match thread (image) [FT] Hamilton 1 - 4 Rangers (Kent 40; Tavernier 84 pen, 87 pen; Morelos 90+4)

[1972tango 0]

Another visit to the dentist game.  Do care how we win games but this season the away form is crazy! 

 

[craig 5,195]

5 hours ago, buster. said:

Words are cheap because they don't seem to have listened to themselves post the Livingston match.

Whilst that may be true I would suggest lack of self-awareness would be a bigger problem.

 

Poor performances dressed up as acceptable could be far more damaging than “just words”

[buster. 4,808]

6 hours ago, craig said:

Whilst that may be true I would suggest lack of self-awareness would be a bigger problem.

 

Poor performances dressed up as acceptable could be far more damaging than “just words”

"Poor performances dressed up as acceptable" would be just words aswell.

 

 

The bottomline here is learning lessons, getting the message through to the players and them doing the business on the park.

 

Self-awareness that isn't acted upon is about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

 

 

 

 

 

[JFK-1 1,669]

It's not perfect yet but there are surely more positives than negatives. Yesterday was the 21st competitive match of the Gerrard era with only 2 defeats in the 21 and only one of them what we might call unexpected.

 

And keep in mind the unexpected loss came against a side who are undefeated in their last 9 including a draw away to Hearts and a win over hubz. I still don't think we have peaked and will continue to get better.

[buster. 4,808]

A wee aside on some future opponents.

 

Just watched goals from St.M v Killie and Dundee v Liv.,....7 goals, 6 from set-pieces. 

[JFK-1 1,669]

9 minutes ago, buster. said:

A wee aside on some future opponents.

 

Just watched goals from St.M v Killie and Dundee v Liv.....7 goals, 6 from set-pieces. 

That's because they don't have the ability to do things like this. Two passes the first from inside our own half and seconds later it's in the net following a class finish.

 

 

[Gonzo79 13,587]

Killie, Dundee and Livi have all beaten us in the last year.

 

 

[der Berliner 3,239]

We probably have to strike a balance somewhere. "Unacceptable" is a badly utilized word more often than not. We have to see things as they are. SG builds a team that plays football on a higher level than before, not least against sides that want to play football. While elsewhere and not least in the EPL, teams want to perform and win games, in Scotland it is more like teams setting out not to get beaten, are well drilled in that and use a physical aspect of the game not seen that often and being supported by lenient or bad referees.*

 

SG like much of our MF has to adopt to that, and change tactics and personell on a nigh weekly basis. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. More often than not in the past, we failed in games like Sunday's ... and people just need to check the record books: all the great sides even during NIAR had problems along the way at grounds and against teams like these.

 

That's not meant as an excuse, just a call for objectivity here. Thursday will probably the polar opposite, as Spartak will sure come and prove a point and have the players to do so. We have a rather inexperienced squad, both in terms of wearing teams like Livingston and Hamilton down, as well as keeping multi-million pound players at bay.

 

Maybe it would also do well to stop keeping an eye at the league table or to diggest the constant droolings of Crocker and the like about us having the "worst start to a league season" in 20odd years. We are just about a quarter down the league season and are 2 points behind 2nd and a few more over a team punching above its weight right now and being an injury or two away from stumbling. But Killie and Livingston are ahead of us too!!! So what? Does anyone expect them to keep out grinding points with their tactics throughout the campaign? As I said, a bit of objectivity should remain despite the concerns over games like Livingston (who got one lucky scrap that was in fact wrongly given to them) and we should not lose sight of the main target. As long as SG spots the same errors and shares the same concerns, we are on the right track.

 

 

*BTW, methinks we hardly fielded our best (defensive) MF for two league games on the trott, not least away from home.

[buster. 4,808]

1 hour ago, JFK-1 said:

That's because they don't have the ability to do things like this. Two passes the first from inside our own half and seconds later it's in the net following a class finish.

 

The pass from Morelos is perfect and for me is as good as the finish.

 

Not forgetting the flicked pass from Ejaria to Morelos.

 

Three bits of quality.

[ian1964 10,409]