This Saturday - honest feelings

Bknowe said:
A lot will depend on who is at CB for us. If we get Souttar & Balogun back then at least we have a chance.
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I agree with this, but the midfield also need to be offering some protection to the back line and tracking runners.

The amount of space given to them in the last game was shocking, both through the middle and from both flanks. Time and time again...
 
I just don't think we have the energy in midfield to show anything different than we've seen before in these games and we're prone to throwing 1 if not 2 in the net. Same players. Same nonsense
 
stonewall Jackson said:
I don’t think this is a game for Cantwell as his discipline can’t be trusted. The bug eyed dyke jumper would wind him up from the start and anyway he has not got near this wee Cnut anytime he has been up against them.

It’s a game for being solid in midfield which means ditching the 10 position as to give us a more solid and functional 3 in the middle.

Cantwell can play a hopefully successful cameo in the second half.
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If cantwell plays, which I don't think he will, it has to be as part of the front 3.

I agree about having a solid 3 man midfield.
 
ascender said:
I agree with this, but the midfield also need to be offering some protection to the back line and tracking runners.

The amount of space given to them in the last game was shocking, both through the middle and from both flanks. Time and time again...
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i only got to see the first half of the last OF while I was away, but the number of times O Riley in particular was allowed to wander freely without any tracking whatsoever to the edge of the area for a clear shot at goal was scandalous tbh. As bad as I've seen anywhere all season in terms of midfield offering zero protection to the back 4.
 
ascender said:
I agree with this, but the midfield also need to be offering some protection to the back line and tracking runners.

The amount of space given to them in the last game was shocking, both through the middle and from both flanks. Time and time again...
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It was really bad how open we were. In those first 25mins when they were just lining up for shots unchallenged outside the box. Was embarrassing how easily that wee no neck troll was getting by borna.
 
steve1873 said:
If cantwell plays, which I don't think he will, it has to be as part of the front 3.

I agree about having a solid 3 man midfield.
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In the interest of staying in the game as long as possible a defensively responsible midfield 3 is probably the solid choice. I'm keeping anyone in the mould of a Cantwell or Lawrence on the bench to maybe make a difference with 15-20 left. Start either of them and they'll be a passenger.
 
steve1873 said:
If cantwell plays, which I don't think he will, it has to be as part of the front 3.

I agree about having a solid 3 man midfield.
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Give him a free role for first half. Let him drag them out of position as they won’t want him getting freedom to play between the lines but that is where he is most effective and creative.
 
bucks72 said:
Maeda v Tav
McGregor v Whoever is picked against him
C.C.Vickers v Dessers

These Duels will decide the game.
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We're fucked then.

I'm sure that'll be me with "that's some attitude" "where's the battle fever?" and "that's not what Struth said in his speech" responses (if they haven't already been made on the thread)

However, this lot have let us down so many times, it just feels it's inevitable.

It'd be a lovely surprise if they actually did that wee bit extra against a very average Celtic team for once but I'll not be putting the mortgage on it whatsoever.
 
stefanovitch said:
Get crosses from Yilmaz to their back post and get someone bigger than McCausland coming in on them - that appears to be their weakness
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That just needs Yilmaz to be fit when he never is and the transfer window open to allow us to put someone on the RF position that isn't Scott Wright.
 
MancGer86 said:
Interests me that people think Sterling is so pivotal in the middle. Our full back areas are weak. Tavs issues there have been done to death recently and Ridvan hasn't exactly impressed since coming back from injury. They'll just bombard both wings if they don't have as much joy in midfield with the presence of Sterling in there? I just think they have more ways to beat us and if we beef up the middle of the park they have the players to stretch play and isolate the full backs, and taking our midfield out of the game whether we have 2 or 3 in there or not.
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Appreciate what your saying but most of their balls out to Maeda or the other wing are played from the central three and if we nullify that threat they won’t get down the wings as easily, they will resort to hopeful diagonals which should be easy enough for our back line to deal with, I say easy but you know what I mean between the difference of that kind of aerial floating ball which should prove easy to judge rather than a penetrating measured through ball in behind which we seem to struggle to cope with.
 
Wordy_Rappinghood said:
Literally exasperates me the way some of our fans think we have to "stop" McGregor.

He didn't need stopped when Gerrard was here. In fact, he looked like a flat track bully who'd been exposed. Just like he does in Europe.

