How do we give Helander more opportunities?

Barker96

Well-Known Member
Based on what I've seen and read about him I reckon he could just be the best centre half we have at the club.

The problem is splitting up our current partnership of Goldson & Katic who are both performing fine at the moment, as we know that didn't work out too well last season.

No need to fix what isn't broken, but at the same time I'd really like to see Helander up to speed and involved in the big games for us.

We have a big one coming up on the 1st of September but I'm struggling to see how Gerrard gives Helander any games before then without splitting up Goldson & Katic.

Could we see him start at St Mirren?
 
I wouldn’t be breaking up Katic and Goldson just yet. We needlessly did that last year for the first Europa League game in September and I hope Gerrard has learned his lesson.

Helander will naturally get more opportunities with injuries and suspensions and then it’s up to him to impress so much he becomes undroppable.
 
There is no doubt it’s the one area we are spoiled for choice .

We now have four young hungry excellent centre halves with different attributes .

Goldson - leader , great game anticipation , consistency, threat from corners

Katic - huge goal threat in opposition box , rarely beaten in the air , hard as nails

Edmunsen - best long range passer of the four , good in the air , quick and determined

Helmander - composure , positioning A1, serie A experience, international class giant

My guess is soon helmander and goldson will be the preferred pairing but if we have a successful season there’s nothing to say all 4 can’t play over 30 games each
 
There is no doubt it’s the one area we are spoiled for choice .

We now have four young hungry excellent centre halves with different attributes .

Goldson - leader , great game anticipation , consistency, threat from corners

Katic - huge goal threat in opposition box , rarely beaten in the air , hard as nails

Edmunsen - best long range passer of the four , good in the air , quick and determined

Helmander - composure , positioning A1, serie A experience, international class giant

My guess is soon helmander and goldson will be the preferred pairing but if we have a successful season there’s nothing to say all 4 can’t play over 30 games each
Helmander and Edmunsen were great today
 
I really like Katic. Can make some rookie mistakes at times and dive in when he should take a few step backs but that will come with time and experience.

I don't think we are paying the money we have for Helander for him to sit on the bench and once Gerrard feels he is 100% match ready he will partner Goldson in the defence
 
Reckon it will be similar to when Worrall broke through. Either first European group stage game if we qualify or after the international break if we dont. That's without one of our centre halves getting injured or just having a dreadful game
 
The team looks settled and should be kept the same barring injuries until we have dealt with the poets. If it’s not broke don’t fix it.
 
Hes certainly got a fight on his hands, along with Edmunson! Both look like they could be first choice, difficult to break up Goldson and Katic at the moment. Nice to have such a 'problem'
 
Injuries and Fatique will mean he will get opportunities and a dipped in form although not wanted at a certain point is likely.
 
Sometimes you have to bide your time and wait for your opportunity, then when you get it knock it out the park.
 
I can see him potentially playing against St Mirren but I’d personally think about leaving him until after the beasts game. Katic and Goldson all the way until then.
 
I'd play him against St Mirren.

One of the things we lacked last year against a 10 man deep defence was the centre half bringing the ball forward and squeezing the game.

He was great at that today and led to our first goal.

Katic can have a rest inbetween legia and the Celtic game.
 
We don't.

Goldson and Katic should be the starting centre backs. Just because we spent money on a player doesn't mean we have to start them but if Katic or Goldson have a severe form drop then i wouldn't have a problem with him coming into the side, but the team currently is settled and I think we should keep it the way it is.
 
I wouldn’t be breaking up Katic and Goldson just yet. We needlessly did that last year for the first Europa League game in September and I hope Gerrard has learned his lesson.

Helander will naturally get more opportunities with injuries and suspensions and then it’s up to him to impress so much he becomes undroppable.
Exactly. I remember Paddy Power calling Katick and Goldson a brick wall or something like that, only for Gerrard to split them up and we never looked as solid again for the rest of the season.
Helander might be the best we have, but we can't split up that pairing AGAIN when they are doing everything right at the moment. He can wait.
 
I think he will play against St Mirren alongside Goldson, then depending on the result from the first leg and how he is feeling, he could come in against Legia. There will probably be a bounce game during the break and he will be fine for coming back when we have a better run of games for rotating. Completely comfortable with Goldson and Katic, so I don't think it’s a pressing issue.
 
He’ll get his chance for sure. As good as the Goldson/Katic partnership has been I think we’d all agree that there was still room for improvement. Helander brings that from what I’ve seen.
 
