Is Ally the Man for the job? - The McCoist Thread

[54andcounting 0]

I'm old enough to remember football played with jersey numbers 1-11, never had a problem with it.

Many players especially up front swapped the number on their jersey throughout the season i.e. Super was no.9 but he wore 7,8,10 & 11 as well during his playing career.

 

When Rangers ran out on to the park, all the players were easily identifiable without having to look at the number on their shirt, we'll all get used to it as the season progresses.

[calscot 0]

People seem to watching a different game from me. The ball was by far the great majority played on the deck and it was those passes that usually went astray and caused us problems from Motherwell.

 

We lost the ball in more dangerous positions than any loss of possession from a long ball. In any case there were very few long balls except from Alexander and so if you really want to criticise, at least be more specific and knowledgeable. I hardly think anyone can fairly criticise the team for playing loads of long balls but there is a genuine discussion on whether Alexander should usually punt the ball up the field.

 

I watched this and noted that when he played it short, the ball more often than not came back to him fairly quickly - meaning he was under pressure and had to punt (which will be chalked up as just another long ball in some people's memory). Our defenders don't seem confident enough (well until we are a couple of goals up) to play the ball out of our own half when under pressure - and the problem is that most teams are pressing forward when our defence have the ball. That is actually a good time to punt the ball up the field...

 

As for always losing the ball from a punt, that is also inaccurate and while sometimes we lost the first header we often gained possession on the second or third ball as it bounced around. The opposition rarely had a good attack directly resulting from Alexander's punts but they had some very dangerous ones when they gained the ball in our half from a slack ball on the deck.

 

If I was the manager I'd be more worried about these slack passes than the amount of long balls from the keeper- although the second is easier to deal with in the first instance, there is still the problem of defenders doing something good with the ball once they receive it.

 

When our out field players resort to the long ball I noted that either they were clearing up the line under pressure or trying a killer pass - the latter of which paid off with a good attack quite a few times.

 

I think there are far too many people with a very simplistic outlook on what is good or effective football - ball on ground: good, ball in air: bad. However, it's far more complex than that and there is a rich diversity of tactics and plays from which it takes a sizable gamut of them to work.

 

Maybe some people here need to get their boots back on and play in the Sunday leagues in defence. Then they may realise how often they boot the ball high up the line or pass back to the keeper forcing him to punt. In fact a lot of the time you find yourself just booting the ball away as hard as possible, be it up the park or into the next field.

[craig 5,199]

Great post.

 

It was the best performance we have seen from the team this season without a shadow of a doubt.

 

I hate to be negative but the thing that changed the game was Sandaza going off injured and Jig going upfront. This was a forced changed for Ally but he still made the right decision. Before that it was more of the same aimless long balls to Aird who is about 5' nothing.

 

After seeing Hutton playing i am totally miffed as to how he isn't more involved withe the first team. Him and McLeod were brilliant together, both have a range of passes and are willing to turn and take the ball forward. McLeod seemed to also grow in confidence as the game went on and in my mind was one of the best players on the park.

 

I hope we have the balls to give Aird on the left and McKay on the right a go in the league home games..that would stretch any defense and should run riot.

 

Not sure if you guys heard any of this on the commentary you got.... but on Rangers TV, where you expect the commentators to havee some inside info, they effectively admitted that there was a fall out between Hutton and the managerial staff early in the season and that was why he was somewhat frozen out.

 

Hopefully that has now been completely resolved because Hutton can play the holding role more effectively than Jig can, and it allows Jig to play up top, where he is most effective.

[craig 5,199]

Number 7 was Faure

 

1 - Alexander

2 - Argyriou

3 - Emilson

4 - Perry

5 - Wallace

6 - Jig

7 - Faure

8 - MacLeod

9 - Sandaza

10 - Shiels

11 - Aird

 

You are welcome

[Darthter 542]

No problems with long balls as a defensive measure ie clearing the lines, or when trying a long killer pass. The issue is more with Alexander when he's standing at the edge of the box waving everyone up-field - inc. the opposition. A quick long a ball is fine if it catches the opposition off guard....doesn't work as well when you tell the opposition exactly what your gonna do.

