Dundee 2 Rangers 1 post match discussion

[pete 2,499]

Watching the TV last night I watched a Boeing 747 Cargo plane take off from Bagdad airport with four crew members on board. Unknown to them a terrorist group had gathered with a few French Journalists and they were going to let the world know that they now had ground to air missiles. No airplanes in Iraq were going to be safe anymore. Taking aim at the airplane thousands of feet above them they released a rocket. The Rocket raced into the sky and ripped into the wing of the airplane. The pilots felt a jolt but had no idea what had hit them. The wing had burst into flames and was slowly being chewed away by the fire . Managing to turn back towards the airport all of a sudden all the hydraulic systems failed knocking out all the steering systems. The only possibility left was to use the engines to directly steer the plane. This was a method that pilots had tried before but no other plane had successfully managed to get safely back to the ground. The plane had become erratic. Diving downwards until its own speed pulled the nose up and then it started to climb. By climbing the plane lost speed and then started to dive again until it again gained speed to push up the nose again and the plane started to climb. The pilots had then gained some composure and started playing with the throttles to see if they could get the plane flying less erratically. They found that at certain motor speeds they could get some control over the plane. They were able to control the plane reasonably but they regularly had atmospheric dips which caused the plane to dive.

 

This is where I started to think on the Rangers story. A group of, dare I say terrorists, waiting to shoot our great club down. Then a period when we became rudderless with the old board getting us to climb a little before nosediving us nearer the ground. Then pulling us up a little with a dubious loan and then nosediving us nearer to the ground. Then the good pilots in the form of the new board stepped in to get us cruising on a good course. The performance of the team is acting just as erratic as that Boeing 747. We win two games and then hit a dip. Win two games and then hit a dip again. It is now more than a year since we won three games in a row. On Saturday we had Hamilton at Ibrox, A team that had not beaten us at Ibrox for 90 years. Perfect conditions you would think to get us flying to that third victory. Nope! Hamilton threw up enough turbulence to get us nosediving once again. We can blame the manager and he should accept some of the blame but he is the third manager who can't steer this team to that third win.

 

On Friday evening we enter a new three match cycle which could be one of the most important of the season. We travel to Dens park to take on Neil McCann's Dundee and that is followed by a home and away double header against Aberdeen. What a time to hit that three game win target. To get to three though we have to win the first game. I hope the players have there seat belts fastened and are ready for take-off

 

Rumours were circling around about dressing room unrest with Bruno Alves supposedly refusing to be a substitute. This was later retracted by the Sun. Another sign that they are willing to push out any fake news to fill their paper. Murty said that last week Alves was carrying a back injury and it will be a day by day decision whether he is fit or not to play at Dens Park. It will though be interesting to see this week who his chosen defenders will be. Ross McCrorie and Danny Wilson have been wearing the Jerseys but with Bruno Alves and Fabio Cardoso possibly both fit again our temporary manager has to make a huge call which central defenders will be in his starting eleven. I would think that once bitten twice shy will be applied and if fit he will go with Alves and Cardoso. With Declan John only being sick last week I fully expect him to replace Lee Hodson and join James Tavernier in the full-back positions.

 

The midfield also throws up problems for Murty. While playing some nice football in the first half Ryan Jack and Jason Holt were ripped apart by the Hamilton midfield in the second half. Does Murty stick or twist with this partnership or will the mysteriously invisible Pena make a re-appearance? Murty has not named him in the injured players list so if he is not at least on the bench then I think we can assume all is not well on that front. He could of course drop Kenny Millar or the now you see him, now you don't, Josh Windass. Millar seems to be able to dictate himself where and when he plays so really as Dorrans is still injured I expect to see more of the same for the rest of the team.

 

I really feel sorry for young Morelos as he missed two glaring chances on Saturday when it was almost easier to score. He really needs a goal to get his confidence back. Every striker goes through a phase like he is going through but his other play is excellent, so he can still walk with his head held high. He does need to score soon though for his own good and also for the good of the team. It is also possible to go with Herrera or even Ryan Hardie in a 4-4-2 system. That would also take some of the pressure off of Morelos and it would also mean when Morelos does drop deep he has a player in the box to pass to.

 

One other worrying point is our inability to play in the second half. Is it a fitness thing or a mental block? Michael O'Halloran did state that Pedro Caixinha's training sessions were totally not taxing. Many put it down to sour grapes but our second-half performances seem to suggest that there may be an element of truth in his statement.

 

I fully expect Alves and Cardoso to return to the team although I will not be unhappy to see young McCrorie in there. Declan John will return but apart from that I can see Murty going with the same players for the game.

