3 best players all starting on the bench today

Brick_Top

Brick_Top

Well-Known Member
Official Ticketer
Morelos, Kent and Jack all playing in Europe on Thursday then rested for today.

Thursdays result and performance was excellent and we were all buzzing after it, but for me our Euro nights can’t be to the detriment of the league.

We done ok to grind out the win today, but I think we really need to be starting our best 11 in games like today.
 
bear wi nae hair said:
It was a big risk.

I hope the lads ok but I wasn’t upset that Barker had to go off as I knew it would force Gerrard to put Kent on. Difference was night and day.
Click to expand...
yeah and hopefully Gerrard noticed this.we should ALWAYS be starting our strongest 11. if we then start good and get few goals lead then he should be taking players off to rest them.
 
Live Forever said:
Remember Kent and Jack are just coming back from injury.

We have a big away game Wednesday night as well. 3 in a week probably too much for them just now.
Click to expand...
They should have been used to prioritise today rather than Thursday. As much as we all love doing well in Europe, we wont remember the run if we feck up the league challenge.
 
Live Forever said:
Remember Kent and Jack are just coming back from injury.

We have a big away game Wednesday night as well. 3 in a week probably too much for them just now.
Click to expand...

I agree but if that’s the case then I’d personally rather they were rested for Europe and played in the league.

We got away with it today, but the league absolutely has to be our priority.

Best 11 available for league games.
 
The European games should be used for tinkering and trying differently players. League games should be our best 11. Once we start racking up the league titles again then we can put a more concentrate effort into Europe.
 
We need our best players playing in Europe as it is what they signed up for and it is where they should thrive.

We should have a big enough and good enough squad to take care of the likes of Motherwell at home but yet again in all honesty we don't and we have far too many passengers in and around that 1st team squad. Our depth of squad is nowhere near where it should considering the amount of faces that have come in.
 
cm72 said:
yeah and hopefully Gerrard noticed this.we should ALWAYS be starting our strongest 11. if we then start good and get few goals lead then he should be taking players off to rest them.
Click to expand...

I agree that it's getting the balance right the problem is we have played 24 games in 3 1/2 months so it's impossible to play the same 11 weekly.

Our problem today was Alfie - motherwell pressed high so we had no out ball to stop them press high. Defoe can't do the same thing Alfie can.

However Jack is also integral to link up play but we still burn these players out of we use the same 11 and ultimately we have a semi final coming up and a lot of away games.

Today should have been easier than we made it but we won we move on.
 
Macky1986 said:
I would rather rest our best players in Europe. We aren't winning the Europa League. The Premiership has to be our priority.
Click to expand...

On the other hand, i think our top players relish playing in europe, and the open games versus 11 behind the ball they get in scotland. There's a risk of demotivating players if they aren't allowed to play against better quality european opposition. Not to mention the financial rewards of every game won in europe. Gerard has to find the balance between this, winning league games, and protecting players from injury or exhaustion.
 
I get the sentiment, but Gerrard may look at it that his squad management paid off - we did get the win.

Fans get understandably nervous, but games last 90-95 minutes, so we utilise the squad and today it paid off.

I would have started with Kent though, but as Barker played so well in Porto I can understand why Gerrard thought he’d reward him with a start and give Kent a little longer to rest.

I don’t think our manager misses much, to be fair.
 
This is isn’t the 80/90’s, you don’t get results and trophies by playing the same team every week. There’s much more made about the condition of players and what suits them. In addition, anyone with the idea that we should be prioritizing the league over europe/cups has clearly forgotten that we are Rangers and our fans will expect 100% commitment regardless of the competition.
 
Brick_Top said:
Morelos, Kent and Jack all playing in Europe on Thursday then rested for today.

Thursdays result and performance was excellent and we were all buzzing after it, but for me our Euro nights can’t be to the detriment of the league.

We done ok to grind out the win today, but I think we really need to be starting our best 11 in games like today.
Click to expand...
To be fair to Defoe he’s never let us down when SG has rested Morelos , I definitely would have started Kent though , barker and Stewart aren’t good enough to be playing together in that attacking 3.
 
