The Conversion Of Kent - Flying Winger to No. 10

Albertz_Was_King

Albertz_Was_King

Well-Known Member
With our formation, we tend to play with what you would consider two “inside forwards” or number 10’s.

Ryan Kent just isn’t for me suitable to such a role.

For me he is a winger who should use his pace and trickery from wide, to then potentially come inside and play in that space.

However occupying that space with and without the ball, just isn’t for him. He can’t really shoot from distance, he doesn’t slip people in with a slide-rule pass and he finds it tricky to maintain his touch consistently in that crowded area often with his back to goal.

Am I alone in this (presumably) or is this being overlooked by Gerrard and Beale?
 
Albertz_Was_King said:
With our formation, we tend to play with what you would consider two “inside forwards” or number 10’s.

Ryan Kent just isn’t for me suitable to such a role.

For me he is a winger who should use his pace and trickery from wide, to then potentially come inside and play in that space.

However occupying that space with and without the ball, just isn’t for him. He can’t really shoot from distance, he doesn’t slip people in with a slide-rule pass and he finds it tricky to maintain his touch consistently in that crowded area often with his back to goal.

Am I alone in this (presumably) or is this being overlooked by Gerrard and Beale?
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Kent just hasn't looked fit this season. Gerrard hinted at some players coming back, having enjoyed themselves too much during the summer.
From midfield to front we have looked stale.
 
Albertz_Was_King said:
Been about 9 weeks of competitive football now, your average man off the street would be fighting fit by this point.
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This is increasingly bothering me. I get that teams aren't always raring to go and a well-oiled machine on day 1, but I feel we're out of step with the pace at which these games are going to start coming at us. Key players looking sluggish, exhausted, carrying injuries or out of form, new players who have hardly kicked a ball, Bacuna who signed for us over a month ago and we haven't even seen him at all yet. Maybe this is all normal and patience will pay off, it just feels like it's taking us a long, long time to get going.
 
Albertz_Was_King said:
With our formation, we tend to play with what you would consider two “inside forwards” or number 10’s.

Ryan Kent just isn’t for me suitable to such a role.

For me he is a winger who should use his pace and trickery from wide, to then potentially come inside and play in that space.

However occupying that space with and without the ball, just isn’t for him. He can’t really shoot from distance, he doesn’t slip people in with a slide-rule pass and he finds it tricky to maintain his touch consistently in that crowded area often with his back to goal.

Am I alone in this (presumably) or is this being overlooked by Gerrard and Beale?
Click to expand...
Maybe we should be hitting low balls into the box, you know nothing about the game game and plenty on here will agree with that
 
There was a twitter or whatever it is called from the club after the Old Firm game stating along the lines of "Well done Ryan Kent playing through the pain barrier and he would now be rested until the end of the international break". It looks as if he is still carrying an injury.
 
Albertz_Was_King said:
With our formation, we tend to play with what you would consider two “inside forwards” or number 10’s.

Ryan Kent just isn’t for me suitable to such a role.

For me he is a winger who should use his pace and trickery from wide, to then potentially come inside and play in that space.

However occupying that space with and without the ball, just isn’t for him. He can’t really shoot from distance, he doesn’t slip people in with a slide-rule pass and he finds it tricky to maintain his touch consistently in that crowded area often with his back to goal.

Am I alone in this (presumably) or is this being overlooked by Gerrard and Beale?
Click to expand...
Thought we really missed the creativity of hagi tonight, more so the form he’s been in
 
Albertz_Was_King said:
With our formation, we tend to play with what you would consider two “inside forwards” or number 10’s.

Ryan Kent just isn’t for me suitable to such a role.

For me he is a winger who should use his pace and trickery from wide, to then potentially come inside and play in that space.

However occupying that space with and without the ball, just isn’t for him. He can’t really shoot from distance, he doesn’t slip people in with a slide-rule pass and he finds it tricky to maintain his touch consistently in that crowded area often with his back to goal.

Am I alone in this (presumably) or is this being overlooked by Gerrard and Beale?
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Somebody will put me right here no doubt but I’d be surprised if Kent hasn’t had more shots than any other player this season.
Great save from the keeper last night from him.
However, I have no doubt whatsoever that Gerrard and Beale are wrong here and Albertz was King has out thought them.
 
Kent is carrying a hamstring injury and it's obviously hampering him far too much. That's been ongoing for quite some time. It's on Gerrard having him playing (poorly) through the pain barrier rather than trusting Wright.