 

Meanwhile in the Background the Board are trying to find a new pilot for the first team to fly us up to the heights of success that Rangers should be reaching. Speculation is rife with new and old names appearing every day. The board need to make a decision soon as they are starting to look rudderless and every day that passes they are dropping in altitude in the eyes of the fans.

 

The pilots of the Boeing747 managed above all odds to land the plane back at Bagdad Airport although they came off the runway and ended up on a barren piece of ground just short of the airport perimeter. Climbing out of the plane they were shouted at by the airport fire brigade to stand still until help came as they had landed in a minefield left by Iraqi soldiers.

Lets hope our board pick their new manager wisely and he gets us flying high climbing the league. The last thing we want is the board and club walking into another managerial minefield.

 

I think the team will be:

 

Foderingham

 

Tavernier Cardoso Alves John

 

Candeias Holt Jack Windass

 

Morelos Miller

 

We are entering a crucial part of the season. Normally I would say lets take one game at a time and that remains so but wins in the next three games could lay a great foundation for the new manager,whoever he is.

Edited November 24, 2017 by pete

[cooponthewing 1,139]

Good read Pete and I wondered where it was going begin with? I thought it was the new Airplane script......lol.

 

I hope Morelos gets back on the scoresheet soon. He gets in the right places and he can find the net (as we saw at the beginning of the season).

[Rousseau 9,399]

Another wee dig at Pedro...

 

Good read, though... apart from that sentence.

[pete 2,499]

Another wee dig at Pedro...

 

Good read, though... apart from that sentence.

 

Wasn't really meant to be honest it really was trying to work out why we can't play for 90 minutes. McCoist had the same problem but that was more to do with the rush to get to the golf course. I don't think Pedro played golf.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

Weve scored a dozen goals in the last 20 minutes of league games.

 

Im not sure its fitness.

 

 

[colinstein 294]

we need pena up front with Morleos

and Alves at the back

[der Berliner 3,263]

The preview on Dundee's homepage. As per usual, neutral and factual ...

 

Rangers – Preview

November 21, 2017 / Football

Dundee host Rangers on Friday in the Ladbrokes Premiership and here we round up everything you need to know ahead of the match.

 

http://dundeefc.co.uk/news/rangers-preview-3/

[pete 2,499]

Good read Pete and I wondered where it was going begin with? I thought it was the new Airplane script......lol.

 

I hope Morelos gets back on the scoresheet soon. He gets in the right places and he can find the net (as we saw at the beginning of the season).

 

I agree the beginning was a bit long. The thing is though it was my real thoughts as I was watching the programme.

[Frankie 8,157]

I'd like to see a change of system with Herrara brought in for Miller and a proper 4-4-2 used. Dens Park is quite a tight pitch so there's not much worth in having too much width so perhaps a narrower formation will suit us better.

 

I'll get the preview up tomorrow am, Pete - many thanks!

 

PS: I'm at a friend's birthday party tomorrow night so unlikely to see much of the game. Last time this happened, ICT pumped us 1-0 under Murty. Make of that what you will!

Edited November 23, 2017 by Frankie

[der Berliner 3,263]

Must have seen a different Accies game, but for some it seems the result overshadows the actual play. It was a similar daylight-robbery as the game when Accies cult-hero Adrian Sprott put us out of the cup ages ago, or Ian Black stole the points for ICT. These things do happen in football, all over the place, yet it seems rather vogue that in this gloomy age that they need to be higlighted much more than necessary. That it happens too often when we are concerned is an amalgamation of various facts, yet, even in these frustrating times, one should keep an eye open for what actually happens on the pitch.

 

As I said at the start of "his reign", after Hearts Murty had a number of winable games on his hand. He managed to get past two and was unlucky with the last one. You do, as always, make your own luck though and when things on the field of play don't work, you have to take responsibility and change it. On Saturday, Murty did not. We will see whether he shows the guts and does not stay "Mr. Predictable". And I'm not speaking about Alves, Cardoso and Co., but how he lines his team up and how he changes the attacking options. Despite his goals and assisting work, Morelos needs a second striker next to him (and I assume Murty will chose Hardie over Herrera, given the gaffer's pedigree). For all their workrate, Windass and Miller have returned to their "toothless" routine (and Miller will now sure score a couple tomorrow, no doubt) and are all over the place, but not in the area. That this hasn't been adressed over the season remains one of the most frustrating factors, as we create enough chances, but fail to take them.

 

So will Murty go 4-4-2 or even 3-5-2, for a change? Dundee will sure try and test their waters early on, but should they indeed rely on the usual park-the-bus tactics that teams do so effective against us, we sure need the invention of Kranjcar in the middle, and later on the power of Pena. And no matter what, Herrera should start alongside Morelos, or indeed next to him and Candeias in a three-man attack line.