Match Thread Rangers v FK Shkupi - 19:45 Thursday 12th - BT Sports

I'm actually coming of this thread before I get banned really pathetic with some of the comments from the bed wetter's on here
What are the comments that are upsetting you ? Do you want people to come on here and say it was a wonderful performance,Morelos was fantastic ? It was dreadful in the second half and Morelos is still the same Morelos from last season.

The defence looked much better but like many on here say about it only being a couple of games in,let's wait till we play better teams to see if that's the case.
 
Morelus was being a stupid wee boy at times. Scoobydo knew what they were doing with him, winding him up.
When he got booked after arguing with the keeper he almost lost it. Our captain should have been straight over & dragged him away. Gerrard will need to have a serious word with him
 
Morelus was being a stupid wee boy at times. Scoobydo knew what they were doing with him, winding him up.
When he got booked after arguing with the keeper he almost lost it. Our captain should have been straight over & dragged him away. Gerrard will need to have a serious word with him

I hope I’m wrong but I don’t rate him didn’t last season and don’t now.
 
Have to admit Shkupi impressed me. Better than I thought theyd be. Well organized, fit, and quick on the counter. We need to be on our toes next week. Still in Goldson I think weve won a watch. I also hope Arfield is okay for next week and its not a serious injury
 
Morelus was being a stupid wee boy at times. Scoobydo knew what they were doing with him, winding him up.
When he got booked after arguing with the keeper he almost lost it. Our captain should have been straight over & dragged him away. Gerrard will need to have a serious word with him
Gerard won’t miss ANY player who is stepping out of line. The players aren’t dealing with a Murty now. The old “ manage them up or manage them out” will be at the forefront of the managers thoughts.
Stevie G’s own reputation ( as a manager) is under scrutiny. He won’t tolerate anyone not toeing the line. ( In my opinion )
 
Press didn't really work tonight which is a surprise against a team like that. Never really got out of first gear. Needs a bit more work but some promising signs.
 
I was surprised as to how good the opposition were. They could pass the ball, defend and close down our players. We wont play against a lot better in the SPL and to keep a clean sheet and score a couple is good but we need to get the ball forward faster and find a penalty box striker.
Looking good to make the next round.
 
What are the comments that are upsetting you ? Do you want people to come on here and say it was a wonderful performance,Morelos was fantastic ? It was dreadful in the second half and Morelos is still the same Morelos from last season.

The defence looked much better but like many on here say about it only being a couple of games in,let's wait till we play better teams to see if that's the case.
hardly dreadful imo
 
2ai0raq.jpg
Banner looks smaller here than it did going over my head tonight :D
 
The defence is much improved and the penalty didn’t flatter us. Happy 12th of July.
 
Solid if unremarkable start. A slight concern for me today was the lack of pressing the opposition. Throughout preseason we heard a lot about putting the opposition under pressure, but we gave them far too much time at the back.
 
I was surprised as to how good the opposition were. They could pass the ball, defend and close down our players. We wont play against a lot better in the SPL and to keep a clean sheet and score a couple is good but we need to get the ball forward faster and find a penalty box striker.
Looking good to make the next round.
They were "ok", but by %^*& did they dive about and constantly waste time. Ref was shocking imo.
 
Just in and to be honest it was pretty turgid at times but it’s players getting to know each other.

Given it’s our first game we’ll improve but there’s worry about trends developing, Windass & Morelos being two. I also have reservations about DC in midfield

Im not too concerned because everyday is a learning curve for the manager and the team
 
I thought Goldson strolled it and gave us a real threat at set plays. Impressed with Flanagan too.

There was no creativity from the midfield and all a bit toothless upfront.
 
Difficult to know what to make of that. It all felt a bit like last season. Struggling to break a team down and then missing chances when they come. Midfield just isn't right. Far too much space when we lose the ball.

Windass and Morelos. Sorry but it just has to stop. They need to start performing or be moved on.

Defence looks better but we still look vulnerable without the ball. Midfield still doesn't offer the protection it should.

That said, first competitive game of the season. We've seen in previous years that these early European games are always a struggle. A win is a win and hopefully we'll get more space to play in on Tuesday.
 
I've been critical of Morelos at times but I actually thought his all round game tonight was good (good bits of link up play, looked bright at times, pressed the opposition more than Murphy & Windass combined) it was in front of goal where his game went to bits.
 
Candeias more central was a bad idea. Windass and Morelos were poor.
Decent result though which should hopefully see us through if we keep it tight out there.
 
They have to come forward in the next game and we'll smash them on the counter...the guys weren't that bad after 1 friendly at Ibrox and a closed doors bounce game.
 
Have to admit Shkupi impressed me. Better than I thought theyd be. Well organized, fit, and quick on the counter. We need to be on our toes next week. Still in Goldson I think weve won a watch. I also hope Arfield is okay for next week and its not a serious injury

No they weren't, mate. They were totally gassed after 70 minutes and extremely slow. They were also completely disorganised. There one strength was that they were comfortable on the ball, and the wee black guy was a standout. They are a very poor side.
 
