Goals win matches

[Tannochsidebear 2,316]

The title is rather obvious, but probably our biggest failing this season has been the lack of goals scored.

 

We have played 19 league cup and league matches so far this season and we have scored 36 goals, under 2 goals per game. In league matches only our return is 16 goals in 12 matches.

 

Our scorers this season so far are;

 

Waghorn 8

Halliday 5

Garner, Hill, Nico, Miller 3

Dodoo, Forrester, Tav 2

McKay, Windass, Holt, Wallace, OG 1

 

7 of Waghorn's 8 have come in the league cup, and Halliday has a couple of pens in his total.

 

So, 12 league games into the campaign and nobody has really got more than 3 goals. The chicken and egg scenario for Warburton is that while we have not had consistency of selection to get any striker some momentum, their performances have forced his hand to try other options. He have had Waghorn, Miller and Garner all playing the middle striker, with Waghorn & Miller both also playing the wide striker. The midfield and subs have not chipped in with enough goals either, with our attacking midfield players and alternate strikers (Dodoo, Forrester, Nico, McKay, Windass, Holt) all failing to get above the 3 goal mark so far.

 

We have been creating a lot of half-chances and a good few good chances. On Sunday both Garner and Miller were put right through with only the keeper to beat and Garner struck the keeper while POTM (seriously???) Miller didnt even get a shot off as his renowned lack of control let him, and us, down again.

 

Our side is totally lacking belief when it comes to chances in front of goal. Not one player is in good form right now, not one. From Wes to Waggy and everywhere in between, there is not one player I would say is a must-play for our next game. To me, having been watching us home and away every week for over 30 years (the odd exception apart) this looks reminiscent of sides where the dressing room has been lost, and the players no longer are believing what the manager is telling them. Can we take it back to the Barton incident where perhaps (only guessing here, humour me) the players agreed more with Barton than Warburton and dont like what has transpired since. We have seen these situations before, with Advocaat, McLeish, PLG, McCoist where the desire and commitment from the players in difficult situations is not what it used to be. Good players are being outfought by not so good players. If you dont win the battle in your area of the pitch, your team rarely wins the war.

 

I hope this is not the case, but the poor performances vastly outstrip the good ones this season, and if taken over this calendar year our form is absolutely honking.

 

No longer do we press high up the pitch, winning back the ball in the final third and creating chances. No longer do we play passes in triangles to play around our opponents high press with a pass and move mentality. No longer do we run at defenders from wide areas, with one-twos to open them up and get in behind. No longer do we look like scoring goals.

 

I have no desire for a change in management, none at all. MW deserves a chance to see this season out, hopefully improving our squad with a much better window ion January than we had last summer, and get us comfortably into second place by May. Should he do this, he will have gained an awful lot of knowledge, experience, and understanding of what needs to be done better for a tilt at the title next season, if our board can get the investment into the club to allow him the squad to challenge. However we must see MW do his plan A better than he has done so far this year. It seems he has gathered a group of players that would suit a different system, and I think we would all like to see him try something different (4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1) to try to create more chances in the box than our current system allows. Our opponents dont need to work too hard in training when we are the next opponents, our system and style is so transparant it is easy to work on. So give them something to think about, change the system and keep them guessing. We might just stumble on to something that works better for our group of players, and gives them their confidence back, and in turn perhaps give us our confidence back too.

[MacK1950 2,231]

Good post and points but numbers game should be fluid with players able to shift from one formation to another during a game,even if it means coded instruction from technical area.

Our goalkeeper contributes too much negativity with his continual desire to roll the ball out and perceived inability to connect to an outfield player via a quick throw or long kick.

In attack the desire to walk the ball into the net is apparent when you consider the shot ratio from outside box.

Substitutions have to be made in a better way instead of on the hour mark, in what always seems to be like for like.

Little thing but might be open for consideration.

[RANGERRAB 3,266]

Failing to bring in a quality striker during the summer is coming back to bite us big time

[chilledbear 16]

We have signed bit part players, ones who have been loaned out, have had injury problems and others who played in Englands lower Divisions. To me this is where the inconsistency comes from, the better players are more consistent, it's why Rangers and t'other lot have always/ usually won the League.

