Is it all now 'bottle'?

Earl of Leven

Earl of Leven

Well-Known Member
Official Ticketer
Was chatting to my Dad and we talked tactics and shape and he said "Doesn't matter, we need to go there in December believing".

Is that right? I tend to be pessimistic and think we're this short or that short, but is issue now less ability and 'false nine' and more making a team who between them haven't won much, or been asked to, believe?

I suppose a small example not featuring Shame FC is this weekend. I don't think that for potential champions, or team who has that ambition, this Hearts team should be a huge challenge. They are terrible. They are a team we should see as being liable to nerves, and low on belief.

Is this season now in their heads rather than just about ability? And can SG make them a fighter like he was?

My fear - pessimism again - is someone like Tav who has become a legend to some without winning anything or anyone feeling he has to. Has he that next level? Do the others?
 
It's a bit of both. We need to approach every game like it's a cup final. We know our 11 v Hearts 11 are significantly better, but that won't win us the game. Levein knows this too so will have tactics in place which he believes will get a result. We need to be more savvy in starting away games better IMO.
 
Hearts arent expected to get anything from the game this weekend which is what makes them dangerous. Its a free hit. Its the results against most of the rest of the league, particularly the lower ranked sides that is copping the flak for Levein.

All that being said, if we turn up and play at our best we will win.
 
Bottle and luck with further injuries to key players.

We HAVE to take at least a point from the bheggardome.

We have questioned this sides mentality this season, and last, especially the captains concentration levels in big games.

If they can hold the nerve they will be immortal.
 
It’s a weird one for me. If this was Walter Smiths team of 8 years ago, I’d be fully expecting a Rangers side 2 points clear to go and give this pish Hearts side a fûcking doing on Sunday.

As it is, I am quite nervous about Sunday and always have that lingering doubt about our current side failing to deliver when it matters. Only trophy wins will sort that issue.

To answer the question though, we are top of the league and are better than every team in the league so it is totally in our hands. When you look at that in isolation, it really is down to having the fight and bottle to stay top.

A winning mentality is massive and it’s something we’ve badly lacked the last few years. A win on Sunday to stay top will help to start properly building that mentality.
 
Bottle and battle.

Away from home is just about standing up to the fight.

We can play this down, but we have to have the bottle to go to these shit holes and win.
 
Attitude, performance and bottle is what it comes down to for me.

We need to stay focused, play well and beleive in ourselves.
 
Luck will play a huge part too.

On the evidence of this season so far, we've somehow managed to get very close to their level. Both teams will drop points, especially away from home. Bottle only goes so far.

Hearts on Sunday is extremely unlikely to be an easy game. The argument that we should be taking care of them without fuss is a little flawed when you look at it deeper.

Hibs have been every bit as bad this season. That lot drew with them at Easter Road. Does that mean they lack the bottle to win the league, and we can start celebrating?
 
Being the better team is only half the battle. A team of Terry Hurlocks and Johns Browns is as important as a team of Laudrups and Coopers. It is a mental mind set that gets you through especially when the chips are down.

I believe this Rangers side have the skill and the bottle to succeed.

WATP.
 
Believing is a must, all the players need to die for each other on the pitch and say to themselves we are better than you! We take that with our ability and we will win, it’s a complete %^*& you, we’re doing this!
 
Our performances away from home still concern me. We struggle to get into a rhythm. Killing teams off is also a concern at away games. The shambles in Bern was an example of that. Killie and St Boo were ones we scraped through. Sunday won't be as easy as some think. Our fixture list up until now has been kind to us. Starts getting more tasty in December. Away to sheep, Motherwell, Hivs and the 19th Century Terrorists will answer our questions.
 
If we’re being totally honest i dont think any bear knows whether our team and players have the bottle to go all the way this year.

I think we have a squad capable of challenging.

Whether when it comes down to the nitty gritty and we are up against a mentally challenged team who have seen and done it consistently - we can find within ourselves that belief and bottle?

Noone knows but we all hope and want to believe.
 
No, we'll need to establish our play in all matches and rely on a bit of luck at some point. Good thing is we play so well in chance creation wise we will definitely create luck.

My only worry is that there could be a brain fart in team selection ex. First OF match this season.
 
I think our the two squads are pretty evenly matched.

Lennon being a nut job and Gerrard not being should give us an edge there. (Not withstanding brain farts like the old firm team selection)

it will probably go down to the wire so bottle will definitely have an impact.
 
