Match Thread FK Shkupi v Rangers - 16:55 Tuesday 17th - Premier Sports/RangersTV.tv

Just like last week when people seemed to have forgotten what a defensive fullback looks like (Flannegan), tonight people seem to have forgotten what professionally managing a tie looks like.

That was never in doubt and th manager and players were spot on. The team isn’t firing on all cylinders yet and there was no need to go hunting anything and expose ourselves.

Well done
Sense at last,I thought our game management was by and large spot on.
 
Im not quite aure what people were expecting. We werent good 4 days back, very little can change since then.

I agree itvwas popr butbwe played that how it needed played. We didnt need to drive at it and waste energy. We didnt need to push out. It was quite professional.

Still feel the older players are a step away from calamity. Defence does look better though, keep going and we can trust goldson katic and flanagan (mcgregor has nothing to prove, tavernier is one ofnthe potential calamities)

Jack was good, mcrorie done a job. I agree front line is poor. I hope sadiq is good both for us and morelos. That wasnt good enough alfie.
 
Calm all your jets.
It was a clean sheet away from home in Europe.
Game was like a pre-season.
A huge improvement on the same stage last year.
Job done.

Yup, that’s the upside of it.

My concern is how much of that was the plan and how much that was us being as potent as we can be.

Still, plenty of time for new signings to come in and the team to bed together.

Well need to be waaaaayyyyyy sharper in the next round.
 
Out with the old and in with the new.
Last year's crop have proven again how good they are. The only thing we have done is tighten the back line. The rest is still rotten.

Glad we are through. We'd have lost that tie last year.
 
We done what was required - got through to the next round. Still think wee Middleton is looking a good player and I think Ejaria is looking a decent player too. McGregor pulled off a couple of good saves and I think he will be really important.

Morelos for me is a concern though. He just seems to be offering less and less with each game. First he was lacking goals but offered good hold up play. Now he isn't really offering that either - essentially rendering him pretty useless to us just now.

Windass also isn't a wide player. He does have the skills to play on the wing but he just struggles to get into games too often. He did have a good attempt on goal today but other than that did nothing. For me Morelos and Windass should not be considered as starters in the next game.

I actually liked the look of Murphy through the middle. He looked dangerous but yes, did squander the ball a couple of times.

Still, the team does need to gel and a couple of more games under their belt we could see very different performances. We're a stage further on that we were last season and that is progress.
 
We progressed into the next round. One step better than last year. Defence better than last year. So, we are improving bit by bit. Admittedly, we should have scored a few times. Enough said on that. For sure, it ain't going to be easy, judging by our skills on display this evening. I always fail to understand why teams, not just us, find it difficult to play good football away from home in Europe. But as I said, let's dwell on the positives and roll on the 2nd round.
 
Out with the old and in with the new.
Last year's crop have proven again how good they are. The only thing we have done is tighten the back line. The rest is still rotten.

Glad we are through. We'd have lost that tie last year.

Hate to admit it, but you're spot on.
 
100% sure I watched a different match. Team negotiated a tricky away game in hot conditions against semi decent opposition - it wasn't pretty, but Gers controlled the play throughout and did a solid professional job.

Agree that both Morales and Windass need a kick up the arse and hopefully some competition can be brought in to do this. But overall for an early season potential banana skin - looks like we have a base to build upon.
 
We cannot keep missing chances,over the two games perfectly convertible chances must have run into double figures,midfield and defence seem sorted,team we looked at forwards now.
 
Really, really poor. Off to a better start than last season is about only positive, although I’m sure Gerrard is equally as frustrated as we are so at least he’s learned quick where he’s at with a few of the players being miles off.

I get what Gerrard is doing by spending more money on players at the back but I hope if we are planning on spending the kind of sum rumoured for Cooper, there’s still enough left to give us some sort of spark going forward as even loans won’t come cheap.
 
We did. The question is whether we can do more and there’s no way of telling that just now.

