Do we really want Smith to stay?

[Danny 0]

I remember Totti from FF and he is one of the young-ish breed of supporter who continually go on about how exciting, attacking football is more important then results and they'd happily accept 2 or 3 years of mid table finishes for the 'greater good'

 

 

There was a guy on RM who's like that (whose name will remain anonymous), and quite a few are like him.

 

They complain about negative football, and 'watching this shite' but want success - and yet claim that, as you say, for the 'greater good' they'd accept mediocrity while we build. Utter, utter lies. We want to win everything, and the naive among us want us to play like Barcelona while we do it.

 

These are the same guys who wanted PLG gone (like most of us) when we ended up struggling to even finish second.

 

It's all very hypocritical and even two faced.

[gisabeer 409]

I've enjoyed many games this season - both with some superb football and with some not to fluent stuff.

 

David Weir is a fantastic player to watch - calm, composed, reads the game well and his positioning second to none. However, he's a defender and has little flair.

 

Dos that mean he's not worth watching?

 

There have been very few games ive enjoyed this season frankie. half the time we end up chatting amoungst ourselves paying scant attentention to the game due to he fact that the quality on the park is pretty dross. not just my opinion but of those around me as well. the topic is discussed often at games.

 

We are all watching with trepidation at the moment were our future lies with the finances and all thats going on behind the scenes but maybe we should be watching the stands as well. There are plenty of empty seats on show even though were winning. I take my kid who is seven and the highlight of the game is half time when he gets a hot dog. after that he wants to go home. Why? well what is in front of him isnt really worth watching. Hes told me that himself.

 

And if the kids dont want to watch Rangers well have no support in the future.

 

That is a real concern for me.

[craig 5,199]

Kids have short attention spans. There is every likelihood that he wants to go home after half-time because he has had his hot-dog. It isnt necessarily about the brand of football on show :devil:

[wabashcannonball 0]

Shite is shite, whither it's fitba or hot dogs........the killing fields of Europe await some more fertilizer....

[rbr 1,247]

Shite is shite, whither it's fitba or hot dogs........the killing fields of Europe await some more fertilizer....

 

your comparing ferrari's with ford's and that isn't walter's fault , try looking at the arse holed up in his bunker at Charlotte square

[wabashcannonball 0]

your comparing ferrari's with ford's and that isn't walter's fault , try looking at the arse holed up in his bunker at Charlotte square

 

I gave up comparing a long time ago rbr, even our national team is slipping down the ratings faster than a soapdodger can rattle beads, plus a burnt ma stovies...nothin a wee hauf bottle of Grouse canny cure.....:spl::spl::spl:

[aftershock 0]

Just cant understand the thinking of guys like Totti and Gisabeer right now.....we are in such shit just now that we need to ensure we at least keep winning the SPL and there's no better man for that than Walter. After that anything we get from Europe is a bonus. We cannot afford to go down the PLG road again....that could literally kill us off!

[Zappa 0]

Walter Smith undoubtedly deserves a chance to make it 3IAR since his return, so yes, I want him to stay.

[andy steel 0]

Not long ago we were being embarrassed by teams like Unirea in Europe and the general consent was that we wanted shot of Walter but we were so skint that we may as well just keep him.

 

Now a couple of trophies later he's God again.

 

My opinion of Walter is exactly what it was a few months ago. He's a reliable, solid albeit old fashioned manager, good domestically but out of his depth in Europe.

 

He came back to steady the ship and there's been several periods where it as been steadied only for us to go on a dodgy spell again.

 

Walter has done everything he can do with the club and it's time to move on IMO. We need new ideas and I'd like to see us as a side that can play decent football and cause some problems to big teams in Europe. It doesn't take a fortune to build a half decent European side rather than one that just hopes for a 0-0 draw.

 

Everyone is saying that this season is a fantastic achievement but Celtic are so abysmal that it would have been hard not to win it. It's the worst Celtic side I've ever seen by a mile.

 

Time to move on and develop.

 

I haven't read beyond this post, so apologies if I'm repeating what has already been posted. I certainly hope I am.

