The 'tense' Steven Gerrard look worrying Rangers hero Brian Laudrup as he shares his key concern

I think SG has a very strong temperament. It’s natural to feel tension. Motherwell is definitely a game which potential champions should win, to bounce back after the dropped points.
 
I hate to admit it but away games fill me with trepidation, never confident of going away to Hibs, Aberdeen , Motherwell and winning.
I feel like a broken record but we are too soft all over the park , no dig in midfield , it’s the old saying in football you need to win the battle with your opponent and then you earn the right to play football , we try to play football from first whistle and end up getting rag dolled and out muscled .
As much as I like Helander and Goldson they aren’t aggressive enough , and can get knocked about at times they need to start roughing up centre forwards when going in for challenges, centre halves can get away with the forearm into back of the head when winning a header or knee into the back when jumping for a header , it doesn’t need to be clean all the time, you do it once and they aren’t keen to come calling a second time .
 
The principle character flaw in the side is casualness and complacency. If Sunday's equaliser had come out of the blue via some piece of brilliance or luck, then I could perhaps cut them some slack. The warning signs however were plain to see, McLaughlin with an over hit pass out to Goldson, the scramble in the 6 yard box, and our two full backs increasingly being exposed in 2 v 1 situations. Time to get the game heads back on, and full concentration you would hope. Not a bit of it, witness Goldson's ludicrously risky pass, and we know the rest.
Spot on mate
 
Pretty much what many on here said and were labelled panty wetters.

I’ll be keeping a keen eye on the thread looking for those same happy clappers calling Laudrup a bed wetter. He wouldn’t know what it takes to win titles anyway, he’s only won several and played at a level far beyond the SPL.
 
That's because we are always open to the officials making a mistake which costs us points.

I think we make enough of our own mistakes - player and manager - without worrying about officials.

Anyway, the club seem quite happy with the refereeing performances.
 
It isn't that bad if your winning 75- 80% of your league games with draws thrown in then that is league winning form if you can keep it up
 
Because of dropped points at Livi and Hivs, we are only in September, yet Sunday is an absolute must win.

We have a habit of making things difficult for ourselves.

Have this team got it in them to deliver, having failed so often previously ? Concerning.

I dont think they have, Sunday proved it.
 
I am sick of this teams naivety

the same stupid mistakes over and over

the manager was a winner when it gets to 70 minutes gone and your in front you don’t play wee flick passes 30 yards from your own goal

goldson should be dropped and I’d drop helander as well for being powder puff

sick of the fucking sight of them still absolutely raging with the pair of them for that shambles for the 2nd goal

and notwithstanding the fact we won’t call our officials who cheat is every week

I tend to go with the theory that the team are over drilled.

There’s an absolute obsession with retaining possession. Which makes a lot of sense - if opponents don’t have the ball they can’t hurt you - but I think we all too often look to recycle the ball safely than take greater risks and it has the effect of getting us stuck in a rut of pedestrian passing that doesn’t really go anywhere.

I feel there needs to be greater risk taking and spontaneity, but the rigours of the Beale led coaching manual doesn’t seem to permit it.

We actually play some really good football at times though and can be a joy to watch when the movement and one touch stuff comes off, such as Arfield’s goal on Sunday and Roofe’s the previous week, but I don’t really think we have the calibre of player to maintain it much more than we do at present and that’s part of our problem.

It’s been apparent to me since last season that this is how Gerrard wants to play the game though and he’ll go down trying even if it costs him his job.
 
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I dont think they have, Sunday proved it.
Yep - was the same old, same old.

Not clinical enough and no ideas or answers to change anything to a more constructive outcome. We've seen this movie before. Yet, I hear Beale is a tactical genius ??
 
I tend to go with the theory that the team are over drilled.

There’s an absolute obsession with retaining possession. Which makes a lot of sense - if opponents don’t have the ball they can’t hurt you - but I think it we all too often look to recycle the ball safely than take greater risks and it has the effect of getting us stuck in a rut of pedestrian passing that doesn’t really go anywhere.

I feel there needs to be greater risk taking and spontaneity, but the rigours of the Beale led coaching manual doesn’t seem to permit it.

We actually play some really good football at times though and can be a joy to watch when the movement and one touch stuff comes off, such as Arfield’s goal on Sunday and Roofe’s the previous week, but I don’t really think we have the calibre of player to maintain it much more than we do at present and that’s part of our problem.

It’s been apparent to me since last season that this is how Gerrard wants to play the game though and he’ll go down trying even if it costs him his job.

The manager is a ‘winner’ as such, but he’s never won a league.

