08 Aug 2023 09:43:53
I'm feeling there's an awful lot of drama round the result at the weekend, think most people thought we're going to need a bit of time to gel and feel a few didn't start with Wednesday in mind, I loved Sakala's attitude but let's be honest here, the vast majority of posters on here said he's not good enough all last season yet now he's been sold for a respectable 3m, him and Colaks sales seem to be our downfall, I think we've upgraded all over the midfield and forward line in 8 or 9 months. Really positive about Cifuentes, think he's going to be a baller.

1.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 10:03:21
Totally agree BazBear. If we had won on Saturday all of this sentiment around Sakala would be greatly diminished.
I liked Sakala, I enjoyed his positive attitude.
If people look back a couple of weeks he was on almost every list of players that people on here wanted sold.
Now after one defeat you would think we were selling the best forward in the world.
I wish him nothing but the best going forward.

2.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 11:20:15
I hope I'm wrong but by changing the squad bud thesystem at the same time is a massive challenge I think we either have to give it time and accept that will mean that we'll play our best football after Christmas. I just hope we're still in touching distance.

That's best case senario.

On the other hand we could be mid table till October and in a scrap for second till February. I'm not usually a doom and gloom type but I really don't like the look of the team just now. Beale needs to be more conservative in his approach just now and bring total football in gradually. He did learn from a couple of his mistakes last year but in the end it was too late. I just hope he turns it round soon.

3.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 11:45:21
Well said Baz. Sure tomorrow night is huge now and anything but a win will be further damaging. However I do believe the quality is there. wee bit of patience.

I've certainly calmed down over the weekend, I was hurt like the rest of us, but let's get behind them all now they are our players. This is our club.

4.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 11:50:19
I think that a lot of the criticism has been over the top, but at the same time I think there's been an awful lot of head in the sand and "need time to gel" to justify the pre-season and first competitive game while ignoring what for me is the biggest concern.

Let's use our city neighbours major rebuild 2 years ago as a comparison.

They had a huge turnover of players and they had a slow start with a few early dodgy results. Having watched their games at the time what was abundantly evident from the first game, even though their players were still trying to adapt to it, was that Postecoglou had a clear style that he was able to implement quickly, despite that struggle.

My biggest concern with what I've seen of us in pre-season is that we don't look to be a team with anything like that clear view of what we're trying to do and players just taking time to adjust to it.

IMO, the difference in the early stages of the two rebuilds is quite stark for me.

If the play that we're seeing currently, dull, slow boring sideways passing with seemingly no idea how we want to work through the lines that leads inevitably to getting to a fullback and hoofing into the box, is indeed our "style", then I can't see how the players we've brought in (who I do think are upgrades) adapting to that is going to make us any better to watch or more likely to get results against teams who sit in against us.

McInness said it himself after the game, we had lots of the ball but in areas he wasn't bothered about and we never threatened, at all, despite having all the ball.

That was my view and my view of pre-season as well. We look like a team who has the ball for having the balls sake but there's no purpose or clear patterns that we're trying to use to break teams down. We look like we're reliant on individuals doing something different, rather than how we operate as a team to break teams down.

That's my biggest concern at the moment. Not the players we've brought in, the style of football (or lack thereof) that we seem to be persevering with.

In all of the preseason and now competitive games we've scored what, 3 goals from open play and 5 penalties or some such? And we're not creating any real chances?

I was hugely confused after the game at the weekend when Beale declared "we had good chances but just didn't take them". I was left very much thinking "did I watch a different game? ".

I genuinely couldn't remember us creating anything that could be described as a good chance, Killie were far more dangerous (they had a purpose when they got the ball and broke on us) and if anything 1-0 was a flattering result for us, not them.

So yeah, not a concern with the players at the moment, my concern is the football and wondering how that's going to progress to being able to consistently break down stuffy teams.

5.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 12:12:51
Don’t think the majority said he wasn’t good enough some fans just can’t get over he missed two sitters against them that is only reason.

6.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 12:16:38
Sakala wasn’t and isn’t the answer.

7.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 12:21:08
People point to Sakala and Colak’s goals as being so important to us that these players should’ve been kept.