Nothing highlights our regression over the last 3 years more than McGregor going from a pathetic, beaten figure when we won the league to a charged up Scrappy Doo gleefully accepting mishit passes from our players before laughing in their faces.
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He’s no world beater, but he someone who dictates whether they run a game from midfield or not. Whether we like it or not he has hurt us in the past and does seem to pop up in pockets of space and be given the freedom to do as he pleases. It needs to stop now.
 
DerHammer88 said:
The problem is Maeda is one of the quickest players about so you either ask Tav to simply sit back and defend (like he did against Hearts in the cup semi where he defended very well) or you ask him to get forward as well which leaves us extremely exposed due to Maeda's pace...



Charlie Mulgrew played with him for a bit as well and said he was brilliant defensively / one-on-one.
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A tough tackler, exactly what’s needed and been missing in centre of the park in the last few old firm games.
 
Albertz78 said:
Give him a free role for first half. Let him drag them out of position as they won’t want him getting freedom to play between the lines but that is where he is most effective and creative.
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The structure around him has to be solid enough for him to get away with having a free role though. Which I don't think is possible given how the 2 sides match up against each other. I don't see Cantwell being anything other than invisible if started with a free role. To me he'll have more effect coming on later in the game when Celtic have slowed down, which they've done in every OF that I've seen this season (granted I missed the 2nd half of a couple weeks ago).
I think Celtic be dominant early on as usual and we've just got to be solid, switched on, not give anything stupid away and at least give ourselves a fighting chance going into the last half hour. I don't see how that's possible if we start anyone like Cantwell tbh.
 
Albertz78 said:
2-2 game last new year (2023) tbf Tav did well against him that day and Sakala caused them all sorts of problems. Also in May last year when we beat them 3-0 Tav handled him (Maeda) when he came on off the bench.

Apart from those games he has found it tough against him. It really affects his game as we have seen with recent heat maps showing Tav in normal games vs against the filth.
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Yeah its gotta be difficult because Maeda unlike a lot of wingers will track back with him and as we know he's exceptionally quick and he's strong as well.
 
MancGer86 said:
The structure around him has to be solid enough for him to get away with having a free role though. Which I don't think is possible given how the 2 sides match up against each other. I don't see Cantwell being anything other than invisible if started with a free role. To me he'll have more effect coming on later in the game when Celtic have slowed down, which they've done in every OF that I've seen this season (granted I missed the 2nd half of a couple weeks ago).
I think Celtic be dominant early on as usual and we've just got to be solid, switched on, not give anything stupid away and at least give ourselves a fighting chance going into the last half hour. I don't see how that's possible if we start anyone like Cantwell tbh.
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Know what you mean, I’m thinking of the element of surprise as they won’t be prepped to deal with anyone in a role outside of PC normal set up.

He could be affective when they start to tire, totally agree but I’m worried game could be lost by then.

We have to surprise them and hit them early, taking the lead is so vital to us, I just don’t think we have required fight to come back should we lose an early goal or even the first goal.

Never has it been more important to take the lead against them. Should we do this it will give us the shot in the arm of confidence and belief that we can do it.

As the weekend approaches I’m getting more hopeful tbh.
 
Albertz78 said:
Apart from those games he has found it tough against him. It really affects his game as we have seen with recent heat maps showing Tav in normal games vs against the filth.
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Playing against a better quality opponent will naturally affect Tav's game. It's not like he doesn't get forward, but he can't be as gung ho as normal.
 
Albertz78 said:
Appreciate what your saying but most of their balls out to Maeda or the other wing are played from the central three and if we nullify that threat they won’t get down the wings as easily, they will resort to hopeful diagonals which should be easy enough for our back line to deal with, I say easy but you know what I mean between the difference of that kind of aerial floating ball which should prove easy to judge rather than a penetrating measured through ball in behind which we seem to struggle to cope with.
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That's fair comment. They have better players on the ball in central areas so if we're able to force them more direct that would level the game up a bit more I suppose. Would make it an ugly watch but that's probably what we need.
I'm still struggling to see a path to victory for us though tbh even with that setup. If we nullify them like that it's still probably going to leave our own front lads feeding off scraps and they don't exactly work well as a cohesive front 3 at the best of times. I don't even know what the front 3 would be. Dessers, Silva and one other? If Sima is fit that would at least give us a bit of pace on the counter I guess.
 
Butland
Sterling Soutter Balogun(or Davies) Yilmaz
Raskin Diomande Cantwell
Sima Dessers Silva
 
Eesh reading this thread is a real downer. I guess it’s a real snapshot of where we are now. This team really have drained the life out of a lot of us. They continuously keep coming up short and don’t look interested. If you had a team full of us we would get skelped but every last one of us would give absolutely everything for the jersey and there in lies one of the main problems. Just how do you instil this type of desire into this lot? It’s just not there.
 
