What is missing and 'my take' on things

[Guest Dutchy]

There's quite a lot wrong with Scottish football just now but I'm with Berliner on this one. I too didn't think we were ready for the start of the season and so it has come to pass that we're out of europe so early. If we had had a better pre-season regime, things might have been diffirent.

 

I said something similar in the thread about Jock Wallace, but was pointed to David Weir as an example of the diffirence between Jock's players and old Weir. Apparently, there was nobody like Weir in Jocks day. True to the extend that David Weir and the modern player is far more healthier than Jocks era, but they're not necessarily fitter.

 

In the past, players used to smoke and drink, but they still underwent an extensive and hard pre-season. If a manager tried that with a namby-pamby player of today, he'd have the human rights brigade down on him.

 

Does everyone actually think we look like a well oiled footballing machine?

[pete 2,499]

There's quite a lot wrong with Scottish football just now but I'm with Berliner on this one. I too didn't think we were ready for the start of the season and so it has come to pass that we're out of europe so early. If we had had a better pre-season regime, things might have been diffirent.

 

I said something similar in the thread about Jock Wallace, but was pointed to David Weir as an example of the diffirence between Jock's players and old Weir. Apparently, there was nobody like Weir in Jocks day. True to the extend that David Weir and the modern player is far more healthier than Jocks era, but they're not necessarily fitter.

 

In the past, players used to smoke and drink, but they still underwent an extensive and hard pre-season. If a manager tried that with a namby-pamby player of today, he'd have the human rights brigade down on him.

 

Does everyone actually think we look like a well oiled footballing machine?

 

I don't know about well oiled,I would say more punch drunk.

 

I really can't believe how people think it is acceptale for a team of professional athletes not to be fit for possibly the most important games of the season.

People said we should judge Ally once we lose important games and not pre-season friendlies well losing Rangers 10mill+ because of a lack of fitness certainly doesen't fill me with confidence for the future.

[der Berliner 3,247]

A truly shameful week for football sayest Kevin McKenna in the Observer. Will have a cynical reply for his mutterings later on. For there is a lot of rubbish clad in this shroud of doom-mongering, IMHO.

[Guest blooglasgow]

The demise of Scottish football has been coming, slowly but surely and last night was like a slap around the face from a wet kipper, reality surely must now have arrived as to how second rate we all are.

 

Even tiny Shamrock Rovers put us to shame by showing the so called bigger boys how to qualify, well done.

Hearts task was always going to be a hard obstacle to surmount but the Glasgow big boys have now a lot to answer for in the recent European forays and last night�s showing epitomises what we all very grudgingly knew WE ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!!.

It is not acceptable that you can give the respective fans the bread and butter of SPL titles we need some jam to make the fare you are offering the long suffering supporters more palatable.

 

No more do we need to hear comments to appease fans, such us we missed chances we normally score or I was happy with the team�s performance and the squad did well.

 

These words are hollow and will soon reverberate and echo around the half empty stadiums in Govan and Parkhead caused by your ineptitude that will make many long suffering fans come to the conclusion that why should they be paying hard earned cash for a meagre serving?

 

Europe is our mirror to the football world and others judge us by our achievements and both Rangers and Celtic are now considered easy opposition by more than a few teams. It is no good lying back on your laurels of the successes of the 60s and 70s the fans are now clamouring for at least group stages of Champions League and Europa League.

 

My challenge to the powers to be is to think long and hard how we can achieve this status quo for Scottish football because until we get our fingers out teams like Maribor, Malmo and Sion will have little to fear from Scottish football and believe me Europe is full of the likes of the afore mentioned teams.

 

We put our trust in your leadership to change things.

 

Are you really up for it?

 

 

 

As an afterthought to our mid week Euro demise allthough I would hate to see the tic qualify via the back door into a Euro league where they would probably finish bottom or at best 3rd it would give us more chance of getting our no 1 aim for this season, which is the SPL.

 

Allthough it would give the dark side of Glasgow more cash flow our next

Euro horizon is the Champions League 2012 and on that score Ally will be judged upon.

[Jim1955 12]

I posted something a week or so ago about feeling that we we were still snared in a phoney war and the real season still had to start. Well it's started now and we weren't up to the mark. This has to be taken as a huge wake up call and we have to start playing as if we mean it.

Edited August 28, 2011 by Jim1955
spelling

[djbroxybear 0]

they train for a couple of hours in the morning go to lunch, then a product signing session then home at 1. won the murray park tour and had the distinct pleasure of waiting an hour and 15 mins to catch the players as they made there way home

 

 

 

Is this fact i thought the players trained in the afternoons as well, if true its scandalous.

[Kenzie1 0]

The thing that I find is really lacking and costing us at the moment is a presence and leadership, more so from the management than the playing team. WS had a presence about him in abundance and therefore could get away with his style of play because it brought success. At the moment it still seems like the management team are 3 young boys without their parents. There has been a call by fans over the summer for AM to bring in a experienced assistant like Ray Wilkins to lend that bit of cool advice when needed like “its time for a sub Ally” or “change this.....”. I respect AM’s decision to stick with his guns and feel his team is the right one but IMO i’d have preferred to have seen a Wilkins type guy in there. AM’s decision might pay off over the season if he brings home the title.

 

I can’t complain about our SPL away form, it is good, but are we papering over the cracks after some dismal home performances so far? On the park Naismith has a bit of presence because he is a mouthy pest to the opposition, but I find this effective especially when he is in his correct position of midfield.

