25 May 2020 08:56:52
At risk of people not understanding what's gone wrong since SG took over, let me point it out and give you my take on what type of player we need.

We are good at playing against teams who fancy their chances and on nice surfaces. Therefore, at the start of a season on a great pitch Lowly teams like Aberdeen and st Mirren have a go. They've had good pre seasons and their managers have fallen into the trap of actually believing their teams are decent at football. As a result, we tend to pump them.

Four months in to the season and these teams start looking over their shoulder and worrying that they might finish in a worse position than is expected of them by their chairman and fans. At this point they revert to type and shut up shop against us. Herein lies the problem.

We cannot play against that style of football. Add in the wind rain and pitches and we find ourselves playing a different sport. Well unfortunately, SG, MB AND GM haven't figured this out or just don't feel they have the players to adjust. I fear the former and hope and pray it's the latter.

Maybe, just maybe a change in formation and recruitment strategy could solve this?

Would it be so outrageous to go 4-4-2 with dykes/ brophy/ Morelos/ kamberi/ cosgrove for example as the 2? Would it be incomprehensible to alter the Middle 4 and have harder, more physical players taking up 3 of the 4 Positions? Maybe Lewis Ferguson would be More useful than Davis for example in games where we need to alter it? Play it long to a physical top two and see how much chaos they can cause? It's not like it's a mental theory. Physical strikers have caused our defence chaos since the day Walter finally left.

I get it that Hagi and the likes are exciting, but a manager who knows how to win creates a wall of steel with One, maybe two gems. Arsene Wenger, the greatest manager in my beloved Arsenal's history never ever grasped this and as such became a figure of ridicule and created a culture whereby winning beautiful was more important than winning silverware.

SG must now realise that substance must always come first and if and when that's in place, add the style.


1.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 09:24:52
like it gooner

i’ve been an advocate of 2 up top for long enough don’t worry about what teams can do to us let them worry what we’re going to do to them

big cntr fwd like kamberi or dykes up with morelos / defoe / hagi / kent in around them - go for the throat

i’d also have ferguson type in midfield we’re too lightweight kamara and aribo play nice stuff at times but we need someone to put their foot in and bully teams and that lad ferguson cld do that for us

we also need better defenders - sorry lads watching walters team on BT last night with weir cuellar papac etc screened by players like thomson hemdani and wee barry we rarely conceded and you build you’re team from there we concede far too many

PS I went to highbury once the whole clock end we’re singing about some 16yr old i'd never even heard of .

who needs bergkamp we’ve got fabregas!


2.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 09:47:01
Trev No7, The great Bayer Munich used to play like that, they were not the best defending wise (but still damn good) but they always scored more than the opposition winning games 4-3 was not uncommon. They just had great attacking flair and knew they would score goals. Now, look at Rangers, lucky if they break through once during 90 mins, and on that basis the opposition only need a single goal to get a draw. You have to carry a real goal threat at all times otherwise its easy to lose to a sucker punch, bad luck, defensive error, own goal. With Rangers huffing and puffing for 90 mins praying Alf will grab one its just not good enough.


3.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 09:54:54
Glasgowrangersgooner, a wee question here pal. Is it true or a myth now that most arsenal supporters in general, favour celtic over rangers mate? The reason i'm asking is because my late dad, who i miss so very dearly followed rangers everywhere like me. His favourite english team was the arsenal and he always told me about the friendship of the 2 clubs and both sets of supporters and friendlies between them year about, ie. one year ibrox and the next year highbury. My dad went down to highbury for the friendly games between the two. I never followed in my dad's footsteps in the supporting of the arsenal, as my favourite english club was always newcastle utd, although i honestly don't mind the arsenal!


4.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 10:20:22
SGL

There are close connections to both old firm clubs but I’d say more rangers than them. My best friend is on the board at Arsenal and he is a massive blue nose. Bob wilson is another big blue and he’s still involved at the club on matchday etc. Quick shout out to bobs charity also if that’s ok? It’s called the willow foundation and Their work is simply magnificent.


5.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 10:50:51
This post is 100% bang on and it’s something Walter was a master of. He’d Often play 4-5-1 in Old firms or Europe Pack the midfield and counter teams. But when teams sit in he’d almost revert to 4-2-4. 2 out and out centre forwards and 2 wingers. There were games towards the end of his last few seasons and we would have Lafferty, Boyd, Miller, Novo right across the top of the pitch. After that Jelavic and Naismith also came into it.

Gerrard needs to adopt this mentality ASAP for me. Playing 3 central midfielders is not needed when teams park the bus.


6.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 10:51:15
The problem is mutli faceted. On the face of it may look simple
but when you look at the stats and observe the replay of silly goals we have lost its a bit of a catch 22 problem. The more we attack the more we get beat.

1. Most goals lost were in the first half or just after half time home and away and often the opponent scored first.

2. We have most of the possession home and away.

3. We are always on the attack or building an attack.

So why is it hard for us to score yet the diddies find a way past our mutli million pound defense.