The thing is, now that has worsened judging by him pulling up last night, rather than being sensible with it we have the prospect of him being out much longer.
 
It’s been pointed out above, and said after wins as well, so not a reaction to a defeat.

This season Kent has continually dropped deep. Not to a number 10 position, but to a defensive midfield position. That means our most dangerous player is not getting the ball in dangerous positions.

The second goal last night is a prime example. You can say ‘WTF was Kent trying to do in a crowded situation on his own 18 yard line?’. And you can also say ‘WTF was Kent doing back on his 18 yard line in the first place?’.

The second point for me is most important, as if he’s there we ain’t breaking quickly when we win the ball back. Part of the reason he ended up trying that skill in a stupid position was because he didn’t have an out ball. And he didn’t have an out ball as he should have been the bloody out ball.
 
We should never have signed Kent in the summer.

What's that? He has played that very same role with fantastic distinction over the past 4 seasons including being one of our top performers in only the second invincible season in our history last year? Oh.

Why do people pretend that we have made mythical changes to our style after every poor result?
 
cooprfc said:
We should never have signed Kent in the summer.

What's that? He has played that very same role with fantastic distinction over the past 4 seasons including being one of our top performers in only the second invincible season in our history last year? Oh.

Why do people pretend that we have made mythical changes to our style after every poor result?
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It’s been said after more or less every game this year. Win or lose. This isn’t a reaction to a loss. Our style of play this year is completely different to last, and isn’t effective. It needs sorted and quick.
 
bigy said:
It’s been said after more or less every game this year. Win or lose. This isn’t a reaction to a loss. Our style of play this year is completely different to last, and isn’t effective. It needs sorted and quick.
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The style, shape or the game plan is not completely different.

It's the exact same.

We just aren't firing on all cylinders.

We've still lost once in the league and beaten Celtic and sit top of the league. We've lost to a Malmö side who went on to actually make the CL and a Lyon side who have spent £300m. We are, essentially, having a "regular" Rangers season rather than the exceptional one that came last year.

Losses are part of the game not always due to some mythical system change. We literally play the same way we've done for seasons. It's still the 4321 where we look to be compact and dominate the middle of the pitch, draw teams out to the middle third of the pitch and set traps to press. If anything, that may actually be what needs to freshen up at times.
 
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Truffle Shuffle said:
Kent is carrying a hamstring injury and it's obviously hampering him far too much. That's been ongoing for quite some time. It's on Gerrard having him playing (poorly) through the pain barrier rather than trusting Wright.

The thing is, now that has worsened judging by him pulling up last night, rather than being sensible with it we have the prospect of him being out much longer.
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Agree with this. Playing with a grade 1 hammy is only ever going in one direction. I get how important he is to the team but I feel he would have been completely rested had we had an easier run of games and probably still should have been regardless. If he's now exacerbated the injury, maybe even having a grade 2 tear, he could be out for a while.
 
Our biggest problem for me. We have zero width. Especially with Barasic miles off it. The full backs get the ball with zero infront of them and resort to a hit and hope from the half way line.
 
cooprfc said:
The style, shape or the game plan is not completely different.

It's the exact same.

We just aren't firing on all cylinders.

We've still lost once in the league and beaten Celtic and sit top of the league. We've lost to a Malmö side who went on to actually make the CL and a Lyon side who have spent £300m.

Losses are part of the game not always due to some mythical system change. We literally play the same way we've done for seasons. If anything, that may actually be what needs to freshen up at times.
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How’s it not different?

Last year in our first EL game we had Arfield at the front of our midfield 3. Last night the midfield 3 was very flat.

Last year we didn’t see Kent dropping back to defensive midfield to win the ball. He generally held his wide position and collected the ball in more attacking positions.

And that’s before we look at how our full backs are attacking.

It may be the same 4-3-3 on paper. But the way we are playing it isn’t the same.
 
bigy said:
How’s it not different?

Last year in our first EL game we had Arfield at the front of our midfield 3. Last night the midfield 3 was very flat.

Last year we didn’t see Kent dropping back to defensive midfield to win the ball. He generally held his wide position and collected the ball in more attacking positions.

It may be the same 4-3-3 on paper. But the way we are playing it isn’t the same.
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Because it is the same.

You are correct that SOMETIMES we used Arfield last year. But sometimes, and most often in the big European games, we had Jack, Davis and Kamara when available- similar personel to last night. Just like SOMETIMES we have used Arfield and Aribo and even looked to use Hagi in there at times this year.

