Super_Ally

Perhaps he believes in his ability to force his way into the team? Doesn't want the opportunity of a lifetime, perhaps his childhood dream to slip from his grasp?

Is that the first time this has happened, certainly in an OF game, since the pre-O'Wibble days? No cries of foul play emanating from Parkhead.

http://www.bet365.com/home/default.asp? I always like to see that.

Yet Cousin gets booked for f.a.

Agree with everything PEte, MF and BlueDell say. Not yet. Not convinced he will because of his ability as a player.

Even ignoring the other responses to this post, which I agree with, what is teh point in "pretty" football if you don't win? Football is a results business and too many forget that.

Was gonna post that pic Beattie, love it. And agree Pete, watched Celtic DU earlier in the season and Boruc looks fat.

It is a bit sad to need to run down a player who wasn't even playing when we've just horsed Celtic on their own patch. Best OF performance, especially at Parkhead in years. Praise the guys who played, hope the guys who didn't also shine when they get the chance.

Never a sending off. If it was, at least both Celtic CB's should of walked for doing the very same and coming through the back of players elbow's to the back of the head. Another to chalk up in the decisions that go for Celtic/against us. Excellent game from him. Shame he doesn't look interested most weeks. Not every game is a big game to Cousin.

2 excellent responses. Give him a clip round the ear and tell him not to be so fucking stupid. He'll thank you when he's older.

Spot on. But most the support want us to play strikers who'd struggle to find their own wedding tackle never mind the back of the net.

Feel a bit guilty after my last thread. So in counter to that one, lets hear all the best Baxter stories. One of the best I hear was as the teams lined up in the tunnel at wembley an inexperienced Scotland player turned to a team mate and was worried about playing the world champions. Baxter turned to the same player and said, how do you think they feel? They have to play against Jim Baxter!

Was browsing another popular football forum (not FF) where there was a post on flawed geniuses and someone posted slim jim. What was Baxter's "flaw"? Can someone enlighten me. Before my time.

Entirely the point of my OF post. It's all very well harping on about 4-5-1 but we lack the key player to make it work.

Been on tv twice. Got interviewed by either bbc or stv news about Barry coming back.

Would love to take credit. Was borrowed from another site. Despite the seriousness of this issue, it made me laugh.

Put it up for me to be shot down :box: Never a problem mate. I like the exposure.

Agreed, my issue is I dont think we have the main striker to make it work. Cousin is the only one who could, unfortunately the mental side of his make-up as a professional footballer doesn't contribute the physical. There is no way he will play and so there is no way we should contemplate 4-5-1 unless we are hoping to secure victory via luck rather than through superior playing ability.

