February 2006 (RM Archives)
A Week Until Villareal - Feb. 28/2006
So, only 7 days to go until the biggie and we have to hope that the players are focused only on this weekends game at Falkirk the last time we played there it was a 2-2 draw and it is bread and butter games like this one that will help determine our league placing and therefore where we are if anywhere in next seasons European competitions. More on than later on in the week but the big news just now is that Stevie Smith has signed a new contract to keep him at the club for two more years. This is a good move by the club as he is a good prospect and has done ok while he has been in the team and has been another of our homegrown players to have shone and given the fans hope about the future. However he still has a lot to learn and while he will make mistakes the fans should not get on his back if he goes through a bad patch like there was with Maurice Ross although Smith is by far a better player. As long as he sticks at it works hard and goes the extra mile to improve himself then all will be well as the talent is there is just needs to be harnessed right with the right coaching he will get there.
Lets hope that the new manager whoever he is, is the man to take the club and its players forward and make them better whether its a senior first team player or a 12 year old just joined the club. The club needs to keep the production line going and this first batch of Murray Park graduates gives me great optimism for the future who knows in a few years we could be producing the calibre of some of the Ajax or Man Utd graduates lets hope so as it would be a shame to have spent all the money on the facility and not fulfilled its potential. Burke, Hutton, Smith and Ross McCormack doing well down at Donny Rovers may not be the greatest players ever but they're no' bad and with a bit of application they have the potential to reach a high level.
Thats all from me have a good Tuesday.
* * * * *
Falkirk in Five - Feb. 27/2006
Monday and only five days to go until our next game at Falkirk and the anticipation is really mounting as to the big investment that is coming in. Whether its 30mil 100 mil or 5 mil we need to be cautious about what strings are attached I would hate to see Rangers sell out just to make a few million and we need to make sure that any investment is going to be beneficial for the long term as well as the short and mid term. I for one would not be too bothered about having Ibrox sponsored as lets face it it will always be Ibrox to the fans and while those in the media and those in public life and the clubs employees will have to refer to it as the "XYZ" Stadium it won't matter to the ones that matter the fans to whom it will always be Ibrox.
Watching the EPL action at the weekend got me thinking about who we could sign and the price range particularly signing players from relegated teams one player who could do us a good turn is Mikael Forsell at Birmingham City who I think are certs to go down, now he has pace, goalscoring ability and a bagful of tricks up his sleeve and a player who can bring us an extra dimension and he is a big game player too which is something we need more of. Or what about Lomana Lua lua of Portsmouth he is a good player with potential to be a great player and a player of his abilities should be at a bigger club than Pompey, with his pace and power he would be an excellent addition to the side.
Ok there are a ton of other players we could go for but sadly our days of signing the Brian Laudrup, Paul Gascoigne and Arthur Numans of the world are over. Or are they?
We will wait and see........................
Oh and the Daily Hate Mail and the Express both say that Le Guen will be unveiled next week after the Villareal games. As much as I hate those rags I hope that they're right.
* * * * *
A Slow Day - Feb. 26/2006
Nothing much going on today is there? What a dull Sunday so far mind you its 10.45 here as I write so theres plenty of the day left. Anyhoo yesterdays Rugby what a result eh and while its a shame that the grand slam is out of reach the 6 Nations Championsip is winnable for Scotland. Well one thing that has caught my eye is Gordon Waddel in the Sunday Mail going on about the card displays making Ibrox a bit less intimidating in his words what with the patterns and with the cards being held laoft reduces the decibel level and you know he may have a point there but for me and just about every other gers fan it was indeed a sight to behold.
Ok sorry folks but either theres not a lot to talk about today or I'm suffering from writers block so I'm offski the dishes are calling.......
