[FT] Ross County 1 - 3 Rangers (Morelos 31, 41; Herrera 89)

[Darthter 542]

I'll say it again....

 

If ANY player is unable to complete 90mins of football due to poor fitness, then they should not be at the club - regardless of who that may be.

[Frankie 8,185]

I think you need to be a bit fairer than that Pete.

 

Last season Niko started off unfit but just before he obtained his horrible knee injury in October of last year he was starting to play pretty well in the deeper 'Quarter-Back' role Pedro talks about. There's no doubt he lacked match sharpness and it took him 3 or 4 months to get up to speed but there's also no doubt he was improving and becoming an important player in terms of creativity - especially from what I remember when teams played with a high press.

 

Like may others when he suffered the knee injury, I thought his career was basically over. Yet, the lad has worked incredibly hard to get back fit - even I believe taking his own personal trainer on holiday to try and improve his condition over the close season. That's not the attitude of someone looking to merely pick up a wage.

 

Moving onto this season, I agree Niko still doesn't look completely fit and, IMO, until he does he can't play in the left-sided role as that's very demanding physically. However, as much as he has lost any pace he had (I don't think he ever did), and struggled the other day and particularly against Hearts, he still worked hard enough during the game so it's difficult to fault his effort. In that sense, I'd criticise the manager over the player for not withdrawing him earlier on Sunday.

 

In general, I'm inclined to prefer to choose other players over Niko but I do feel, as he showed before the knee injury last year, he can contribute now and again in tighter games - most likely as a sub. I'm also comfortable enough with his attitude and whilst we've perhaps not obtained value for money because of injury, the player's productivity has been acceptable enough.

[Frankie 8,185]

I'll say it again....

 

If ANY player is unable to complete 90mins of football due to poor fitness, then they should not be at the club - regardless of who that may be.

 

As a general rule, I think that's fine but there can be reasons for players taking a bit of time to find that level.

 

Kranjcar is one example: he's a wee bit older and has suffered from a few bad injuries in his career - the last one being within the last 12 months so he wasn't training fully until late May IIRC. In that sense, as much as his general fitness should now be improving it's understandable that he might still be breathing out of his arse after 60mins of an end-to-end SPFL match.

 

Windass is another: he's a bit younger and his Rangers career has also been a bit stop-start in terms of injury. Just as he seems to finding form and fitness he gets injured. As such, again, one can appreciate why his match fitness may be less than impressive.

 

Now, I'm not making excuses here. I expect young sporting professionals (even 33 is fairly young) who are paid thousands of pounds a week to be fit, healthy and putting their career before everything else (such as social life and diet). That's strict and perhaps unfair but if one can't do it, another will and that's the attitude you need to be a winner. However, not everything can be as black and white as we may think.

[Davie P 4]

Moving onto this season, I agree Niko still doesn't look completely fit and, IMO, until he does he can't play in the left-sided role as that's very demanding physically. However, as much as he has lost any pace he had (I don't think he ever did), and struggled the other day and particularly against Hearts, he still worked hard enough during the game so it's difficult to fault his effort. In that sense, I'd criticise the manager over the player for not withdrawing him earlier on Sunday.

 

And therein lies the rub! If Niko is being expected to bolt up and down the left touchline, he is never going to produce those moments of class, because he is blowing out of his backside after a sprint. Personally, I just don't see how he fits into Pedro's game plan, which appears to be a high press. If you are playing Niko centrally, then you would need to play the two work horses (Jack and Rossiter) to compensate for his lack of movement and probably play counter attack football. Possibly go 4 - 3 - 3 and press from the strikers? That would mean sacrificing Dorrans and Pena, which seems unlikely. Perhaps Dorrans for Rossiter, but I think that Dorrans has far more to his game than just being Niko's minder.

 

I always admired Niko in his younger days for the moments of class, but I am just not sure that the Scottish game (or the Rangers set-up) is geared to get the best out of him.

[Frankie 8,185]

Moving onto this season, I agree Niko still doesn't look completely fit and, IMO, until he does he can't play in the left-sided role as that's very demanding physically. However, as much as he has lost any pace he had (I don't think he ever did), and struggled the other day and particularly against Hearts, he still worked hard enough during the game so it's difficult to fault his effort. In that sense, I'd criticise the manager over the player for not withdrawing him earlier on Sunday.

 

And therein lies the rub! If Niko is being expected to bolt up and down the left touchline, he is never going to produce those moments of class, because he is blowing out of his backside after a sprint. Personally, I just don't see how he fits into Pedro's game plan, which appears to be a high press. If you are playing Niko centrally, then you would need to play the two work horses (Jack and Rossiter) to compensate for his lack of movement and probably play counter attack football. Possibly go 4 - 3 - 3 and press from the strikers? That would mean sacrificing Dorrans and Pena, which seems unlikely. Perhaps Dorrans for Rossiter, but I think that Dorrans has far more to his game than just being Niko's minder.

 

I always admired Niko in his younger days for the moments of class, but I am just not sure that the Scottish game (or the Rangers set-up) is geared to get the best out of him.

 

Agreed. FWIW, I doubt Niko is ever likely to be first choice this season but on Sunday the manager felt he could trust him to give a shift at left midfield over the equally unfit Pena. Niko did OK in that sense and the manager was to blame for not hooking him earlier.

