Where are we at?

[Gribz 743]

I kind of want to still remind some that we are still on the recovery path and I always said it will take 2-3 seasons to win the title again.

 

Whats probably disappointing more than anything is the Hibs and Hearts results - they both were 2nd tier sides recently.

 

I dont compare us to Celtic in the 90s but it did take them a few years to catch up - things are very different now but we should honestly be aiming for consistent progression (hate that word now) and I think the first have yesterday showed improvement from last seasons shockers.

 

The league table isnt exactly looking good, in fact we need to go on a winning run. Considering budgets and our size we need to win our next 3 games.

[Gonzo79 13,666]

We won't go on a winning run, as past results have shown.

 

I like Pedro and would like him to succeed but there is no evidence to suggest he will. Celtic were comfortable winners yesterday, they were all over us for the last 15 minutes and that is totally unacceptable.

 

Plenty of weaker sides have given stronger sides a much harder time than we gave the scum yesterday.

Things need to change.

Edited September 24, 2017 by Gonzo79

[Rousseau 9,382]

"Where are we at"? I'm sorry, I just can't take that question seriously, grammatically.

 

I agree, we do need a run of good results. Hearts was a poor one, but the Hibs one was almost outwith our control. The only result I've been particularly annoyed with -- outwith the Hearts game -- was the Partick result: we had it, comfortably, but let is slip away. Generally our performances have been good, but results not so much.

 

The table is always strange at this stage of the season; I don't take too much notice. Second place is the target.

Edited September 24, 2017 by Rousseau

[the gunslinger 3,366]

We need to be winning 5 out our next 6 really. Certainly something similar.

 

We are better. We score more. We attack better. We have better pace and work better in spells. Better players but we need to gel and fast and to make that count.

 

There are obvious faults with us as well better covered by others. Results and defending being 2. Playing for the full 90 is a big one too.

 

 

[Bill 13,717]

There are no end of ways the team could be strengthened but I believe the most glaring deficit at the moment is desire, hunger, character, belief, fortitude ... call it what you will. We go two up against Thistle and they're showboating. But whenever we lose a goal, especially the first goal, we seem to melt and panic. What that usually adds up to is an issue of leadership, whichever side of the white line you're on. Mostly, I think it's about focussing on the character of players when recruiting, something that served Walter Smith particularly well on the whole.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

There are no end of ways the team could be strengthened but I believe the most glaring deficit at the moment is desire, hunger, character, belief, fortitude ... call it what you will. We go two up against Thistle and they're showboating. But whenever we lose a goal, especially the first goal, we seem to melt and panic. What that usually adds up to is an issue of leadership, whichever side of the white line you're on. Mostly, I think it's about focussing on the character of players when recruiting, something that served Walter Smith particularly well on the whole.

We have long been too fragile mentally. I think the fans have a part in that but it needs sorting. Edited September 24, 2017 by the gunslinger

[der Berliner 3,250]

We won't go on a winning run, as past results have shown.

 

Since you know that, care to hand me the lottery numbers too?

 

I like Pedro and would like him to succeed but there is no evidence to suggest he will. Celtic were comfortable winners yesterday, they were all over us for the last 15 minutes and that is totally unacceptable.

 

Plenty of weaker sides have given stronger sides a much harder time than we gave the scum yesterday.

Things need to change.

 

"Weaker sides" park the bus against the Yahoos, which they have done against us too. The Yahoos have the better players and usually come away with a point or more still. We, much like them, are succeptible to those bus-parkers' counter attacks. Yesterday we tried to play football with them, which not too many teams did this season. Once we start giving them problems in their own half, they will probably not play as dominant as they did in the second half.

[Gonzo79 13,666]

Der Berliner, you're a reasonable and sensible poster but I think your optimism is misplaced. Just an opinion.

 

And I wish I had next week's lottery numbers.

[26th of foot 5,838]

Where are we at?

 

Let's break it down into component parts.

 

I'll begin with recruitment. Whether you accept Brendan's figure of £8 million spent in the summer, or BBC Scotland's preferred £11 million. Comparatively, in our league, it was serious money.

 

Morelos - success.

Alves - have we received the player we thought we were getting?

Cardoso - struggling with the Scottish game.

Herrera - appears to be a player that must play every minute of every game to remain match fit and sharp.

Pena - 12 weeks at the club and still does not look fit, his mobility(or lack of it) is worrying.

Dalcio - a phantom figure.

Jack - steady.

Dorrans - looks a player, pulls the ball down/takes it in; all in one touch, heads up, moves it on quickly. Question, are we playing him out of position?

Candeias - intermittent.

 

The attached comments to each player are my opinions so far. My collective thought on recruitment over the summer is not good enough, so far. I offer it to other Gersnetters to provide further critique on other components of where we are at?

[der Berliner 3,250]

Der Berliner, you're a reasonable and sensible poster but I think your optimism is misplaced. Just an opinion.

 

And I wish I had next week's lottery numbers.

 

I'm just of the glass-half-full variety. I'm not full of optimism either. What I would hope for though is a level-headed approach of what is possible in the here and now (i.e. this season), and what are reasonable expectations. What I dispair at are people that are at it after any sort of "things not going the Rangers way". My expectations for this seasons are one or two cups and 2nd place. All of those are achievable, not least as of now. I neither subscribe to the idea that we need to see "improvements" (which is a rather loose term and subject to all sorts of definitions) on a weekly basis, or indeed monthly. For the simple reason that we play different teams with different personell (as opposed to the Scum) each week. Our new guys have to find their feet and need to click. We are getting there, and games against the Yahoos are a, but not the defining benchmark. This season.

 

Likewise, people an scan the record books and will find that previous teams, with all superstars involved, also found it difficult to get going and we hardly ever stormed away with the league after 7 league games or the like. The season is a marathon and our quality will hopefully shine through near the end. Which we should (and I try to) keep in mind before we analyze every game to death on a weekly basis.