Match Thread St Mirren v Rangers - Wednesday 16th - Premier Sports

Kamala or Davis one of them at least, had to start. Gerrard knows that. St Mirren aren’t Falkirk. If Jack is out one or both of them MUST start. This isn’t a criticism of Zungu. He would be better served to learn the system alongside Davis. Barasic is as critical to our play as Tavernier and playing Bassey was a mistake.
 
El Buffalo20 said:
This wasn’t a loss playing Hibs or Aberdeen, who you would more expect to do some damage against us, this was St Mirren 10th in the league. I think the point is being massively missed. Can’t keep dismissing the cup. A cup win boost the mentality of this group of players
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No the point is its a game of football. Both teams try and win. We dint always win. Thats part and parcel.of the game. If folk cant accept that they need to find a other past time
 
Coisty09 said:
What was concerning is that this game reminded me of the Hearts Cup defeat last season when we were outfought.
The ref was a cnut and let their players away with murder but we shrunk in the face of adversity rather than rose to the challenge.
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Same scenario we threw it away then and we done the same again tonight. The game is about scoring goals whatever way you can. There is a horrible belief with us that we just play the way we want and we will eventually get a goal. At 80 minutes we were doing 1 - 2's on the halfway line. St Mirren must have been rubbing their hands getting organised whilst we pushed the ball about to each other.
 
Gibraltar Loyal said:
Is it aye?
My attitude is to support the team. Stick together. Not throw my toys out the pram and wet myself cos we lost our 1st game of the season.
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That is also my attitude to support the team.
But by %^*& , I don’t just shrug my shoulders and say hey ho, we’ve just lost our first game of the season.
 
iaatpies said:
Given the horrible slip ups in the past 2 seasons it's understandable that fans are both angry and worried. It's too early to panic. It is a reminder that the squad isn't as strong as we'd want and that we perhaps still need to learn how to make effective changes in games. It was a great chance to put a national trophy in the cabinet. I've always believed that winning is habitual and that success breeds success. It would have been a welcome trophy to celebrate for a support that deserves the right to celebrate. There was undoubtedly an element of St Mirren believing that if they could get past us then they'd have as much a chance as anyone of making it to the final. That's a massive motivator for them in a tournament that had already lost Celtic.

Reaction is key. We put together another great run of form and the cup loss will be forgiven. We'd all rather lift the title trophy than a league cup. Lifting that first cup in years could have been a massive confidence boost in our hunt for 55. We need to hope that Gerrard and the players react in the right way - that they pick themselves up and go back at it even more focused.
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BlueBuzz said:
That is also my attitude to support the team.
But by %^*& , I don’t just shrug my shoulders and say hey ho, we’ve just lost our first game of the season.
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No one is shrugging their shoulders. Yes im disappointed but ffs there has to be some context. 1 defeat in a cup and folk are chucking it...unbelievable
 
Gibraltar Loyal said:
No one is shrugging their shoulders. Yes im disappointed but ffs there has to be some context. 1 defeat in a cup and folk are chucking it...unbelievable
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I don’t think it’s only one defeat, in a cup. It’s yet another occasion where this team have shown they can’t handle the slightest bit of expectation. Until they win a trophy, they will continue to be recognised as bottle merchants.
 
That was a turgid, brutal watch with a gutless last few minutes & has resurrected so many questions about the team and the manager’s team selections that I thought were behind us.

There is no doubt in my mind that Celtc will get a boost from tonight as they would been resigned to the fact we were going to win it. We once again lick our wounds from an avoidable defeat whilst they will be picking up a trophy.
 
Gibraltar Loyal said:
I agree. Team selection was wrong.
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For me the worry is I’ve just seen a tim who I am mates with (I know but he’s a decent guy) tweet that if st mirren can do that to us then so can they, and he’s right. That will have geared other teams up against us. We absolutely cannot have a repeat
 
blue genes said:
That was a turgid, brutal watch with a gutless last few minutes & has resurrected so many questions about the team and the manager’s team selections that I thought were behind us.

There is no doubt in my mind that Celtc will get a boost from tonight as they would been resigned to the fact we were going to win it. We once again lick our wounds from an avoidable defeat whilst they will be picking up a trophy.
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So youve resigned yourself to them winning? A bit of a contradictory post
 
It’s all on Gerrard and the group tonight.

Going a season without losing a game is a big ask.

it’s about the ones you lose and the way you react.

If we are all honest, we all know deep down we have doubts about this group right up until the moment they win something.

I’ve no doubt the players will have doubts about themselves until they win something. That’s an issue.

