Steven Gerrard is following the Dick Advocaat Rangers blueprint and that's bad news for the rest - Barry Ferguson

BlueMeanie

BlueMeanie

Well-Known Member
Barry is loving how Rangers have started the season and reckons it's a throwback to the successful team he played in under Dick Advocaat.


The similarities are glaring and the next month will tell if they are on route to being as successful.
I’ve watched performances from Rangers these last 10 days that have been typified by tempo and desire, with the ball pinged around the pitch at pace.
Already comparisons are being drawn with the Rangers side I was fortunate enough to play in when Dick Advocaat first arrived at Ibrox in 1998.
I was part of a side that was fitter than anyone out there and we excelled at taking the ball to feet, two touches at most, before finding a team-mate.

We played with energy and desire, with a lot of movement off the ball, drawing out the opposition and creating space for team-mates to go on and create.
We knew our roles in the side and how the manager wanted us to perform and we also showed steely determination, borne from working bloody hard on the training ground.

We scored a lot of goals too and a real intensity to our performances, which jumps out at me whenever I’ve seen Steven Gerrard’s side play this season.
Scrub that. The intensity struck me towards the end of the last campaign and Rangers have maintained the momentum over the summer and added to it for the new season.


There was a telling moment in Advocaat’s reign that proved pivotal in the success we would go on to enjoy. We went three down to Shelbourne in the UEFA Cup at Tranmere in his first competitive match in charge and faced make or break for the new boss.
We rallied in the second half, scored five and it gave us a platform of trust and unity as a group to push on to better things.
As impressed as I was by the displays over two legs against Midtjylland, as well as Hibs, I wonder if the 2-1 win at Rugby Park wasn’t most telling? Rangers did not reach the levels against Kilmarnock they have in most other matches this season but they showed another side to their game that’s equally as important.
If they’d lost an equaliser with seven minutes to go last season they’d have gone into their shell and felt sorry for themselves before leaving with a point.

This time they showed bravery and character to push on and score a winning goal in injury time that might just prove one of the most vital of the season.
Rangers demolished Hibs and brushed aside Danish opposition in the Europa League who had the potential to be more than awkward rivals.
The early signs are encouraging but the coming weeks will give the strongest indication if this Rangers squad can go course and distance for the first time since 2011.
Certainly they’re about to face a step up in class against Legia Warsaw, a decent outfit, with a place in the Europa League group stage up for grabs.
If they win through they immediately face Celtic and if Rangers can win that one it could be lift off for all they hope to achieve.
It’s still early days of course but the confidence in the squad will be high. They’re eight unbeaten and although their current run of four wins in a row is hardly worth the comment, it still took them until February of last season before they managed even that modest goal.
Rangers are off to a strong start in the league, courtesy of the win against Hibs and that victory at Rugby Park, easily one of the toughest away games in the calendar.
They showed a strong mentality against Killie and their strength of character has also been on display in Europe as they’ve negotiated those troublesome qualifiers so far with some comfort.


If Rangers want to achieve anything this season they must stand up to the tougher challenges coming their way and they certainly have the characters to cope. There is a strong mentality and confidence around the squad and they’ve got to keep the right side of self-belief because if it tips in to arrogance they’ll risk a slap in the face.
For what it’s worth, I don’t believe that will be allowed to happen under Gerrard and his coaching staff. They know what it takes to win and know the difference between cockiness and confidence.
The manager is working hard to keep their players onside at the moment with the changes week to week to cope with the challenges on different fronts.
No matter how fit, games every Thursday and Sunday will test even the best athletes and players have to accept it and be ready to play their part.
I’m even going through a similar situation just now, albeit at a different level, with a Kelty Hearts team that’s on a good run of results so players are finding it difficult to break into the team.
Players have to dig deep because the opportunities will arise, sometimes when they least expect it as a result of injury, suspension or loss of form.
It’s difficult to keep a group happy but these who are not playing must show a willingness to fight and resists the temptation to stick out a petted lip.
I’m sure there will be changes in the Rangers team again tomorrow for the visit to East Fife in the Betfred Cup. The Methil men may not be Legia or Celtic but they will still pose a certain challenge.
New Bayview has one stand and three open sided terraces and Fife experiences four different climates in as many hours. If they can get themselves up for that, the Europa League and Old Firm fixtures will be a breeze!
 