 

What I have noticed about McCoist is a change in style. As assistant he was out there on the touch line every week in his shorts and t-shirt screaming at the players for 90 mins, yet now he has a more reserved place in the dug out and this means the more quiet Kenny McDowall is doing more of the instructions. I personally would still like to see AM being his own man and getting the shorts and t-shirt back on and screaming at the players. His tactics seemed to have changed also. For the last 3 seasons he has been in charge of the team in domestic cup games where we always went out on the attack but he has opted for the more flat defensive 4-4-2 with Edu and McCulloch still being preferred for some bizarre reason, this irritates me as I believe we have some good footballers in the team and capable of much better. We saw towards the end of last season how good Rangers can be when on the attack so why we don’t make this our approach all the time is beyond me.

 

Whilst missing out on first choice targets in the transfer market we still have managed to bolster the squad and boast good numbers – see below. I can’t recall our squad being so good on numbers and options covered for a few years now, this after last season when we couldn’t fill the subs bench. However there is still a lack of that extra quality that Davis and Jelavic can offer. But I’ll reserve judgement until the new guys have had 10-15 games plus Bedoya and McKay have settled in to see what they can bring. McKay has been one of the top performers in the Aussie league so I am expected him to be a good signing.

 

So the current squad is like this with a number of players being vertisile. The only position I think needs changing is upfront. Id prefer to get Beattie off the books and bring in a striker. Miller’s return would have been perfect but that wasn’t to be. Young Hemmings is someone id like to see partner Jelavic. In midfield I still think Davis is the key man when in centre midfield but needs a bit of steel behind him of someone who can break up play and still pass a ball.

 

 

McGregor / Alexander

Broadfoot____Goian___Weir____Papac

Whittaker___Bartley___Bocanerga___Wallace

McMillan____Perry

 

Bedoya_____Davis____Ness____Wylde

Naismith____Edu___McCulloch____Ortiz

Hutton___McKay

 

Jelavic___Lafferty

Healy___Fleck

Hemmings__Beattie

 

By and large there is a lot to what you say but for me, McCoist has been given too much too soon; a-la John Greig. I don't think McCoist is the right man for this job which already appears to be too big for him. But having said that, I sincerely hope I'm wrong. He seems to have inherited Walter's habit of sticking with his "favourites" Edu and McCujlloch, neither of whom should in muy view, be allowed anywhere near Ibrox as they are simply not Rangers' class. Nor have they ever been. Broadfoot is another one who defies logic. Surely we have youngsters awaiting their chance who are better than those three I've mentioned. McCoist said recently that he would change the team to bring in "experienced" players - ie, the three just mentioned. What must the likes of McMillan think, having played the way he did against Motherwell, to find himself replaced by the "experienced" (but still useless) Broadfoot.

 

I accept that in order to blood the younger players it may take time and may even cost us the title but, taking the long term view as per Sir Alex Ferguson, if they're good enough, play them. It's bound to pay dividends in the long term. We cannot afford to be so short sighted that we spend money on European/American imports who are no better than what is available to us here in Scotland. Tell me, where is the sense in that?

 

I wonder just how "ruthless" Ally is. Will he dump the 'passengers' or will he continue to play them to the detriment of our genuinely talented youngsters in favour of "experienced" players. I've heard it said that Jelavic is a shadow of the player who finished last season. Is it any wonder when he sees what he has to play alongside? Silk purses and sows ears come to mind.

Edited August 30, 2011 by Kenzie1

[calscot 0]

What a load of repetitive nonsense - Ferguson's *experienced* team of favourites just humiliated Wenger's young team 8-2. That's Arsenal's end product after blooding youngsters cost them the title for five years. Sounds like a great model to follow... I think you need to have look at the reality of what Sir Alex has been doing rather than just making stuff up.

 

Youngster's have a place but they are not a panacea - I think Arsenal have proven that for sure.

[pete 2,499]

By and large there is a lot to what you say but for me, McCoist has been given too much too soon; a-la John Greig. I don't think McCoist is the right man for this job which already appears to be too big for him. But having said that, I sincerely hope I'm wrong. He seems to have inherited Walter's habit of sticking with his "favourites" Edu and McCujlloch, neither of whom should in muy view, be allowed anywhere near Ibrox as they are simply not Rangers' class. Nor have they ever been. Broadfoot is another one who defies logic. Surely we have youngsters awaiting their chance who are better than those three I've mentioned. McCoist said recently that he would change the team to bring in "experienced" players - ie, the three just mentioned. What must the likes of McMillan think, having played the way he did against Motherwell, to find himself replaced by the "experienced" (but still useless) Broadfoot.

 

I accept that in order to blood the younger players it may take time and may even cost us the title but, taking the long term view as per Sir Alex Ferguson, if they're good enough, play them. It's bound to pay dividends in the long term. We cannot afford to be so short sighted that we spend money on European/American imports who are no better than what is available to us here in Scotland. Tell me, where is the sense in that?

 

I wonder just how "ruthless" Ally is. Will he dump the 'passengers' or will he continue to play them to the detriment of our genuinely talented youngsters in favour of "experienced" players. I've heard it said that Jelavic is a shadow of the player who finished last season. Is it any wonder when he sees what he has to play alongside? Silk purses and sows ears come to mind.

 

I think McMillan thought why did I have to get f.n injured when I was so near a breakthrough. McMillan wasn't dropped he was injured. he may have been dropped if he wasn't injured though.