Rousseau

Portuguese*

Rangers 1 - 0 Celtic FGS Morelos

Thanks, 26th! I'll get a graphic made and publish it on the main site tomorrow.

It'll be interesting to see everyone's thoughts after a poor result. I didn't see the game so I can't comment. Who stood out?

I didn't get to see the game. I think, over the course of the season, a draw at Pittodrie is not the worst result. Saying that, this sums-up my response to seeing the scores come in:

Very few points scored. No Correct Result; No FGS; No Correct Score. Rousseau, BEARGER, Bill, onevision, BD, Lenny, Pete, Yorkie, T-1000 and compo gained 1 point for the Correct Number of Rangers Goals. Latest Standings:

You shall be thanked wholeheartedly -- I was just about to publish on the main site.

Rangers make the long trip north to Pittodrie on Wednesday night to take on Derek McInnes' Aberdeen. The games against the Dons last season were trying, for fans and management alike; most trips to Pittodrie are difficult hunting grounds for Rangers teams, but Rangers can take a lot of confidence from recent results, including the last meeting between the sides. It is easy to get distracted by the upcoming game at the weekend, but this represents a tough challenge; a crucial test that we need to pass. Our record against Aberdeen last season was terrible, culminating in them knocking us out of both cup competitions. We played Aberdeen seven times last season, winning only twice, drawing twice, but losing three times. No matter how well we played going into these games, getting a good result was a difficult proposition. Gerrard himself has mentioned the challenge we face on Wednesday, saying "it will be a tough game. Certainly, in my time, we have had some battles up there." "Aberdeen are a good team capable of going on good runs - Derek [McInnes] will get his team fighting all the way to climb up the league". One of this Rangers squad's biggest assets this season thus far is the ability to withstand intense pressure and weather hostile atmospheres, whether that is Feyenoord's De Kuip or Porto's Dragao. In both instances we have gone behind and managed to drag ourselves back into the game. Pittodrie may not be a glamour tie, but it will be a hostile atmosphere, which Gerrard is aware of: "We thrive and enjoy the atmosphere up there, the players have faced challenges such as Legia and Feyenoord so I don't think any of my players will be intimated by Pittodrie." Rangers continued their good form beating Hearts on Sunday. The 5-0 win was their 5th on the bounce. Despite this string of good results, we're still a little too passive in games. We clearly have the ability to step it up, but we're almost drifting through games at times. We'll not be allowed to drift through this one. Aberdeen have been in good form, scoring goals and winning the majority of their games - outwith their customary loss to Celtic. Although last weekend saw them stumble to a draw against lowly St Johnstone (despite having a two-man advantage for the last 15 minutes of the game) they followed it up with a win against St Mirren at the weekend. Their main man is forward Sam Cosgrove, with the 22 year-old notching up 9 league goals this season -- almost half Aberdeen's entire tally. Altogether, he currently has 18 goals in 22 appearances. It's fair to say, if we can stop him, we take away Aberdeen's main threat. There is reportedly a host of Championship clubs interested in the Englishman. Despite the poor head-to-head record last season, the last meeting between the sides was the emphatic 5-0 win at Ibrox. Rangers produced 27 shots to Aberdeen's meagre 4, with goals from Morelos, Stewart, Defoe and Tavernier wrapping up the victory. The manner of the result went a long way in shaking that monkey off our backs. Funso Ojo is nearing a return for Aberdeen but will still miss out on the clash on Wednesday, while Scott Wright remains a long-term absentee. McInnes revealed that Craig Bryson’s ankle problem isn’t as bad as was first suspected, but after missing the St Mirren game, he may not be ready quite yet for Wednesday's game. Aberdeen's win against St Mirren was a close one, apparently helped by an inability to get to grips with a new formation. They employed a 3-4-2-1 formation, with McGinn and Hedges playing off Cosgrove. Their three-man defence was vulnerable at set-pieces too. Aberdeen will probably resort to their more typical 4-2-3-1 formation against Rangers. Rangers have no new injury concerns. It is likely Gerrard will recall Jack to the side for this match, to play alongside Davis and Kamara; the three have been immense this season, providing a solid foundation to let the forwards, and full-backs, get forward. It has been a main feature of our play to see the wide central midfielders drop out into the half-space to facilitate the build-up. Further forward, Ojo may be preferred. Gerrard does seem to prefer Ojo's energy and running ability in the tight, cagey games. He is always a threat in the final third -- when he decides show up -- and he does put in a shift defensively. Alongside Ojo, it should be Kent, with Morelos leading the line. This is a big test. Despite the good result when we last met at Ibrox, matches at Pittodrie are a different proposition. It will be a battle; good football often goes out the window. If Ranges can deal with the physical threat, and the players can win their individual battles, we'll give ourselves the opportunity to win. The threat lies on the counter. Aberdeen have a few pacey players, which can cause problems; and, of course, Cosgrove will be a threat we need to snuff out at every occasion. Rangers have shown an ability to stand up to the physical side of these games this season, so I'm looking forward to it.

Maybe I can bring about the same result with this: How are you all so confident?!

I thought he was an unnecessary signing at the time; no place for him. It's a short-term deal anyway, if I remember correctly? However, he's a decent pro to have around, and he may play a part in this hectic month of fixtures. We have been very good in avoiding injuries this season -- hope I don't jinx it...

Aberdeen 1 - 2 Rangers FGS Morelos

Ultimately, yes, you're correct. It was more of the 'potential of the threat' in the end.

What's your thoughts, folks? I thought Davis was immense; he completely dictated the play, keeping it neat and tidy and also playing those raking long-range passes to cut Hearts open. Kent gets better with every game. Stewart had a superb cameo too, grabbing a couple of goals. I really would like to see more of Stewart.

That 5th goal really scuppered a lot of scores! Everyone who entered gained 1 point for the Correct Result. WB91 and Gaffer gained another 1 point for the Correct Number of Ranges Goals. BEARGER, WB91, One, Devil, Yorkie, Dado, TB, BD, 26th, FS, r_s, Franc, compo, T-1000 and JFK gained 2 points for Morelos as FGS. WB91 and Gaffer gained 3 points for the Correct Score! WB91 takes the maximum! Latest Standings:

Thank f*ck for that 5th goal - otherwise everyone's gaining 4-5 points over me!!

[FT] 5-0. I thought the game plan was spot-on. We just didn't get out of first gear the first half to really capitalise. Second half we stepped it up a little more, and that combined with Hearts tiring, we were all over them.

Awww... we didn't get a 6th. Gutted.

Davis is immense at times. I'm a big fan of Stewart; a really tidy, clever player, that should play more for us, IMO.

Naismith is a dirty b*stard.

Stewart makes it four, with a nice finish. Free hit in the middle of the box, but it's placed right in the corner.

Great through ball, Tavernier whips it across, Berra slices it into his own net. I can see a few more now.

Surely it's just a matter of time before the floodgates open?

I think he's been ok today. Assisted Kent's goals very well -- in fact, he made that goal, IMO. He's running the channel, taking up good positions, but he does get sloppy very quickly.