4. Opponents play 11 behind the ball sometimes 18 players in the box and you will recall most games trying to get through that whether it be from shooting or playing through is very difficult you often see 2,3 or 4 opponent throwing themselves in front of the ball. Now turn that round when they are attacking us we would never have 11 behind the ball lucky if we have 4 or 5 in the box so maybe they might have 4 or 5 attacking so plenty of one on ones or at times they might have a man over which is why we get caught out. Our attacking mids, wingers etc would not be in a defensive position. Just watch a diddy game, pause when they score and look at the shape of our team, I've done it a few times and its not great.

5. The theory works in reverse for us when in Europe we are the team on the defense with 11 behind the ball at times a well drilled team are hard to beat so we can soak up the pressure and properly hit a team on the break. Braga V Rangers a perfect example.

Im no football coach but looking at that we need to re balance in terms of shape and mentality from front to back. First principles - don't concede our center halfs are still not dominant enough. Our midfield should protect our defense better. Just need to dial back our attacking instinct by 1 or 2 on the scale. We are not Brazil and sometimes we won't outscore the opponent. If we get better at our defense duties as a unit/ team the rest will take care of itself.

How do we do that - hope that Helnder is the real deal when fit. Get 2 very high quality mids that are made from iron and can run all day long. Aribo/ Davis/ Jack/ Arf in terms of defensive ability is not the right balance, we need for example, Jack/ Jack/ Jack/ Jack or better.


7.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 10:53:08
My dad told me when the yearly friendlies between the rangers and the arsenal were played, that both club and both sets of supporters were close. I just thought myself that this had changed a bit since charlie nicholas signed for arsenal in the very early 80's mate. Am i correct in saying most of the royals support arsenal, except for prince william, as he's an aston villa fan?


8.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 11:58:28
Did Rangers not have shares in Arsenal ?


9.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 11:58:48
If you go thru history, Rangers/ Arsenal been close right back to Davie Meiklejohn. Think simply down to fixture build up they still don't play. Know lot gooners down here Gers daft and few ST holders at Ibrox. One trying to have non-exec job on gers board. got to say, Palace closest but still like gooners.


10.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 12:46:34
Stuck. Yes Rangers did have shares in Arsenal. Arsenal were going out off the game and Rangers gave them money to stay a float. But when that Craig 💩came along. He cashed the shares in. As they say the rest is history. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇦🇺⚽️😎👍.


11.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 13:39:38
Yip The stuck, our manager bill struth was very friendly with the arsenal manager herbert chapman, way back in the day. Arsenal had got into financial difficulty and rangers helped them out by playing against them in a benefit game, with all proceeds going to the arsenal. As a thank you when arsenal got back on their feet in years later on, they gave rangers arsenal woolwich shares in arsenal as a thank you present.
We had those shares in arsenal up until that b*****d craig whyte sold them to a rich arsenal fan for 250k.
The arsenal shares were one of our most treasured possessions and actually had our greatest ranger ever, john greig in tears, when that leech sold them! that's what our shares in arsenal woolwich meant to our club!


12.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 14:08:09
Rangers bought two shares in Arsenal in 1910 to help keep them alive then were later gifted another 14. There was a great connection between the two clubs and one of my first memories of Ibrox was against the Gunners in the early 60s when we won 4-2. At the end of the 60s the games began to drift and between 69 and 81 only one match was played. Some celtic fans jumped on the Brady/ Nicholas bandwagon but our connection was always far stronger, but Whyte sold our precious shares for his own gain.


13.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 14:20:36
Cunny in oz, i'm quite sure someone at ibrox bought they shares back, the shares and a bicycle. i'm sure, maybe somebody could confirm this, or of course put me right, in regards this, mate.


14.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 14:21:02
Holy fxxk. I didn't realise White sold those shares, that's the first I've heard of that. Where did the cash go then? Whites pocket?


15.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 14:36:41
Paulellen. I Can’t confirm either way mate sorry. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇦🇺⚽️😎👍.


16.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 15:23:52
Yes The Stuck, i'm led to believe that f****r craig whyte sold them to a rich arsenal fan and pocketed the 250k! I grew up knowing through my late dad that rangers and arsenal had great connections! Like i stated earlier, my dad although only ever supported rangers and his country scotland, he counted arsenal as his favourite english team! Paulellen nobody ever did buy the arsenal shares back mate! They remain with the arsenal fan who bought them from that useless piece of 🐤💩.


17.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 15:26:59
According to comments made back in February 2012, Whyte sold the Arsenal Shares for £230,000 to Alisher Usmanov's Red and White Holdings. It was suggested at the time that the proceeds of the sale did not go into Rangers Bank Account.


18.) 25 May 2020
25 May 2020 19:37:47
the bike that's been mentioned was i think presented to us by the french side st etienne for a friendly or something like that, don't think that manky scumbag whyte the sh.


19.) 26 May 2020
26 May 2020 08:43:09
S.g.l., cheers for that info mate, truebluesotrue, cheers for the byke info, i was begining to think i was losing it (again lol) . Pal.