Live Forever said:
Remember Kent and Jack are just coming back from injury.

We have a big away game Wednesday night as well. 3 in a week probably too much for them just now.
Click to expand...

This for me. Kent even when he came on didnt look 100%. Got to give them time to get back to be fully fit.
 
jdm1873 said:
This for me. Kent even when he came on didnt look 100%. Got to give them time to get back to be fully fit.
Click to expand...

Yet still a damn sight more dangerous than Aribo, Arfield, Barker or Stewart.

We missed Morelos and Jack too. I'd rather both started in the league than Europa League.
 
Gerrard needs to stop over rotating the squad domestically.

Stick with a settled central defence pairing.

Davis & Jack should be the first names on the team sheet.

Morelos is the main man and should play barring injury.

This rotation nonsense cost us points last year, this season against them and will do again if it doesnt stop.
 
Unsurprisingly people are looking for a problem that isn’t there with respect to this. We’ve won 8 out of 10 league games. We’ve absolutely horsed teams at home when rotating the team. We’ve performed fantastically well in Europe and we’re in the Semi Final of the League Cup. We play a game today where a team make it tricky for us yet still come out with a win. Kent ended up out for 4/5 weeks because we rushed him into the team. Jack has been struggling a bit for fitness lately and we have an incredible backup striker who scores almost every time he plays. The team selection today was absolutely fine, thankfully the manager knows what he’s doing whilst folk on iPads, iPhones and laptops who talk a good game can be ignored.
 
Theres a few players who should be starting every game they are fit to play and the team should be built and rotated around them. I get what the management team are trying to do, but players like Morelos, Davis, Jack, Goldson, Tav, Barisic and McGregor as the spine should all be playing every game they are fit for imo. The other players need to win the right to play in front of them and the other positions should be the ones up for grabs. I understand why Jack and Kent didnt start today due to their recent injuries but not starting Morelos, particularly against one of the better sides in the league, is criminal imo. Hes rarely injured and doesnt really get fitness issues and is our single biggest outlet. Defoe is obviously lethal in his own right but hes just not on Alfies level. Ross County away is a better game to play Defoe imo.
 
Some fair enough points on the thread but it is plain to see the team looked a bit jaded after a tough euro trip and our opponents were fresh and didnt have a tough midweek game and SG tried to freahen the team up and protect Jack and Kent.

It could have backfired but thankful didnt.

We will see this after european games and we have a big squad so no point not using it but that game was too close for comfort today and questions would have been asked had we not won.
 
Dado's Bandage said:
Unsurprisingly people are looking for a problem that isn’t there with respect to this. We’ve won 8 out of 10 league games. We’ve absolutely horsed teams at home when rotating the team. We’ve performed fantastically well in Europe and we’re in the Semi Final of the League Cup. We play a game today where a team make it tricky for us yet still come out with a win. Kent ended up out for 4/5 weeks because we rushed him into the team. Jack has been struggling a bit for fitness lately and we have an incredible backup striker who scores almost every time he plays. The team selection today was absolutely fine, thankfully the manager knows what he’s doing whilst folk on iPads, iPhones and laptops who talk a good game can be ignored.
Click to expand...

This is also true tbf. People do seem to be making mountains out of molehills a bit on this forum today.
 
Brick_Top said:
Morelos, Kent and Jack all playing in Europe on Thursday then rested for today.

Thursdays result and performance was excellent and we were all buzzing after it, but for me our Euro nights can’t be to the detriment of the league.

We done ok to grind out the win today, but I think we really need to be starting our best 11 in games like today.
Click to expand...

Kent and Jack are returning from injury, but I take your point on Morelos, albeit he was replaced by the league's top scorer...
 
I'm quite happy with Gerrard rotating our centre backs. It's our strongest position for cover imo.

However any opposition manager or players not seeing Morelos on the team sheet must nip into the showers and whack one off before the game.
 
Can we have a minute in reality here?

Both Jack and Kent have recently come back from injury and played a VERY tough, fast and physical game just a few days ago. Morelos, ran his arse of for 90 minutes and Defoe is just as dependable, with a better goals per minute ratio than anyone else in the league.
 
a_weir said:
Can we have a minute in reality here?