Albertz78 said:
Know what you mean, I’m thinking of the element of surprise as they won’t be prepped to deal with anyone in a role outside of PC normal set up.

He could be affective when they start to tire, totally agree but I’m worried game could be lost by then.

We have to surprise them and hit them early, taking the lead is so vital to us, I just don’t think we have required fight to come back should we lose an early goal or even the first goal.

Never has it been more important to take the lead against them. Should we do this it will give us the shot in the arm of confidence and belief that we can do it.

As the weekend approaches I’m getting more hopeful tbh.
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Its a cup final mate anything can happen. That first goal is gigantic though like you say.

Just please, no brain farts from anyone for once. If they do beat us again at least make the fuckers earn it this time.
 
bluereason said:
Eesh reading this thread is a real downer. I guess it’s a real snapshot of where we are now. This team really have drained the life out of a lot of us. They continuously keep coming up short and don’t look interested. If you had a team full of us we would get skelped but every last one of us would give absolutely everything for the jersey and there in lies one of the main problems. Just how do you instil this type of desire into this lot? It’s just not there.
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It is a bit depressing you're right but with a recent record that we've got against this lot its hard to be overly confident isn't it.
 
Albus said:
Lundstram deserves to be absolutely nowhere near this and I'll be furious to see him jogging about hop skipping and jumping occasionally pretending to put in the graft. Should never wear our shirt again.

Stop fucking around, play the players like Sterling in the middle, that care and want to be here not the charlatans who've fucked us countless times.
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Lundstrams last performance is a bit too fresh in the memory isn't it. Hope the boss is brave enough to leave him out tbh.
 
Albertz78 said:
He’s no world beater, but he someone who dictates whether they run a game from midfield or not. Whether we like it or not he has hurt us in the past and does seem to pop up in pockets of space and be given the freedom to do as he pleases. It needs to stop now.
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Which is exactly what Scott Brown did for years and years. And then we'd get pissed off when he would run his mouth and take the piss out of us, but he was allowed to get away with it on the park so of course he'd act like that.
 
And on the subject of closing players down in the final third, we could all see what was going on in the last OF game. So I'm sure Clement could. Butland, Souttar and Davies sure did but nobody listened to them.

And anybody who's played any level of football from primary school age could see it too. And knows what a basic thing it is to sort out.

So the fact it happened time and time again shows to me that some of our players have checked out a long time ago and need shown the door.
 
We give their defenders an easy day when we play them we need to be running at them playing simple one twos but our defenders need to start doing what it says on their contracts defend do both those things and it’s easy Peasy
 
Bricking it tbh, most of the team will be moved on, possibly already have a new team so I doubt they will bust a gut & risk injury.
 
Pack the midfield. Play Gerrard's formation. Play Cantwell and Sterling. Start fast, press them, no silly mistakes. Zero respect for the cunts. Believe. It's a cup final. It's a one off, it's the last game of the season. Some people seem to think this is impossible for some reason. It's really not.
 
artificialintoleranz said:
A few saying this, put Tav further up the park.

Tav must be the first player in footballing history who gets moved up the park as his legs go, usually players move down the park.

I think Sterling will be next to Tav, but at CH. Shame, as his energy and aggression would have been handy somewhere through the middle.
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Ye I know lol, it'a a predicament but same time he doesnt have the legs to go racing up the park and back now, so a more pragmatic approach might be needed if he has a future here.
 
Albertz78 said:
Absolutely hate feeling this way but can’t help feeling the gaffer is going to spring no surprises on Sat.

Messers lundstrum and Lawrence (if fit) will likely find their way into the line up and we will once again concede early to a stupid preventable goal. Most likely a tap in for Kyogo.

Gaffer will be on thin ice but his defenders will all say that it’s not his players.

I really hope he has a surprise up his sleeve, in terms of gameplan and approach to hit them hard and early.

Something needs to change, we can’t possibly hope to go into this game with the same setup that has seen us take 1 point out of a possible 9 under clement against THEM.
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What surprises is there to spring?
 
Fans need to win the battle of the supporters in every way - as they usually do when all else is equal. Realise it will be tough but think how Man Utd fans must feel taking on City where there's usually a bigger gulf in quality. Positive in every way and keep going until it's done - players and supporters alike.

A win would be huge for Rangers. We don't win then we go again next season with a better balanced team/squad put together the way the manager wants.
 
