Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard

[SteveC 150]

One wonders what Davie Weir says to our centre backs during training, None of them have ever looked secure - and they never seem to improve.

[Tannochsidebear 2,322]

It is your defence of a tactical system that is so obviously flawed that grates, Rousseau. If our team defended the ball as well as you defend this system, we would still have our 100% record intact, not 2 wins from our last 6 league games.

 

Our philosophy is not better than our recent opponents, because our tactics are easy to quash, while we continue to allow our opponents tactics to bear fruit. That proves the opposite is true.

 

I have some major gripes about our side and management. While I initially enjoyed the fast paced passing and triangular movement, cutting defences open, getting in behind, counter-attacking at pace, those tactics have not been seen at a Rangers match since well before the clocks changed. Instead we have tippy-tappy, one-dimensional, slow paced, trying to thread passes through non-existent spaces, refusal to shoot, boring football. And all the while the early defensive bomb scares have not been corrected. I said after the first couple of games that you have to give a new defence time to gel, but the more time they get the worse they look.

 

After initial bursts of form that made us all lick our lips, Tav, Waggy, Oduwa, Zalalem all look miles out of their depth at our very demanding, high-pressure club. Stories linking us to similar level players has me very worried indeed. If Warbs insists he only needs one or two additions in January, then he will be seriously questioned as it is clear we need a lot of changes to this side now that our opponents have worked us out, and are getting success.

 

Warbs either needs to change his formation, tactics and philosophy, or he needs to bring in 8 players to play how he wants to. He must learn that substitutes are for changing the game, not for squad rotation, and that this is no ordinary club that will accept mediocrity.

[Rousseau 9,508]

agree we tried to hit a better array of passes today but the runs are the same. No third player runs, nothing. just Wallace trying to overlap on the left, but its pointless. Even when he does overlap there is no ball to be played. Waghorn is crowded out nobody is attacking the front or back post and maybe holt at the most is the only midfielder trying to get into the box on the end of anything.

 

That starting line up was never going to beat Falkirk, it does not exhibit one clear strength. What are our strengths? seems to me the only thing we are good at is keeping the ball in the middle of the park and moving side to side.

 

Our centre backs for me need courage more than anything. Ours seem scared to square up and be aggressive against our opposition they don't pressureise any forward. They were playing against a 17 year old today and not once did I notice him being shrugged off the ball or over powered.

 

I agree. However, I thought Wallace's runs were different today: it was an 'under-lap' rather than an overlap. The through-ball never found him though. We got in behind quite a few times, but, as you say, there are no third-man runs and Waghorn is crowded out. Better movement, from better players, would overcome that IMO.

 

I think our line-up was designed to attack the wings. We did OK, but again, the final ball is abysmal at the minute. Possession should be a base to build on, not the main tactic; we still have to create chances.

 

I agree we could have been more aggressive against the 17-year-old -- it's been a problem all season. However, aggression would just lead to fouls. IMO we need someone that can cover the run, or snuff out the ball. We still should have dominated the kid though!

[Rousseau 9,508]

It is your defence of a tactical system that is so obviously flawed that grates, Rousseau. If our team defended the ball as well as you defend this system, we would still have our 100% record intact, not 2 wins from our last 6 league games.

 

Our philosophy is not better than our recent opponents, because our tactics are easy to quash, while we continue to allow our opponents tactics to bear fruit. That proves the opposite is true.

 

I have some major gripes about our side and management. While I initially enjoyed the fast paced passing and triangular movement, cutting defences open, getting in behind, counter-attacking at pace, those tactics have not been seen at a Rangers match since well before the clocks changed. Instead we have tippy-tappy, one-dimensional, slow paced, trying to thread passes through non-existent spaces, refusal to shoot, boring football. And all the while the early defensive bomb scares have not been corrected. I said after the first couple of games that you have to give a new defence time to gel, but the more time they get the worse they look.

 

After initial bursts of form that made us all lick our lips, Tav, Waggy, Oduwa, Zalalem all look miles out of their depth at our very demanding, high-pressure club. Stories linking us to similar level players has me very worried indeed. If Warbs insists he only needs one or two additions in January, then he will be seriously questioned as it is clear we need a lot of changes to this side now that our opponents have worked us out, and are getting success.

 

Warbs either needs to change his formation, tactics and philosophy, or he needs to bring in 8 players to play how he wants to. He must learn that substitutes are for changing the game, not for squad rotation, and that this is no ordinary club that will accept mediocrity.