With the next challenge to our title winning aspirations being the toughest game of our SPL calendar, is it time for Walter to finally depart from the formation that served him so well last season. On first viewing, that opening paragraph perhaps seems like a ridiculous decision; why change a winning formula? However, many will agree that whilst the defensive 4-5-1 formation, with equally defensive, counter attacking tactics served us so well in our exciting run to the UEFA cup final, it also likely cost us important domestic games. While we were getting results, against arguable superior opposition, and but for the intervention of our own governing body looked odds on for an unprecedented quadruple, there were few murmurs of discontent. Though many were unhappy at the way we played the game and demanded ball playing midfielders were bought in the summer transfer window to link our stingy defence to attack. Onto this summer and the manager has brought in these midfielders, albeit a few weeks too late, in the shape of Mendes, Edu, Aaron and the return of Davis. Early signs were encouraging as Mendes ran the show on his debut alongside Thomson. With Davis returning to the squad in time for the Aberdeen game, in the first half some of the interchanging in the middle of the park was reminiscent of the Advocaat era. The one complaint being that for all that the possession football was pretty, chances for the forwards were still at a premium. With a wealth of options in midfield, the management's greatest excuse for employing the ultra-cautious 4-5-1. Now many have argued that with the right players this 4-5-1 formation actually becomes a 4-3-3 when in possession. However, our club's insistence on playing solid, less attacking and pacy midfielders does not lend itself to this malleable formation. Certainly the true, pacy, tricky wide players are available to the manager. Players like Beasley, Novo and Aaron. And in the case of the first two, they will also provide some defensive qualities when necessary, with a willingness to chase back. So, the central midfield players are there, the forwards/wingers are there if the manager so chooses to employ this 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation. The only question is do we have the lone striker capable of spear heading this formation? A formation largely made popular by Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. Where Makelele anchored the midfield, Lampard dictated the play through the middle and the likes of Robben and Cole supported Didier Drogba at the spearhead. And it is at the spearhead that Rangers fall down. Didier Drogba is a bit of a special case in European football. I am not arguing he is the greatest striker in the game, although at his peak he was certainly one of them. However there are very few like him that can single-handed trouble an entire back line. His combination of raw power, pace, skill, technical ability, aerial strength and shooting ability allowed him to perform the role of lone striker like possibly no other player could. Do Rangers have a player in the squad with similar ability and playing style to the Ivorian? Not as far as this author can see. Perhaps the one player who most closely resembles a player with these attributes is fellow African Daniel Cousin. The Gabonese striker is strong, relatively pacy, tall and with good feet. However he has a terrible attitude and is unlikely to feature for the club again. With Novo the best candidate to fill a right wing berth at Parkhead, the candidates for the lone striker role this Sunday are Kris Boyd, Jean-Claude Darcheville, Kenny Miller, Andrius Velicka and injury dependant, Kyle Lafferty. Despite being the one true goal-scorer in the squad, Kris Boyd will not be deployed as a lone striker, due to a lack of mobility and despite improvements in this area, a lack of ability to hold the ball up. Jean-Claude Darcheville has strength and pace in abundance. However he cannot be relied upon to last 90-minutes and is composure in front of goal is also in question. New-recruit Andreas Velicka has performed this role well against the Old Firm in his previous spell in Scotland. Heââ?¬â?¢s strong, can hold the ball up well and has an eye for goal. Unfortunately, perhaps due to his lack of rest in going directly from a competitive Scottish season, to a Norwegian season and back to a new season in Scotland, Velicka has struggled for form resulting in him being dropped for yesterdayââ?¬â?¢s game at Aberdeen. Kenny Miller, a man who if played, as this fan suspects he will, could do with a goal and thereââ?¬â?¢s no time better than tomorrow. However, his frankly embarrassing career stats suggest it is unlikely he would be capable of finishing if he found himself in a position to do so. You get 100% effort from Miller, he runs the channels, he works the defence and he has some pace. However, when this formation worked so effectively for Chelsea, the spearhead was a 30+ goals a season striker. Miller is more like a 5 goals a season striker. Lafferty, returning from a knock and being a relatively inexperienced player, has height, good feet and again a little pace. However he has played much of his career out of position on the left wing and is unlikely to be thrust into such a high-profile, high-tension game with all the goal-scoring pressure on his shoulders. It appears obvious to this fan, that whilst we may now have the defence and midfield capable of making this 4-5-1 formation an effective ploy, we do not have the key player at the business end of the field to make it successful. Recent upsets at Parkhead have shown that the way to get to Celtic and upset their game plan is to go at them from the first whistle. Not sitting back, inviting pressure and hoping to hit on the break as we have done with the 4-5-1. The obvious solution is to partner two of our attackers upfront in a 4-4-2. We have begun the season playing 4-4-2, picking up 2 wins and a draw that would be 3 wins but for our questionable officials. And whilst performances have not been thrilling, gelling a strike partnership takes time. For me it is time to pursue our best attacking partnership and give it time. Partner the goals of Kris Boyd with the pace and running of one of our other strikers, be that Lafferty, Darcheville, Novo (who I would however, start on the right v Celtic) or perhaps even Miller. Go 4-4-2, go with Boyd and a.n.other and go for goals. That is my wish for this weekendââ?¬â?¢s opening Old Firm clash. I do however predict the inevitable 4-5-1 with the goal-shy Miller ââ?¬Å?leadingââ?¬Â the attack.

Well the game they play derived fromk Assocation football but is not quite the same. Was just borne out of frustration from yesterday and the SPL so far thsi season.

It was a tongue in cheek post about the fact the Scottish game appears to be governed by different rules to the rest of the continent. I.e the referees remit to help Celtic at any costs, award them imaginary penalties and free-kicks, turn a blind eye to obvious fouls and handballs within their box, hinder their main title challengers where ever possible. T'was a joke, but nobody bit.

The UEFA cup and the Champions League are football competitions for which clubs from Europe's elite football leagues, the top division in each country, earn a place by virtue of their league position or winning the domestic cup. However, as a long time football fan who has played and watched the game for numerous years, it is clear that the rules that the Scottish Premier League is governed by, whilst closing resembling football are clearly different to that of football as recognised across the rest of the continent. As such should the winners of the SPL and Scottish cup be rewarded with a place in Europe's elite competition which appears to be governed by another set of rules? In which case might the Glasgow Warriors and the Edinburgh Gunners have a case for entry into these competitions? :devil:

Fair do's, I can understand your view better now as I was one of the few not convinced when Hemdani was getting ott praise at the time. Still think Thomson offers more, especially in the blood and guts football of the SPL, however I do to an extent see your point about midfielders needing to have an attacking element to the game against "weaker" opposition.

Just out of interest what was your view of Hemdani a couple of seasons ago when everyone raved about him?