Match Thread Eintracht Frankfurt v Rangers - 20:00 Wednesday - BT Sport

After taking stock and not so sound a sleep,i think the team did great to get to the final against some very good opposition in previous rounds.No one would expect a club on our finances to beat those teams but we did.
Then last night came along . Both wingbacks looked lost,Borna for pace and our captain for just about everything i'm sad to say. Bad passing ,slack touches and being taken to the cleaners by simple long balls down both flanks .
Their threat on the wings and ability to get early,good quality crosses into the opposition box was highlighted in the build up to the game. The fact they only scored once from it doesn't excuse the apparent inaction off addressing the threat early doors as it was obvious from the off. Until Davis was introduced,we couldn't string 2 passes together anywhere than across our own back line but very unfortunate for Kent not to score and Davis in the follow up too at the death .
Gutted but very proud off the team and big Bassey was absolutely immense .Easily our MOTM.
No point blaming a penalty miss .Someone has to miss one on some side but didn't expect it to be him but crap happens .
Chins up ,roll on sat and put the tarts in their place .
We are the people
 
Gutted with that result. So close to achieving the best result on the clubs history when you consider the last ten years. Need to win the Scottish Cup and qualify for Champions League. The recruiting has to be spot on this summer.
 
The absolute high of 2 weeks ago to this. Gutted.

We just didn’t step up and looked nervous. I can’t understand the substitutes bar Davis, other than setting up for penalties. Would have preferred giving Dialo extra time or him instead of sakala.

Kent was a good save, but that should have been in the net.

Subbing players solely for penalties rarely works so the Ramsey sub was just setting us up to fail, he needed more than 3 minutes.

Proud we got here but opportunity missed
 
Just back from Seville to albufiera what was a nightmare with my wee boy but proud to be a Ranger but does my head when we’re well in opposition half and 2-3 passes mcgregor punting it an£ we’re under pressure
 
I thought it was a close game between two evenly matched teams.

I didn’t think Rangers played badly - you perform as well as your opponents allow you to.

Rangers created enough chances to win the game - just - but weren’t able to finish them.

The penalty shoot-out is a horrible way to decide a final. If Kamada’s had rebounded off the post, and Ramsey’s had skipped over the keeper’s leg - then Rangers win and Frankfurt lose.

So, so sad.
 
I was just saying to my wife I’m glad I took no glee in England getting beat off Italy last year.

Now I know how the whole of the country felt last July.
 
wee bud's pit boots said:
I know there's no 'I' in team and all that p1sh.

However, in the cold, harsh, freezing, mind-numbing light of day it's hard not to look individual performances.

Bassey apart, not one of them get's pass marks. That's how bad individually and collectively that team performance was last night. And that's taking nothing away from the opposition.

Again it's not about scapegoats but the amount of overhit diagonals from Goldson was mind-boggling. Of course it sums it up when you are looking to your centre back to hit the positive pass because your midfield is offering nothing.

The amount of misplaced passing and fluffing a pass as the team was being caught in possession all over the pitch was another feature of our play.

The equaliser summed up our night. The cross could maybe have been squeezed down out wide, but the ball across the goal simply has to be cleared by Goldson. No ifs, no buts. But then again that sloppiness has characterised our play all season and been one of the main reasons we frittered, squandered and spunked away the league.

So there's one last chance of silverware this season. There has to be wholesale changes frrom the team that offered us up that display last night. Lowry and Diallo must start and sod what that means to the so called team balance.

Playing this tippy-toe passing sideways, always sideways and allowing the opposition to filter back has to stop and playing at pace is a must. It also has to be said, never again should Scott Wright start a game before young Lowry.

Just going by some of the thread titles it would seem 'glorious failure' is still the order of the day. Not for me it ain't.

It was a brilliant, a fantastic run but it's now back to square one I'm afraid. We can only hope the past four seasons has given us a platform to build on and after last night that's all we have. Hope.
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This is exactly how I feel!
This would be the biggest game of their career and they failed to turn up!
Frankfurt were not the best team we have played in the cup run and were there for the taking.

Guys like Goldson,Kamara, Aribo and Kent probably want to play in the EPL and this was their big opportunity to impress as the final was seen by many in England.
Their displays last night won't help them in their quest!
As far as Ramsey is concerned - huge disappointment! Would expect a player with his experience
would take a better penalty at a big moment in time!
 
RoyalT said:
I think our tactics were due to the heat and it so nearly worked.
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You're the 1st person to mention the heat.
It was unbearable in the afternoon and not much cooler at kick off.
Towards the end of 90 then extra time the game was played at walking pace with both teams exhausted.
Hopefully it doesn't have a knock on effect come saturday and we get some silverware our season deserves
 
That was a hard one, I'm still extremely proud of our team though. To take us on that journey was something special and that in itself may never be eclipsed again in this country.

