Dip in Alfredo Morelos' form cost Rangers title, says David Weir

Morelos is treated differently from every other player in Scotland by refs, and receives yellow and red cards he doesn't warrant. That is irrefutable reality.
 
The physical condition that Morelos returned to Rangers after the Xmas break was in all honesty an absolute disgrace for a professional athlete. He looked like he was running on quick sand when he returned and even by the time the season stopped, he still didn't look anywhere near as sharp and fit as he did in December.

Weir has a point, but there's a few factors that had a big impact. Losing Tav and Barisic (who are crucial to our style of play) with no like for like replacements. Them returning and taking some time to get back up to speed again. Helander getting a bad injury unsettled us at the back as well, we were magnificent at the back Oct/Nov/Dec. Jack was carrying that injury he picked up in the Cup Final and was struggling.

When we returned, although we weren't playing well I think Defoe scored a couple of match winning goals and then he got injured. So we had Defoe out, Morelos banned and Morelos being nowhere near fit when he returned, added into the other problems with key players referenced above.

I said it at the time but not getting Vydra was massive. Genuinely believe he would rip it up in the SPL, he's a very good player. Going from him to Kamberi is like going from Michelle Keegan to Michelle McManus.
 
We would be better off with two not as good but more reliable strikers than Morelos.

When he is good he is excellent but he can let us down and we don't have any sort of plan B when he is not on it.
 
rfc_chris_rfc said:
A dip in form of one player shouldn’t affect your whole season. You should be able to replace him if he has a dip in form if you are a well prepared team. That’s what cost us after January, not having adequate back up to Alfie
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Easier said than done though.
We we have been able to replace Laudrup?
Did we replace Butcher adequately when he broke his leg?
 
BlueSevenTwo said:
It is but some are generated by his own stupidity , December 29th being the prime example.
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Nonsense. Celtc should have been down to 9 men before he was red carded, one in particular a last man foul on the Colombian for which he was fouled and we should have received a penalty kick. Clancy missed all of these. I can't think why. :rolleyes:
 
It wasn't just his form that dipped, his fitness did too. We shouldn't be relying on one player though.
 
bearspakora said:
Nonsense. Celtc should have been down to 9 men before he was red carded, one in particular a last man foul on the Colombian for which he was fouled and we should have received a penalty kick. Clancy missed all of these. I can't think why. :rolleyes:
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We all know that but Morelos can’t be defended for his actions he gave it to Clancy on a plate.
 
The dive at Parkhead was the ultimate embarrassment for me.

It tells me that, regrettably, Morelos is just a bit thick and doesn’t have in him to learn. It was beyond stupidity.

Anyone blaming the ref for that red card is at 1996 mentally challenged level of lunacy.
 
It’s a simplistic view, but has some accuracy. A supplementary question would be to ask why the entire team came back from the break looking off the pace. Over confident? Couldn’t handle the pressure? Wrongly trained during the break? I just hope Gerrard has worked this out as it has happened 2 years in a row.
 
BlueSevenTwo said:
We all know that but Morelos can’t be defended for his actions he gave it to Clancy on a plate.
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Is it any wonder that Morelos loses the plot when he sees players waved away by the ref for challenges that see him yellow or red carded ? This is not a Morelos indiscipline problem, but a ref cheating problem.
 
bearspakora said:
Is it any wonder that Morelos loses the plot when he sees players waved away by the ref for challenges that see him yellow or red carded ? This is not a Morelos indiscipline problem, but a ref cheating problem.
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‘This is not a Morelos indiscipline problem’

If you honestly think that, you need help.
 
bearspakora said:
Is it any wonder that Morelos loses the plot when he sees players waved away by the ref for challenges that see him yellow or red carded ? This is not a Morelos indiscipline problem, but a ref cheating problem.
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I don’t doubt he has been badly treated in some instances but this one , sorry it was all his own doing , why dive in the first place it was probably easier to score.
i have strongly defended him in the past but can’t on this occasion.
 
ICA_86 said:
‘This is not a Morelos indiscipline problem’

If you honestly think that, you need help.
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Morelos walks onto that pitch every week knowing that he'll be booked or sent off before any other player for the same foul committed. It is outrageous that we as a club put up with that double standard. His prior record at other clubs also shows beyond doubt that he does not have a discipline problem.
 
bearspakora said:
Morelos walks onto that pitch every week knowing that he'll be booked or sent off before any other player for the same foul committed. It is outrageous that we as a club put up with that double standard. His prior record at other clubs also shows beyond doubt that he does not have a discipline problem.
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So he thinks/knows that and still throws himself to the ground when easier to score in a game which was all but won anyway and you don’t think that’s a problem?
 
BlueSevenTwo said:
So he thinks/knows that and still throws himself to the ground when easier to score in a game which was all but won anyway and you don’t think that’s a problem?
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Firstly, it wasn't easier to score. Secondly, how many times has Christie dived during games, especially in our penalty area during a game without a yellow card shown ? The double standard again being played. If Bears want to be duped into the " petulant Colombian " nonsense from the Scottish media, then fair enough. I'm out of this thread.
 