He was not "at the top" of the 3 though. The 3s primary function in the team is to provide a base to cover the full backs and allow the two 10s to have freedom.

As for Kent, he is playing the exact same role and quite often over the last few years picks the ball up deeper and gets us up the park.

We still play 4321, look to stay narrow and dominate the middle of the pitch, draw teams to the middle third and set pressing traps. The width is still coming from the fullbacks (not as well as it was) and the buff is still dropping short to get involved in the build up. The 10s still have licence to go where they like and we still look to either build up play or hit a diagonal from Goldson. There hasn't even been a single tweak.

We just aren't playing particularly well but we had plenty sluggish and boring games last year too.
 
The reality is we got beat tonight by a team at least a level above us. However Kent or Alfie will never be good enough to take us to the next level and we should have taken the money for them. Kent lost possession for both the goals and has been overhyped living off a few good performances against them. Th other elephant in the room is Kamara who has not been the same player since the Slavia incident no drive in him happy to make side ways passes all day. This is not about tonight’s game as they were just too good these are underlying issues that need sorted Roofe should start in front of Alfie any day of the week
 
So the tactical change that happened before we went onto win the league undefeated with Kent playing a huge part , now doesn't suit him , deary me. Players will come in and out of form doesn't mean everyone has to become Michael beale 2.0 or psychologists to pin something on it. Sometimes players form will just dip
 
If he’s carrying an injury then why are we playing him. He pulled up last night and that will no doubt be him out for some time.

Then we’ll realise how valuable he is.

It’s not just Kent. No one has turned up consistently this season.
 
ChildOfGod said:
I think RK suits the role fine tbh
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Well his level of performance would indicate he isn't flourishing. In my eyes he is rapidly going from a first name on the teamsheet to occupying the sub bench.

If truth be told not one of our big assets, Kent, Morelos, Kamara & Barasic has started the season well - at their current level of performance their transfer values have plummeted.

Two months into the season we should be firing on all cylinders so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to come to the conclusion something is just not right within Ibrox. This lack of form carries on any longer and further domestic defeats will be on the cards, we cannit keep on winning ugly.
 
bigy said:
It’s been said after more or less every game this year. Win or lose. This isn’t a reaction to a loss. Our style of play this year is completely different to last, and isn’t effective. It needs sorted and quick.
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Yip, get it sorted before we lose top spot in the league.
 
Bluesquare10 said:
The reality is we got beat tonight by a team at least a level above us. However Kent or Alfie will never be good enough to take us to the next level and we should have taken the money for them. Kent lost possession for both the goals and has been overhyped living off a few good performances against them. Th other elephant in the room is Kamara who has not been the same player since the Slavia incident no drive in him happy to make side ways passes all day. This is not about tonight’s game as they were just too good these are underlying issues that need sorted Roofe should start in front of Alfie any day of the week
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Morelos was our best player last night and is a good bit better than Roofe.
 
jb_sow said:
He has stopped running in behind the opposition full back when Barisic has the ball. He isn't stretching games the way he used to, and we aalso aren't seeing the best of Barisic because of it.
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Was on at my mate about this. He seems to have all but stopped running in behind. The few times he does it you can see how uncomfortable the opposition is with it. Is this a tactical message?

Instead he does this weird thing where he comes deep for the ball to feet and either passes it sideways or try’s to beat 2 men from a standing start and loses it.
 
bigy said:
It’s been pointed out above, and said after wins as well, so not a reaction to a defeat.

This season Kent has continually dropped deep. Not to a number 10 position, but to a defensive midfield position. That means our most dangerous player is not getting the ball in dangerous positions.

The second goal last night is a prime example. You can say ‘WTF was Kent trying to do in a crowded situation on his own 18 yard line?’. And you can also say ‘WTF was Kent doing back on his 18 yard line in the first place?’.

The second point for me is most important, as if he’s there we ain’t breaking quickly when we win the ball back. Part of the reason he ended up trying that skill in a stupid position was because he didn’t have an out ball. And he didn’t have an out ball as he should have been the bloody out ball.
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He chased back and won the ball off them. How was he supposed to be the out ball for himself doing that?

Its not like he was passed the ball in that position.
 
Roofe should have played more tonight. Him, Alfie, and Kent up front, however SG decided he wanted Lundstram in midfield and he wouldn't drop Aribo, so...................................
 
Bigbluebear said:
He chased back and won the ball off them. How was he supposed to be the out ball for himself doing that?

