match thread (image) [FT] Rangers 3 (Morelos 6; Tavernier 50pen; Coulibaly 86) - 1 Maribor

[pete 2,499]

I am sure we all know the syndrome of the quick fix. You know something is not working right but you go for the cheap fix. Like your vacuum cleaner hose is ripped and you put tape around it to keep it going for another few months. I had the same thing for the last two years with my car. My rear door gas dampers were not working properly. I think I have sprayed a fortune on oil or silicone spray on them to try and get them to work lighter. It even got so bad recently that instead of retracting and extending they were jumping off the ball joint. Again the silicone spray came out. Works great for a few days and then it is back to the same slog of pushing the rear door up like a body builder lifting weights. Then a few weeks ago I had pushed the door up. The gas damper sprung off the ball joint and the rear door came crashing down onto my head. Only then did I decide it was time to replace the old dampers. On to Ebay and for twenty euros I ordered two new dampers and fitted them on within five minutes. Now I only have to open the door about three inches and the door opens itself up to the full open position. Now I am mad that I tortured myself for two years going for what I thought was the cheap mend.

 

That is the feeling I get when I think back on the last few years with Rangers. We have been fire fighting bringing in older worn down players like Alves and Graham Dorrans for very little pay back.. This wasn't even the cheapest options but certainly the wrong options. With Pedro Caixinha bringing in these players it was a bit like replacing the rear door of my car but keeping the old gas dampers. We obviously ordered the wrong parts and tried to make them fit. In signing Bruno Alves and Dorrans was a bit like going to the scrapyard and paying a fortune for old parts while the new younger parts came at probably a quarter of the price in wages.

I am not going to say that Connor Goldson or Nikola Katic will ever hit the heights in their careers as Bruno Alves has but just like my gas dampers there comes a time when even top quality parts have to be replaced.  Past success is no guarantee of future success springs to mind,

 

Hopefully that is also the cry when Rangers take on Maribor in the on coming week. Our last encounter with the Slovenians ended in tears for the Gers. Players such as Allan McGregor, Nikica Jelavic, Maurice Edu, Kyle Lafferty, Carlos Bocanegra and Steven Davis failed to get past them. They have also spent years in the Champions league so in no way is this going to be an easy game. Steven Gerrard has taken Rangers to a new level but will it be high enough to trouble the Slovenians? Back then we played the first leg away from home getting a valuable away goal in a 2-1 defeat. Unfortunately while we were pushing for a goal in the second leg at Ibrox Maribor managed to break on the 55^th minute and take the lead meaning we had to score twice to win. Twenty minutes later Carlos Bocanegra levelled the scoring giving the Gers time to snatch the winner but it was all to no avail. Despite Rangers peppering the goal and Kyle Lafferty having a header cleared off the line, Maribor held out to go through on a 3-2 aggregate.

 

Roll on seven years and again we have to face up to the Slovenians. Rangers have put out extremely difficult opponents in in the first two qualifying rounds FC Schkupi of Macedonia and the East Croatian NK Osijek. The reward for beating the Slovenians will be a place in the play-off stages of the Europa league and the riches that go with that.

 

Rangers seem to have completely changed strategy this season. In Steven Gerrard we have brought in a top quality young hungry manager and we are picking up younger players whose sell by date is far in the future. He has gone for young legs with skill, strength and speed. Gone are the days when Rangers can be bullied in the middle of the park. Even with ten men for most of the game against Aberdeen on Sunday we ruled the game. Unfortunately we lost a goal in the 94^th minute to give Aberdeen a draw that they celebrated as if they had won the European cup but Rangers must look at the positive of being a far better team than Aberdeen and also a far stronger team than the Rangers team of last season.

