Glen Middleton

Laudrup11Cooper

Laudrup11Cooper

Well-Known Member
I live in the states and so did not get to see him in the flesh but very quickly especially it seemed after Europe or even before we concluded the Group Stages he was suddenly and quickly ‘’bombed out’ and out the picture.

He was immense in the Europa qualifying games and even scored in a European game and made or at least started for me …the move that created our best goal of the season.Against a top La Liga side no less!
So where did it go wrong for the kid?

He certainly didn’t look out his depth to me.
In fact in some of the games …the exact opposite.
He was the one who was either lighting the ‘spark’ or creating the ‘spark’ for others that helped us out of some dark holes!

So why all of sudden did he get dropped from the first team squad?
One year on in his development in the first team could have made such a difference to us for next season.Now there are no guarantees he is even going to be here!
As possibly he is yet another one the manager may not rate…and may want to move on to free up wages for others?

I seriously just don’t get it!

He looks like a real talent……
 
The last few appearances he’s looked short of confidence. His most recent game at Ibrox he couldn’t wait to get rid of the ball when he received it. I think he’s just turned 19, going out on loan next season would help him progress.
 
He's being introduced sparingly...which is correct.
He's a kid. He's had a taste. He should now go on loan for regular games. Jordan Jones will take his place on the bench.
 
He will come good , but I feel a loan next season is the best thing for him maybe to a team like Kilmarnock or Motherwell to play week in week out
 
You’re last sentence is spot on - he does look a real talent. As for the rest, it reads like one of the Katic threads with the name edited to read Middleton. He might be a talent but the Manager thinks he has better options.

Put simply he faded out the first team scene for two reasons:

1. His form dipped. He seemed to suddenly be burdened by a pressure to perform and things stopped working for him. He deserved to be dropped, though could probably have benefitted from a few more subs appearances.

2. Other options is his position, namely Kent, upped their game. Grezda too presents a challenge to Middleton and the arrival of Jones will make things harder again. That’s how things should be at Ibrox. The man in form will get the job.
 
So much development required both mentally and physically.

Will go out on loan next season, which is the best thing for all parties.

Sticking my neck out I don't see a long term future for him at Rangers.
 
You would expect a loan move will be the best for both parties next season. Allows him to progress in a less pressurised environment and we get a better player back.
 
You have to remember, he’s only just turned 19. It’s very normal for young players to dip in form after a promising start.

Players like him, the McCrorie brothers and even Docherty to an extent need to be viewed as long term projects. People will debate wether or not they’re good enough for us right now but that’s not why they’re here. We’re building for the future as well as now
 
He had a dip in form after a great start and some big goals and assists, but Gerrard managed him spot on by saying ‘that’ll do for this year’ I think.

A loan move next year might be a good idea if it’s the right club.

One thing’s for sure - some of the stick he gets on here, Twitter and at Ibrox is absolutely fucking disgusting. Some people were actually on here writing him off earlier this season, mind blowing stuff.
 
Valley Bluenose said:
You’re last sentence is spot on - he does look a real talent. As for the rest, it reads like one of the Katic threads with the name edited to read Middleton. He might be a talent but the Manager thinks he has better options.

Put simply he faded out the first team scene for two reasons:

1. His form dipped. He seemed to suddenly be burdened by a pressure to perform and things stopped working for him. He deserved to be dropped, though could probably have benefitted from a few more subs appearances.

2. Other options is his position, namely Kent, upped their game. Grezda too presents a challenge to Middleton and the arrival of Jones will make things harder again. That’s how things should be at Ibrox. The man in form will get the job.
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Really?

You mean I could have copied and pasted and not had to write this out?
I wish I had thought of that!
 
Bluebrox said:
So much development required both mentally and physically.

Will go out on loan next season, which is the best thing for all parties.

Sticking my neck out I don't see a long term future for him at Rangers.
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Got to say, I don’t think physique is a problem at his age.

He looks more than adequately built for a winger of his age.
 