Seeing out sticky games like Sunday when you’re a goal up are absolutely vital. As I posted, that’s the 12th time under Gerrard that we’ve lost points from a winning position.
 
I think this job is too big for Gerrard, he's not learnt anything in the time he's been here, the same players are making the same mistakes and we're still not stengthening where we need to. That game at the weekend ive seen the same shit year after year. Ive backed him since day 1 but i just can't see 55 under Gerrard any more.
 
The manager is a ‘winner’ as such, but he’s never won a league.

Seeing out sticky games like Sunday when you’re a goal up are absolutely vital. As I posted, that’s the 12th time under Gerrard that we’ve lost points from a winning position.

The funny thing is a Gerrard type player relative to our budget is precisely what we need - someone that’s going to roll his sleeves up, get stuck in and drive us forward through a mixture of will and talent.

So when we’re endlessly switching the ball from left to right without making much of an inroad, doesn’t he think, “If I was on that pitch I’d be getting that ball off Kamara then running at the defence and looking to either have a shot from distance or drive forward into the box.”

Because pretty much everyone else does.
 
I think we make enough of our own mistakes - player and manager - without worrying about officials.

Anyway, the club seem quite happy with the refereeing performances.
Bottom line, linesman does his job we likely win that game on Sunday, another official game changer.
 
Spot on from God the same mistakes and same players will cost Gerrard his job this season we have to hope that any new manager isn’t taken in by them also because imo Gerrard has laid the groundwork for us to be successful he just can’t get the job finished.
Defensively there is one who in my opinion has cost other managers their job by blunders in defence but he can't see past him so on and on it goes.
 
In recent years, I don’t feel confident with Rangers in any domestic away games. Sadly, here we are in 2020 - millions of pounds spent in improving our team and no fans in stadia, nothing has changed.
 
I think this job is too big for Gerrard, he's not learnt anything in the time he's been here, the same players are making the same mistakes and we're still not stengthening where we need to. That game at the weekend ive seen the same shit year after year. Ive backed him since day 1 but i just can't see 55 under Gerrard any more.
Tbf, if Frankie the 19th Century Terrorist linesman has pride in his job, he calls the clear offside and we probably win the game, it’s different thoughts all round.
 
Because of dropped points at Livi and Hivs, we are only in September, yet Sunday is an absolute must win.

We have a habit of making things difficult for ourselves.

Have this team got it in them to deliver, having failed so often previously ? Concerning.
I’ve seen it said that the NIAR teams dropped points at places like Easter Road and it is very true. I think the difference is that those teams typically then went on a run of 5 or 6 wins on the bounce and the dropped points were rarely an issue until 97/98 season.

With the current squad, I have a worry that dropped points sit heavy on them, and the next game will be nervy and as a result the next matches are made difficult because they are playing against a fear of dropping more points as much as whoever the opposition is.

It is a confidence thing - the confidence that this squad has in itself to overcome setbacks is really brittle.
 
The only way to overcome the mentality issue is to stumble over the line for a trophy, no matter how ugly. Let's say we were lucky and got the winning goal at the weekend, psychologically that would have been a great boost for us and would comfort the team going forward. Every deflating result like that stacks up in the players minds. Its amazing because even new players fresh into the environment will begin to feel the same pressure of collapse if we do it as much as 2 or 3 more times this year.

I look at Liverpool 2 years ago, top until xmas then fire blanks with 3 draws after xmas. Fast forward a year and city were so bad that liverpool were out in front - before you know it they now have the "winning mentality"
Winning the champions league and signing Allison and Van Dyke for a 160 million odd did help haha
 
My point still stands.

So by your rationale scoring a third on Sunday wouldn’t have won us the game , because the referee decisions would’ve ensured we didn’t win ? While I concur our referees are biased against us because they are terrified to make any mistake in our favour due to the rabid reactions and vendettas, it’s churlish to not accept our own repeated failings at killing teams off .
 
I’ve seen it said that the NIAR teams dropped points at places like Easter Road and it is very true. I think the difference is that those teams typically then went on a run of 5 or 6 wins on the bounce and the dropped points were rarely an issue until 97/98 season.

With the current squad, I have a worry that dropped points sit heavy on them, and the next game will be nervy and as a result the next matches are made difficult because they are playing against a fear of dropping more points as much as whoever the opposition is.

It is a confidence thing - the confidence that this squad has in itself to overcome setbacks is really brittle.
Agreed. In the NIAR era if we dropped points, you could put your mortgage on them winning the next game and then going on a run.

With the current team I am already very nervous about Motherwell away. As you say, set backs seem to weigh heavy on them and they easily can go on a downward spiral instead of bouncing back with vengeance. We will never win anything if we continue like this.
 