 

Going forward I can't see Niko playing ahead of guys like Pena and Dorrans who have to be considered our best options in a central creative sense. However, as a sub, Kranjcar may still be useful in the latter periods of some games.

[cooponthewing 1,139]

Agreed. FWIW, I doubt Niko is ever likely to be first choice this season but on Sunday the manager felt he could trust him to give a shift at left midfield over the equally unfit Pena. Niko did OK in that sense and the manager was to blame for not hooking him earlier.

 

Going forward I can't see Niko playing ahead of guys like Pena and Dorrans who have to be considered our best options in a central creative sense. However, as a sub, Kranjcar may still be useful in the latter periods of some games.

 

I agree with Pete on this. Niko showed some great skill in game v Marseille due to it being a friendly and the pace of the game. I have seen nothing from him since as he has been embarrassingly slow. I appreciate everyone wants him to play well, and that he has always been slow.

 

However I doubt he has been this slow and this league is much faster. His legs have gone, surely that is not up for debate? If some are saying Miller is a wasted shirt then Niko is coming into the same bracket. As with the best will in the world he can't produce the fitness required. His last injury would have been difficult to recover from if he were super fit. Imo he is still unfit (not for the want of trying I'm sure) and his legs have gone.

 

We would be better off using his wages in a more productive manner. I'm not on here to slaughter the guy. I just happen to agree that he is done.

Edited August 29, 2017 by cooponthewing

[Frankie 8,185]

I'm not disagreeing with the point he's no longer good enough as you can see via my ratings for Kranjcar so far this season. However I am disagreeing with the suggestion he's a wage thief. That's not the case.

[theboyharley 5]

Niko has a part to play this season but it's probably from the bench. He'll get fitter but I still don't think he'll get to a fitness level where he can be a major player for us. Even last year he wasn't fit after 3 months. We simply can't rely on a guy who's not fit to get us where we need to be.

 

I think the international break is better for us than most teams. Not many out playing so the squad will be together and bonding for another 2 weeks before Dundee. With hopefully a couple more additions

 

 

 

[craig 5,199]

I think you need to be a bit fairer than that Pete.

 

Last season Niko started off unfit but just before he obtained his horrible knee injury in October of last year he was starting to play pretty well in the deeper 'Quarter-Back' role Pedro talks about. There's no doubt he lacked match sharpness and it took him 3 or 4 months to get up to speed but there's also no doubt he was improving and becoming an important player in terms of creativity - especially from what I remember when teams played with a high press.

 

Like may others when he suffered the knee injury, I thought his career was basically over. Yet, the lad has worked incredibly hard to get back fit - even I believe taking his own personal trainer on holiday to try and improve his condition over the close season. That's not the attitude of someone looking to merely pick up a wage.

 

Moving onto this season, I agree Niko still doesn't look completely fit and, IMO, until he does he can't play in the left-sided role as that's very demanding physically. However, as much as he has lost any pace he had (I don't think he ever did), and struggled the other day and particularly against Hearts, he still worked hard enough during the game so it's difficult to fault his effort. In that sense, I'd criticise the manager over the player for not withdrawing him earlier on Sunday.

 

In general, I'm inclined to prefer to choose other players over Niko but I do feel, as he showed before the knee injury last year, he can contribute now and again in tighter games - most likely as a sub. I'm also comfortable enough with his attitude and whilst we've perhaps not obtained value for money because of injury, the player's productivity has been acceptable enough.

 

Unfortunately some will become completely entrenched in their view and ignore some of the facts that stare them in the face.

 

On top of everything you say, we seem to also be conveniently ignoring that Sunday was his first start in 10 months - and we all know that match fitness is very different from general fitness.

 

Taking that injury at his age would be enough for most to simply call it a day. But Niko showed his desire by taking his personal trainer on holiday and working a full pre-season. He needs game time to get his match fitness and sharpness back.

 

I find it sad that some want to simply pile onto him. He's one of us and I think he deserves a little more respect than he is getting from some.

[craig 5,199]

Agreed. FWIW, I doubt Niko is ever likely to be first choice this season but on Sunday the manager felt he could trust him to give a shift at left midfield over the equally unfit Pena. Niko did OK in that sense and the manager was to blame for not hooking him earlier.

 

Going forward I can't see Niko playing ahead of guys like Pena and Dorrans who have to be considered our best options in a central creative sense. However, as a sub, Kranjcar may still be useful in the latter periods of some games.

 

If Pena cant last 90 minutes either then one would think that in order to maintain shape and formation that Pena would play 60 minutes and Niko 30, or vice versa. If EITHER of them start. I like Jack and Dorrans was one of our marquee players so I cant see him being dropped - but neither of them are the creative force we need. I guess Candeias is currently that person, another who I think has done very well thus far.

 

The only way I see Niko fitting in is if we were to revert back to 4-2-3-1 with Dorrans and Jack playing the "2" and Niko being the central point of the "3" - but we have done fairly well in terms of performance with a 4-4-2 - the only thing we really need in the 4-4-2 is a left sided midfielder and for Pedro to see that Miller isn't giving us what we need any longer up front.

 

If we could get a left winger and then put Herrera in alongside Morelos, I think we would look far stronger. Back 5 picks itself, Dorrans, Jack & Candeias pick themselves as does Morelos. We do then lack a bit of strength in depth.