Frankfurt probably deserved the win, the game could have went either way but they looked better or at least more comfortable until extra time. Best chance of the night falls to Kent though, in fact probably our two best chances, and I think I would have preferred it to fall to any other player. He just doesn't score, excellent player but his finishing/luck is terrible.

Subbing Sakala was a mistake though, I just don't think you do that to a player unless he's been abysmal, it knocks their confidence and puts enormous pressure on the player coming on. Surely he's a better penalty option than Goldson or Bassey, if our forward isn't then he probably shouldn't be here. As he walked up Ramsey was the only player I had doubts about, I just don't think he's as invested as the others.

Saturday now becomes huge for this group of players.

We need to invest heavily in the summer, they have been and will continue to, we need to be matching that to take the league back.
 
I think the formation Frankfurt played stifled us. We just couldn't find any space in there half.
There back 3 was enough to cope with our front 3 as Aribo wasn't as much a threat as a proper Striker, plus the fact he's played 65 games or something already.
4 in midfield seemed to have an extra man there and we couldn't get many passes going.
And the 3 up top prevented Tav or Borna bombing forward too much.

Tavs over hit corners as well were a let down, I thought it was going to be Goldson's night to Bury one as he's had a few chances from crosses this season but just missed.
I will look back at this group of players with fondness in future I think. Some great euro nights they have given us the last few years.
So many of our forays in Europe end badly AEK Athens, Zivkov, Kaunas, Maribor, Levski.

It was just a nice run to the final. Great excitement in the lead up to it, the only thing that can compensate for losing would be getting through the CL qualifying rounds.
 
It was a weird match. Neither team were great. I think a mix of the long season both teams have had, the magnitude of the occasion and the heat made it a nervy match.

The boys dug in deep and got a ticket to the lottery and unfortunately we lost it. To be 1 kick away from lifting the cup after the long run we've had is probably the worst kick in the balls you can get. Worse than getting gubbed 3-0.

What a run it was though. It will live in the memory forever like Manchester 08 does.

You can't help but think if we had Morelos, Hagi, Helander etc fit that the trophy would've been ours. We've had a patched up first XI for months on end now yet look at how far we took the competition.

I believe we'll be back before long. Our club is made for these occasions.
 
My biggest fear was that we would get gubbed; either because the occasion froze us or our players got exposed as the journeymen their c.v s suggest they are
That didn’t happen.

I thought we stifled them but in doing so stifled ourselves. We bypassed midfield all game long. The game became attritional which was fine by me . If that was the game plan we were a flukey save away from it being successful. I’d have liked us to be a bit more “swash and buckle” but given the injuries, the long season , the heat and the occasion I can absolutely understand why we weren’t.
The highlight of the game was the war of nerves and skill between Tav and Kostic.

I fear for Saturday but am optimistic for next season

We are back where we belong
 
scotty189 said:
Almost 24 hours after the game i have never had a depression like it I can shake of Celtic defeats but this is much worse
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Totally agree. On one hand, Seville was amazing and I feel so fortunate to have been part of that. Plus so proud of how well we've done and being totally honest I probably expected us to go out at every round. Going though the highs and lows is just part of being a football fan. Usually after any defeat my go to reaction is anger even after Manchester and a few big disappointments with Northern Ireland. However, this is completely different as I literally feel myself welling up everytime I think about last night and as I'm emotionless as any other middle aged male in the UK. It just felt like it was our destiny or something and still feels surreal that we didn't win it. Really hope Saturday is just a celebration for 90 minutes and we batter them from the off.
 
Damo said:
Totally agree. On one hand, Seville was amazing and I feel so fortunate to have been part of that. Plus so proud of how well we've done and being totally honest I probably expected us to go out at every round. Going though the highs and lows is just part of being a football fan. Usually after any defeat my go to reaction is anger even after Manchester and a few big disappointments with Northern Ireland. However, this is completely different as I literally feel myself welling up everytime I think about last night and as I'm emotionless as any other middle aged male in the UK. It just felt like it was our destiny or something and still feels surreal that we didn't win it. Really hope Saturday is just a celebration for 90 minutes and we batter them from the off.
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I could cry as well
 
We were not great and the Germans weren’t either, they were slightly the better team imo
At this this level you have to take your chances, plus get Ramsey away from us, what a bloody waste he’s been
 
I’m only now coming up for air but every time I think back to the result it’s like a new kick in the baws. Of course we all feel the same way. Proud of the team and the fans, and I’m not going to bash any of them but hopefully we’ve all got enough left in the tank to see off Hearts on Saturday.
 
HIHI said:
This is exactly how I feel!
This would be the biggest game of their career and they failed to turn up!
Frankfurt were not the best team we have played in the cup run and were there for the taking.

