Popular Post yuddie 1,163 Posted May 17 Popular Post Share Posted May 17 We're coming to the end of the season and as night follows day, the youngsters are being brought in for some game time in dead rubbers. Yet this season we've seen an academy graduate contribute, start in a cup final and looking like he might get another. Ross McCausland has had his critics this season, rightly or wrongly, but could this be the start of a new era under Clement for Rangers and our academy? I was reminded of the John Henry quote in Moneyball I know you've taken it in the teeth out there, but the first guy through the wall. It always gets bloody, always. Ross could be the first of a wave of academy graduates under this manager and board, if his comments in press conferences are to be believed. If he is then it will get easier for each passing graduate as the fans get more accustomed and more patient with the development process required. He could almost be the patron Saint of the B team - not quite fed to the lions, but as quoted above, he took it in the teeth. What are your thoughts? Just some general musings. I'll include some stats of his this season to try and give some analytical context to his first season in senior football: 1858 mins this season (20.6 90's) 8 G/A 0.38 G/A per 90 2.31 chances created per 90 Some league percentiles: 92nd for Assists p90 (0.25) 93rd for expected Assists p90 (0.29) 96th for Key Passes p90 (2.31) 93rd for Dribbles p90 (3.38) 90th for Dribble Success (1.50) I make no apologies for having the lads back and firmly believe he could develop into a player we can rely on in rotation - we don't need him to be a future Balon D'or Winner. What do you think, is he taking flak for potentially being the start of a movement within the club? Hopefully the numbers are right, I've tried my best haha. Cheers. 8 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,200 Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 I think McCausland has done very well actually. Yes, he's limited in some ways: he's not that fast, he doesn't have a huge of amount of tricks and his final ball needs a lot of improvement. However, what he does have is confidence to take the ball, isn't afraid to try and beat his man and is unpredictable in terms of style and direction. He also works very hard defensively but, as we seen the other night, he does need to work on anticipating opposition play as he can react too late. When he first broke into the team, I was far from convinced but we played some of our better football in the season before he got injured and fell out of favour. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rousseau 9,647 Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 23 minutes ago, yuddie said: I [...] firmly believe he could develop into a player we can rely on in rotation - we don't need him to be a future Balon d'Or Winner. This annoys me. Too many fans demand our youngsters to be top, first-team stars straight away or they want them punted. As long as they can contribute to the team, then they're useful. If he can work on his weaknesses and improve his numbers to 10-20 G+A next season then that's fantastic. He's only just turned 21. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo79 13,961 Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 I've heard a few fellow Bears criticise McCausland recently but I think it's unfair. He always tries to get forward and get into the box, both of which we need more of. Yes, there's plenty of room for improvement and he's not great at tracking back but I think he can be a worthwhile player next season and further on. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CammyF 7,045 Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 McCausland has been fine this season and think we missed him after he got injured against Motherwell. He sometimes takes the wrong option, but that can be said about many players and hopefully that will improve with experience. I hope we buy decent wide players in the summer (if we can't get Cortes and Sima back) but McCausland is a great option to have in reserve. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uilleam 5,568 Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 Is he better than Cadeias? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo79 13,961 Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 13 minutes ago, Uilleam said: Is he better than Cadeias? They're different, as Candeias preferred to cross it but McCausland tends to want to take the ball inside himself. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
compo 6,324 Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 Good young player never stops trying cant say that for some of them and he is only 21 a bright future ahead and lets hope its at Ibrox 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uilleam 5,568 Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 23 minutes ago, Gonzo79 said: They're different, as Candeias preferred to cross it but McCausland tends to want to take the ball inside himself. Was Cadeias more effective? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo79 13,961 Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 7 minutes ago, Uilleam said: Was Cadeias more effective? Some nerd will have the stats but I was never a fan of Candeias. Some of his crosses were up there with the worst I've seen. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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