There is some truth to what Weir says, but the sensational headline and over-simplification grates a bit. As does the comparison to their player.

The alternative way to look at it was that Alfie’s pre-Christmas form was so exceptional that it masked deficiencies elsewhere in the team. Whe is form dipped, those deficiencies were laid bare.

But of course, putting a positive spin on anything to do with Alfie is anathema to the Scottish media...
 
bearspakora said:
Firstly, it wasn't easier to score. Secondly, how many times has Christie dived during games, especially in our penalty area during a game without a yellow card shown ? The double standard again being played. If Bears want to be duped into the " petulant Colombian " nonsense from the Scottish media, then fair enough. I'm out of this thread.
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Sorry I badly wanted the guy to turn the corner and overcome the adversity but that game changed my mind , followed by the pre Hearts scenario , no man is bigger than the club.
 
Albertz Loyal said:
I think the red card was a big turning point. It was pointless and just the media back on his back when he was actually starting to show some good discipline
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mental because if he looks up he is in an excellent goal scoring position, a position from which he regularly hits scores from
 
I'm still marvelling at the fact that Davie Weir managed to coach and watch Warburton's teams week in week out featuring several weak centre back pairings and seemingly couldn't offer up any words of advice to his gaffer on how they might improve things.
That despite the fact Davie himself excelled in that position at Ibrox and successfully brought on less experienced partners.
 
What if Alfie and Rangers had kept the same form as up to the break?
What if, we had matched the mentally challengeds point for point and we ended up the same point behind them with the same game in hand?

Anybody think we'd have got the title?

Celtc have been awarded the league they have not won it.

Why can't our ex players say this, what are they scared of?
 
Tommyhlrsc said:
What if Alfie and Rangers had kept the same form as up to the break?
What if, we had matched the mentally challengeds point for point and we ended up the same point behind them with the same game in hand?

Anybody think we'd have got the title?

Celtc have been awarded the league they have not won it.

Why can't our ex players say this, what are they scared of?
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Davie is an ex Celtic player too.
 
Snakehips said:
The media campaign after his red card was disgraceful.

It was xenophobic at best, and borderline racist, given some of the comments referring to his homeland. All designed to inflict damage on the player and Rangers, which it clearly did after the break. He was his own worst enemy at times, granted, but I have never witnessed a witch hunt like it in Scottish sport before in any field, maybe with the exception of Duncan Ferguson.

If I was Morelos I would be off like a shot to the first decent club that fame along, and I don’t mean that as a slight to Rangers in any way. He is a marked man with regards the media, referees and opposition players and fans and will never get a fair crack of the whip in Scotland.

He could save a drowning dog from the sea in Scotland and still get criticised by Lonely Bill and the Failed Trialist for failing to catch a few salmon while he was at it. Sutton meanwhile would probably say he threw the dog in!
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Spot on.
Sorry, I may have missed the out come of this but what happened with the guy tampering with his car. Was it to do with his wife or was just a media lie
 
BlueSevenTwo said:
The team were far too reliant on Morelos to score in the first place , something we can’t afford to repeat next season.
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Agreed. Our system was dangerously dependent on Morelos being a one man battering ram of a forward line.

Without him (either bring absent or out of sorts) we looked worryingly toothless.

What it exposed was that we didn’t add a sufficient goal threat to the midfield and wide forward areas last summer. We also needed an alternative system for when Alfie was missing.

These remain the main areas for improvement next season, IMO.
 
BlueSevenTwo said:
Sorry I badly wanted the guy to turn the corner and overcome the adversity but that game changed my mind , followed by the pre Hearts scenario , no man is bigger than the club.
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Christ

Who needs enemies eh?

The red card at the Stade des Secrets was Clancy's last act of defiance because he couldn't get them a draw.

You only have to look at the first 20 mins of the same game where he wilfully ignored 4 bookings for Julien alone but couldn't get this card out quick enough for Alfie.

The first booking for the foul on Broonaldo fine, booking all day long. The 2nd was Alfie anticipating contact with the Filth player (Ntcham I think) who saw it coming and stepped out the way.

Think back to last season's Scottish Cup ties against the Sheep. Alfie got booted up and down Pittodrie and Clancy didn't give him a free kick until 5mins near the end and booked him for diving during the game. Replay at Ibrox, same thing, gets taken out and gets booked for diving. Again putting him out of the Semi Final which would have been against the Filth.
 
Bknowe said:
Christ

Who needs enemies eh?

The red card at the Stade des Secrets was Clancy's last act of defiance because he couldn't get them a draw.

You only have to look at the first 20 mins of the same game where he wilfully ignored 4 bookings for Julien alone but couldn't get this card out quick enough for Alfie.

The first booking for the foul on Broonaldo fine, booking all day long. The 2nd was Alfie anticipating contact with the Filth player (Ntcham I think) who saw it coming and stepped out the way.

Think back to last season's Scottish Cup ties against the Sheep. Alfie got booted up and down Pittodrie and Clancy didn't give him a free kick until 5mins near the end and booked him for diving during the game. Replay at Ibrox, same thing, gets taken out and gets booked for diving. Again putting him out of the Semi Final which would have been against the Filth.
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We all witnessed Clancy that day and his performance was blatantly biased.
Still doesn’t excuse Alfie for making his decision easy does it.
 
