The Buff conundrum

He has had a spell every season where he has been off form. Most players do. Hopefully he'll come good soon
Ye I get that PT but I think at times he just doesn't look interested.
Couple of games he has also had chances to beat the last man and get one on one with the keeper but didn't really try to speed up and get away from him.
 
I think its fair to say that Alfie has never been a top finisher, even given the number of goals he scores. He doesn't tend to strike the ball very true, often snatching or sclaffing it into the ground, making him look really average when not on form. His performance on Saturday was the perfect encapsulation of this

His main strength is the ball being played into his feet and him turning the defender and getting a shot away. He has been dropping too deep to be fully effective, although the number of chances he got on Saturday might be an encouraging sign of him getting into better positions

I do think he needs a period on the bench though
 
He's only went one game without a goal!
he has been off it this season but has scored two very important winners already this season... Alashkert and Hibs, one just a fortnight ago. We are all waiting for the team to get going this season.... hopefully the next few weeks.
 
He's been nowhere near his best for over a year now but I think he's still our best option as striker. I'd rather he cut out the 'coming deep' aspect that has become part of his game though as, contrary to popular opinion, I don't think he's very good at it. Loses possession too often either through poor control or a bad pass. Let the midfield link up the play and he can get back to getting tight to the CB and using his strength on a 1 on 1.
 
There is a fair chance that he has had his purple patch in his career and that was as good as it gets.

Time will tell I suppose. But I think that may very well turn out to be the case.

26 in the summer. The lad needs to get his act together if he wants his move to a better league.
 
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2 goals in his last 10, 7 in his last 24.

Only 2 of them away from home.

Not great is it.

I’d stick him on the bench, but at the same time I wouldn’t be surprised if we continue to struggle to score and some quickly want him brought back in again.
 
He looks like a player that needs a new challenge to me. His form the first half of the 2019/20 season was outstanding, had he maintained that the whole season he would have got his big move but in truth his form had dipped long before the season stopped.

I don't think we'll ever see that Morelos again, of course he'll still get goals in the SPFL but I'm not sure how much he wants to stay here for years on end.

For £1M he's been terrific business; record Euro goal scorer, title winner but we've seen periods of form that made you think he could play for most teams in Europe. He's a long way from that player now.
 
Buf should stay in the team. Remember he got the winner Vrs Hibs. He’s definitely not firing but we don’t have anything like him up the middle…no other player compares to him physically.

He’s a 20 goal a season striker & he will be in & around that again this season. That’s his average. I agree he’s not the same player he was a few years back I just think he’s matured a bit & he’s not a liability like before.

I always believed Wayne Rooney was better when he was younger & a bit crazy. I hope Buf fully rediscovers that form he had a few seasons back he was unbelievable to watch but was a lunatic.
 
For me, he gets benched for the next few games.

I hope for Roofe Sakala and Hagi on Thursday.

Morelos hasn’t got going at all this season and his performances in Europe have been mince as well so it’s not like a defence of “he turns up on Euro nights” is applicable this season thus far.

I really hope he turns the form around because his value is decreasing which isn’t good for us.
 
Morelos needs to earn his starting place for me.
Unfortunately he knows apart from Roofe, he doesn't have to, as he is till Gerrard's 'blue eyed' boy.
(No pun intended)

But even the manager has a limit to his patience, and that dig on Saturday show even his patience is wearing thin.

It's up to the player starting Thursday. I hope he shows what he can do after he comes off the bench. (Ha ha)
 
All players should earn the right to play strikers earn that by scoring goals, sometimes when a player is facing the same opponent time and time again they work out how to combat them..
 
I think its fair to say that Alfie has never been a top finisher, even given the number of goals he scores. He doesn't tend to strike the ball very true, often snatching or sclaffing it into the ground, making him look really average when not on form. His performance on Saturday was the perfect encapsulation of this

His main strength is the ball being played into his feet and him turning the defender and getting a shot away. He has been dropping too deep to be fully effective, although the number of chances he got on Saturday might be an encouraging sign of him getting into better positions

I do think he needs a period on the bench though
I think this all comes off the back of a game against Aberdeen where the management obviously wanted him to keep away from McKenna and co and he dragged them all over the place which left a lot of space for runners into the box.