We’ve been getting by. That’s the truth. We need more from our attacking players and goal scorers. No team can continue getting results relying on goals from full backs, centre halves and midfielders. Any successful team needs a centre forward or attacker that scores regularly.

Truth? We don’t yet know if tonight Is a blip, a wake up call or an indication that they don’t have it to get trophies over the line.

it was not acceptable for a Rangers team. Is it a portent? The next four league games will tell us. There is no room for dropped points between now and 2 January.
 
GeckoBear29 said:
For me the worry is I’ve just seen a tim who I am mates with (I know but he’s a decent guy) tweet that if st mirren can do that to us then so can they, and he’s right. That will have geared other teams up against us. We absolutely cannot have a repeat
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Correct and if Ross County can beat the scum at home then so can others. Works both ways.
Tonight is past. It was a poor performance. We regroup and move on and look for a positive result on Saturday
 
Gibraltar Loyal said:
Correct and if Ross County can beat the scum at home then so can others. Works both ways.
Tonight is past. It was a poor performance. We regroup and move on and look for a positive result on Saturday
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I can eventually accept tonight if we literally keep on winning in the league, but if it’s like the hearts game and the start of a downward spiral, I think I’ll have to resign from follow follow.
 
DunantBlue said:
It’s all on Gerrard and the group tonight.

Going a season without losing a game is a big ask.

it’s about the ones you lose and the way you react.

If we are all honest, we all know deep down we have doubts about this group right up until the moment they win something.

I’ve no doubt the players will have doubts about themselves until they win something. That’s an issue.

We’ve been getting by. That’s the truth. We need more from our attacking players and goal scorers. No team can continue getting results relying on goals from full backs, centre halves and midfielders. Any successful team needs a centre forward or attacker that scores regularly.

Truth? We don’t yet know if tonight Is a blip, a wake up call or an indication that they don’t have it to get trophies over the line.

it was not acceptable for a Rangers team. Is it a portent? The next four league games will tell us. There is no room for dropped points between now and 2 January.
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We've been getting by? Top of the league by 13, undefeated. Top of Europa group, undefeated. But we are getting by...ffs
 
GeckoBear29 said:
For me the worry is I’ve just seen a tim who I am mates with (I know but he’s a decent guy) tweet that if st mirren can do that to us then so can they, and he’s right. That will have geared other teams up against us. We absolutely cannot have a repeat
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We woukd not play a weakened team against the Orcs.
 
Gibraltar Loyal said:
No one is shrugging their shoulders. Yes im disappointed but ffs there has to be some context. 1 defeat in a cup and folk are chucking it...unbelievable
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Folk aren’t chucking it . We are sick that we have just thrown away a glorious chance to just maybe win trophy that means something for the first time in 10 years .
For me the capitulation in the league last year is still raw and I fear a result like tonight will once again sow major doubts in the players minds, and put us under major pressure in the upcoming league games.
If we can pick up again, starting Saturday and keep the gap as it is till we play them in January then I will feel a lot better than I do just now.
My fear is that we don’t have that wining mentality that is required to get us to 55.
Tonight is a massive reminder just how far we still have to go.
 
Gibraltar Loyal said:
We've been getting by? Top of the league by 13, undefeated. Top of Europa group, undefeated. But we are getting by...ffs
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Misreading me.

No panic here. But also no dressing tonight up.

Boys need to bin tonight. Get at it Saturday, and prove this is a blip.

There are few teams that go a whole season unbeaten.

But there are also areas that we need

Next five games tell us everything. How they come back from the first set back Of the season tells us everything.

Im confident these lads will show us that they’ve got what it takes on Saturday.
 
DunantBlue said:
It’s all on Gerrard and the group tonight.

Going a season without losing a game is a big ask.

it’s about the ones you lose and the way you react.

If we are all honest, we all know deep down we have doubts about this group right up until the moment they win something.

I’ve no doubt the players will have doubts about themselves until they win something. That’s an issue.

We’ve been getting by. That’s the truth. We need more from our attacking players and goal scorers. No team can continue getting results relying on goals from full backs, centre halves and midfielders. Any successful team needs a centre forward or attacker that scores regularly.

Truth? We don’t yet know if tonight Is a blip, a wake up call or an indication that they don’t have it to get trophies over the line.

it was not acceptable for a Rangers team. Is it a portent? The next four league games will tell us. There is no room for dropped points between now and 2 January.
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I agree that it was on Gerrard tonight. Start your best team. Rest them once they have put the game to bed. I'm pleased that Stevie took the responsibility post match (even though those players starting the game should still have been good enough to get a win).

