Dealing With The Facts!!

[Bear all]

Aberdeen got the benefit of a wrong sending off.

Motherwell got the benefit of their heavy tactics from the ref also as far as I am concerned prior to them getting possession in the lead up to their corner Morelos had a one on one and was fouled the ref played on(common theme).

Jack fouled for the scum goal.


What a load of crap everyone is behind the manager and team.

 

[DoubleWhopper]

There’s constructive venting & criticism allowed yes of course, but what we see from some is hysterical bed wetting & mouth foaming anger.

Exactly.

Its the hysteria that greets every dropped point that is detrimental.

If I were a Rangers player, I wouldn't be on social media, because it must affect you on some level reading some of the pish on twitter.

It's the inability to see past the mitigating circumstances of league results that irritates me. Maybe we'd have 9 or 10 points had we gone out to Osijek...if people would have preferred that, fair enough...you can't argue with the league being the priority...but I've always said group stage European football is a vital step in the restoration of Rangers FC. To have achieved it already is all the evidence anyone needs about our current progress.

Lets see where we are in 6 or 7 weeks. We can't control what Celtic do, but I'd be comfortable suggesting we won't be any further than 4 points behind before the League cup semis.

 

[squaddie-bear]

Getting beat off those cretins is always a punch in the gut, it hurts the pride.

If I was asked what game to prioritise between UFA and the Beasts, as much as I want us to beat those animals then I would have had to have went for UFA. That 90 mins held too much of a significance in terms of us moving forward as a club.

3 points can be recovered, 1 shot at Europe can't.

Its not just about the points though. Its £10 million that we were not budgeting for. I think the Ufa game is going to be very significant for us in the long run.

We now have 4 months for Mark Allen and his team to scout out other players who can improve us even more. They can look at better players now. Before the season started we were (and have been) looking at players worth approx £3 million max. We can now, without overstretching, realistically look at players in the £5 million bracket.

I'm not saying we should just go and buy someone at that price for the sake of it, but if the opportunity in January presents itself to purchased a really good quality player that might just be the difference we need.

We are ahead of schedule. The vast majority on this board were hoping/expecting that Gerrard, and this team, would cut the gap, make a good show of it and realistically come second but within touching distance of them. In terms of Europe most would have been happy getting to the 3rd/4th round.

 

[Papasmurf]

Great post GF!

Now is not the time to lose faith!
Courage required!

Anyone losing faith at this point should go into their wardrobe, pull out their green and grey and sit with fellow Neanderthals.

Has sg made mistakes. Yes. But not massive ones and he will learn from them.

Yes, points make prizes, but bar two injury time goals we are sitting in 9 points and with the Europa league to look forward to.

Start forming strong judgements at xmas.

 

[Bear all]

Exactly.

Its the hysteria that greets every dropped point that is detrimental.

If I were a Rangers player, I wouldn't be on social media, because it must affect you on some level reading some of the pish on twitter.

It's the inability to see past the mitigating circumstances of league results that irritates me. Maybe we'd have 9 or 10 points had we gone out to Osijek...if people would have preferred that, fair enough...you can't argue with the league being the priority...but I've always said group stage European football is a vital step in the restoration of Rangers FC. To have achieved it already is all the evidence anyone needs about our current progress.

Lets see where we are in 6 or 7 weeks. We can't control what Celtic do, but I'd be comfortable suggesting we won't be any further than 4 points behind before the League cup semis.

Group stage football also gives us cash to enter into the December transfer market .

 

[Gallant_Few]

Its not just about the points though. Its £10 million that we were not budgeting for. I think the Ufa game is going to be very significant for us in the long run.

We now have 4 months for Mark Allen and his team to scout out other players who can improve us even more. They can look at better players now. Before the season started we were (and have been) looking at players worth approx £3 million max. We can now, without overstretching, realistically look at players in the £5 million bracket.

I'm not saying we should just go and buy someone at that price for the sake of it, but if the opportunity in January presents itself to purchased a really good quality player that might just be the difference we need.

