The slating of walter smith and the team!

[Gazza_8 233]

The guy deserves the slating he's getting.

 

Boring to watch due to his negative tactics, even against the smaller teams. Puzzling team selections too.

 

We're the biggest, most successful club in Scotland (and the world) yet WS has got us struggling to beat teams like Falkirk and St Johnstone. We should be running over the top of these teams not struggling to beat them. The opposition are more often than not playing us off the park. Think back to St Johnstone up at McDermaind Park. They could've put us out on our arses all because we sat back and invited them onto us.

 

That's not the standard of play I expect from the worlds most successful club. I've said it before but we have numerous players who are good going forward but WS has turned them into defensive minded forward players. He's ruining the players we have at our club.

 

When WS goes I'll be a happy supporter.

[Gazza_8 233]

Just to throw a firework into the bonfire, anyone else feel that fan pressure had a bit to do in Uncle Smith's decision to bring Fleck into the team....

 

Definately not, WS is a hugely stubborn man.

[craig 5,199]

Not being among the more creaky-kneed on here, I was not around when Berwick happened. What I will say is that I would FAR rather go through a Berwick Rangers than a Kaunas - of that there is not a doubt.

 

Thankfully I am too young to remember Berwick too. As to which one I would rather go through I am not sure. From a footballing perspective Kaunas are probably still a better team than Berwick were (Pete..... you were around for the wars so you would know.....) although I didnt manage to see either Kaunas game as I was travelling on business.

 

From a financial perspective it would be beyond doubt which one I would have preferred.

 

It will remain a title won in spite of Smith IMO, but yes, to an extent what you say has some truth in it and I see what you're saying about playing for a draw against Aberdeen and Celtic - even if it's something which I think Smith should be slapped about the face with a trout for.

 

I dont always articulate properly but thankfully you see what I am saying regarding the lack of consistency in whether Smith is the reason we win and/or lose. Ironic that I argue that point because I, too, am disappointed and annoyed that he played for a draw against a poor Aberdeen team. I am probably even MORE annoyed that he played for a draw against a declining Celtic team that really was there for the taking.

 

Even then though, WS would argue he was trying to win the game and that the 4-1-4-1 was the appropriate formation to achieve that. Had the team played the 1st half the way they did the 2nd then he would probably have justification for that because Celtic weren't at the races in the 2nd half. Sadly, neither were we at the races in the first half.

 

Of course we'll wait and see if we really can win this league. If May brings us 4 in a row, I can guarantee that a hell of a lot of the Walter defenders will jump ship, leaving behind only the blind loyalists.

 

4IAR doesn't bear thinking about. I will say this, I am not really a WS supporter/defender and wasn't really that keen when we brought him back. In this debate I am somewhat playing devil's advocate. I do think he deserves credit in certain respects but I am totally convinced that he is not the man to lead our club forward. Sadly though, I dont think we have anyone at the top that are the "right men to lead the club forward".

 

He came in when we were a mess, he steadied the ship and has us competing with THEM. I know you can only beat the team that has been put in front of you but this is Celtic's worst team for a decade too. Have we really progressed since WS came in, have Celtic declined to our level or is it a combination ?

 

It's probably clear from my posts on here that I resent the fact he's still here after Kaunas. It does anger me the "business as usual" attitude between Murray and Smith post-Kaunas, when it was the starkest wake-up call for change imaginable.

 

Yeah, it is obvious Kaunas seems like a watershed for you and, personally, I dont think anyone can complain with your attitude because it really was a terrible event for us.

 

I think that WS could have played it better post CL exit had he been more forthright with just how bad a performance, ripped into the players and said his job could very well be in jeopardy - but then how many of us would say that in front of our employers ?

[gavin3084 0]

No doubt about it as far as I'm concerned. Suddenly the manager who announced to the media only weeks ago that Rangers didn't have the quality of young player to bring through to the first team is now saying to the same media that apparently do have such talented youngsters after all. You can only assume there's been a Board meeting in the interim.[/Q

 

Where was he quoted in saying that "rangers didn't have the quality of young player to bring through to the first team" I didn't see that interview not saying it didn't happen but i just find it very strange he would come out with they words. It is more or less saying that murray park and the whole youth development team are worthless. I would like to see that full interview because i've heard him saying in a numerous amount of occasions that there are 3 or 4 knocking on the door of the first team!

[Norris Cole 0]

His words were: "There are very, very few young players in Scotland just now who reach the level that’s required to come in and play for Rangers".

 

...which was his defence when criticised for not playing youngsters.