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Cup games and the odd appearance when games are comfortable won. No way can we upset a settled back line just look what happened last season and btw Goldson has been solid and Katic has been sensational so we stick to the current pair.
 
Exactly. I remember Paddy Power calling Katick and Goldson a brick wall or something like that, only for Gerrard to split them up and we never looked as solid again for the rest of the season.
Helander might be the best we have, but we can't split up that pairing AGAIN when they are doing everything right at the moment. He can wait.
Of course.you can split them up. I wouldn't split them but the gaffer has history of doing just that. What he done with Katic / Worrall he will shortly do again with Helander introduced for the big games.
 
Even without loss of form centre backs invariably suffer through injury or suspension, it's the nature of the position. Add to that Europa League Group Stages (fingers crossed) he'll get his chances.
 
Such a goal threat from set pieces now, it's great to finally have that attribute back that we've missed for so many years. I think he and Goldson are definitely the leaders/voices at the back so can see Goldson getting a few rest games this year that he ordinarily would have played last year. If Katic keeps doing what he's doing, it's his shirt to lose!
Shagger has nailed his, Tav, Goldson, Katic, Jack, Davis all certs for the filth game, the rest need to keep performing at the highest standards to stay in. Absolutely fantastic depth of quality
 
The thing that worries me is that the manager is going to drop Katic even before he has a bad game - let's face it if he preferred Worrall last season then he sure as hell is going to play Helander at the first opportunity.

Hopefully I am wrong because Katic has done nothing to warrant being odd man out - you could argue that Goldson has been the shakier of the two in a few games this season.
 
With Goldson and Katic undroppable at the moment, according to FollowFollow,
and our three Left Backs failing to impress the majority on here, I'm surprised no one is screaming for the big left footed Swede to be given the Left Back berth v St Mirren!;)
I didn't want to be the first person to say it!! Hey..it worked out well for sasa
 
At this moment in time he just has to wait for his opportunity when it comes. I still think that Katic is a work in progress but as long as he’s adding the odd goal here and there, it’s gonna be very hard to drop him.
 
He’ll take Katic’s place. You’ll read about Katic making mistakes as a result of being young and inexperienced despite his partner arguably making more of those gaffs.

Either way, we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to centre backs.
 
Katic doesn’t deserve to be dropped, neither does Goldson. He will just have to wait on his chance.
 
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Goldson an Katic are both un dropable, the perfect CH pairing... and yet... We have threads worrying about our defence where hundreds agree... We have match threads that disappear into dispair as we as team have a collective brain fart and ship two easy goals.

Goldson and Katic are both great CHs but there is no reason they can't be pushed to be better or that we can't improve on them.

I am only 47 but all the great Rangers teams I remember were built on defenders carved from Teak. Walter could have this four we currently have and still need another two as starters depending on the opposition.

We have four good CHs. It isn't a problem ffs, it's an asset. One we will employ throughout the season and then some.

We don't need to panic, they will all see plenty of football. Let's enjoy this position of strength and luxuriate (the red wine is kicking in, not every day I use luxuriate in a FF post :p) in it and not fret about who gets what minutes on the park.
 
Goldson an Katic are both un dropable, the perfect CH pairing... and yet... We have threads worrying about our defence where hundreds agree... We have match threads that disappear into dispair as we as team have a collective brain fart and ship two easy goals.

Goldson and Katic are both great CHs but there is no reason they can't be pushed to be better or that we can't improve on them.

I am only 47 but all the great Rangers teams I remember were built on defenders carved from Teak. Walter could have this four we currently have and still need another two as starters depending on the opposition.

We have four good CHs. It isn't a problem ffs, it's an asset. One we will employ throughout the season and then some.

We don't need to panic, they will all see plenty of football. Let's enjoy this position of strength and luxuriate (the red wine is kicking in, not every day I use luxuriate in a FF post :p) in it and not fret about who gets what minutes on the park.
Great comment. I agree 100%
 
Goldson and katic are both playing well, the other two will have to be exceptional when given game time,to be picked before them.
Its a nice problem for the gaffer to have and over the course of the season all four will feature due to the inevitable injuries and suspensions.
 
Re. centre half pairings, i mentioned in another post that a combination of Katic - who is big and very good in the air - and Helender, also good in the air, and who is also physically very tall, would be potentially devastating at corners and set pieces. I'd imagine hey'd be the stuff of nightmares for defences.
 
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