Aye it's all Alfie's fault.No mention of the back 4 and the midfield who couldn't do the basics of football but aye it's Alfie's fault right enough.
 
I believe in Eli said:
Absolute tosh, our centre halves, goalie and full backs were giving away cheap goals. Our midfield ceased to function and our wide attackers went missing, but yeah, it's all down to Morelos, who was admittedly off the boil along with everyone else. Remember David Weir was part of a management team who saw fit to spend over £1million on joe garner.
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Nonsense, we only conceded 8 goals in 10 games after beating them in December Which isn’t bad tbh when they conceded 5 in 10 games.

We only scored an embarrassing 11 goals in 10 games though compared to 34 goals for the tramps.

Still think the defence was the issue?
 
I do think Weir has a point but I do think it highlights a bigger problem with our teams reliance on Morelos to win us the game and perhaps a flaw with the structure the manager wanted to play.

when Defoe came in it was obvious to most fans that he would play better in a front pairing where Morelos was effective as a sole striker. We really needed another striker who could rag doll defenders like Morelos can.

we all backed Morelos to do well but his silly bookings added up. You don’t mind a player getting a yellow for being over committed etc but bookings for petulance really let the team and Gerrard down at times.

it’s no doubt that Morelos is a talent and I’m sure he will have a great career but maybe we would be better placed selling him while his stock is high and bring in lesser overall talents perhaps but ones who will feature in every game And work well in the team.
 
BlueSevenTwo said:
We all witnessed Clancy that day and his performance was blatantly biased.
Still doesn’t excuse Alfie for making his decision easy does it.
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He didn't make it easy.

He was expecting contact with the filth defender who took a step back and he fell. We aren't talking Sadiq at Hampden when you're by the keeper and decide to throw yourself to the deck instead of putting the ball in the net.

Clancy took the chance to see it as a dive and ensure that Alfie would have been suspended for a few games going forward after the break as he couldn't affect that days result.

The game should have been done when he sent Alfie off.
 
crookie_bear said:
Spot on.
Sorry, I may have missed the out come of this but what happened with the guy tampering with his car. Was it to do with his wife or was just a media lie
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Not sure what happened with the car thing, was thinking about that the other day. Anyone shed any light? Still convinced it was the Sunday Mail who hired someone, given the adultery story they ran shortly after, plus the fact their editor Brendan McGinty (yes that really was his name) left shortly after, perhaps in a forced move?

I don’t think the full, real story has surfaced yet.
 
Morelos the easy target once again.

If he's returning out of shape then why is he starting matches?

When he was out, why didn't we change our system and set up.

Tavernier and Goldson errors and mistakes cost us more last season than Morelos being out.
 
If that's true and we sell him we will be lucky to get top 6 fs. We were absolutely woeful from january onwards
 
Hanging that accusation over the head of one player is a dangerous precedent to set.

Questions have to be asked about why the team relies on an individual to score to win games and why other players aren’t capable of stepping up when he’s off his game.

A lack of striking options and goal scorers elsewhere on the pitch cost us imo
 
Bknowe said:
He didn't make it easy.

He was expecting contact with the filth defender who took a step back and he fell. We aren't talking Sadiq at Hampden when you're by the keeper and decide to throw yourself to the deck instead of putting the ball in the net.

Clancy took the chance to see it as a dive and ensure that Alfie would have been suspended for a few games going forward after the break as he couldn't affect that days result.

The game should have been done when he sent Alfie off.
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No offence mate bit alfredo dived pure and simple.

He could have scored or ran it to the corner flag but he decided to dive.

I love the wee man and he was brilliant that day aswell but that's the reality.
 
CaptainCourageous said:
Morelos the easy target once again.

If he's returning out of shape then why is he starting matches?

When he was out, why didn't we change our system and set up.

Tavernier and Goldson errors and mistakes cost us more last season than Morelos being out.
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Singling out individuals like this is just stupid.
 
I’d say it’s fair comment, wasn’t even so much the goals drying up as all the rythym went from our play as he lost form.
 
Fergie90 said:
No offence mate bit alfredo dived pure and simple.

He could have scored or ran it to the corner flag but he decided to dive.

I love the wee man and he was brilliant that day aswell but that's the reality.
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I disagree mate

I've still got the game on my Sky box. Clancy had his hand in his pocket for the card BEFORE he had blown the whistle. As soon as Alfie hit the ground he sprinted over card in hand.

Alfie got sent off at the 5th minute of injury time. 4 were meant to be added.
 
Bknowe said:
I disagree mate

I've still got the game on my Sky box. Clancy had his hand in his pocket for the card BEFORE he had blown the whistle. As soon as Alfie hit the ground he sprinted over card in hand.
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100% agree with that mate and Clancy was a disgrace but if he didnt go down he couldn't be sent off.

I can see alfie staying next season as I doubt we would get what we want for him in these uncertain times aswell as his recent form.

He will be more mature now he is a dad and a desire to shut people up will fire up wee alfie.
 
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