier. Deliver next to nothing all game, then combine to grab some headlines 🤪

Remember, this is the place where a fully fit Scum team in full swing lost 2-0.

We might have gotten millions for Kamara, Kent and Morelos not so long ago. Now ...

So Lundstram will go CH and Jack take his place. I'd try Matondo and Ure too, we need some new blood in attack.

Imagine there was no World Cup. This would drag on until we'd have to field the B Team.

The (nearly) team currently out with injury is probably better than that on the park. That is the only excuse one might have. Still long for the day to see Hagi, Tillman, Lawrence, Roofe and Colak out there on the pitch.

Not as dire as expected, but not good either. Wright and Tillman with good chances, someone needs to tell Kamara that the goal also belongs to the game and needs to be hit. Two very good chances missed by him. Morelos ... came into it a little, but he is so out of form/things that it seems unbelievable what he has done before. Our left attacking slot provides Barisic with the space to cross the ball, and most of these crosses aren't that bad either. Aside from a couple of blips, our defense holds firm, so far.

It's how the game should be played. They are the only team to beat the Scum, at this very place, aren't they? Lightweight defense, alas Kamara might give some cover. Let's see whether the forward line clicks and get some end products.

When was the last time that he tried something unorthodox? Step-over. step-over, dribble past one, two ... and one-too-many. About 5 to 10 times per game. Then he actually whips in a decent cross or two and all is forgotten. He had a decent enough 2nd half on Wednesday, there's no-one denying that. And likewise I pointed out that he has, in general, fine stats for a winger. Yet, the end product that is required for a left-attacking slot is simply not there right now. It will sure help if we actually play another striker/finisher alongside Colak, so Kent has more to aim at and play with.

Wright, much like Sakala, offers something e.g. Kent doesn't. He is always willing to run at people or harass them abandon, tries the unorthodox every now and then, as well as having a pop if there is a clear sight of the target. There is some enthusiasm in their game that drives others on and gives the opposition more to think about. Yet, the most obvious problem is that we have too few finishers in the box time and again.

We are seriously short of a cohesive and creative midfield. Far too much rests on the shoulders of Tillman. Lundstram has a knack of moving around quite a bit and you wonder what his position actually was. Maybe he was out to create space, but somehow many were not on the same wavelength. Sands, in the first half, was clearly the holding chap in midfield and tried to help the centre-halfs to distribute the ball. We have to get people on the park who are willing to shoot and have the ability to hit the target. Time and again we get to the penalty area, but responsibility is shifted to another player, who is often in a worse position or covered. Morelos again needs far too many chances to score, a habit he had before his injury too. Just get the next game over the line and hope for the best with the injuries.

Rather disjointed from the off, not made any easier by the same expectable tactics. Better last 30odd mins, but still way below what can be expected. Get this Saturday game out of the way and people back to fitness.

Like giving a pass to the guy who actually makes the cross, i.e. Barisic. And another chance he creates, fires a ball full tilt across the area ... and no-one able to get to it. But yes, he started to get to his own best standards. About time.

Heyho, all forgotten. A half-assist to the man in form. 🤣