 

I agree with everything, apart from the excerpt in bold. I don't think opponents are "quashing" our tactics, rather we're not executing them effectively. For example, today we got in behind several times and had opportunities to thread balls through, but we either couldn't hit our own man or over-hit the pass. That suggests to me that we are doing the right things, but are not executing it effectively enough.

 

Our defensive performance continues to frustrate, with individuals failing to improve. Our opponents do the same things, yet we fail to react to it. It's one gripe I have, but I do think we have to bear in mind that the way we play dictates our openness at the back. IMO our problems are down to a lack of quality in the individual, not the tactics.

 

We can still up the tempo and be more direct though, as we were at the beginning of the season. And I am frustrated at Warburton's lack of plan B -- have been from the start.

[trublusince1982 243]

I agree. However, I thought Wallace's runs were different today: it was an 'under-lap' rather than an overlap. The through-ball never found him though. We got in behind quite a few times, but, as you say, there are no third-man runs and Waghorn is crowded out. Better movement, from better players, would overcome that IMO.

 

I think our line-up was designed to attack the wings. We did OK, but again, the final ball is abysmal at the minute. Possession should be a base to build on, not the main tactic; we still have to create chances.

 

I agree we could have been more aggressive against the 17-year-old -- it's been a problem all season. However, aggression would just lead to fouls. IMO we need someone that can cover the run, or snuff out the ball. We still should have dominated the kid though!

agree better players would make a world of difference. The tactics need to fit who we have now we cant afford another year of failure. Aggression is maybe the wrong word, we need someone as you say who will snuff out the runs and get himself in the way. My worry is that none of his signings are a stand out in the championship. makes me wonder how any of them can be expected to stand out at a higher level against fitter stronger and smarter opposition.

 

under lap or over lap is redundant in my mind when its always the same side with the same players involved especially when the opposition are sitting so deep in the centre, all they do as we said is crowd that side of the box and cut out any cross or pass.

 

Its starting to look like the squad don't have a single common goal, all looks a bit ad lib. The first few games of the season we all seemed to understand the goal was to score and attack after attack full out with a "we will score one more than you" mentality. Now it looks like we want to stay a bit more narrow down the middle with a couple more players behind the ball and to use possession to tire the opposition until the last 20 mins or so then we try to up it a gear.

[forlanssister 3,061]

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.

[Rousseau 9,508]

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.

 

Actually, could a Mod change the thread title to above?

Edited December 19, 2015 by Rousseau

[ranger_syntax 3,798]

We are not tactically superior to Falkirk.

[Tannochsidebear 2,322]

We are not tactically superior to Falkirk.

 

Bears should re-read the sentence above over and over and over until it sinks in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then discuss.

[Tannochsidebear 2,322]

I agree with everything, apart from the excerpt in bold. I don't think opponents are "quashing" our tactics, rather we're not executing them effectively. For example, today we got in behind several times and had opportunities to thread balls through, but we either couldn't hit our own man or over-hit the pass. That suggests to me that we are doing the right things, but are not executing it effectively enough.

 

Our defensive performance continues to frustrate, with individuals failing to improve. Our opponents do the same things, yet we fail to react to it. It's one gripe I have, but I do think we have to bear in mind that the way we play dictates our openness at the back. IMO our problems are down to a lack of quality in the individual, not the tactics.

 

We can still up the tempo and be more direct though, as we were at the beginning of the season. And I am frustrated at Warburton's lack of plan B -- have been from the start.

 

You see, that is the whole problem I have. Warburton is imposing a philosophy and has brought in several new players to play this way. Unfortunately the players are nowhere near good enough to play this system, very few teams worldwide are, and that is my problem with it. After an initial few weeks when it was new and everyone was fresh and energetic and we really did hit the ground running, reality has set in for a couple of months now, and the cold hard facts are that we cannot combine this system of play, with these players, and achieve winning football. Therefore it has failed and something needs to change.

 

Given we are not going to bring in 6-8 quality players in Jan, we need to change the system to one that wins football matches. Warburton is not going to be given 3-4 years to build this slowly, not at Rangers. We have by far the biggest budget in our division, we have the best players and the best manager, so it must be the tactics/ formation that is wrong. By all means go back to 4-3-3 in this style next year when we are up a level and have given W&W another 2 windows to get the players to play his system, but until then he has to find a new system to win 2nd tier football matches against really poor opponents, Hibs apart.

 

Not one Falkirk player would get in our starting 11, so why were we beaten so comfortably and unsurprisingly? Tactics. Simples.