Express on player cuts

[bossy 0]

Poor old Ally. Damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

 

You cannot blame a manager for wanting the best team possible on the park and especially when you know the sharks will be after his blood at the first slip up. And what, exactly, has Ally done wrong this season with the exception of the loss to Forfar? The support expects the team on the park to be winning. And Ally is delivering just that so far this season.

 

And look at the chaotic conditions he has been working in. Boardroom strife, fan protests and a revolving door of directors, Nomads and CEOs.

 

When it comes to costs, there are a couple of different issues here. It is up to the manager and his team to determine what players they need to win the competitions they are in. It is up to the CEO to have the conversation about how many players we can afford and what the wages should be. It my well be that we have brought in players we don't really need. But it may also be that we are paying the players we do need and do want too much money and we could have got them for less.

 

Clearly there needs to be change to both our cost structure and revenue generation. But to blame Ally for the failure to control costs is grossly unfair.

[RANGERRAB 3,258]

Simonsen, Foster, Smith, Mitchell, Hegarty, Cribari, Perry, Hutton, Shiels, Peralta, Little, McCulloch. There is more than a full team we do not need. Totally what? £50k to £60k per week? Around £2.6m to £3m per year.

 

Get rid of those and it would still leave us a more than good enough team to win this league, win the next one, win the Ramsdens this year and next and achieve the goal of successive promotions and SPFL football as soon as possible. Then we can start to build the team we will need. Wallace has done nothing but preach about youth development and giving more kids a chance, well do it. The fans want to see our kids, i am desperate to see the likes of Murdoch, Mckay again, Stoney, Dykes, Walsh etc etc all play for Rangers.

 

If Ally and his pals are unwilling or unable to do it then get people who can and who are willing.

 

If you took away all of those players our squad would be decimated. How do you know that the youngsters will be good enough?

[der Berliner 3,245]

The only area where we have decent cover right now is RB. Hence I understand that people do not agree upon the signing of Foster, but he's a pro such as Black, not spectactular, but decent enough and reliable. Stand-ins doing fine is neat, but all over the place people moaning about this, yet here they deem Mitchell and Faure as fine?

 

Last season 9 youngsters and peripheral players had their chance to shine, quite a few did. IMHO, despite being (a cynic might say: conveniently) injured, Hutton, Hegarty and Perry should be released or sold or loaned. Loaning all people not required at the moment (and thus giving them competitive experience) should be a prime (if not fully cost-cutting) objective.

 

Calling for Smith's head is essentially rubbish. Yes, Wallace does exceptionally well, but likewise we are one injury away from having to use a utility player out there ... had we not Smith. And few of us know whether the youngsters and youth players beyond our periphery are actually good enough. The odd glimpse here and there is sure not enough. What I expect McCoist to do though is to give more youngsters a decent sub-run in the team, not least when games are won and the title is essentially in the back. (That said, how many of us want a new record of winning all league games of a season?)

[pmu 0]

I think in Wallace we have an experienced "football" CEO that will not have the wool pulled over his eyes regarding transfers and squads etc. He knows what we do and don't need, just like most of the fans. Ally will have to get with the programme and start "managing and coaching a team" instead of just assembling a large group of players that will cover his ass....

[Super Cooper 0]

McCulloch will be retained. Hutton and Little should be kept. Mitchell and/or Hegarty too.

 

McCulloch is just about finished. Hutton and Little are mediocre. Mitchell and Hegarty even worse. Those 5 will never take us forward.

[Super Cooper 0]

If you took away all of those players our squad would be decimated. How do you know that the youngsters will be good enough?

 

You say decimated i say strengthened. There is an exceptional bunch of kids bursting to come through. All 11 i named will be no use in the top tier so i don't see the point paying them for 2 further years only for the inevitable payoff or release to happen. Get rid now, we have two easy promotions coming up and save some money for when we will really need it.

[Super_Ally 0]

You say decimated i say strengthened. There is an exceptional bunch of kids bursting to come through. All 11 i named will be no use in the top tier so i don't see the point paying them for 2 further years only for the inevitable payoff or release to happen. Get rid now, we have two easy promotions coming up and save some money for when we will really need it.

 

Yet Little and Hutton have already proven they can play in the top division with Hutton at least showing up well in the CL against Man U. So you can't state as fact all 11 payers you named will be no use in the top teir. That's about as close to being factually incorrect as an opinion can be.

[der Berliner 3,245]

Hutton ... we have Law, Black, Peralta and Macleod all in that position (and are already moaning that McCoist actually uses all these "6"er players in one line-up. Hutton was even more frustrating a player last season than Lövenkrands ever managed to be. Possibly 1 good game in 5. He had his chance to make that midfield slot his own, but Macleod bypassed him with ease. Even after the latter's injury, Hutton didn't take his chance. Maybe that sounds like a bashing, but I gave him the whole of last season to prove that he's actually up to the CL, SPL and indeed Rangers standard. IMHO he failed that test. I would be rather annoyed if McCoist keeps him in a line-up that already includes all the players mentioned above. For that would also mean that a player like him keeps a more attack minded Shiels, Templeton, or Crawford out of that central midfield too. He should go for now, if only on loan. (Obviously, if we let him go, he might become a superstar. But IMHO it is his fault for not doing it at Ibrox, not ours.)

[Super_Ally 0]

If someone were to suggest there are better players out there or even in our squad I would agree. But you can't state as fact that those 11 players aren't good enough for the SPL when some have already proven that as false.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

We didn't have a natural RB (aside from Cole and the writing was on the wall for him) and Foster is a decent pro, albeit prone to the occasional disastrous error. However, either one of Mitchel, Hegarty or better still McAusland would be more than good enough at this level.

 

Faure is a CB as was Argyriou. He played really well in my opinion at CB at the start of this season, he never looked troubled and was always trying to pass out of defence. If his qualities had been recognised last season, we didn't need Cribari and certainly don't need him now. I would be more than happy with Faure and Mohsni as our CBs.

 

Smith is an indulgence we simply can't afford. It's all very well saying that we are one injury away from fielding an inexperienced player at LB; but what would be wrong with that in this League or the next one. What kind of message does it send out to young players when they see that kind of player between them and the team?

 

Simonsen was another totally unnecessary indulgence at this level. It was useful to allow Gallagher out on loan but we didn't need Simonsen for that purpose. Alan Smith could sit on the bench.

 

I am a fan of Hutton and he worked hard in the summer because he knew this was a make or break season for him; I don't think he should be jettisoned just because he got a bad injury.

 

Little has scored goals consistently for us and IMHO is a good back up striker to Daly and Clark who would be my first choices.

 

Shiels simply didn't perform last season and I think he would be best out on loan as part of his recovery plan.

 

Templeton is a bit of an enigma. Clearly a very talented footballer who has proven himself at SPL level; but struggling to find a place in the team as he too builds up again from injury. Another loan candidate?

 

I think Peralta is good enough to go though the leagues with us and can play wide or in CMF.

 

Perry will never be good enough for us at any level.

 

The two players who I really want to see get a run in the team are Barry Mackay and Fraser Aird; both of whom seem more than capable to me of becoming good enough to play at SPL level.