It’s either, the teams no as good as the team I played in, or never will be as good as the team I played in, or the team’s beginning to look like the team I played in, or maybe one day they’ll be as good as the team I played in.
One thing for sure is that it’s a non stop comparison with the team I played in.
Barry can do better than this, he needs to move into the present and do himself justice with these articles.
Considering his contribution to the success of the Club, he needs to let that speak for itself and avoid the repetitive harking back to his ‘glory days’ and avoid boring the reader.
 
dh1963 said:
What's wrong with it?
Too many folk just see the name Barry Ferguson and criticise.
If that was written by Neil McCann or Kevin Thomson folk would be purring about it.
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Maybe that's because Ferguson has been coming the lady's front bottom for years while McCann and Thomson have always spoke well of us. Strange when you think about it given he is the only one of the three who grew up a bluenose
 
I’ve no time for Ferguson any more. As @SenoraCuellar mentions, he’s only saying positive stuff about the club now that we look like a decent threat. If he was one that stood up and defended us when we needed it, then he would have a far better standing, but as it stands my views are “thanks for the memories”, but I don’t want to hear him say a word about the club again.
 
TheFridge said:
Maybe that's because Ferguson has been coming the lady's front bottom for years while McCann and Thomson have always spoke well of us. Strange when you think about it given he is the only one of the three who grew up a bluenose
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Those who fall in love with the club seem to fall harder than those that grew up a BN (players).
 
DeeCeeTee said:
I’ve no time for Ferguson any more. As @SenoraCuellar mentions, he’s only saying positive stuff about the club now that we look like a decent threat. If he was one that stood up and defended us when we needed it, then he would have a far better standing, but as it stands my views are “thanks for the memories”, but I don’t want to hear him say a word about the club again.
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Is that the reason you opened the thread?
 
That will be him crawling back now that we are in with a chance, he wouldn't want to miss an invitation to any celebrations. Kicked us far too many times when we were down.

Still not forgiven the c*nt for his selfie with that poet bastard in front of that tacky double treble sign either. Wank
 
Cyberniv said:
It’s either, the teams no as good as the team I played in, or never will be as good as the team I played in, or the team’s beginning to look like the team I played in, or maybe one day they’ll be as good as the team I played in.
One thing for sure is that it’s a non stop comparison with the team I played in.
Barry can do better than this, he needs to move into the present and do himself justice with these articles.
Considering his contribution to the success of the Club, he needs to let that speak for itself and avoid the repetitive harking back to his ‘glory days’ and avoid boring the reader.
Click to expand...
He does risk (maybe he is already) becoming irrelevant with constant harking back.
The ‘it’s no as good as it was in my day’ shtick has been done a million times by a million people, and has always been boring.
 
Angus said:
That will be him crawling back now that we are in with a chance, he wouldn't want to miss an invitation to any celebrations. Kicked us far too many times when we were down.

Still not forgiven the c*nt for his selfie with that poet bastard in front of that tacky double treble sign either. Wank
Click to expand...


Whats this about? Missed that one
 
Angus said:
That will be him crawling back now that we are in with a chance, he wouldn't want to miss an invitation to any celebrations. Kicked us far too many times when we were down.

Still not forgiven the c*nt for his selfie with that poet bastard in front of that tacky double treble sign either. Wank
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Calm doon Angus
 
dh1963 said:
What's wrong with it?
Too many folk just see the name Barry Ferguson and criticise.
If that was written by Neil McCann or Kevin Thomson folk would be purring about it.
Click to expand...
Indeed, some praise does no harm at all, I don’t see any ex players coming out with the same
 
DeeCeeTee said:
I opened it with the thinking “what’s this fanny saying about us now?”. Take the pen and mic away from him, don’t give him the opportunity to keep using Rangers’ name and success to gain publicity or income.
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I'm sure you'll open the next one too.
 
dh1963 said:
What's wrong with it?
Too many folk just see the name Barry Ferguson and criticise.
If that was written by Neil McCann or Kevin Thomson folk would be purring about it.
Click to expand...
The article is a really poor piece of writing. The same stuff could be said using quarter of the words. Nothing wrong with the sentiment but it is most certainly an inane ramble.
 