Its not like he was passed the ball in that position.
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Kent doesn't track back he would get moaned at for not doing the dirty work, he does track back and gets moaned at still.

Almost like people just need to moan at anything.
 
There’s been games during his time with us where he’s played exact same position as last night and been unplayable. He’s just had difficult start to season with regards to form/fitness/confidence. He’ll play there again this season and destroy teams.

Despite being pretty poor, he still had hand in our best moments of first half.
 
Hurleyreyes said:
"can't really shoot from distance"

Other than Tav he will have scored the most goals from outside the box in the team.
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Aye his goals against St Mirren, Hibs and Aberdeen (took a massive deflection granted) show he can't score from outside the box.

Kent'a not been great this season he's looked like a player playing through an injury and last night it went.
 
Albertz_Was_King said:
Been about 9 weeks of competitive football now, your average man off the street would be fighting fit by this point.
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I don't think it's that he isn't up to speed core fitness wise. I think he is carrying an injury and been playing through it.

Two different things between that and just being unfit.
 
Kent isn't playing well this season because he isn't fit.

I do wonder what we're gaining from playing an injured Kent as it's clear it means he's playing well below his usual standards.
 
Bluesquare10 said:
The reality is we got beat tonight by a team at least a level above us. However Kent or Alfie will never be good enough to take us to the next level and we should have taken the money for them. Kent lost possession for both the goals and has been overhyped living off a few good performances against them. Th other elephant in the room is Kamara who has not been the same player since the Slavia incident no drive in him happy to make side ways passes all day. This is not about tonight’s game as they were just too good these are underlying issues that need sorted Roofe should start in front of Alfie any day of the week
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That will be the same Glen Kamara that statistically was one of the best midfielders at the Euros and earned rave reviews when up against France in Paris the other week?
 
Albertz_Was_King said:
With our formation, we tend to play with what you would consider two “inside forwards” or number 10’s.

Ryan Kent just isn’t for me suitable to such a role.

For me he is a winger who should use his pace and trickery from wide, to then potentially come inside and play in that space.

However occupying that space with and without the ball, just isn’t for him. He can’t really shoot from distance, he doesn’t slip people in with a slide-rule pass and he finds it tricky to maintain his touch consistently in that crowded area often with his back to goal.

Am I alone in this (presumably) or is this being overlooked by Gerrard and Beale?
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I love Kent and I think when fit and firing he is our best player.

Kent, Helander and Kamara for me are the three from the squad who could play at a much higher level.

To address your point, I agree Kent should be more prolific and if he could stay a bit higher, be a bit more direct and shoot more often he could possibly be that player.

He could play as a central 10 and I actually think he could even play as an attacking 8 if required.

I think the issue is the balance of the front three is a bit off now that Morelos is playing as more of a link up CF, dropping deep and getting involved in the build up earlier. It feels like Kent and Morelos are both dropping deep and getting involved in the build up. This would work fine if we had a fast goalscorer on the right hand side but we don't. The balance is all wrong. We need at least one of the three to be higher up, looking to get in behind and stretching the defence.

Look at last night, Kent, Alfie and Aribo all dropping in, all with back to goal and all playing in front of the Lyon back line.

Look at the majority of our goals this season, we aren't cutting teams apart and we aren't getting one on one with the keeper.
 
What worries me is that this could go one of two ways.

Like it or not Celtic were a good side at the start of last season. They’d just won 12 trophies in a row. They made a slow start and, probably up till Christmas, their fans thought everything would just click in to gear. It never did.

How many times last year did we hear that they just needed Forrest?

It would be naive and complacent for us to think everything will suddenly click in to gear. Something is missing and we are not playing the same way as we did last season.

It might be the likes of Bacuna that can bring the change. It could be Bassey and/or Patterson. It could be Wright with a run of games. It could be Hagi or Jack if he gets back. Or it could be that the management need to tweak things.

Either way we need a spark from somewhere.
 
Bluesquare10 said:
The reality is we got beat tonight by a team at least a level above us. However Kent or Alfie will never be good enough to take us to the next level and we should have taken the money for them. Kent lost possession for both the goals and has been overhyped living off a few good performances against them. Th other elephant in the room is Kamara who has not been the same player since the Slavia incident no drive in him happy to make side ways passes all day. This is not about tonight’s game as they were just too good these are underlying issues that need sorted Roofe should start in front of Alfie any day of the week
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You were doing so well until the last sentence.
Roofe & Morelos should start every game when fit.
 
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