Positives for me were the result and the fact Gerrard had the opportunity to watch the players in a competitive situation. Hopefully he'll have seen what we've been able to see for a while now, that there a number of journey men there who just can't be relied on to turn up consistently when needed.

We were never going to turn around last season's shambles in one game, so with every game Gerrard will be able to establish who can and who can't be relied on.
 
Not great but will have to do.Murphy and Windass were poor.I would start Middleton next week.
 
It's very early days but it was a steady performance and it will take time for players to gel and for the new system to work.

Defensively solid and we bossed the midfield although we lacked some creativity at times but the early major concern is the severe lack of composure and cutting edge upfront and I wouldn't be surprised if we strengthen this area considerable in the coming weeks.

Overall a pleasing win and what an atmosphere tonight for Mr Gerrard and his first competitive game as manager.
 
Job done I suppose and Gerrard himself said it is nothing more than satisfactory.

A wee bit slow getting forward but thought Murphy started the game well.

Defence is a complete upgrade on last season at centre half.

Morelos was frustrating tonight. I’m not wanting him sold but he needs to start putting away chances.

Windass was meh.

Middleton made a brilliant impact and looks a cracking player.

All in - we were a bit flat but that second goal has settled nerves. We won, wasn’t pretty but we dug out a result.
 
Just home. Probably its all been said already on this thread. Expected a bit more in terms of tempo and pressing, but 2-0 doesn't flatter us. Hopefully an early goal next week and the job is done.

Defence looked solid for the most part (although still think we'd be better with a left-sided LB).

Middle-to-front was disappointing in parts.

Feel a bit sorry for Candeias. I struggle to see how he's going to fit into this system if SG sees Windass as the right forward.

Middleton was the one who got us out of our seats. I can understand folk wanting him to start games, but it might be the case that for now an impact sub might be his best role.

And I think the clock is ticking for Morelos and Windass. They don't have the luxury of being "new guys" in terms of our expectations and demands. Neither of their performances tonight were huge improvements on what we saw for vast chunks of last season. Shape up or ship out time.
 
Let’s be honest we got the usual performance from Murphy, Candieas, Windass, Morelos and Tavernier ( have no clue how he got MOM, sloppy on the ball and still making defensive errors).
Even McCrorie and Arfield didn’t contribute much.

That’s all of our midfield and our attack.

Flannagan, Goldson and Katic were solid and have football brains.
Ejaria and Middleton were a breath of fresh air and actually ran at players and causing them to panic.

Of those 5 I mentioned I think Murphy will improve the others I don’t believe have the stomach and the balls to do what they need to do to kill a game.

SG I hope sees he needs to get his own players in as much as possible as all his signings were far better than the players he inherited.
Morelos is a player but there is something wrong with him as his game has fallen apart and he is constantly missing sitters.
Our team can’t carry passengers and I hope SG realises even with Coulibaly we still need a creative mid signed also as our midfield is still our weakest area.
 
Just in after some shite traffic

Saying nothing new - some of the team looked liked they'd never met before, to be expected with some but it's clear it's going to take some time for it all to gel together.

Main positive was that I thought the defence looked untroubled, and Middleton, he's got huge potential

Team looked a bit slow to press the opposition and a bit slow to support the attack.

Don't think candeias will be long term solution in CM, windass was woeful on the right, Morelos badly needs some decent striking competition

If candeias played where windass was and Jack/a.n other started in midfield I think it may have been a bit better.

Just the beginning though, patient bear loyal
 
433 is not the way ahead for me especially at home it's a good formation for counter attack football.

Not how to play at Ibrox tho or in 90% of our games we definitely need more creativity in midfield and a bit flair upfront.

The window is still open tho so no need to judge just yet.
 
Who would have thought that playing two right footed players on the left would have made us so lopsided?

Murphy needs an overlapping left footed player if he is to play in that position and having a right footed non overlapping defender behind him doesn't work. You don't need to be a master tactician to realise that.

Our formation was poor and by fuck did I not expect that.
 
Amazing how even a team like that are really comfortable on the ball when we were the exact opposite, we still have a lot of players that won’t win us the title.
First competitive game I know but wasn’t impressed by that at all, especially middle to front.
I’ve been saying it for a while, but the short memories some have over perennial letdowns like Windass and Tavernier will soon have their memories jogged.

We should have swatted this team aside with ease tonight. Instead we took a penalty to have a better result than the universally lambasted Pedro gave us against Progres last year. Short memories indeed.

Bear in mind Hibs won 6-1 at home tonight in their “cannon fodder” game.
 
Finally home due to the many roadworks on the motorway network in this country.

Satisfied overall and think we deserved the win. We lost control in the second half but never really looked like conceding.

The finishing was appalling again though.
 