Guys like Goldson,Kamara, Aribo and Kent probably want to play in the EPL and this was their big opportunity to impress as the final was seen by many in England.
Their displays last night won't help them in their quest!
As far as Ramsey is concerned - huge disappointment! Would expect a player with his experience
would take a better penalty at a big moment in time!
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True of ramseys penalty but tavs was no better and could have went the same way .
6 ways to net a penalty.
bottom or top corner both sides,top middle or just blast it down the middle and hope to take the keeper in too if he manages to get a touch .
anywhere else is giving the keeper a chance if he picks the right side .
the soft ones down the middle are the worst as in tav and ramsey.
tav got lucky,ramsey not so.
 
Got to say, this hurts like hell compared to Manchester. Disappointing in 2008 not to win, but having beat dortmund and RB this year Frankfurt was a very winnable game, and we didn’t realy turn up.

Just looking forward to getting Saturday out the way now and a reset to next season, after blowing the league for completely different reason to last night, it’s been a tough one to take
 
Still hard to take that we lost that. Watching another game of football right now is just about impossible. They were not a great side we were playing, one which had virtually no threat whatsover from a set piece, and their goal was a bad one to give away at a crucial period.
 
Can’t tell if I’m happy we’ve got a game so soon or wish we had a long reset to try get over Wednesday.
 
Losing on penalties is utter crap. The Germans were no better than us over 120 minutes. Really wanted that guy Borre to miss as he was a mouthy cheating wee c***.
 
Looking back at the replay. Their goal was a shambles from our point of view. So many similar goals conceded this season. It was like a home game for the Germans. Were they better organised or were they given preference to have the flags in place. Saw the beam back to Frankfurt. Again they beat us hands down. For the travelling Rangers support we salute you. To be in a stadium with no water supplies is criminal bordering on a safety to health charge directed towards UEFA. It’s a miracle that no fans did not collapse with heat stroke. Awaiting a statement from Rangers on this issue. On the tactical decisions we got that wrong. In summary the fans deserved better.
 
captainscarlett said:
We are all disapointed but remember we didn't lose in Seville we just didn't bring the cup home
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Still not recovered...if anything it's getting worse
I'm like a burst balloon.
Struggling to get pumped for the final tomorrow, hopefully come the morning and the buildup I'll begin to feel better.
Thank god for this game tomorrow as if Wednesday had been the last game of the season I don't think I'd have survived the summer

Feeling really low (not in a dangerous way in case anyone is worried.....just absolutely gut wrenchingly gutted)
 
g/hillger said:
I strongly disagree with this. Its been a long season. To imply the players never gave everything is just so wrong.
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Totally agree with you, proud of the team , the heat in the city was stifling and for our players to give what they gave was incredible.
Im proud of their effort.
 
I decided to watch the full game back tonight, yes I'm a glutton for punishment! It's funny how different it looks when you're not wrapped up in the tension and emotion... there really was nothing in it, short spells of pressure for both teams, few chances.

- All those long balls flying out the pitch? They're really weren't that many, 3 or 4 at worse, most of our longer balls were either accurate or accurate enough to force them to challenge and create a second ball battle.

- McGregor basically doesn't make a save of note for the last 100 minutes! There were shots flying wide and high from them but not really clear cut chances.

- every clear cut chance and goal involved a catastrophic individual error. They lacked real creativity and so did we.

- Sakala was a disaster in the no.9 position, lost so many balls and caused 3 or 4 counters. Arfield was totally ineffective when he took the role after Aribo went off too.

- they really were gone in ET, I think the first time I saw Borre after FT90 was him taking his penalty!

If Morelos was fit to start we win this game, or if Roofe was fit to play the entire ET we win this game, hell I think if Itten was available we might even get the win! Frustrating.
 
I wrote pre-match Eintracht would be tactically superior. Oddly enough, didn’t quite work out as I expected. I thought it would be a cagey game, with Frankfurt probably edging, yet it was far more even and we finished the stronger team. Sure, individually, the team didn’t turn up as we would have wanted. This was partly due to tactics nullifying each other. Fans forget that Eintracht strolled it in London, cutting open West Ham time and time again. They didn’t manage that against us. We weren’t at our best, but neither were the Germans. It could easily have been a toss of the coin to settle it, we were that close to one another. So, we need to be proud we were there. Be proud over 100,000 of our fans and zero trouble. Both sets of fans showed each other great respect and mingled together. To lose hangs over all of us like a weird hangover that refuses to go away. History will be kind to us, reflecting on an inspired run against all the odds and proving we have one of the greatest supports, travelling supports, in world football.
 
My final footnote on the game. Accie Junior and me were out of our seats when Aribo scored. I knew it wasn’t over then, but I felt Rangers had one hand on the trophy.

I looked it up. In 10 European finals featuring Scottish clubs, 7 have been defeats. Wednesday was only the second occasion when the Scottish club has scored first and lost (the other was Celtic, in 1970, in Milan, if anyone cares). It was the first of Rangers’ 4 European final losses when they scored first.

Scottish clubs have scored first in a European final on just 4 occasions: Celtic in 1970 (lost); Rangers in 1972 (won); Aberdeen in 1983 (won); and now Rangers in 2022.
 
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