We are ahead of schedule. The vast majority on this board were hoping/expecting that Gerrard, and this team, would cut the gap, make a good show of it and realistically come second but within touching distance of them. In terms of Europe most would have been happy getting to the 3rd/4th round.

I agree mate. I'm confident that the standard of players we sign will increase each transfer window. As we can afford to up transfer fees and wages little by little and with the prestige of our club growing again. Not to mention the fact players want to be a part of what Steven Gerrard is building.

 

[Barrymoped]

Anyone losing faith needs to have a serious word with themselves .
Yes Sunday was a total bugger, a real downer that not only did we lose, we barely laid a glove on them so constructive criticism of the team and the manager is warranted, but some of the crap has been way over the top.

If you look at the overall picture it’s far better than this time last year, you would have to be utterly mental not to see how much better it is.

One defeat in 13 and we haven’t even hit full stride yet, onwards and upwards!

 

[Bluenose1979]

Anyone losing faith at this point should go into their wardrobe, pull out their green and grey and sit with fellow Neanderthals.

Has sg made mistakes. Yes. But not massive ones and he will learn from them.

Yes, points make prizes, but bar two injury time goals we are sitting in 9 points and with the Europa league to look forward to.

Start forming strong judgements at xmas.

I think you'll honestly struggle to find many people genuinely losing faith in SG. Maybe there are a handful, I've honestly not seen anyone refer to it as a "crisis" or shout "Gerrard OUT" as the OP suggests.

Folk are saying constructive criticism is fine and it's only bedwetting hysteria that is the problem. I disagree. Anyone who has put any kind of criticism in SG's direction over the weekend's performance is simply being shouted down as hysterical. The reality is that there are folk who simply will not tolerate criticism of any kind, constructive or not.

We have to be able to see where we're making real errors. We have every right to have a moan about it. We have every right to be angry or upset. That's the nature of it all and it's what fans do - at EVERY club.

Pointing out our own mistakes or shortcomings does not invalidate other factors in the bigger picture, but refusing to admit the mistakes or shortcomings and using the other factors like exclusive reasons to whitewash the things we get wrong is a poor way to go IMHO.

I like SG, I think he'll learn, I think he's overall doing well for the level of experience he has, but I think he made big mistakes on Sunday. Shoot me for having that view...

 

[Gallant_Few]

I think you'll honestly struggle to find many people genuinely losing faith in SG. Maybe there are a handful, I've honestly not seen anyone refer to it as a "crisis" or shout "Gerrard OUT" as the OP suggests.

Folk are saying constructive criticism is fine and it's only bedwetting hysteria that is the problem. I disagree. Anyone who has put any kind of criticism in SG's direction over the weekend's performance is simply being shouted down as hysterical. The reality is that there are folk who simply will not tolerate criticism of any kind, constructive or not.

We have to be able to see where we're making real errors. We have every right to have a moan about it. We have every right to be angry or upset. That's the nature of it all and it's what fans do - at EVERY club.

Pointing out our own mistakes or shortcomings does not invalidate other factors in the bigger picture, but refusing to admit the mistakes or shortcomings and using the other factors like exclusive reasons to whitewash the things we get wrong is a poor way to go IMHO.

I like SG, I think he'll learn, I think he's overall doing well for the level of experience he has, but I think he made big mistakes on Sunday. Shoot me for having that view...

I wasn't saying people are/where shouting 'Gerrard out' it was a light hearted dig at the morons in the media who look at the points tally and try and fuel negativity.

 

[Bluenose1979]

I wasn't saying people are/where shouting 'Gerrard out' it was a light hearted dig at the morons in the media who look at the points tally and try and fuel negativity.

Okay, but let's be honest, the point I'm making is that most folk out there are able to apply criticism when it's due (often heatedly in the immediate aftermath of a huge game) without losing sight of the bigger picture at the same time.

There's a tendency for folk to protest too much in the other direction IMHO, by getting very upset and hysterical towards anyone that dares to point out perfectly valid and honest failures of our own.