Can't see any midfield combination we could field win that battle,hopefully we can pull it off
 
As usual, this debate is very polarised. With most at the negative pole. But I think it’s very unlikely Rangers will get “pumped”, to quote at least one poster - unless pumped now means lose narrowly.

There have been four Old Firm games this season, and they’ve all been close; three of them won by a single goal, the other drawn. That suggests it’s going to be close.

Rangers ought to be able to win one, but Rangers go into this game lower in confidence than Celtic, under more pressure, more stricken by injuries, and likely to play a system that has failed (just) to yield a win this season. That makes Celtic favourites, but it doesn’t mean Rangers are beaten before a ball is kicked.
 
I see there's another thread about the "Battle Fever" being low and it is very hard to get too feverish about a battle when you're depending on the same players who've lost every other battle against them this season and who couldn't get themselves up for battles against mighty Ross County and Dundee. So I think I'll devote Saturday pre-match to prayer, in the hope of divine intervention, maybe an early tackle so bad that even Scottish referees can't avoid sending the Celtic player off, clutching at straws as you can see.
 
JW1988 said:
People seem to be running with this narrative that Maeda has ran away with every old firm he's ever played. When just before the Ibrox draw you had Celtic fans on social media saying that Tav has had good battles with him and there's never really a clear winner. (then of course he got his freak goal etc)

As for whoever is against McGregor, we need to stop picking teams to try and stop him and do as Gerrard done and say "respectfully, we're Rangers. We will play our way and let teams worry about us"
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It’s an accurate narrative.

Two goals in the last two games have come directly from that engagement.
 
muttley said:
It is psychological. Our players are just scared to play Celtc.

That mob will start at high tempo, force our defence into a howler and we'll concede. It happens too often just to be a coincidence.
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We never seem to learn. Chances of them scoring early are pretty high. Most likely from one of their defenders standing alone in acres of space in our penalty box.
 
Albus said:
Lundstram deserves to be absolutely nowhere near this and I'll be furious to see him jogging about hop skipping and jumping occasionally pretending to put in the graft. Should never wear our shirt again.

Stop fucking around, play the players like Sterling in the middle, that care and want to be here not the charlatans who've fucked us countless times.
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I pray PC sees it like most of us do in terms of Lundstrum.
 
Walters to Drinkell said:
What surprises is there to spring?
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Cantwell in a free role in between the lines
Silva or sima in cf role.
Flat three in centre mid aggresively pressing their midfield three
No long hopeful diagonal balls to lone striker in Dessers
Being prepared to cope with their normal game plan and not looking exposed from first whistle where the filth are lining up in numbers to shoot from edge of box.

There are plenty surprises PC could spring that would differ from his last three approaches to this fixture.

We have to do something different than normal, I get with the injuries and available playing staff for the game it’s tricky to do, changing approach from the norm would be a surprise in itself and not what br will be expecting.
 
Willie D. said:
I see there's another thread about the "Battle Fever" being low and it is very hard to get too feverish about a battle when you're depending on the same players who've lost every other battle against them this season and who couldn't get themselves up for battles against mighty Ross County and Dundee. So I think I'll devote Saturday pre-match to prayer, in the hope of divine intervention, maybe an early tackle so bad that even Scottish referees can't avoid sending the Celtic player off, clutching at straws as you can see.
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Know what you mean, I think 2pm we will have a good idea of how good a chance we have going into the game.

Last two OF games as soon as I seen the line ups I knew we were in trouble.
 
Clement has time and time again picked the wrong squad against them. I expect no difference come Saturday, frustration and disappointment at the line up followed by conceding daft goals and missing sitters. It is who we are at the moment.
 
legalbeagle said:
I am expecting the team to be:
Butland

Tav Balogun Davies Ridvan

Lundstram Dio

McCausland Cantwell Sterling

Dessers

And I expect we will struggle.
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I agree, Clement has a hard on for Lundstram, so he’ll start - to our detriment and disgust. Forgetting his MOTM cameo of an own goal and sending off at the paedo dome the other week.
 
For those posting lineups, there's zero chance James Tavernier is going to be dropped or pushed up into midfield on Saturday. They are pointless suggestions.

If Sterling starts, it'll either be on the right or at left-back if Yilmaz isn't fit. There's no chance Clement is going to completely change the team for a Cup Final.

Also, don't be shocked if Lundstram starts. Clement came out initially about how aggressive we were going to be and how we'd go forward, rather than the old umbrella. We've seen less umbrella and more long balls. That seems pretty conservative and doesn't suggest a guy who is going to try new things on Saturday.
 
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