Whether we really want to face up to it or not, the facts are that since Alfie went off the ball in terms of his scoring exploits we have not replaced him up front, despite the acquisition of Itten and Roofe. Instead our defenders and Arfield have been carrying us. And that's ok...we've been doing exceptionally well as a team. I do just worry that when we need that cutting edge, that guarantee of a goal... we're a bit short just now. I've been a bluenose for 50 years. In that time it's hard to think of a successful Rangers team without a talisman striker / forward. Our current one is struggling and to be blunt I felt Roofe and Itten could've played until Saturday without scoring tonight.

The third of January will be when I wake up deciding whether I'm looking forward to or fearing the rest of this season. We've a lot of work to do between now and then.
 
TimzRFudz said:
I agree that it was on Gerrard tonight. Start your best team. Rest them once they have put the game to bed. I'm pleased that Stevie took the responsibility post match (even though those players starting the game should still have been good enough to get a win).

Whether we really want to face up to it or not, the facts are that since Alfie went off the ball in terms of his scoring exploits we have not replaced him up front, despite the acquisition of Itten and Roofe. Instead our defenders and Arfield have been carrying us. And that's ok...we've been doing exceptionally well as a team. I do just worry that when we need that cutting edge, that guarantee of a goal... we're a bit short just now. I've been a bluenose for 50 years. In that time it's hard to think of a successful Rangers team without a talisman striker / forward. Our current one is struggling and to be blunt I felt Roofe and Itten could've played until Saturday without scoring tonight.

The third of January will be when I wake up deciding whether I'm looking forward to or fearing the rest of this season. We've a lot of work to do between now and then.
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I would have started Defoe.
 
TimzRFudz said:
I agree that it was on Gerrard tonight. Start your best team. Rest them once they have put the game to bed. I'm pleased that Stevie took the responsibility post match (even though those players starting the game should still have been good enough to get a win).

Whether we really want to face up to it or not, the facts are that since Alfie went off the ball in terms of his scoring exploits we have not replaced him up front, despite the acquisition of Itten and Roofe. Instead our defenders and Arfield have been carrying us. And that's ok...we've been doing exceptionally well as a team. I do just worry that when we need that cutting edge, that guarantee of a goal... we're a bit short just now. I've been a bluenose for 50 years. In that time it's hard to think of a successful Rangers team without a talisman striker / forward. Our current one is struggling and to be blunt I felt Roofe and Itten could've played until Saturday without scoring tonight.

The third of January will be when I wake up deciding whether I'm looking forward to or fearing the rest of this season. We've a lot of work to do between now and then.
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Perfectly summed up pal
 
I should magine this result will have given Antwerp a bit of belief sadly. The players simply didn't show the same belief as them after they drew level, and we should have got stuck into that mentally challenged prick Connolly as soon as he started fouling us - the ref was very weak there and gave him a green light to get stuck in, we needed to give him a wee kick back if you ask me, but we'll remember that hopefully.
 
Gibraltar Loyal said:
I would have started Defoe.
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Me too. And Borna and Davis and Kamara. Hindsight is 20/20, but I genuinely would always go with the strongest team, unless you're prepared to take that risk of losing (eg a dead rubber in a tournament or a late season game when the league has already been won). That was a real opportunity gone tonight due to some bad decision making and a handful of piss poor performances. Arfield was as poor tonight as he has been excellent in the preceding couple of months.

They need to get it out their system sharpish though. We win the league and no-one will be giving a %^*& about tonight. So they need to refocus and kick on.
 
Gibraltar Loyal said:
Why is it if we lose a game we "bottle" it? We have no divine right to win any game.
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I think to be fair to folk, it’s because this team haven’t won anything yet. The doubts are understandable. Until this group gets something over the line.

Id like to think the players will be angry tonight. I’d like to think Motherwell will cop it as a result.

it will tell us something
 
Tin hat on but this has been coming the last few games we have toiled a bit so hopefully the realisation of this defeat will get us refocussed and back to our best.It was likely we would lose a game sooner or later but it was the way we got beat which bothered me.Saturday will give us an idea how the season might pan out we have to make a statement by giving Motherwell a doing.
 
Just need to pick ourselves up and absolutely batter Motherwell on Saturday. This was going to happen. The fact it was in the lesser cup means that as long as it was just a blip it doesn’t affect our season. Yes it would have been good to keep the run going and winning silverware but I’ll take losing to St Mirren in the League Cup over dropping league points any night of the day.
 
Poor poor performance with so many players not showing up. There were signs against Dundee utd and we got shown up tonight.