Much of the bed-wetting is actually being done by the accusers who lose the rag the first time anyone dares to question a decision or action by our manager or players.

Maybe the reality is actually somewhere in the middle?

 

[Blue Lou Boyle]

I think you'll honestly struggle to find many people genuinely losing faith in SG. Maybe there are a handful, I've honestly not seen anyone refer to it as a "crisis" or shout "Gerrard OUT" as the OP suggests.

Folk are saying constructive criticism is fine and it's only bedwetting hysteria that is the problem. I disagree. Anyone who has put any kind of criticism in SG's direction over the weekend's performance is simply being shouted down as hysterical. The reality is that there are folk who simply will not tolerate criticism of any kind, constructive or not.

We have to be able to see where we're making real errors. We have every right to have a moan about it. We have every right to be angry or upset. That's the nature of it all and it's what fans do - at EVERY club.

Pointing out our own mistakes or shortcomings does not invalidate other factors in the bigger picture, but refusing to admit the mistakes or shortcomings and using the other factors like exclusive reasons to whitewash the things we get wrong is a poor way to go IMHO.

I like SG, I think he'll learn, I think he's overall doing well for the level of experience he has, but I think he made big mistakes on Sunday. Shoot me for having that view...

Couldnt agree more.

Some posters on here are gagging to hit out with the "this place is mental/full of pantie wetter" stuff.

I was reading a thread yesterday morning where every single poster was having a calm rational discussion about how and why we fell short on sunday.

Someone came on and hit out with the "this place needs to calm down" guff when everyone was 100% calm.

 

[omegaman]

We are ahead of schedule. The vast majority on this board were hoping/expecting that Gerrard, and this team, would cut the gap, make a good show of it and realistically come second but within touching distance of them. In terms of Europe most would have been happy getting to the 3rd/4th round.

What were the early expectations though?

Europe has been an unexpected boon and a real feather in Gerrard's cap, but overall are we really that ahead of schedule?

For instance, domestically we've stuttered. I don't think anyone's panicking about it, but if you'd said back in June that we'd take just 5 points from our opening 12, I doubt there would have been many who'd have seen that as anything other than disappointing.

So I think we're heading in the right direction, but we resemble something of a building site at the moment, where the foundations are in place and look solid, but the rest of the structure requires more meat on the bones.

I think most criticism I've seen is folk simply acknowledging that.

Sunday tended to show that we're still short of going toe to toe with the Yahoos and I think expectations need reigned in a touch as a result.

The over-optimistic are just as frustrating as the hopeless doom-mongers for me.

 

[squaddie-bear]

What were the early expectations though?

Europe has been an unexpected boon and a real feather in Gerrard's cap, but overall are we really that ahead of schedule?

For instance, domestically we've stuttered. I don't think anyone's panicking about it, but if you'd said back in June that we'd take just 5 points from our opening 12, I doubt there would have been many who'd have seen that as anything other than disappointing.

So I think we're heading in the right direction, but we resemble something of a building site at the moment, where the foundations are in place and look solid, but the rest of the structure requires more meat on the bones.

I think most criticism I've seen is folk simply acknowledging that.

Sunday tended to show that we're still short of going toe to toe with the Yahoos and I think expectations need reigned in a touch as a result.

The over-optimistic are just as frustrating as the hopeless doom-mongers for me.

its a valid point.

but i doubt many people would have even considered making the group stages as a realistic proposition. However, to be fair, with the exception of Maribor our draws were very achievable.

In terms of Europe we are definitely well ahead of schedule. The £10 million being particularly important.

Domestically we are behind (in terms of points). I would put this down to 2 main factors. The unjust sending off against Aberdeen and a slip against Motherwell. 2 incidents that if they had not happened would probably see us with 4 extra points and in a much healthier position.

I think we can be cautiously optimistic.

The proof in the pudding will be after the next 5 league games. We need to win all of them to really show that we have made significant progress.

 

[Sebo1872]

If you look at the league table then you could easily say we haven't progressed so far.