[der Berliner 3,257]

The players who let us down* are actually those who did quite well last season ... e.g. Kiernan, Waghorn, Tavernier, Wallace, and McKay. Add to that the lacking input of Kranjcar and Barton, for whatever reason, and you get a recipe for problems.

 

IMHO, now that we have more or less settled the defence, we should look to play the more eager players in midfield, Forrester, Windass, O'Halloran, Hodson and Dodoo. And regularly. For these chaps look like they really want to play, demand the ball and try to make things happen. Likewise, we need to get Rossiter fit to have a sub for Halliday, who sure won't last the season if he gets treated like he is.

 

*Every one of them to a different degree, but neither has hit the ground running this season and are still lacking ... re their own standards.

[ian1964 10,427]

The players who let us down* are actually those who did quite well last season ... e.g. Kiernan, Waghorn, Tavernier, Wallace, and McKay. Add to that the lacking input of Kranjcar and Barton, for whatever reason, and you get a recipe for problems.

 

IMHO, now that we have more or less settled the defence, we should look to play the more eager players in midfield, Forrester, Windass, O'Halloran, Hodson and Dodoo. And regularly. For these chaps look like they really want to play, demand the ball and try to make things happen. Likewise, we need to get Rossiter fit to have a sub for Halliday, who sure won't last the season if he gets treated like he is.

 

*Every one of them to a different degree, but neither has hit the ground running this season and are still lacking ... re their own standards.

 

I think Tavernier has stepped up and been one of our better performers this season so far!,only him and Miller have shown that,IMO.

[Bearman 9]

Mark Warburton's original signings were 'brilliant' of that there is no dispute (Kiernan?) , okay it was only the Championship, but it 'earned' him the title of 'Magic Hat'. Forrester and O'Halloran coming in the January window cemented things a little and everything was rosy.

 

General feeling amongst Bears is that the top half of the Championship clubs and the bottom half of SPFL sides are basically round about the same quality.

 

This seasons transfer window though has turned out to be a bit sour for MW for a lot of reasons, the most distasteful was Joey Barton obviously, no-one in their wildest imagination would have predicted a 'circus' of such magnitude.

His other captures like Rossiter & Crooks have been struck down by injury at some stage and hardly had any opportunity to excel/show why they were brought in the first place. News of Kranjcar getting crocked for the season 3 months into it just made things go from bad to worse.

 

Along with Barton his 'bad' signings so far appear to be Senderos Dodoo and Garner, it could be said that Dodoo has yet to be given a run in the side and in fairness to the player that might be the case. Hodson has been a good signing I think, from what I've seen of him, the blunder against St Johnstone is best forgotten.

 

Clint Hill? I'm not sure about him, I'm not a fan of his anyway, admittedly he's done very well recently...

 

The problem therefore is in his 'original' signings...In particular Waghorn, a revelation who scored a lot of goals for us in our promotion bid who was then this season struck down by an unfortunate injury which seems to have cost him all his ability in a matter of months?? Holt - another important player who also since his injury hasn't found any form resembling anything like last year yet either? Tavernier and Halliday and to an extent Foderingham have been pretty consistent carrying on from where they left off.

 

Which brings us to the guys who were here before Warbs arrived.

 

Wallace: I love his commitment and remember last season how he suddenly after years of trying found his true ability and deserved his POTY award...for some reason he isn't the same player now.

 

McKay: Last year we were accepting the 'fact' we would lose this player soon to the EPL, the fear was he would be sold below his market value...well, - our best player imo last season has bombed big time...hopefully soon we can all witness a resurgence back to what he's very capable of. Disappointed in him in particular this campaign as I thought he was easily the best young player Scotland had produced in years.

 

Miller: Without a doubt last year in the Championship was going to be his swansong, after 20 years in the game he was going out on a high, he would be a bit player in the SPFL this season and spend most of the time warming the bench and barking instructions from that area.

 

If we can sign ONE, just one player in the next window regardless of their preferred position with the application and desire of Kenny Miller, we'll be in a good place come May.

 

Oh...and, please don't swallow Barton's tweets where he thanks Rangers fans and all that. He doesn't really mean it - he's the biggest arsehole ever to wear a Rangers shirt.