 

The 'general consent' might have been get shot of Walter...it certainly wasn't my opinion and in all fairness, it wasn't 100% amongst the people I know. Some wanted another manager, but almost always it was someone who would have needed the shekels, a la Dick Advocaat, to implement their plan. Given that that is a non starter, anyone hoping we got a big name was living in fantasy land afai(was)c, so I didn't give their opinions a lot of credence.

 

Your analysis of European football would have been true some years ago, but it simply isn't anymore. Clubs at our level can only set out hoping for a sneak win in CL and if it happens, great, but it's a surprise. It DOES cost a fortune to compete or even challenge at that level; we don't have the cash; bluntly, we have little or no chance and there's no justification for blaming Smith for that.

 

We're in no position to implement new ideas; I can only assume you're under the age of 35 because if you'd seen some of the pish soming out the East End during 9IAR, you wouldn't rate the current unfortunates paid to suffer in the green and grey hairshirt as the worst you'd seen - Andy Payton? Ian McKnight? The unforgettable fire himself, Anton Rogan?

 

Here I must digress - after one of Anton's routine Old Firm nightmares, in which this time he had distinguished himself by punching away a cross and gifting us a penalty, the chaps in the back of Colliers (pub in Johnstone) that night incurred thr wrath of manageress Alice by waving their fists in the air and singing "Let's all do the Anton, let's all do the Anton, na na na nah, na na na nah!" many, many times. Happy days indeed.

 

Though perhaps it's not such a digression - another Colliers memory I have if of myself and the 6 or 7 chums who had watched the second leg of the Leeds CL game all those years ago, sat at a table awash with liquid, offering up their glasses for the final toast of the night. We had already toasted more or less the whole team, with special cheers for Hateley and McCoist. It was my honour to propose the toast to Walter Smith that night...I have proposed many toasts to him since. He has been MY manager since I was, what, 20? 21? He's done more for the club than any other player or manager I can remember in my lifetime...I can't accept people thinking he's done.

 

He's in with the bricks for me. I totally refute your suggestions...I lift my glass of middle aged red wine to the man who has been Rangers for the whole of my adult life, and who I hope continues to be Rangers for many years to come.

 

Gentlemen, I give you, Walter Smith.

Edited April 28, 2010 by andy steel

[Gribz 743]

Probably the best debate on here for a long time, good posts with no bickering. 8 months ago I would have seen both sides to the argument and probably went along with totti, Gisabeer and Gav IF we were in the position to make an improvement. I simply couldnt take anymore hidings in Europe and dodgy tactics.

 

But what WS has put himself through for the club this season has been brilliant, admirable and he has gained more respect. After going out of Europe he turned it around, worked with no contract, no money and had bankers telling him to sell his players.

 

There are a number of clubs around the UK in freefall with money problems and some with threat of relegation - Portsmouth and Hull are 2 examples but they collapsed even when taking a gamble on changing their boss. Crystal Palace are another and their manager legged it to the other side of London at the first chance (Typical Warnock). Yet what did WS do? He installed morale and confidence into the least talented Rangers team in over 2 decades to still romp the SPL! Nobody will deny we only have a handful of players who would be picked in a bigger league.

 

As things stand we need to remain top of the SPL for another 2 seasons to bring the debt down but there can be no more Kanuas performances in Qualification. Its all about being patient and persevering until things take a turn off the pitch - yes the odd Saturday is going to be ugly with boring matches against St Mirren and Co but this is as much down to the poor standard of the SPL more than how bad our times are!

 

There isnt a better man in place who will give us the chance of winning the SPL. We are not going to get anyone better like a Alex Ferguson, David Moyes or good Euro coach. At the same time there is no point going sideways and appointing a Billy Davies, another SPL manager (thats going backwards) or giving McCoist the job, because will they actually improve us?? And absolutely no way do we want to end up in Celtic's position by splashing cash on a supposed "footballing" manager and giving him money to spend only to pip Dundee Utd to 2nd place!

 

There is a minimum of 10 million coming in from Champions League money, and if Celtic continue to play as good as they currently are then that CL money could almost double because they wont be in the group stages. Then we just hope for a kind draw!

 

So Im hoping the players go off on a long relaxing break in the summer, come back fresh and do it again next season. There is only a few of them going to World Cup and those who are in South Africa probably wont go past the groups stages - no disrespect to Algeria or the USA.

Edited April 29, 2010 by Gribz