Time and patience required (massive ask, that)

I can do time and patience but I can’t blame people for calling out another poor Morelos performance(no “tiredness”, no “extra long season”) and calling out a lack of decent passing and ball retention (both of which are absolute pre-requisites for good “game management”)

We need to show much more basic ability because that has nothing to do with fitness, getting to know each other or any other issues that might arise from new players or structure.

That’s just simple footballing requirements.
 
Out with the old and in with the new.
Last year's crop have proven again how good they are. The only thing we have done is tighten the back line. The rest is still rotten.

Glad we are through. We'd have lost that tie last year.
Different circumstances but Rodgers took the majority of Deilas crap, added a couple of players, lost to Red Imps then has gone 2 domestic seasons unbeaten. I'm sure someone said that 9 of Deilas signings started the last game we played them.

So you never know, we might be on the verge of dominating. :D
 
People getting carried away with the criticism. We are through and seldom were in trouble. Not the finished article , and no wonder, most players have just been introduced to each other.

The defence already looks solid, midfield to front needs work.

Lets not kid ourselves, that was a nervous tie after last season, it would have been on quite a few players mind.

Job done.
 
For quite a few seasons we’ve been great bombing forward and produced some lovely, creative football but were like a Swiss cheese at the back. Now we have anchors set but desperately need a playmaker/striker because auld Alfredo ain’t cutting it.
 
I actually thought Windass had a much better game and was unlucky to be the first subbed, probably more to do with how well Middleton played in the last game.

Plenty of positives today but still a lot to work on
 
Decent defensively, sloppy middle to front.
Quality required in forward areas asap.

Put the wind up me when I saw it as I didn't know the score, Anyway, job done and well done Rangers. The team we were playing tonight were of a far better standard than the mob that beat us last season. I was very nervous about this tie tonight and would have settled for any result that got us through. We will get a lot better.
 
I now realise why I usually give the matchday threads a wide berth.
I've had a glance occasionally after a match and wonder whether they were actually watching the same game.
It seems to me to be nothing more than a shooting gallery with each and everyone connected to Rangers a legitimate target.
As I said earlier I only caught the second half and although it was mostly uninspiring, it was a professional performance that got us over the line.
It's only our second competitive game of the season and apparently the knives are out for half the squad.....mental doesn't even begin to describe it!
 
Job done and into the next round. Two players will be added to squad for the next round and I am sure more will be added to the squad before the season kicks off and at worst by the end of the window.
 
Honestly think some folk have totally forgot last year. 2 clean sheets and into the next round, it's still early days. Little perspective needed
 
Really, really poor. Off to a better start than last season is about only positive, although I’m sure Gerrard is equally as frustrated as we are so at least he’s learned quick where he’s at with a few of the players being miles off.

I get what Gerrard is doing by spending more money on players at the back but I hope if we are planning on spending the kind of sum rumoured for Cooper, there’s still enough left to give us some sort of spark going forward as even loans won’t come cheap.
More quality middle to front is desperately required. We will need to likely move a number on though and it’s hard to see us getting a positive net outcome (fees v payoffs) for that. Our sincerest of thanks must go to Warburton and Caixinha for that.
 
2 clean sheets and missed lots of chances in a Euro tie in mid July and move in to the next round yet it’s all doom and gloom. I do wonder how many posters played footy, and I don’t include computer games, not many I’m sure.
We were awful last season and it will take time and hard work to improve, there is no instant success. We won’t be brilliant over night.
 
Our defence looks much better, and the midfield and attack look exactly the same, which is not a surprise considering.

Morelos and Windass were very poor. Morelos is a professional football player who can't head a ball, and his much-lauded hold-up play sees him get the ball and then give it away.

Windass's most standout contribution was his petulance. There's no room for the two of them in the same team and that's me being charitable.
 
As others have said, that is progress from last season, two competitive games and no goals conceded, and 180 minutes into a fair few of the players. Work to be done in the final third without question, but the defense is getting there and the job was done.
 
Creative midfielder and deadly striker needed,Gerrard must know morelos and windass are hopeless and brings in better quality.
 
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