Probably doesn’t help either that Liverpool play the false 9 with Firmino or Jota well.

Alfredo can spray passes about etc
but he’s at his best when he’s up against defenders. Wrestling, twisting and turning and generally being a menace. I’m not shocked that his goal scoring has taken a massive dip the last year because he’s doing a job for the team rather than a job for alfredo
 
I think this all comes off the back of a game against Aberdeen where the management obviously wanted him to keep away from McKenna and co and he dragged them all over the place which left a lot of space for runners into the box.

Probably doesn’t help either that Liverpool play the false 9 with Firmino or Jota well.

Alfredo can spray passes about etc
but he’s at his best when he’s up against defenders. Wrestling, twisting and turning and generally being a menace. I’m not shocked that his goal scoring has taken a massive dip the last year because he’s doing a job for the team rather than a job for alfredo
Last sentence is just excuses

Off the top of my head, he could have had a hatrick on Saturday, he has missed other chances in games too including a few at home to Alashkert IIRC. There’s been others too.

Him coming deeper isn’t the reason his goal scoring has taken a dip. His poor finishing is the reason for that
 
Last sentence is just excuses

Off the top of my head, he could have had a hatrick on Saturday, he has missed other chances in games too including a few at home to Alashkert IIRC. There’s been others too.

Him coming deeper isn’t the reason his goal scoring has taken a dip. His poor finishing is the reason for that
His finishing has always been poor though.
I’ve not once said he doesn’t get chances, but surely it stands to reason if he’s further from the goal more often he’s less likely to score a tap in or get on the end of a cross or through ball?
The amount of times we’ve went to cross and he’s been still making his way into the box or is out in the channel is frustrating as hell.

When you have Arfield who is particularly good at breaking the lines from midfield, or Kent who uses his pace well to get into spaces left then the deeper striker works. Right now it’s not working IMO and it’s something we can easily change
 
He needs a hat-trick in a game to build his confidence I reckon. You can see his wee petted lip after he‘s missed a few chances or he games when he can’t even buy a goal.
 
His finishing has always been poor though.
I’ve not once said he doesn’t get chances, but surely it stands to reason if he’s further from the goal more often he’s less likely to score a tap in or get on the end of a cross or through ball?
The amount of times we’ve went to cross and he’s been still making his way into the box or is out in the channel is frustrating as hell.

When you have Arfield who is particularly good at breaking the lines from midfield, or Kent who uses his pace well to get into spaces left then the deeper striker works. Right now it’s not working IMO and it’s something we can easily change
I do get what you’re saying but with regards to him making his way into the box, I’ve seen this numerous times in numerous games where after playing it out wide, instead of bursting his arse to get into the box, it’s almost like a casual jog into the box. Laziness / poor body language, call it what you will.

Frustrating as hell although he’s not alone in that respect. Too often when out wide, we have very little midfielders bursting their arse to get into the box
 
If he is after a move then I reckon we will see the Alfie of old against Brondby when more eyes will be on him. Tbh I'd imagine most teams don't give a s##t what he does in Scotland its his performances in Europe that will catch the eye.
 
His finishing has always been poor though.
I’ve not once said he doesn’t get chances, but surely it stands to reason if he’s further from the goal more often he’s less likely to score a tap in or get on the end of a cross or through ball?
The amount of times we’ve went to cross and he’s been still making his way into the box or is out in the channel is frustrating as hell.

When you have Arfield who is particularly good at breaking the lines from midfield, or Kent who uses his pace well to get into spaces left then the deeper striker works. Right now it’s not working IMO and it’s something we can easily change

You are absolutely wasting your time trying to reason with him.
 
He shouldn't be a first pick just now. On the whole, he's been poor this season.
Gerrard needs to be ruthless, too many of our "spine" know that regardless of how much they underperform, they'll still be in the starting lineup the following week.
 
He normally saves his best for Europe so hopefully he gets a goal or two to kickstart his season on Thursday night.

He is on 99 goals for Rangers at the moment.
 
He looks like a player that needs a new challenge to me. His form the first half of the 2019/20 season was outstanding, had he maintained that the whole season he would have got his big move but in truth his form had dipped long before the season stopped.