Watching the full game just now on RTV (was on at 2.45am here so couldn’t watch live)

Hard to disagree with the many comments above

Looked a bit flat throughout the team but that is understandable

Biggest concern is that up front we seem to be no better than last year, struggling to break teams down and lumping the ball into Morelos who has a head like a biscuit tin
 
Who would have thought that playing two right footed players on the left would have made us so lopsided?

Murphy needs an overlapping left footed player if he is to play in that position and having a right footed non overlapping defender behind him doesn't work. You don't need to be a master tactician to realise that.

Our formation was poor and by fuck did I not expect that.

Imagine Stevie G not realising that :eek:
 
I don't think I'm being negative but that was not much better than last year only we got a fairly soft penalty late on. The quality of finishing was terrible from both "strikers" and we definitely need an upgrade there. BUT I'm confident that this squad are capable of defending a two goal lead. Their side was well organised and much better than I expected but they have to open up at home and I think we will score at least one on Tuesday.
 
If Cooper signs then the formation needs to change to a back 3. The 4-5-1 that Gerard set out last night was stodgy. The lack of a comfortable left wingback was also telling. The team needs a better balance and Declan John would provide that.

McCrorie is some way off being ready for Rangers. He had half a season at Dumbarton and was suddenly proclaimed to be first team ready. He could really have done with a full season loan at another club - ideally a bottom 6 top flight club - to further his development.

Would a line up of

McGregor - Cooper, Katic, Goldson - John, Jack, Arfield, Taverner - Murphy, Candeias - Morelos

offer a bit more? Obviously fitness is a concern but one that can be worked on as it's still early. If we're chasing Cooper then clearly were looking for another centre half - would be 3 that Gerard will have signed this summer. It's far from being a really strong side - I'd be looking to take advantage of interest in Morelos to fund a replacement for him (unless Sadiq will lead the line) and Candeias - but it has the options to press far higher up the park. I thought that at times there was too much of a breakdown playing from back to front and that particularly in the first half (goal excepted) shkupi were able to pack the space between the 5 midfielders and Morelos. Things were breaking down because we weren't pressing high enough up the park.
 
Last edited:
Finally home due to the many roadworks on the motorway network in this country.

Satisfied overall and think we deserved the win. We lost control in the second half but never really looked like conceding.

The finishing was appalling again though.
Home at 2.01am? Geez. Hope you’re not working today pal.
 
433 is not the way ahead for me especially at home it's a good formation for counter attack football.

Not how to play at Ibrox tho or in 90% of our games we definitely need more creativity in midfield and a bit flair upfront.

The window is still open tho so no need to judge just yet.

I agree with you 433 hasn't worked for us in the past at home. Most teams come to Ibrox and sit in and control the midfield with numbers. looking back at the game yesterday it reminded me of the the last England game , quality aside. I wasn't that concerned before about getting a creative c-midfielder in but i am changing my mind. Murphy or Dorrans could do that job not sure about Arfield.

The most effective way you can break down teams that are sitting in is by having players that can dribble and run at players. This is what breaks opposition formation and creates chances for other players. Exemplified by Middleton, they instantly double tagged him so they must have worked out before hand he was a threat. This as we saw gave the new Liverpool youngster space to run into on the inside left.

For me i would like us to play 442 or 451 at home so we get to control the midfield. As we saw with England you can nullify a high pressing game by controlling midfield with lots of short passes which slows things down and disrupting momentum. Not sure what has happened to el Buffalo, in Finland and up until Christmas could score just by looking at the ball. Since then has not been able to hit a barn door from 2 feet. Something just ain't right and we ain't gonna be successful if players don't do their jobs.
 
People being shocked that our attacking performance was not massively different from last season is bizarre.

Of the new players who played yesterday:

McGregor, Tav, Goldson, Katic, Flanagan, McCrorie, Arfield, Candeias, Murphy, Windass, Morelos

You had a goalkeeper, 3 defenders and a central midfielder - the front 4 were still the same as last season - so I don't know why people thought we were suddenly going to be transformed upfront.

Our new signings that played yesterday were at the other end of the pitch and defensively I thought we looked much stronger than last season. Goldson is a beast and strolled it and Flanagan looked a cut above too.

Maybe judge our game middle to front when Coulibally, Sadiq, Solanke (please) and whoever else come into the side.
 
People being shocked that our attacking performance was not massively different from last season is bizarre.

Of the new players who played yesterday:

McGregor, Tav, Goldson, Katic, Flanagan, McCrorie, Arfield, Candeias, Murphy, Windass, Morelos

You had a goalkeeper, 3 defenders and a central midfielder - the front 4 were still the same as last season - so I don't know why people thought we were suddenly going to be transformed upfront.

Our new signings that played yesterday were at the other end of the pitch and defensively I thought we looked much stronger than last season. Goldson is a beast and strolled it and Flanagan looked a cut above too.

Maybe judge our game middle to front when Coulibally, Sadiq, Solanke (please) and whoever else come into the side.
yes, this exactly
 
Back
Top