[gavin3084 0]

Another thing ive noticed aswell the amount of people on the forum that are still battering on about the kaunas game it was a bad bad night in the history of rangers and cost us a lot of money and could have been avoided if we had brung in mendes and few others before the game but ffs your going back to last july its done, finished, were out, lets move on. Domestically were top of the spl, in a cup final, in a cup semi-final scored the most goals in the spl,concedied the least amount of goals in the spl, got the top scorer in the spl, got the top assist player in the spl, got the brightest young talent in the spl, i could go on but were in a very good position for winning another domestic treble and yet far to many people are still puting the team and manager down get a grip, you might never like walter smith and thats fine but the more fans or so called fans that put the manager down the more detromental it becomes to the club!

[Gazza_8 233]

Another thing ive noticed aswell the amount of people on the forum that are still battering on about the kaunas game it was a bad bad night in the history of rangers and cost us a lot of money and could have been avoided if we had brung in mendes and few others before the game but ffs your going back to last july its done

 

Mate, you've got a cool name, possibly my favourite name in the world but can you really blame the fans for "battering" on about the Kaunus game? We could've made millions, progressed as a club by playing in the worlds biggest club competition and had european football at least until xmas yet cause of WS shite tactics and team selection we get dumped out by a bunch of Hearts wannabes?

 

Shocking attitude to accept it.

[maineflyer 0]

Another thing ive noticed aswell the amount of people on the forum that are still battering on about the kaunas game it was a bad bad night in the history of rangers and cost us a lot of money and could have been avoided if we had brung in mendes and few others before the game but ffs your going back to last july its done, finished, were out, lets move on. Domestically were top of the spl, in a cup final, in a cup semi-final scored the most goals in the spl,concedied the least amount of goals in the spl, got the top scorer in the spl, got the top assist player in the spl, got the brightest young talent in the spl, i could go on but were in a very good position for winning another domestic treble and yet far to many people are still puting the team and manager down get a grip, you might never like walter smith and thats fine but the more fans or so called fans that put the manager down the more detromental it becomes to the club!

 

So, what you're saying is that on the basis of what might possibly happen in the future, we should ignore the history, sweep the mistakes under the carpet, and forget the incompetences and pretend it never happened. Perhaps you assume that if we don't discuss these things then it will be as if they never actually happened. It's called revisionism and it's the refuge of every scoundrel who ever lived.

 

I think you'll find that the criticism is well-founded and the perpetrators have already shrugged off any blame, in the way that perpetrators always do these days.

[Norris Cole 0]

Another thing ive noticed aswell the amount of people on the forum that are still battering on about the kaunas game it was a bad bad night in the history of rangers and cost us a lot of money and could have been avoided if we had brung in mendes and few others before the game but ffs your going back to last july its done, finished, were out, lets move on. Domestically were top of the spl, in a cup final, in a cup semi-final scored the most goals in the spl,concedied the least amount of goals in the spl, got the top scorer in the spl, got the top assist player in the spl, got the brightest young talent in the spl, i could go on but were in a very good position for winning another domestic treble and yet far to many people are still puting the team and manager down get a grip, you might never like walter smith and thats fine but the more fans or so called fans that put the manager down the more detromental it becomes to the club!

 

Your attitude makes me wonder whether you accept the Kaunas defeat as a blip. It was arguably the lowest moment in our esteemed club's history and Smith should have been hounded from the club at the full-time whistle. I will hold Kaunas against Smith until the day he goes. Let him know that some of us haven't forgiven and certainly haven't forgotten

[bmck 117]

the idea that smith should've been sacked after kaunas after getting us to our first european final in 20 years is just awful. and that's not to downplay how hurtful it is. walter smith either gets credit for triumphs and criticism for failure, or neither. as a younger supporter, being alive while we got to a european final is something i never thought i'd see, and am grateful to walter smith that i got to experience that. i like that we got there pissing off europe in its entirety, though obviously the final was extremely disappointing.

 

that said, i dont think walter smith will take us forward, but i'm grateful he left scotland on a tangent to come to us when sdm came calling. he's definitely not who i would've picked, but he is who he is. there's no point in lamenting him until we have genuine alternatives in place. i think in this time of shiteyness he has the temparement to win us the SPL which is currently, sadly, the best we can hope for. i will not enjoy the football he sets us out to play, i accept i wont be excited about rangers until someone else comes along, but what are the alternatives? that's the question. whatever they are, they're not in my power to bring about.

Edited February 25, 2009 by bmck