TeddyBear said:
The article is a really poor piece of writing. The same stuff could be said using quarter of the words. Nothing wrong with the sentiment but it is most certainly an inane ramble.
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He’s not “writing” it.
Do you think Barry Ferguson would use a world like “borne”.
Ferguson tells a story.
A journalist will pan it out into how many words he needs to in order to fill a space.
 
TheFridge said:
Maybe that's because Ferguson has been coming the lady's front bottom for years while McCann and Thomson have always spoke well of us. Strange when you think about it given he is the only one of the three who grew up a bluenose
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Thomson refused, or let’s say omitted, to be critical of a Hibs team who booted us off the park or the septic captain’s continuous behaviour in games against us.
 
Gringo said:
Folk complain when Ferguson criticises, now he is genuinely positive, the same folk still complain?

Maybe the reason he was negative before was due to the fact we were an absolute shit show who continually embarrassed our club year after year?
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Of course, but you say positive? What’s positive about inferring that SG, GM and all the rest of the coaching team at Ibrox are incapable of formulating a blueprint for success and have to follow one laid out by DA, you guessed it, for the team he played in.
I don’t see that as supportive or constructive or positive.
As I said earlier he can do better than this.
 
SenoraCuellar said:
Back on board now it looks like we might be winning stuff....
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This is what I came onto post.

You’ll notice everyone who has bad mouthed us slowly start to praise us the closer we win something.

They know 55 is coming.

It’s like if a person is kicking someone when they are down in a fight .... all of a sudden the person gets up and wants to fight again. So the original kicker starts wanting hugs instead. Cowards
 
Monster said:
That advocaat team would likely ragdoll us up and down the park.
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Absolutely.
So would Walter’s teams and Wallace’s first team.
Today’s lot might have a chance against the teams from 82-86 and McLeish’s 03-04 and 05-06.
 
People do realise that it’s not actually written by Barry Ferguson but by a reporter. The reporter just puts into print what Ferguson has said.
 
Falls into the same bracket as Boyd. Rightly criticises parts of what we’re doing over the seasons but get hammered despite there being solid foundations to what they’re saying.

Now we look like we have something to look forward to and it’s an automatic response that they’re are just giving credit because we are looking like being in a good position again.

Can’t they just have an opinion, even if it is not positive regarding us?

Too many fans want to hear anything other than the truth. They’re bigging our club up for a reason. Because it looks good just now. They want that as much as your everyday fan despite what you read about them.
 
Some folk are embarrassing on here. A positive article where he’s actively complementing the team for the way they are playing and the spirit they showed at Kilmarnock. He’s also right that the next 3/4 weeks will prove just how good a start to the season we’ve had.

Really sad that some folk see the name Barry Ferguson and before they’ve even read the article have themselves whipped up into a frenzy about big bad Barry.

Weirdos.
 
Tbh i think we are more like a Smith team

Satan's tended to be about skill and being better than opposition

Smiths teams could do that but could also strangle a game and hit win needed the game on Thursday was that exactly we didn't go to out pass the opponent we went kill the game but on break and we're clinical with it

If we had to score more goals on thursday w would have
 
Monster said:
That advocaat team would likely ragdoll us up and down the park.
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Probably but that team cost a fortune. While I loved watching advocaat’s team at the time, I now look back at that time of us throwing money at players anytime we dropped a point and it was that era which effectively caused us to go into the mess we found ourselves in.
In terms of the article it’s fair enough and a change to see us getting a bit of praise so I won’t criticise it. Although I still really wish the tabloid newspapers would just disappear.
 
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