The principle character flaw in the side is casualness and complacency. If Sunday's equaliser had come out of the blue via some piece of brilliance or luck, then I could perhaps cut them some slack. The warning signs however were plain to see, McLaughlin with an over hit pass out to Goldson, the scramble in the 6 yard box, and our two full backs increasingly being exposed in 2 v 1 situations. Time to get the game heads back on, and full concentration you would hope. Not a bit of it, witness Goldson's ludicrously risky pass, and we know the rest.

It is interesting that we don’t seem to have these moments in European football so far. A conclusion you might reach is that certain players eg Goldson are far too casual in domestic games (perhaps because they feel above that level). If that is the case they need to get it clear in their heads that they are not above this level and can have no such thoughts until they win the league and other trophies (even then, complacency is always a dangerous mindset).
 
Because of dropped points at Livi and Hivs, we are only in September, yet Sunday is an absolute must win.

We have a habit of making things difficult for ourselves.

Have this team got it in them to deliver, having failed so often previously ? Concerning.
I honestly do not believe they do. beat any one in a one off game, but over a season? just dont see it
 
Pretty much what many on here said and were labelled panty wetters.
The so called panty wetters, the guys you wouldnt like to be in the trenches with, the snow flakes, and ffs grow a set, all cliches used often on here but they certainly know there stuff compared to 55 is coming, they are shit, head in the sand brigade, as they haven't been wrong in the last 3 seasons regarding our league. I'm not calling it any way at the moment but once again we just dont seem to have the mentality to do it and yes mysterious refs decisions arent helping.
 
Yep - was the same old, same old.

Not clinical enough and no ideas or answers to change anything to a more constructive outcome. We've seen this movie before. Yet, I hear Beale is a tactical genius ??
So by your rationale scoring a third on Sunday wouldn’t have won us the game , because the referee decisions would’ve ensured we didn’t win ? While I concur our referees are biased against us because they are terrified to make any mistake in our favour due to the rabid reactions and vendettas, it’s churlish to not accept our own repeated failings at killing teams off .
You are completely overthinking my replyl. But I’m sure you know that. If the officials had made the decisions that they are paid to make then the score would have been 2-1 in Rangers favour. Simple as that. 3rd 4th 5th goal or not
 
I tend to go with the theory that the team are over drilled.

There’s an absolute obsession with retaining possession. Which makes a lot of sense - if opponents don’t have the ball they can’t hurt you - but I think we all too often look to recycle the ball safely than take greater risks and it has the effect of getting us stuck in a rut of pedestrian passing that doesn’t really go anywhere.

I feel there needs to be greater risk taking and spontaneity, but the rigours of the Beale led coaching manual doesn’t seem to permit it.

We actually play some really good football at times though and can be a joy to watch when the movement and one touch stuff comes off, such as Arfield’s goal on Sunday and Roofe’s the previous week, but I don’t really think we have the calibre of player to maintain it much more than we do at present and that’s part of our problem.

It’s been apparent to me since last season that this is how Gerrard wants to play the game though and he’ll go down trying even if it costs him his job.

I think he’s possibly picked up too much from the very robotic and systematic (although very much under appreciated) Rafa Benitez on that front.
 
I thought Gerrard looked pretty stressed but never mentioned it as it would have drawn sarcastic comments about being a body language expert etc. But anyone could clearly see he looked tense as %^*&
Not as tense as us poor f*ckers who have to watch it. At least theoretically he can do something about it.
 
Tbh I’d be amazed if Gerrard is still here this time next year and I’d be quite happy with that as even though he’s improved us we aren’t winning anything with him in charge.
 
Tbh I’d be amazed if Gerrard is still here this time next year and I’d be quite happy with that as even though he’s improved us we aren’t winning anything with him in charge.
Needs to win at least one trophy this season or questions are entitled to be asked.
 
The only way to overcome the mentality issue is to stumble over the line for a trophy, no matter how ugly. Let's say we were lucky and got
The manager is a ‘winner’ as such, but he’s never won a league.

Seeing out sticky games like Sunday when you’re a goal up are absolutely vital. As I posted, that’s the 12th time under Gerrard that we’ve lost points from a winning position.

I’d hazard a guess the scum haven’t lost any except against us.
 
That's because we are always open to the officials making a mistake which costs us points.
Not entirely buying that.

We should not have needed to be worried about 2 thugs NOT getting sent off! A game stars 11 v 11

Offside absolutely however it came from our own mistake from a player who has previous And never been dropped for it.

We aren’t looking at a new team and a settling in period this is the same pattern time and time again. And I absolutely do not want a manager slumped like he was on Sunday I want this
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