He was better than decent to start with but he is only a lad and hit a poor patch of form so was correctly taken out of the team. He will have learned a lot from this season , who knows if he will end up being a first team stalwart or flitting in and out.
I think he will end up playing more centrally, sort of inside left or right, physically he has the build perhaps needs to mentally toughen up but he is only a boy.
 
I suspect we'll see him back in the team before the season is out.

He's a good prospect, but Gerrard taking him out of the team when he did was the correct call IMO as he was just starting to struggle slightly.

By all accounts he's back on form and firing for the reserves, so I believe we'll see him included again soon.
 
Necro said:
You have to remember, he’s only just turned 19. It’s very normal for young players to dip in form after a promising start.

Players like him, the McCrorie brothers and even Docherty to an extent need to be viewed as long term projects. People will debate wether or not they’re good enough for us right now but that’s not why they’re here. We’re building for the future as well as now
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It’s always about opinions but I’d rather have Middleton than Grezda who’s delivered zero so far. I’d rather have Katic than either Goldson or Worrel. Katic is our best aggressive defender.
I’d rather have Halliday than any other left back.

It’s always been the case that unfashionable players get dropped faster than big money signings but it’s not always right
 
He should be loaned out to another SPFL team next season, if Ross County come up then I'd suggest they would be a good fit.

He is not ready to feature regularly in a Rangers side that is expected to challenge for the title.
 
I've seen him pushed off the ball many times mate. That may not be all a physical issue but, as I alluded to, mental strength is part of that too.

The lad is young but he just needs to go out on loan and get game time somewhere.

He looks like a rabbit in the headlights. Needs to develop further and then we'll see how it goes.
 
Laudrup11Cooper said:
Really?

You mean I could have copied and pasted and not had to write this out?
I wish I had thought of that!
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I was actually going to ask in my post if you’d copied and pasted the bulk of it from a Katic thread LOL.:)

I don’t doubt Middleton has the potential to succeed. Right now he’s not deserving of a place as better players, as far as the Manager is concerned, are keeping him out. There’s no mystery and there’s no mistake or misjudgement by the Management team here. They’ve got it right bar, arguably, giving a few more subs appearances by way of ‘encouragement’.
 
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Bluebrox said:
I've seen him pushed off the ball many times mate. That may not be all a physical issue but, as I alluded to, mental strength is part of that too.

The lad is young but he just needs to go out on loan and get game time somewhere.

He looks like a rabbit in the headlights. Needs to develop further and then we'll see how it goes.
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Certainly needs more confidence, but he’s not going to get that at Ibrox with 30,000 Rangers da’s screaming at him every time he does something Laudrup wouldn’t do.

Hell knows what people think of Grezda if GM looks like a rabbit in the headlights mind you.
 
There’s far more pressure on a kid at Rangers and playing in front of us than there is for say a kid at Motherwell where he’s not really expected to win every game and they play mostly, in front of 6 wankstains and a fud.
 
ICA_86 said:
Certainly needs more confidence, but he’s not going to get that at Ibrox with 30,000 Rangers da’s screaming at him every time he does something Laudrup wouldn’t do.

Hell knows what people think of Grezda if GM looks like a rabbit in the headlights mind you.
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That is why he will go out on loan next season. Needs to toughen up mentally if he wants any kind of future at Rangers.

He's just not ready yet.
 
Expect he'll go on loan next season, hopefully in the SPL where the gaffer can keep a close eye on him and he'll be able to hurt other teams around us. Killie would be a decent move as they'll likely be looking to replace Jones.

He's a standout at reserve level, regularly scoring and assisting. Big future for us if he continues to progress.
 
Dontwasteit! said:
Expect he'll go on loan next season, hopefully in the SPL where the gaffer can keep a close eye on him and he'll be able to hurt other teams around us. Killie would be a decent move as they'll likely be looking to replace Jones.