Saturday will show what they are made of
 
Until the team win something their bottle will be questioned, so not for long hopefully. Is it just a coincidence that our worst performances come when we get a referee that allows brutality? Just look at the games we haven't won. Now either we need better refs or a team that can withstand the violence that no other country allows.

To highlight how bad Scotland is, there are fans on here that think the Balogun assault was a fair challenge. No chance, would that be allowed anywhere else. I do wonder how many think Alfie's was terrible but not this, very much conditioned by the Scottish media.

Was it just me that watched that game and was hoping none of our players were stretched off because the opposition, and ref who lost the game, were that bad? In Scotland physicality is allowed to make up for talent and praised. It's why we don't have many Scottish players at Rangers, not enough talent. St Boo took advantage of a rookie and poor ref.

What would have happened if that was a European game or ref?
 
For me, truth is, it just went fir St Mirren tonight. The one thing they did in the first half was to get a penalty - at the ideal time, just before half time. Very very fortunate on the balance of play.
Nothing much came off for us second half where their one chance works for them.
Tav hits the post but Davo gets it in - the one thing that went our way. Even so Glen’s, normally safe pass out of defence goes astray and again it falls nicely for them when by then our central defender is off with a head knock that really should have been a free kick and yellow card.
Not enough time thereafter and we lose the game.
Just St Mirren’s night unfortunately and not ours. Such a blow as we all, this team, management and fans, deserve a success.
Good luck to St Mirren for the rest of it. They very rarely have any kind of success.
Hopefully we go on, have far more games that go our way, where we get the rewards that our play and endeavour merit, and we win a double.
Heads up Rangers.
 
I texted the lads ahead of the game that I felt the team selection wasn’t right, I did feel we would be over run and that the team maybe had too much inexperience/ full of “fancy dans”. Gerrard has admitted his selection and tactics were to blame. We need back to basics on Saturday. If we once more fail to deal with a bang average team and put the game away then we probably have the right to question the real strength and depth of this team.

Its mind blowingly gutting this result, we ALL needed some honours but if it hardens our resolve in the league then I’ll take it. If however it’s the start of another mid season dip I’m not sure I’m going to look upon it so generously.

step up Rangers, win on Saturday let’s get this over the line.
 
Last Thursday bring on the world, this Thursday feels a bit different, the joys of being a bear, balloon is were and truly pricked.
 
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Valleyloyal said:
As long as we score at least 1 more than the opposition I will be happy I still have nightmares about Adrian Sprott and Hamilton just a week or so after beating them 2-0 despite red cards for Terry Butcher and Ian Durrant. Something about cup ties makes me nervous.
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Oh dear. That was a shock. Told you I was nervous. Let's win Europa now to make up for it.
 
I am gutted, old wounds opened, doubts emerge it's all been said on this thread. The only thing that matters is how we respond, St Mirren have given Motherwell a template to beat us. But if we win on Saturday we are 16 points clear and have had one bad game not started a bad run. Saturday will be a huge test for this team.
 
Fact is St Mirren wanted it more, in the right frame of mind we beat them 99 times out of 100.
We hit a bump in the road, still gutted as it was our first chance of silverware, hopefully lesson learned we need to fight to win every game no matter who we're playing.
 
Aurelius72 said:
Big Jon McLaughlin
Tav
Goldson
Homelander
Shirley

Aribo
Zungu
Kamara

Roofe
Itten
Kent

Cricket score tonight for me fellas. I reckon we’ll put five or six past this mob.
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Ok, so I was miles aff regarding the final result. But tbh I don’t think my team selection was far off - Helander should’ve started, as he’d have given Bassey more confidence being left footed. Aribo and Kamara deeper in midfield could’ve unlocked space against St Mirren too early on.
 
at all levels in football we accept if we get outplayed by opponents; and in most sports not just football. I can never accept getting beat based on energy, determination and desire however

I was happy with the starting 11, only the exclusion of Defoe was debatable; in-game management was an issue for the first time this season, imo the main reason we lost:

  • Taking off Arfield
  • Kent and Airbo finishing the game
  • Significantly low count of shots on the opposition goal
  • High balls into the box (especially) when Defoe came on
  • Goldson not getting on the ball as we build
  • Tav not being able to influence the game

Our management team didn't appear to rectify / react to these two key main factors which had a real impact on our performance.

Overall we were extremely poor from players to the side-lines
 
The more I think about it the more it annoys me, why we dropped barisic, cup quarter final away to a team undefeated in 9 games, we should have played our full strength side.
 
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