14 Aug 2026 00:56:25
A lot will be said about the game and rightfully so, my observations were that we looked okay to fine up until half time, the shape and personnel change absolutely killed us - that's on Mciness - from 45 minutes onwards they walked us like dogs, more desire, more pace & bags more ability which is a horrific statement given their team value is likely eclipsed by the bid we received for Chermiti.
What we've got at the club currently is considerably poorer than 5 seasons ago and has been steadily declining since Gio got pushed out, I won't judge the new lads based on these games, apart from Dan Neil - he is a terrible footballer and won't succeed here, happy to be proved wrong but the balance and personnel in almost all key positions is entirely wrong.
No creativity, no pace, no defensive leaders & no chance we sign the 7/8 starters needed to turn the ship this window.
Apologies for the apathy but this is as bad as I've seen it and it's been f**king bad.
14 Aug 2026 05:15:55
Forza, we were absolutely terrible in the first half too. Simple passes tore our defence to bits - the Poles should have had 2 goals in the first half. Fernandez is a bomb scare.
14 Aug 2026 06:04:08
Dan Neil was pretty good last night, one of only a few.
14 Aug 2026 06:41:54
We can't defend corners or set pieces - basic man marking is non-existent - defence as a whole looks nervy and disjointed, and, up front, Naderi is a total waste of a jersey. 🤔
14 Aug 2026 06:43:38
Dan Neil was good, R1. 😲 I don't know what game you were watching, mate, but I thought he was poor, and I actually rate the guy. 🤔 It's your opinion, and that's fair enough, but absolutely don't agree with you. 🤔
14 Aug 2026 10:22:44
Neil wasn't in it top 5 problems last night. He was fine in the game IMO. Bang average, but fine in the context of what's around him.
Our 5 biggest issues, for me:
- Fernandez: Lazy, clearly doesn't care about defending, just let's guys run off him and doesn't bother his backside trying to get back into shape. I was a CB (granted lower leagues and juniors) but it was drilled into you that when you get caught out of position, and it will happen, you get back into it (or the nearest one of someone else filled for you) as quickly as you can, because the faster you get there the more time you have to defend if you have to. He's a tidy footballer with the ball, but at 24 doesn't have a defensive instinct in his body. He'll never play at a higher level than us IMO, not without a massive improvement defensively (and with his speed with the ball) and at the moment he's nowhere near good enough to be in our team. He doesn't get a game for Celtic or Hearts IMO.
Left Back: No need to say much here. Being in mid August with one injured left back, same as we were last season, is unforgivable. This one isn't on the manager.
Naderi: A completely empty jersey. He's an honest big lad. He's not hiding and he's putting in the work, but he looks every bit the German third division player we spent £5m on. Like he's won a competition to be there.
Shankland: I hate this phrase, but in this instance we know it to be true - he's better than this. Everything is miles off for him. He's lost the ability to control the ball, which has always been one of his strengths. He's trying to win foot races which has never been. And for a guy who has banged in goals the vast majority of his career he looks absolutely zero goal threat. IMO the weight of the jersey, and the armband, is playing on him. He looks like a fan so consumed with playing for his club that he just can't settle himself down. Like Sean Bean in that old film.
McInnes Decisions: I'm not one for the managerial merry go round, and I have a huge amount of sympathy for him in that, similar to Shankland, this is the job his entire career has been building for (for him. His club, in his mentors office) and he's walked into a basket case above him with players who, to a man, wouldn't have got near the team he played in here. But, some of his decisions have just been absolutely baffling. First half we have away a few chances last night, but we were causing them issues going forward. Aasgaard wasn't brilliant, but he wasn't poor either, certainly better than either of the strikers, and taking one of them and leaving him would have given more optionality later. Ultimately, Yokota and Gassama were causing them problems by getting the ball early, higher up the park, with a back 3 and 2 sitting CMs for structure. Going to a 4-4-2 for tactical reasons pulled them deeper and nullified our threat, in a game we need to score in. And it removed the only player to score from open play for us all season. And we're not a team that can defend anyway. And then there's replacing the CMs with two with less goal threat when needing a goal, not having Miovski on earlier for either striker, and a whole host of other things. His presser after the game was then awful. He's doing things that anyone around the hand at any level are scratching their heads at.
So yeah. Neil was no better than fine last night. But not in our top 5 problems IMO.
14 Aug 2026 07:42:20
We should look into how a team that was put together for around EUR27m and on an average wage of EUR2.3k per week outplayed us for large parts of the 2 legs.
As for us, we're a bit all over the place at the moment.
Godfrey, Chermiti and Rommens out hasn't helped.
Squad needs a steady hand, some pruning, add a bit of quality, hopefully get on track.
14 Aug 2026 08:03:42
I nearly choked last night when the commentator said about one of their players 'he came for a hefty fee - around a Million Pounds'!!
How little is their team worth if a £1M is hefty!
We've got guys way more expensive than that but it doesn't look like it at the moment!!
14 Aug 2026 08:13:08
Connor Barron is twice the player Dan Neil is.
14 Aug 2026 08:51:16
Dan Neil is the only midfielder we have that wants to pass the ball forward.
All the other midfielders are happy to play safe 5-10 yard passes inside or back the way.
14 Aug 2026 08:57:26
Dan Neil looks miles off it. Not what I was expecting at all. We really have messed up the last few windows.
14 Aug 2026 09:21:33
Dan Neil is on almost £30k/week, and he is a squad player at best. He needs to leave this club.
Dan Neil was obviously highly rated elsewhere, which is why Rangers have given him this insane wage. But that wage is now working against him. For £30k a week, he needs to be a key player for us. Anything else just doesn't justify the spend.
14 Aug 2026 10:13:12
Dan Neil had a decent game last night. He will come good and lead the team on. Connor Barron, who some here seem to think is Messi's natural replacement, runs about all game, granted, but his football ability is limited at best.
He may go on and have a good career if he is coached better, but when he leaves Rangers he will never be heard of again.
14 Aug 2026 10:19:22
If Danny Neil did sign for Southampton, I bet we'd be looking at a different player. We seem to ruin players at this club for some reason.
14 Aug 2026 11:34:08
Great post Gdog, well thought out and balanced, agree with a lot of it.