 

Ideally he should be getting the ball moving quickly - one or 2 passes from defense and your up @ the 1/2 way line and still in possession!!!

 

It's obviously still a work in progress....I think we will get there eventually!!!

[BeardyGuts 6]

People seem to watching a different game from me........

 

Sorry mate can't agree with you here.

The majority of our creativity came through the midfield when the ball was on the deck. Aird/Wallace getting down the byline, McLeod and Hutton picking forward passes and getting up in support.

 

Look at the goals again, the corner for the first goal game from Shiels running at the defence, the second goal came from Wallace bursting forward and getting the ball into the box.

 

Long balls were played to Aird ffs who is about 5' nothing, i can recall McCulloch and Sandaza winning headers that were flicked on to nobody as we were playing one up front.

 

And i'm not saying that you should never play a long ball, I just think the way the team played second half proves we have the ability to be more than capable of winning games with keeping the ball on the deck.

 

Don't really get your last comment mate, this is professional football, you can't compare it to Sunday League.

 

Anyway don't want to slate the performance really because i thought we played really well once Jig was shifted up top.

[BeardyGuts 6]

Not sure if you guys heard any of this on the commentary you got.... but on Rangers TV, where you expect the commentators to havee some inside info, they effectively admitted that there was a fall out between Hutton and the managerial staff early in the season and that was why he was somewhat frozen out.

 

Hopefully that has now been completely resolved because Hutton can play the holding role more effectively than Jig can, and it allows Jig to play up top, where he is most effective.

 

Ah ok that makes sense then. Hopefully they have sorted it out now and the boy can get back in the team. Although we only have 60 mins of football for comparison i think that Hutton/McLeod looked better than Black/AN Other combo we have had this season.

[GovanAllan 0]

Ah ok that makes sense then. Hopefully they have sorted it out now and the boy can get back in the team. Although we only have 60 mins of football for comparison i think that Hutton/McLeod looked better than Black/AN Other combo we have had this season.

 

Any of them are better than Jig and that's all Ally has to learn, anybody else notice that Hutton looked to have found a yard more of pace and looked like he had been in the weight room all summer looked a far bigger unit last night.

[craig 5,199]

Any of them are better than Jig and that's all Ally has to learn, anybody else notice that Hutton looked to have found a yard more of pace and looked like he had been in the weight room all summer looked a far bigger unit last night.

 

Hutton's re-emergence should have told Ally that he now has a younger, more mobile Jig that can play in midfield. Hutton somewhat reminded me of Jig last night for his footballing attributes i.e. first touch, passing accuracy, range of passing - however, Hutton also showed himself to be more mobile and faster thank Jig yet with the same physical qualities - Hutton was a physical beast when required last night.

 

At the end of the day Hutton last night was effectively an improved Jig, which means Hutton should keep his place in the team.... but so too should Jig, just that Jig should be up front where he is a menace and actually pretty effective.

 

BTW, Jig's movement at the corner for the goal he scored was superb. Peeled off to the back post and timed his forward run to absolute perfection, the Well defender (Hutchinson ??) simply had no time to react to it.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

watch the first few mins of the second half as a object example.

 

motherwell Starr strong and we go long for a couple of minutes.

 

then we try to play the first bit of football in the second half about 3 mins in. win a corner and score from it.

 

all in I was very encouraged by last night. we tried to play football and indeed did, very well at times. we worked harder and reaped the rewards. also the ch played well for perhaps the first time.

 

we still went long to often and lack a bit of pace at cb but with a few players back and the right attitude we can go from strength to strength.

 

unfortunately in the past fine performances have always been followed by a backslide into the malaise, we need to learn from that.