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Mind the gap: Rangers v St Mirren


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Frankie

The same can be said for our midfield. With Halliday, Ball, Zelalem, Shiels, Law, McKay and Holt all available we really do have an embarrassment of riches in the engine room but we've struggled to find the same blend and continuity we had earlier in the season.

 

From your team selection it seems you think Gersnet favourite Zelalem is the missing link; yet he has not got off the bench in our last 3 starts and has only played 183 minutes football in the last 7 league games (since the 2nd of Jan). The manager appears to have lost faith in him and it is difficult to undertsand why we kept him for the second six months of his loan deal.

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Frankie

 

From your team selection it seems you think Gersnet favourite Zelalem is the missing link; yet he has not got off the bench in our last 3 starts and has only played 183 minutes football in the last 7 league games (since the 2nd of Jan). The manager appears to have lost faith in him and it is difficult to undertsand why we kept him for the second six months of his loan deal.

 

That could certainly be true, but I think he's just rotating the squad a little. Law hasn't really got into the team either recently. I doubt it means either are out of favour per se. Moreover, I think he's trying to juggle the front line a little also. With King and O'Halloran coming in he's trying to find a place for them (even Forrester), with McKay dropping into central midfield to accommodate them etc.

 

I honestly think McKay is best wide-left, with O'Halloran, Forrester and Miller taking the other positions in the front line (with Waghorn missing). I don't see a starting place for King with McKay wide-left, whereas the others can fill-in. The central midfield roles should go to any of Shiels, Law, Halliday, Holt, Ball and Zelalem. Everyone will have their preference -- mine would be Halliday, Holt and Zelalem: a good, well-balanced mix.

Edited by Rousseau
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Frankie

 

From your team selection it seems you think Gersnet favourite Zelalem is the missing link; yet he has not got off the bench in our last 3 starts and has only played 183 minutes football in the last 7 league games (since the 2nd of Jan). The manager appears to have lost faith in him and it is difficult to undertsand why we kept him for the second six months of his loan deal.

 

IMHO, Zelalem hasn't been used often because we've got Forrester, King and O'Halloran now, not because the manager having lost faith (he wouldn't be on the bench if that was the case). It is probably - as often - a case of a number of variables coming into play.

 

Teams have by now learned how to better cope with our attacking waves and on top of that, for all his clever passing and ball retention, Zelalem has a tendency to slow games down with his probing passing style and neat triangle passes. And that allowed the opposition to close us down better or double up on our attackers. With Forrester and King we got folk who are both quick and willing to shoot, but also allowing us to move McKay back a little and in a more creative and central role (his natural position). That we need to adapt to that style is understandable, though we should have done so by now. Those two and McKay a little deeper give us more attacking options and people who can move quickly about, as well as turning defense faster into attack, catching the opponents up field. What we lack these days IMHO is luck in front of goal or, as some might say: more composure and ability to score. If we'd improve on the latter - no matter how - just a little, we would beat teams rather handsomely.

 

I'd go with ...

 

Foderingham

 

Tavernier - Kiernan - Wilson - Wallace

 

Holt - Halliday - McKay

 

O'Halloran/King - Miller - Forrester

Edited by der Berliner
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Frankie

 

From your team selection it seems you think Gersnet favourite Zelalem is the missing link; yet he has not got off the bench in our last 3 starts and has only played 183 minutes football in the last 7 league games (since the 2nd of Jan). The manager appears to have lost faith in him and it is difficult to undertsand why we kept him for the second six months of his loan deal.

Obsession alert.

 

Not only do you count his passes and the direction of them but you're now counting up the minutes played.

 

Do you also sit outside his house each night checking when the lights go out?

Edited by Bluedell
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Two points I'd make about St Mirren:-

 

1) their GK Langfield is erratic at crosses. We should bring our CB's up for corners and put the ball right into the six yard box

2) sicknote Webster isn't the quickest. We should try to get O'Halloran running at him wherever possible

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