For the first time in a few years I feel as if we are the team that has played together before, whereas the bheasts are the team thrown together randomly in summer.

Not sure if Im alone in that thought.
 
Eddie Doc said:
Big part of it, definitely. We were beaten before we left the tunnel at Savile Row for years there.
Click to expand...
Not what we're wanting to hear, but I already have concerns for the game there. Just being honest. Result and performance at Ibrox also we won't have helped, psychologicallly.
 
strider said:
Luck will play a huge part too.

On the evidence of this season so far, we've somehow managed to get very close to their level. Both teams will drop points, especially away from home. Bottle only goes so far.

Hearts on Sunday is extremely unlikely to be an easy game. The argument that we should be taking care of them without fuss is a little flawed when you look at it deeper.

Hibs have been every bit as bad this season. That lot drew with them at Easter Road. Does that mean they lack the bottle to win the league, and we can start celebrating?
Click to expand...
Very close to their level? We're better than their level.
 
I think it’s way too early to say it’s just about bottle.
So much water to go under the bridge.
No-one knows what will happen with injuries or the January window.
What is true is that momentum is huge in sport and winning breeds confidence.
The longer we stay upfront and hopefully extend then the more the pressure builds on them too.
We’ve only just got in front and you can sense the panic from their fans.
One game at a time starting with Tynecastle.
 
Bottle - Call it 'winning mentality' call it motivation, determination, hard work , blood & guts, even call it belief -
But every title winning side I've seen has had one, or all of these qualities in abundance

Equally - I've seen sides with more skill & ability than the rest of the league put together, but not have enough 'bottle' to get a title over the line (Arsenal spring to mind)

I haven't mentioned luck - because although it helps - relying on it is far from sensible - much better to make your own using that determination mentioned above

I'd love to think our skill & ability will carry us through to 55 (& beyond) - but realistically speaking - 'bottle' - & lots of it - is also needed imo
 
Consistency, bottle and a pinch of luck thrown in there. The first two are up to us. We have a good run of games to prove it and then onto December which is going to be a massive mo th for us.
 
OF victories are part bottle, part tactics, part starting on the right foot and part refereeing. (I mention refereeing as ignoring bias, a card happy referee can stifle a game)
 
Still got Parkhead, Pittodrie, Fir Park & Easter Road to visit twice yet.

Going to take a monumental effort but we've just got to keep on putting the pressure on Celtic and hope they crumble with Lennon at the helm.
 
It's about bottle. But also ability.

Like it or not but the mentally challenged have spend way, way, way more than us on wages and fees for their squad. That usually equates to better quality.

Losing at home to the them is/was a huge blow. If we cancel that out at the Paedo Palace then OK. But if we lose there too and are behind on the league then that will not all be down to bottle but ability as well.

They have a strong forward line and goals from midfield. You think a lad like Ojo would be a mainstay in their front line? Me neither.
 
Team has no experience of winning. League Cup is massive for us. We WILL need to beat the Yahoos to win it. Would be very difficult psychologically if we don’t. Ability has improved but still don’t trust the team enough to dig out a result when written off (like, for example, Walter’s team did in the 2011 League Cup Final).
 
Bottle has a big part to play but selecting the correct team and tactics are also vital as we seen in the last OF game.
 
It’s not about whether they have bottle..it’s about being able to handle the pressure.There is a slight difference.The gaffer is the perfect guy to prepare the team mentally that they are good enough to win this league.If a player cannot thrive in this type of pressure then they shouldn’t be playing the game.Personally I hate the phrase ‘bottle merchants’.
Gerrard has played in the most high pressured games in the world and thrived..even excelled.Making them believe is the most important thing as they definitely have the talent.
 
People are talking about us turning it round and it being close. I think it’s entirely possible we could stretch the gap and they might not be back in top spot for a long long time.

how no?
 
Bottle can only take you so far. We simply need to grind out results when needed and play the football we are capable of at others which is what we have done thus far.

Winning runs helps as well and that's something we have to ride for as long as possible because if we can push that gap to 5pts then we can really start putting the pressure on them for the first time in years.
 
The Kilmarnock game post winter break still haunts my sleep.

Sunday feels similar, but I am fully expecting us to exorcise that ghost.
 
It's all about pressure for me. During their title wins the last couple of years they haven't been great but they were consistent grinding teams down. We need to do that just keep winning and grind them down.

The difference this season is they've dropped points and we've pounced on it. Last couple of years we didnt
 
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