If anyone has been to the games or watched us though, there is a different feeling to the club this season and the squad is by far better equipped to deal with what lies ahead this season.

If it weren't for this European adventure we have been on i'm confident we would at very least be on 9 points right now.

We are picking up some real momentum and most people seem to be pulling in the right direction, i just worry about those demanding instant success will try and derail this PROJECT.

 

[Bluenose1979]

its a valid point.

but i doubt many people would have even considered making the group stages as a realistic proposition. However, to be fair, with the exception of Maribor our draws were very achievable.

In terms of Europe we are definitely well ahead of schedule. The £10 million being particularly important.

Domestically we are behind (in terms of points). I would put this down to 2 main factors. The unjust sending off against Aberdeen and a slip against Motherwell. 2 incidents that if they had not happened would probably see us with 4 extra points and in a much healthier position.

I think we can be cautiously optimistic.

The proof in the pudding will be after the next 5 league games. We need to win all of them to really show that we have made significant progress.

I'm not sure we can blame the slip against Motherwell (I'm assuming you literally mean Goldson's slip - if not apologies). We led at HT, after that incident. We failed to impose ourselves on the second-half at all, sat deep and allowed them to spend 45 mins lumping balls at our box.

Against a team 100% renowned for being a purely physical threat, who we've struggled to deal with in the last season or two, that was poor game management (for want of a better phrase). The timing of the LW substitution at their corner from which they scored was also questionable and the kind of thing you hear as a DON'T DO when you're even playing at school level.

Aberdeen, there's no question we were affected by the red card, none. That said, we have shown that our ability to close games out late on and run the clock down effectively is not great. Ufa had an arguably good goal chopped off very late in the game too. It's something we need to be better at, but that will come and (again) it's as much a sign of inexperience in SG IMHO, rather than incompetence. He can learn from these things and get better at it.

Next 5 games are going to be huge, the break comes at a good time really and I think they'll be trickier than they may look on paper, but if we can put a running win together, it will go a long way to building towards where we need to be.

 

[omegaman]

Next 5 games are going to be huge, the break comes at a good time really and I think they'll be trickier than they may look on paper, but if we can put a running win together, it will go a long way to building towards where we need to be.

If we’ve really improved, really progressed, we’ll win all of those.

It shouldn’t be a tall order really - they’re an eminently winnable series of matches.

I’m not really interested in excuses for dropped points - another crazy red card, a cheating ref, a perfectly good goal disallowed, etc - we’ll win all five if we really are a different prospect to last season.

 

[Bluenose1979]

If we’ve really improved, really progressed, we’ll win all of those.

It shouldn’t be a tall order really - they’re an eminently winnable series of matches.

I’m not really interested in excuses for dropped points - another crazy red card, a cheating ref, a perfectly good goal disallowed, etc - we’ll win all five if we really are a different prospect to last season.

I would agree. I just think we may get some nasty surprises along the way when it comes to the crunch.

Completely agree RE excuses. Make our own luck.

 

[Truffle Shuffle]

Gerrard has made some bad tactical calls of late that have cost us, after a very bright start.
He's a reason for the slump, but also a reason we're still in Europe.
Will he learn from his failures and improve? I think so.

 

[Gallant_Few]

Gerrard has made some bad tactical calls of late that have cost us, after a very bright start.
He's a reason for the slump, but also a reason we're still in Europe.
Will he learn from his failures and improve? I think so.

It is inevitable that he will make mistakes. But he comes across as someone who will learn from them and not make the same mistakes over and over again, unlike previous managers who just didn't learn.

 

[Truffle Shuffle]

I definitely agree with this, I think what's said behind doors will differ from what's said to the media.

It is inevitable that he will make mistakes. But he comes across as someone who will learn from them and not make the same mistakes over and over again, unlike previous managers who just didn't learn.

 

[jicrw]

In The SFA and Referees We Trust! Aye OK, I Will Get My Coat. Mcgregor getting "Off" is a Smokescreen. Once we do get close, Hopefully THE World Is Watching!