When Rangers fail to beat Kilmarnock when they've effectively deployed the low-block, time-wasting football we all hate to see week-in, week-out, once the gnashing of teeth is over and tantrums thrown, most of us generally accept the weaker side are within their rights to play that way and it's our shortcomings that should be the focus. It's the Catenaccio, it translates to 'door bolt' but it's also shorthand for the 'right of the weak'.
If faced with a stronger, harder-hitting opponent, is it bravery to an act of stupidity to go out swinging?
Like it or not, in Europe we are the weaker side so why not use the right that come with that. Why shouldn't we sit deep, compress the space and force the opponent to come up with a solution, and make them work for it? We used the catenaccio all the way to Manchester... no danger we get to the final if we come out and go toe-to-toe with Werder Bremen, Fiorentina or even Panathinaikos, look at Whittaker's goal in Lisbon, we have everyone in our own half, when he wins the ball there's only two Lisbon players goal-side because we've sucked them in, made them desperate so they've committed too many men forward.
In the annals of time, it's an act of individual genius where he beats the whole of Portugal before slotting it home whereas in actual fact it's a triumph of systems, we'd sucked them in and used time (Whittaker's goal came on 90 mins) and space (lack of it we gave) against them.
In Eindhoven Beale started with a formation and XI that he'll likely start in domestic games, it's not a dig at him as most managers have done similar, I posted last year about Gio playing the exact same formation and starting XI (aside from one injury) for St Mirren at home and again for Liverpool 4 days later. To think the same team/formation can break down St Mirren and then defend against Liverpool or worse still, to think that we'll be attacking Liverpool just the same as we did St Mirren is an act of lunacy.
And it's not a dig at Gio or Beale, it's a problem that's peculiar to the Club so we need to adopt a culture of being flexible and smart in how we approach games rather than just thinking tradition and fortitude will see us through.
We are faced with two distinct challenges and one is just as important as the other, the League and Scottish cup we could dismiss (but our tradition won't allow it) but the league and Europe are now as important as each other;
- Rangers has been built on domestic success, our fanbase has been tested more than any other and shown loyalty that only a few, if any, could match but if we don't get back to regular success then the club will eventually end up unrecognisable from the one known to previous generations - Rangers are built on domestic success and it should always be such.
- A new added pressure however is that Rangers need European success to sustain us.
It's no longer a choice of valuing one over the other, so we need to be successful in both. One will be measured in silverware, the other in money. Two different rewards, for two different challenges that require two, distinct approaches.
Domestically we need to;
- Move the ball much quicker, play with natural width high up the pitch.
- Centre halves and midfielders that are comfortable on the ball and progressing it directly through the middle of the park.
- Forwards that will try something different and play with a creativity and freedom not naturally seen in Scottish fitba!
In Europe, we need to;
- slow down the tempo of the game.
- We cant control the ball so must control the space.
- If we're under pressure then commit professional fouls, go down and milk challenges. Take the sting out of the game. Everyone could see the PSV (first) goal coming yesterday, if we 'took a knee' and take the sting out the game the first time they got behind Tav then maybe they don't get that first goal.
Post this knowing the abuse I'll get but change isn't coming from a manager (it's tough enough implementing one style never mind two), it comes from the fans forcing the board to implement a culture and enforcing these requirements on managers.
If faced with a stronger, harder-hitting opponent, is it bravery to an act of stupidity to go out swinging?
Like it or not, in Europe we are the weaker side so why not use the right that come with that. Why shouldn't we sit deep, compress the space and force the opponent to come up with a solution, and make them work for it? We used the catenaccio all the way to Manchester... no danger we get to the final if we come out and go toe-to-toe with Werder Bremen, Fiorentina or even Panathinaikos, look at Whittaker's goal in Lisbon, we have everyone in our own half, when he wins the ball there's only two Lisbon players goal-side because we've sucked them in, made them desperate so they've committed too many men forward.
In the annals of time, it's an act of individual genius where he beats the whole of Portugal before slotting it home whereas in actual fact it's a triumph of systems, we'd sucked them in and used time (Whittaker's goal came on 90 mins) and space (lack of it we gave) against them.
In Eindhoven Beale started with a formation and XI that he'll likely start in domestic games, it's not a dig at him as most managers have done similar, I posted last year about Gio playing the exact same formation and starting XI (aside from one injury) for St Mirren at home and again for Liverpool 4 days later. To think the same team/formation can break down St Mirren and then defend against Liverpool or worse still, to think that we'll be attacking Liverpool just the same as we did St Mirren is an act of lunacy.
And it's not a dig at Gio or Beale, it's a problem that's peculiar to the Club so we need to adopt a culture of being flexible and smart in how we approach games rather than just thinking tradition and fortitude will see us through.
We are faced with two distinct challenges and one is just as important as the other, the League and Scottish cup we could dismiss (but our tradition won't allow it) but the league and Europe are now as important as each other;
- Rangers has been built on domestic success, our fanbase has been tested more than any other and shown loyalty that only a few, if any, could match but if we don't get back to regular success then the club will eventually end up unrecognisable from the one known to previous generations - Rangers are built on domestic success and it should always be such.
- A new added pressure however is that Rangers need European success to sustain us.
It's no longer a choice of valuing one over the other, so we need to be successful in both. One will be measured in silverware, the other in money. Two different rewards, for two different challenges that require two, distinct approaches.
Domestically we need to;
- Move the ball much quicker, play with natural width high up the pitch.
- Centre halves and midfielders that are comfortable on the ball and progressing it directly through the middle of the park.
- Forwards that will try something different and play with a creativity and freedom not naturally seen in Scottish fitba!
In Europe, we need to;
- slow down the tempo of the game.
- We cant control the ball so must control the space.
- If we're under pressure then commit professional fouls, go down and milk challenges. Take the sting out of the game. Everyone could see the PSV (first) goal coming yesterday, if we 'took a knee' and take the sting out the game the first time they got behind Tav then maybe they don't get that first goal.
Post this knowing the abuse I'll get but change isn't coming from a manager (it's tough enough implementing one style never mind two), it comes from the fans forcing the board to implement a culture and enforcing these requirements on managers.
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