Match Thread [FT] PSV 5 - 1 Rangers (Tavernier 64)

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,483]

4 minutes ago, CammyF said:

Weirdly, if you can stomach it, Celtic fans are saying the exact same regarding the direction their team / manager is going.

 

I think a win for us on Sunday could be huge as they'll turn on Brenda and the players (as we will if we lose). 

Hopefully tonight will give a few a kick up the backside for Sunday. The scoreline was bad enough but from what I saw, there were quite a few players off the pace. 

Edited August 30, 2023 by BlackSocksRedTops

[ranger_syntax 3,779]

38 minutes ago, Gonzo79 said:

Sunday is the first day of the week, so the scum game isn't 'this week'.  

Maybe according to our masters it is. I'm not so sure.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Week

[Bill 13,717]

12 minutes ago, Gonzo79 said:

That's it.  Regardless of whether we get too negative or want to remain positive, the evidence is there for us - it's quite concerning.  We aren't playing particularly well, we are repeatedly making the same mistakes, we rarely hammer lesser teams, rarely win trophies and there's no real sign of improvement.

We are essentially the same side that Gerrard left. Some different players, form sometimes up, sometimes down, but the football is essentially the same and progress virtually non-existent.

 

For a manager who likes to talk so much, have you ever heard Beale say out loud where we're going as a team or what the football will look like when we get there. I sure hope it includes being able to retain possession of the ball for more that five seconds.

Edited August 30, 2023 by Bill

[weebluedevil 1,173]

7 minutes ago, Bill said:

The usual spectrum of reactions to another humiliation in Europe. Some wanting to trivialise the defeat and quickly move beyond it, some seeing the end of the world in every goal we lose. It was always thus and I suppose it just reflects the different ways people try to cope with disappointment.

 

What's perhaps less emotional is the realisation that after a raft of close season signings, a rake of pre-season friendlies and now several competitive games, we simply haven't brought any discernible change to the football we play or significantly addressed our long-standing weaknesses. If anyone knows where Beale is taking us or whether there's a cat's chance in hell of ever getting there, please lift my gloom by sharing it with me.

 

I appreciate PSV have a far bigger budget than us but I'm not sure I can even see any progress against the likes of Ross County or Livingston and any optimism I had about seeing off Celtic for the title is currently hanging by an uncertain thread. Something is far from right and nothing I'm seeing from players or manager suggests a season of different outcomes. We seem marooned in mediocrity.

Ach, I was just in the middle of typing a similar point, but you've saved me from posting it - your version is a little more concise anyway. 

 

All I would add is that Beale's recruitment hasn't lit the heather in fire, although I am thankful for Jack Butland (who may have saved us from a 10-1 spanking). I hear about Beale being backed in the transfer window. But a net zero investment suggests otherwise.  I think the board are short changing us to be frank. If they want CL riches, then invest in a team that can deliver that. We got lucky last year.  I don't hold out much hope for domestic trophies (edit: apart from the League Cup, thanks to Kilmarnock) and dare I say, if we fail to win that, Beale can take himself and his new buddies and go. 

 

 

[Bill 13,717]

6 minutes ago, CammyF said:

Weirdly, if you can stomach it, Celtic fans are saying the exact same regarding the direction their team / manager is going.

 

I think a win for us on Sunday could be huge as they'll turn on Brenda and the players (as we will if we lose). 

They should be concerned, given they have gone backwards over the summer, but that doesn't reduce the concerns we should be harbouring towards the direction of our own club.

[CammyF 6,807]

1 minute ago, Bill said:

They should be concerned, given they have gone backwards over the summer, but that doesn't reduce the concerns we should be harbouring towards the direction of our own club.

Didn't say it should. What I'm saying is a win on Sunday which isn't outwith the realms of possibility could be crucial in the direction of the season.

 

 

[ranger_syntax 3,779]

2 minutes ago, weebluedevil said:

All I would add is that Beale's recruitment hasn't lit the heather in fire, although I am thankful for Jack Butland

Isn't it funny that almost nobody criticised these players when we were signing them.

[Sutton_blows_goats 4,238]

9 minutes ago, ranger_syntax said:

You excited?

I’ll be completely honest here. No. Not in the slightest. If we get the likes of Liverpool \ Ajax \ Villareal \ Bayer Leverkusen in pot 1 again after just playing PSV. Or in pot 2 Slavia Prague, Servette are in pot 4. it demonstrates that European football is emulating domestic with monotony. Hopefully a fresh draw with some new faces.

[Sutton_blows_goats 4,238]

Just now, ranger_syntax said:

Isn't it funny that almost nobody criticised these players when we were signing them.

You can but it’s frowned upon.

[Bill 13,717]

1 minute ago, CammyF said:

Didn't say it should. What I'm saying is a win on Sunday which isn't outwith the realms of possibility could be crucial in the direction of the season.

I wish I could believe that but here in the land of false dawns I think we all know it won't.