 

Maribor reached the play-off stages of the Champions league last season where they gained three points with draws against Seville Spartak Moscow and Liverpool. They drew with Seville at home and Spartak in both the home and away games, but took a 7-0 hammering from Liverpool so hopefully Steven Gerrard will know a lot about them and their weak points. On the home front they had a trophy-less season losing a play-off to their biggest rivals Olimpija in a head to head play-off after finishing equal on points. They will certainly be no push-overs but the prize of the group section of the Europa league must be a huge carrot to the Rangers players.

Hopefully we can cut out the common denominator of the last two games in losing late goals and get back to giving Alan McGregor a clean sheet that is so important in Europe. Hopefully the players and supporters will make Ibrox the old Fortress it used to be and we can gain a lead to head to Maribor with.

 

I think the team will be If Jack is still injured:

 

 

McGregor

Tavernier Goldson Katic Flanagin

Coulibaly

Murphy Candeias Arfield Kent

Morelos

 

C'mon the Gers.

 

[DMAA 3,603]

Contrary to what a few have said I think Maribor will be a noticeable step up in quality from Osijek and will pose a genuine threat. Skupi were terrible and Osijek were bang average whereas Maribor performed very well in the Champions League last season and have a strong track record in Europe. It's very exciting to see how we hold up against a European side with genuine pedigree. I think they will be playing for 0-0 and it could be a very frustrating game for us.

 

 

[Gonzo79 13,596]

1 hour ago, DMAA said:

Maribor performed very well in the Champions League last season

Liverpool beat them about 7-0 in Maribor.  However, I agree with your overall point.

[cooponthewing 1,139]

4 minutes ago, Gonzo79 said:

Liverpool beat them about 7-0 in Maribor.  However, I agree with your overall point.

I would take 0-0 but I reckon we could win 1/2-0.

[Whosthedado 1,487]

Clean sheet tomorrow night is vital for me. I think we'll  hopefully take a lead over there though

[Gaffer 1,665]

Great preview Pete.  Really enjoyed reading that.  Maybe Mark Allan can help you with your car too.

 

There's no doubt Maribor will be the toughest test we've faced, but what's different about this round is that we have nothing to lose.  We've banished the ghost of Progres last year, and let's face it, were not expected by anyone to get through this round.  The pressure is off, and I suspect this is the last time we'll have a no pressure game (or two).  I just hope we continue to build on the performances we've put in so far.  I'm enjoying the games again.  I'm not wincing every time we give the ball away, or every time a cross comes into our box.

 

I just hope we give a good account of ourselves, continue to build the momentum, and then get stuck into the league season.  If I'm honest, I'm now just desperate for the game against Celtic.  We blew Aberdeen away, so I'm now looking to see how much we've developed.

[Scott7 5,155]

“We blew Aberdeen away,”

 

Not like you to exaggerate, Gaffer. But I know what you mean.

[Gaffer 1,665]

1 hour ago, Scott7 said:

“We blew Aberdeen away,”

 

Not like you to exaggerate, Gaffer. But I know what you mean.

Did you not think so though?  I thought we dominated them for 89 minutes.  Had we kept Morelos on the pitch, that game was heading for a cricket score.  We all see things differently I suppose.

[Scott7 5,155]

As I said, I know what you mean.

 

I’ve seen better Rangers teams than this one dominate better teams than Aberdeen without managing to blow them away. If they had managed a couple of goals more I would have agreed.

[JFK-1 1,671]

I think it's fair to say that goals aside we did indeed blow them away with 10 men and missing our only recognised striker. I feel we would have netted at least 3 if they had let us keep 11 men on the pitch but again that wasn't going to happen. Red card, rescinded, again.

 

I don't see Steven Gerrard as the type to exaggerate just to falsely bum up his team. When he says we were a class above them even with 10 men he without any bias genuinely meant it and to me it was obvious for all to see we were.

 

And I think it has to be taken into consideration that aside from being down to 10 men and having no recognised main striker on the pitch we still haven't fielded what's likely to evolve into our first 11. We're going to continue getting better while they already are what they are going to be all season.