He's a standout at reserve level, regularly scoring and assisting. Big future for us if he continues to progress.
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If he’s staying in the SPFL I’d rather it was a team that played home matches on grass. I think it more likely that he will follow the Docherty route. Out the Scottish spotlight and almost guaranteed to feature most weeks.
 
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He was played on the left wing and looked lost a lot of the time. Hardly ever had a pop at goal, never mind scoring.

He scored a screamer for the reserves yesterday, wearing number 9, looking like he was playing through the middle.

I'd like to see him playing behind Defoe instead of Candeias to see how he looks more central
 
Rule Britannia said:
He was played on the left wing and looked lost a lot of the time. Hardly ever had a pop at goal, never mind scoring.

He scored a screamer for the reserves yesterday, wearing number 9, looking like he was playing through the middle.

I'd like to see him playing behind Defoe instead of Candeias to see how he looks more central
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I wouldn’t be shocked if he ended up as a striker.
 
ICA_86 said:
I wouldn’t be shocked if he ended up as a striker.
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His goal stats for the youth teams of both us and Scotland are class. I'm surprised we haven't saw much of him through the middle. Obviously the form Morelos has been in dictated Middleton wasn't getting the nod up top but I'd like to see him get a run the last couple of games
 
Valley Bluenose said:
If he staying in the SPFL I’d rather it was a team that played home matches on grass. I think it more likely that he will follow the Docherty route. Out the Scottish spotlight and almost guaranteed to feature most weeks.
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Yep. England beckons IMO. League One club for a loan would be my guess, like Docherty.
 
AmsterdamBear said:
He’s a one trick pony according to many on here.

He’s 19 years old, he might make it, might not. A touch of patience may allow him to develop into a good player.
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I agree, I think it's not quite a true reflection of him. He has an excellent cross, he has pace, and can take a man on. What he lacks, and it was apparent in a match prior to getting dropped, is decision making that needs to be better. Middleton was obviously frustrated that his game was becoming predictable to his opponents, and as he admitted himself, that he tried too hard to deal with that, and became too elaborate; not every run has to lead to a cross, and not every cross needs to lead to a goal. The talent is there though, but it won't be easy for him to make it here.
 
A season long loan next season would do the lad a world of good maybe send him to Shrewsbury as they've done a good job at looking after docherty
 
Massive future ahead. Like most kids his age in that position will have massive ups and downs still for another 2 years at least.
 
He had a drop off in form & confidence, naturally as a young winger.

I’ve seen a few on here say they think he’ll end up a striker & I think thats a decent shout. He is a fantastic finisher, but may lack the invention to play out wide.

However its early days & I trust Gerrard and Beale to develop him.
 
he has scored a few for the reserves recently. i think the manager might play Grezda a bit more in the last few games to have a look at him and see if he can deliver. he knows what middleton is about
 
I think it was said on Rangers TV recently that Middleton admitted he started overthinking everything he was doing on the field and it started to effect his game and his confidence started to suffer as well.

I think he's a cracking prospect but like many on here players can quickly go from hero to zero, there is no inbetween with a lot of posters on here despite the fact he is a youngster coming through.

People expect too much too soon.
 
Like others on here, I think he will benefit from a season or two on loan. I though his crossing was excellent.
 
Thought we would have seen a lot more of him this season as he was a standout pre-season.
Think the boy will become a top player.
 
TN8 said:
It hasn't really gone wrong for him, he's only just turned 19 and plays in the same position as Ryan Kent, who's been outstanding.

Plenty of time for the boy.
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This ^^^^.

If I was picking the team and my choice was Kent or Middleton for the wide left forward position? Hmmmm. Let me think :)

Middleton has loads of time
 
The boy actually has a great finish on him. I see in the reserve game he played up front. I do wonder with that finish on him we're training him to work higher up the pitch. Possible striker. At least inside forward
 
People had him as better than Kent and should be in the Scotland team after some excellent cameos, the boy did drop massively form wise but to be expected and had been well looked after and protected by Gerrard imo and both he and McCrorie will benefit massively from this season
 
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