It's a long road ahead.....

[Jama88 0]

..After watching last night. Most of this team simply does not have the mental strength or consistency to cope with the demand of being a Rangers player. They have shown this from the tail end of last season after stuttering over the line for the Championship, in fact it was immediately after winning at Hampden in the Semi-Final.

 

Right after that game I think the team had the feeling of, "OK we have peaked, we have beaten them, we are the top dogs". It was like they lulled themselves into a false sense of security and week on week afterwards we came to earth with a mighty bump.

 

Come the Premiership season, our signings have been mostly disappointing (this includes our new cult hero), we see glimpses of a good team in games but again that false sense of security kicks in and next week we crash back to earth again, which is what last night was after getting 2 great results against Hearts and Aberdeen, it could easily have been ICT last week.

 

Until this mindset is wiped out we will simply never be in a position to go for the title. This can be done by the current players realising their overconfidence and then lack of, or bringing in players who can withstand the expectations of playing for Rangers.

 

Mark Warburton needs to take some blame for this as well, I know he dodges any issues or negativity with the press, I think he does this simply because it's none of their business, it should be kept within the club, which is fine. I just hope this is the case and within the club, it is being dealt with appropriately and he isn't molly coddling the players like he seems to do with the press, they need to toughen up, simple as that. The footballing ability is there, we have all seen it at some point this season. We now need consistency and mental strength to finish it off, It's a long road ahead, some of us will already know this, but I don't see the light at the end of it just yet....

[RANGERRAB 3,305]

I also think the expectation level was too high at the start of this season.

 

Bringing in 11 new players for the top division was always going to be difficult. There's no way on this earth they were all going to be successful. In fact I'd say only Hill and Gilks have proved themselves beyond any doubt with Hodson and maybe Dodoo getting pass marks so far. The rest have struggled for one reason or another thro' injuries, loss of form, or being unable to make the step up.

 

Moving these players out & replacing them with better quality will be the next big challenge for MW & DW

Edited December 29, 2016 by RANGERRAB

[Jama88 0]

The expectation level maybe was high from a fans perspective, they got on the teams case too easily, but the games we aren't winning, we really should be regardless of whether those expectations were in place or not.

 

Hill and Gilks, 2 guys who have played Premiership football, I believe they have lived that expectancy and thrived off it, also long in the tooth as well. You'd hope these guys pass on that to the younger lads but they can only do so much, same with Kenny Miller.

 

Dodoo has had one good game, a memorable one at that and Hodson looks decent, better defensive option to Tav, but in all honesty, he wouldn't be my pick to plough into Europe and challenge for the title with. Seriously needs to be looked at.

[theboyharley 5]

We lack a bit of steel all over the park. I think a lot thought that Barton would be the guy who bring this but it often feels like its fairly easy to bully this Rangers team. The second it looks like a game is turning into a battle you get guys going missing all over the park. Barrie McKay can go on to the top level but he backs out of challenges and when it gets to being a battle he needs to stand up and say, give me the ball. I also have reservations about Wallace being captain on the park, off the park hes terrific and everything a rangers captain should be, but too often on the park when things go against us, he's silent. I'm not a massive Scott Brown fan as a technical player but he's got a bit of dig and can raise the game of his teammates, I don't think we get that with Wallace. The manager talks too often about it being a nice environment for the players to turn up and work in but if results and performances don't go the way that is expected at Glasgow Rangers then I couldn't care less if they enjoyed turning up to work as long as they were working as hard as they could!

 

Signings haven't been great. We've been unlucky and Celtic have been pretty lucky in theirs albeit its easier with double the budget. January should be used to increase quality, we've enough about us just now to get European football and new faces should only be brought in if they are coming in as starters.

[boabie 230]

I'm not a massive Scott Brown fan as a technical player but he's got a bit of dig and can raise the game of his teammates, I don't think we get that with Wallace.

 

Brown gets away with how he plays because he plays in Scotland and referees allow him away with murder. Look at how he plays in European or even Scotland matches to prove that point.

As for Wallace - Brown couldn't lace his boots.

[trublusince1982 243]

the problem is the plan has no cohesion and has not been defined or shared with the fans. Aims are not a plan.

The recruitment doesn't match the formation nor the demands of playing for Rangers. Until we actively plan and recruit players with the correct mentality nothing will get better. Any player we sign irrespective of standard must thrive under pressure. Our squad barely has three players that fit that mould. They can have all the ability in the world but without a strong mentality that responds under extreme pressure then they will never flourish at Ibrox.

 

MW was brought in to plan our football operations and cement foundations that can see us into the future. Not one single iota of that plan has been shared. personally don't even think there is a clear and precise plan that all parts of the club are working towards its more the manager just got the basics of what he needs and that s it. Its near silence on all issues bar the usual press release full of non comments.

Edited December 29, 2016 by trublusince1982