I don't think we'll ever see that Morelos again, of course he'll still get goals in the SPFL but I'm not sure how much he wants to stay here for years on end.

For £1M he's been terrific business; record Euro goal scorer, title winner but we've seen periods of form that made you think he could play for most teams in Europe. He's a long way from that player now.
I agree, for Rangers and his sake I think he would be better moving on.
Obviously we need to replace him.
He has become stagnant and has certainly not improved as a player in the last couple of years.
 
Should be on the bench for Brondby & St Mirren.

Start Roofe centrally with 2 of Aribo, Hagi, Sakala, Wright either side of him.
 
Should be on the bench for Brondby & St Mirren.

Start Roofe centrally with 2 of Aribo, Hagi, Sakala, Wright either side of him.

Morelos deserves to be benched yet Hagi/Wright deserve a possible start?

Neither of those two have been consistent either. Wright has a single goal all season.

I’d be starting both Morelos and Roofe against Brøndby with Sakala alongside them.

Davis, Lundstram and Aribo in midfield.

Other than Lundstram there isn’t a player in the squad that can be disappointed should they miss out.
 
What weight is he and what weight was he a few seasons ago?
Obviously I don’t know the specifics but it’s clear to see. He’s also lost a yard of pace it seems. He’s not fat by any means but he’s not lean either. I just feel if he lost a bit it would take his game up a good bit.
 
Morelos deserves to be benched yet Hagi/Wright deserve a possible start?

Neither of those two have been consistent either. Wright has a single goal all season.

I’d be starting both Morelos and Roofe against Brøndby with Sakala alongside them.

Davis, Lundstram and Aribo in midfield.

Other than Lundstram there isn’t a player in the squad that can be disappointed should they miss out.
I actually agree with you to an extent mate but I just feel Morelos cannot be rewarded for that insipid performance on Saturday.

Unfortunately our front 3 options don’t look as good as people originally thought with Kent out and IMO, making the mistake of letting Itten go.
 
I actually agree with you to an extent mate but I just feel Morelos cannot be rewarded for that insipid performance on Saturday.

Unfortunately our front 3 options don’t look as good as people originally thought with Kent out and IMO, making the mistake of letting Itten go.

If we are dropping players on mistakes/errors/poor form then there are a host of players that fall into that category.

It was mentioned in the summer that letting Itten go and not replacing him was a mistake, along with not getting another attacking option in but plenty said it wasn’t required.

For me it’s time to stop making excuses (not labelled at you). The players need to roll their sleeves up and find form and consistency. Sleepwalking through this season.
 
He needs a hat-trick in a game to build his confidence I reckon. You can see his wee petted lip after he‘s missed a few chances or he games when he can’t even buy a goal.

Never mind a hat trick. He needs 1!!

The commentary team said something about morelos wouldn’t care if he was on 99 or 97 or 104 etc on Saturday but I firmly disagree with that. He is quite a driven wee guy and with that he can be selfish - he knows full well he’s on 99 and a balloon party awaits number 100.
 
Morelos deserves to be benched yet Hagi/Wright deserve a possible start?

Neither of those two have been consistent either. Wright has a single goal all season.

I’d be starting both Morelos and Roofe against Brøndby with Sakala alongside them.

Davis, Lundstram and Aribo in midfield.

Other than Lundstram there isn’t a player in the squad that can be disappointed should they miss out.
Sorry M8 disagree in regards to Hagi. I think he has been our most consistent player so far, and only now being overtaken by lundstram. Wright on the other hand seems to be more of an impact player and not a starter. I also think Alfie will come good again just like last season (calls for him to be sold/dropped etc then as 55 became more imminent he burst into life, laughing at opposition players wanting fouls against him, scoring goals, and ragdolling every c#nt). Top of the league and not even started playing yet. Works for me
 
On his day, he was our talisman and a nightmare for defenders. He’s gone through bad patches before but something seems different this time. I just can’t see him ever recapturing his best form in a Rangers jersey, the application just doesn’t seem to be there.

God know what this means for his next move and the fee we receive. Looking like a massive error knocking the bid back from Lille right now.
 
His forms not good atm so I think he should be dropped for Thur and Sunday. Roofe and a run in the team for Sakala .
 
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