ian1964 10,409 Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 by Thomas Jordan AFTER waiting four months for their opportunity to return to the top of the table, Rangers latest reign as league leaders lasted all of 11 days. Hardly the hallmark of a team with the durability required to succeed as champions. The 1-0 defeat at the hands of Caley Thistle this week has prompted questions over the Ibrox club's title credentials. The obvious one, of course, will be do they have the bottle to come out on top in such a fiercely contested title battle? A two-week shutdown from the league, as they take on Hamilton Accies in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup before facing Celtic in the Co-operative Insurance Cup Final at Hampden Park, will put Rangers' title challenge on the back burner. advertisement That, however, will do little to dilute concerns among the Light Blue legions that their defeat to the Highlanders is a signal that this squad doesn't have what it takes to stop Celtic making it four-in-a-row. The implications if Rangers don't win the league are huge. From a financial perspective, it is imperative the riches that go hand in hand with entry to the Champions League are secured next season after failure to reach that stage this season left a �£10million black hole in the club's finances. Winning the championship this season will once again offer the SPL winners direct entry to the group stage of the competition. The runners-up, like this season, would face two qualifying games, but the standard of opposition standing in their path will dramatically increase under Uefa's qualification criteria revamp. On March 21 against Hearts, Walter Smith will turn his full attention back of the title race with Celtic now out in front, albeit only marginally with a three-point advantage. He will have 10 matches which will not only shape their season, but possibly the foreseeable future of the club. Does the Rangers manager have the players at his disposal to come out in top against a Celtic side that has already shown, not just last season but in previous campaigns, that they are good enough to prosper under the white heat of a title run-in? Indeed, captain Barry Ferguson is the only member of Walter Smith's squad who has truly influenced and delivered title success. Nacho Novo, who is currently out injured, has also played his part in the past as Alex McLeish delivered two championship trophies in 2005. But he has been no more than a bit-part player at Rangers in recent seasons. Here, SportTimes takes a look at the men who will be required to stand up and be counted in 10 league games of monumental importance to the Ibrox club. IN GOOD HANDS Allan McGregor has returned to the sort of form that brought speculation of a �£9m move to the Premiership last season. After a difficult start to the campaign, as he tried to find his feet following a long injury lay-off, the Ibrox goalkeeper is once again turning in some vital performances. McGregor's goal has been breached only four times in 13 matches. So this isn't a position that would cause Smith much concern. FULL-BACK FAILINGS Smith's first task as they prepare to welcome a rejuvenated Hearts side to Ibrox will be to find a replacement for the suspended Davie Weir. The stopper's red card, following a rare mistake which gifted Caley the three points on Wednesday, will mean he'll have to sit out against his former club. On previous occasions, Kirk Broadfoot has been moved inside from his usual right-back beat and Steven Whittaker has come out of cold storage to play as a full-back. That, you'd imagine, would tempt most opposing managers to try and expose Gers backline. Madjid Bougherra has been their most consistent defender throughout this season. Indeed, Smith probably doesn't like to dwell on what his defence would be like without him at its heart As for Weir, his displays, in fairness, have been pretty consistent. It's the full-back areas that let Rangers down. The way they play, both see plenty of the ball and are encouraged to push forward. While Broadfoot is always willing to do so, too often his final ball simply isn't good enough. At least, however, he is willing to get involved in the game. Papac, no doubt to the constant frustration of the Rangers management, is far more reluctant to join in on attacks. So is it a defence you could bank on to hold firm? Well, their recent form has been impressive, but cracks could appear the more pressure is put on them. WIDE-BOYS REQUIRED Pedro Mendes's influence has been badly missing in Rangers recent two matches. The Portuguese playmaker provides an extra dimension to their attacking play in particular. His passes are crisp, he spots things early and, unlike many of his colleagues, he isn't too predictable at times. Next to him will be the captain Ferguson. Having been over the course many times before, he knows what it takes to deliver a championship. And, as skipper, he knows there are more eyes on him than any other member of the Rangers squad. Maybe Rangers' biggest problem is that they don't boast natural wide players. For all Steven Davis has enjoyed an excellent campaign, he isn't an out-and-out winger. Neither is Kyle Lafferty, Lee McCulloch, Steven Naismith nor the various players deployed on the left of midfield this season. Perhaps the most comfortable in such a position is young John Fleck. But he is still cutting his teeth at this level. It would be unfair, for all his natural ability and enthusiasm, to expect him to carry older and more experienced team-mates between now and the end of the season. Overall, Rangers have a midfield that works well enough together but there have been several occasions this season when they could have played all night and not carved out a chance for any of the striker. BOYD BACK-UP Who scores the goals if Kris Boyd isn't bagging them? Kenny Miller pops up now and again with one, sometimes two, but can he do it when it matters most? Can he keep a cool head inside the penalty area when that one of only chance of the game comes his way? History would suggest not. Lafferty is struggling to provide clues as to how he is going to become a key player at Rangers and while Novo is always a threat coming off the bench, his injury problems could prevent him from being at his best for some time. This department, probably more than any other, will be the one that Smith will be concerned about the most. When everything is going well, they are most certainly capable of finding the back of the net. In the comings weeks, however, there will be more than one occasion when Smith is on the sidelines hoping to one of his frontman to snatch a goal that transformers what is appearing to be one point into three. Time, of course, will tell. Only a fool would predict the outcome of the current championship. But Rangers aren't only playing for the title - the financial baggage it carries means the future of the club is at stake. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/display.var.2493863.0.0.php 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Cole 0 Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Forgot about the internationals, are they this month? I sit just me or do we often lose the week before international weekend? How annoying. I'm sure St Mirren beat us before a Scotland game. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calscot 0 Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 This guy sounds like he's a bit more astute than your average journo and sees it a bit more like how the fans do. Too many act like they know more than everyone and then write stuff that just doesn't even slightly agree with what we see on the pitch. Graeme Spiers does this by "relishing" something "intriguing" that isn't at all in an attempt to pretend he sees something more in it that we don't. Good to see a more down to earth approach for a change. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Ally 0 Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 BOYD BACK-UP Who scores the goals if Kris Boyd isn't bagging them? Kenny Miller pops up now and again with one, sometimes two, but can he do it when it matters most? Can he keep a cool head inside the penalty area when that one of only chance of the game comes his way? History would suggest not. Lafferty is struggling to provide clues as to how he is going to become a key player at Rangers and while Novo is always a threat coming off the bench, his injury problems could prevent him from being at his best for some time. This department, probably more than any other, will be the one that Smith will be concerned about the most. When everything is going well, they are most certainly capable of finding the back of the net. In the comings weeks, however, there will be more than one occasion when Smith is on the sidelines hoping to one of his frontman to snatch a goal that transformers what is appearing to be one point into three. Anyone care to answer this? When he's not scoring and playing like he is currently he's a waste. But I think some times people forget, he's still our best bet. Says it all really right now. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,409 Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 Anyone care to answer this? When he's not scoring and playing like he is currently he's a waste. But I think some times people forget, he's still our best bet. Says it all really right now. Now now SA................remember your elite position on gersnet 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Ally 0 Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Now now SA................remember your elite position on gersnet If I'm elite this place really has gone to the dogs. :devil: 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gers4Life 0 Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 The next few games will tell are weather we are capable enough to win this league, fingers crossed but i fear the worst... 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 The next few games will tell are weather we are capable enough to win this league, fingers crossed but i fear the worst... I hope it is dry. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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