ian1964 10,440 Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 ... they are miles behind their rivals now. THE former Hoops hero thought Mark Warburton’s team looked like they could push on and mount a credible title challenge this season but Brendan Rodgers has taken the Hoops on to another level. AT Hampden in April I thought Rangers had narrowed the gap on Celtic. Ronny Deila’s side were in total freefall while Mark Warburton’s team looked like they could push on and mount a credible title challenge this season. Four months on? It’s only August and Celtic are in danger of being completely out of sight. The response to that Scottish Cup defeat has been pretty resounding. Celtic have gone from wondering if they had enough to hold off Rangers to turning the tables completely and it’s the Ibrox side who are struggling to hold on to their coat tails. Don’t get me wrong, Warburton has recruited fairly well considering the financial constraints he is working under. Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar can be quality players for them. I also like the look of young Jordan Rossiter and Josh Windass. But Brendan Rodgers has brought in players who are on another level. They have widened the gap. It’s early days but you can already see what Scott Sinclair will bring. Kolo Toure will stroll the league and Moussa Dembele might be raw but he has plenty of talent. Celtic have improved their team and Rodgers is already getting more out of the players already there. He wants another couple in and Dorus de Vries is a good move. I said in my column a couple of weeks ago I wasn’t convinced by Craig Gordon so having some proper competition will be heathy. I reckon Rodgers is also targeting a right-back and he could do with another central midfielder. But it’s clear he is in total charge of the recruitment and all new arrivals will improve the starting line up. What about Rangers? I see a lovely footballing team who will pass teams off the park – but they are still lacking a presence in the final third. They also have one way of playing – and that’s a problem. Warburton has said he has Plan A and if Plan A isn’t working then Plan B is to do Plan A better. Well, that’s not going to cut it. I don’t know if it’s arrogance or just being stubborn but he’ll need to find some sort of fl exibility because teams are seeing through them. I was critical of Deila last season for being too one dimensional. Well, Rodgers has already shown at Celtic he has Plans A, B, C and D up his sleeve. If Rangers stick to the way they are playing they are going to struggle. There is still a vulnerability at the back and they constantly get destroyed by pace. They also can’t deal with set-pieces which was exposed in the Scottish Cup Final. I suspect Warburton knows it as well because he has been saying he needs a few more faces, despite bringing in nine new players already. I am a bit confused about the mixed messages coming out of Ibrox. One minute there is Dave King saying Rangers should be up challenging for the title. The next it’s Warburton trying to talk down their expectations. I’m not saying there is disharmony in the camp but they are hardly singing from the same hymn sheet Warburton will know there are still problems and he’s desperately trying to address them. Last Saturday was an open goal for Rangers. Hamilton at home in front of a full house on the opening day. It was the ideal chance to get off to a flier. Instead, the longer the game went on, the more it wouldn’t have been a surprise if Hamilton had won it which may have happened had it not been for a top save from Wes Foderingham. Teams are not going to change for Rangers. They’ll sit deep and let them throw balls in to the box because they know they have no physical presence in there. Joe Dodoo has come in and even though Warburton wants to play him through the middle, he is more effective out in the wide areas. He might develop but I’ve yet to see if he has the awareness to play more central. Rangers don’t have that Mark Hateley-type figure and it’s an issue. You won’t see me knocking Kenny Miller. He has been a great player over the years and I’ve no doubt he will have his moments this season. But he’s coming to the end of his career and is not the threat he was in the past. Kenny isn’t the answer any more. It’s up to Warburton and the Ibrox board to come up with the solutions. The next few weeks are huge for Rangers. Celtic are getting away from them and they will need to address it before the window shuts or they can forget about making a challenge. Deila has gone and in a short space of time Rodgers has turned it around. Four months on from Hampden, the question marks are now hanging over Rangers. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-looked-closing-gap-celtic-8619929 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott7 5,229 Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Perhaps a little too enthusiastic about celtic though I don't like the look of Sinclair but a reasonable assessment of Rangers' weaknesses. Perhaps he reads Gersnet. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooponthewing 1,139 Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 To be fair to him he's an ex employee of the club so he is always going to be pro unwashed. On balance though, it was a good piece and imo pretty accurate. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluedell 5,353 Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 You won’t see me knocking Kenny Miller. But he’s coming to the end of his career and is not the threat he was in the past. Kenny isn’t the answer any more. I wonder what he'd say if he was knocking Kenny Miller. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aweebluesoandso 290 Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 His green tinted glasses were on-off quicker than Jordan's knickers in that article. On, totally talks up the tims and glosses over any imperfections like Ambrose and their defensive frailties. Off, talks Rangers down and highlights our failings, Warburton's plan A and plan A+. I looked in on the Hearts game last weekend, the tims are not Barcelona, no matter how much Sutton tries to convince us they are. Neither are Rangers, but we don't think we are, nor have pundits pretending we are. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERRAB 3,293 Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 What does Mutton base his adulation on at this stage of the season? They were extremely fortunate to get thro against Fc Astanas for starters. They were also extremely fortunate to beat hertz too who missed clearcut chances. Sure they took 5 off McGhee's Motherwell but if you watch the highlights Motherwell miss 3 really easy chances However he is correct about Miller though..":D 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
limeburner 0 Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Twenty years in top level Pro football--------ends up bankrupt.Top notch decision maker. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Artagnan 173 Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 I am a bit confused about the mixed messages coming out of Ibrox. One minute there is Dave King saying Rangers should be up challenging for the title. The next it’s Warburton trying to talk down their expectations. I’m not saying there is disharmony in the camp but they are hardly singing from the same hymn sheet Forget abou the football analysis - job done. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,279 Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Don't think he is just " a bit confused". But generally, I give such expertise a wide berth anyway. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERRAB 3,293 Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 (edited) I can maybe understand what Sutton is on about if he is talking about Rangers not strengthening whereneeded to i.e. at CB and a striker. Have to say I'm more than a bit concerned we haven't done so but will wait & see what happens before the window shuts Edited August 13, 2016 by RANGERRAB 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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