Same posters want Barisic and Tavernier out of our team who contribute more in terms of goals and assists than any of our forwards. Doesn’t make sense, does it? Incidentally both Barisic and Tavernier were listed among the top 5 SPFLs of last season with the highest overall match ratings. Overall they were two of the best in the league.

Tillman was also criticised constantly last season despite an excellent return of goals and assists from a 20 year old. People said he was lazy and couldn’t do it against Celtic. Wouldn’t that apply to Colak who just stood in the box waiting for everyone else to do the work? ?‍♂️.

8.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 12:40:39
Tavernier offers Rangers about 20 goal contributions every season. Not just penalties, open play, top drawer free-kicks, wonderful crosser of the ball, etc. however, some people can’t get over the odd defensive error that EVERY full-back occasionally makes. That’s just football, Storm.

9.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 12:42:18
David he was a great squad player

10.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 13:48:14
GDog - When Celtic had to rebuild they sold Ajer and Edouard to fund it. Those two players had one year left on their deals, that Celtic team had come to the end of its cycle, and Celtic cashed in.

Rangers could’ve done this last summer with Kent and Morelos but didn’t. They let them stay and run down their contracts. Now, Rangers don’t have big money to just go and plough back into the transfer market the way Celtic did.

Again, this is just systemic failure at Rangers football club. If two of our highest value assets are entering the final year of their contracts and won’t sign new ones they MUST be sold. Rangers failed to do that. Instead, they took the lazy option of new contracts all round to the old boys - Disaster. We just keep kicking the can down the road until we’re forced to deal with it.

Balogun is another great example of this. Rangers needed a CB and Balogun is the lazy option. We still need a quality CB so I’m not sure what problem Balogun has solved other than adding numbers. Next summer Balogun will need to be replaced after his contract expires. I mean, why not just invest in a quality young CB to begin with? Lewis Mayo could’ve been backup CB no problem at all ?‍♂️.

11.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 15:34:17
I’m still very intrigued as to whom we could have sold Alf to after Seville.

12.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 15:42:16
@Verdant, you've missed my point completely, as much as I agree with you on Morelos and Kent (I was vocal we should have sold them last year)

I have no concerns over the players at the moment, it's the style of football that concerns me. Or lack of one. I don't think the players makes huge difference to that.

For example, Postecoglu implemented a complete overhaul very quickly, his style was evident from the first game and those early poor results we all laughed at and he did it with bloody Greg Taylor and Tony Ralston trying to figure out how to be inverted fullbacks!

Yes, they did it badly, but you could see what they were trying to do. And when he got the players in he wanted (not breaking the bank by the way) they were annoyingly good to watch and always looked like breaking teams down.

We don't have any of that.

I genuinely don't see any patterns in our play. It's the same old get the ball, slow the game down, pass side to side in areas that don't hurt teams and create very little as a result.

We're too slow IMO. We don't move forward quickly enough, we don't split lines enough and we don't look like we have many "team" ideas in the final third.

Our approach seems to be "bore the opposition to death" at the moment.

Sure, better players can do that better, and I genuinely think we've signed better players, but you can only polish a turd so much and our style of play, in my opinion, is dreadful to watch.

13.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 19:32:45
Remember their performances in Europe against Real Madrid at parkhead they were outstanding. Totally blew Madrid away for 30 mins then ran out of steam.
Then against shaktar, they were outstanding.

14.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 20:56:11
Storm, I'm on here all the time posting and reading, with regards to Sakala, there's been a mix of people saying his numbers are decent and we all love his enthusiasm but he's got a touch like a cardboard box and swipes at the ball too much, all in all in my opinion, the majority on here voiced that he isn't quite at the level needed, he mat be a great squad player but were getting good money, don't think we spent much if anything in him, goes with my best wishes.

15.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 20:57:39
I'm with you John re: Alfie after Saville, sure he was injured wasn't he.
That said, just seen a crazy bit on FB with McAvennie saying Beale wants him back ??.

16.) 08 Aug 2023
08 Aug 2023 21:00:53
I stand by the 'time to gel' comment, it takes a bit if time for a team to get together but I'm confident the quality of players overall is better. I'm sure Danilo and Cifuentes will be top class and like the look of a lot of the others, if Cantwell keeps the head well be fine, and one more thing . How good is Raskin, well be doing well to keep him after this year.