Both Jack and Kent have recently come back from injury and played a VERY tough, fast and physical game just a few days ago. Morelos, ran his arse of for 90 minutes and Defoe is just as dependable, with a better goals per minute ratio than anyone else in the league.
Click to expand...

The reality is we need to the win the league.

If we dropped today and we don't win the league by 2 points, I wouldn't be thinking "it was worth it for that draw in Porto" - that's the point folk are making.

If those 3 only had 1 game in them this week it should have been today, not Thursday
 
a_weir said:
Can we have a minute in reality here?

Both Jack and Kent have recently come back from injury and played a VERY tough, fast and physical game just a few days ago. Morelos, ran his arse of for 90 minutes and Defoe is just as dependable, with a better goals per minute ratio than anyone else in the league.
Click to expand...

The point being, should we have been risking playing Jack and Kent in a very tough, fast, physical game in Europe if it meant them having to miss todays game.

We got away with it by the skin of our teeth today. We go away to Livingston after our next Euro game and might not be so lucky if we try the same again.
 
Brick_Top said:
The point being, should we have been risking playing Jack and Kent in a very tough, fast, physical game in Europe if it meant them having to miss todays game.

We got away with it by the skin of our teeth today. We go away to Livingston after our next Euro game and might not be so lucky if we try the same again.
Click to expand...
I agree 100%. It was great getting a point in Porto but I would have prioritised today’s game before Europa League...Gerrard is obviously doing the opposite.

Thank god we won but I can’t see us getting away with it much longer. I hope I’m totally wrong & we look back at this weekend & say “this is what Champions do”.

In Gerrard we trust :p
 
Blutoe said:
The usual calls for resting players in Europe would soon dry up if we were getting pumped by Porto while the Tim’s were beating Lazio
Click to expand...

Agreed, like it or not this is how we pay wages/ fund new players/ stadium upgrades we all expect to happen etc, winning the league and collecting 2.8 million quid pales in significance to the mobey earned in the Europa runs. It would soon be apparent which route to favour if it was our money going out the door, King et all are no different.
 
Should have started and been taken off to give a breather from a winning position.

defoe against their giants was always going to be a really tough ask, fantastic finish but Morelos would have Had more joy.
 
Brick_Top said:
Morelos, Kent and Jack all playing in Europe on Thursday then rested for today.

Thursdays result and performance was excellent and we were all buzzing after it, but for me our Euro nights can’t be to the detriment of the league.

We done ok to grind out the win today, but I think we really need to be starting our best 11 in games like today.
Click to expand...
Have to agree league is priority and today was always going to be scrappy on the back of porto happy we got the win though
 
Kent was never starting after Thursday night, Jack either! I'd have started with Morelos though! 3 points after a difficult but excellent result on Thursday, it's going to be a long season
 
Danger Zone said:
It’s great having a big capable squad but I think Gerrard is guilty of over tinkering and it’s going to cost us eventually.

Not many successful sides that rejig the side so significantly and so often. Much more consistency is needed.
Click to expand...
And I think it feels like the priority for the best first XI is the EL matches. Worrying.
 
Brick_Top said:
Morelos, Kent and Jack all playing in Europe on Thursday then rested for today.

Thursdays result and performance was excellent and we were all buzzing after it, but for me our Euro nights can’t be to the detriment of the league.

We done ok to grind out the win today, but I think we really need to be starting our best 11 in games like today.
Click to expand...
I couldn't agree more. Playing the second best players in the league runs a higher risk of losing points. It should be the other way around if he feels the need to rotate.
 
Brick_Top said:
Morelos, Kent and Jack all playing in Europe on Thursday then rested for today.

Thursdays result and performance was excellent and we were all buzzing after it, but for me our Euro nights can’t be to the detriment of the league.

We done ok to grind out the win today, but I think we really need to be starting our best 11 in games like today.
Click to expand...
Couldn’t agree more. It does slightly concern me that Gerrard seems to put such an emphasis on European football. Maybe it’s a hangover from his playing days. We are not good enough to be resting players against in form domestic teams.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Latest posts

Back
Top