* * * * *
Novo Leaving? - Feb. 25/2006
So Novo is hankering after a move back to Spain and it just sums up so many players attitudes in football in that instead of trying to fight and work for his place and doing something constructive to help his case he decides, throught the media to whore himself round some mid ranking clubs in Spain. This to me is a disgrace or at least the timing is as the team still have a lot to battle for this season even if the league is beyond us if he had waited until the end of the season and said "Ok thanks for having me here Rangers I've enjoyed my time in Scotland but its time I went home and it would be nice if these teams were to sign me."Then that would be fine but the timing is wrong and as for those clubs he mentioned, would they want to sign him based on his current form? I know I wouldn't thats for sure.
So yeah its a bit boring with no Gers game this weekend so the one thing I'm rooting for is a Scotland victory over the English after this months results for Rangers would be a great end to the month and would almost make me want to be back in Scotland. Enjoy your Saturday night folks.
Follow follow!
* * * * *
A Calm Friday - Feb. 24/2006
Ruddy hell its Friday and no game for us Gers which is good as it gives the guys a chance to recuperate properly from this months exertions. As I said at the beginning of this month it was always gonna be a hard one and we could and should have won all the games we played sadly that wasn't the case and with the announcement about Eck leaving its been a funny old month. Its totally weird on a Friday not having a game this weekend to preview so instead its a quick round up of news. Hemdani is not giving upn the chase, quite right too and we show a bit of urgency-more than he was showing onn wednesday-and not give anything away cheaply then we can still get 2nd spot and the quarter finals and all we need is luck, graft and a never say die spirit. That long haired Man Utd flop Diego Forlon has been spouting pish about how the Ibrox pitch was deliberately made a state by Rangers to disrupt their fluent passing game. Now I'm sure most of us could tell him that the Ibrox pitch is always a state at this time of the year and he knows he was offside too for his goal and said so in the Record and it is clear to me and almost everyone else that the poffside rule needs to go back to what it was before and the old saying if it ain't broke don't fix it springs to mind all too readily.
Right thats yer lot folks I'm running late for work as it is but of course would never abandon my responsibility to you bears and resident tic fans. Enjoy your weekend.
* * * * *
Gers 2 Villareal 2 - Feb. 23/2006
Last night Rangers were unlucky not to sneak a victory against Villareal and while we were in my opinion cheated of a chance of victory by the rules and by the officials but I should also point out that one of their disallowed goals should have stood as it was never offside. But as usual Rangers shot themselves in the foot and made it more difficult for us to get through than it should have been. We did get some things right but also got things wrong as well.
Rights:
1)Keeping the two homegrown full backs in the team-Once again they both played reasonably well and did not let the occasion get the better of them. They kept their heads up and hardly put a foot wrong all night.
2)Lovenkrands through the middle-Ok his sole contribution was his 20 yard screamer but the fact remains that he was there and able to take advantage of Burkes stumble.
3)The Central defenders played ok- They were in now way responsible for the goals and made a number of great tackles, blocks and challenges and while they weren't perfect it is a vast improvement on other performances we have seen.
4)Prso, despite his handball played well too and held the ball up well and worked his socks off with no reward in terms of goals for him.
Wrongs:
1)Playing Namouchi- I think at times he gets unfair stick but again he shpowed he has little creative flair and his passing in the final mthird was woeful there were two occasions in the first 20 minutes when he could have played a better through ball into the strikers and only succeeded in messing things up and a sliced shot from him was laughable as it trickled wide, but give him some credit he worked hard and he is less prone to be shoved off the ball that Buffel is.
2)Prso should be banned from the Rangers penalty area what he was thinking-if anything-is beyond me when he stuck his hand up.
3)We got exposed time and time again by their slick passing and wing play and we are lucky that they didn't take more advantage than they did.
4)The team took a while to settle down and the players were far too keen to get rid of the ball when they had time to hold it and look for a pass or run.
5)There was a lack of organisation and communication at the back and McLeish really needs to sort that out as that has been an all too familiar story this season and no one was rolling up their sleeves and taking responsibility.
So a draw is not the worst result we could have got and we certainly stand a chance of getting through but as long as we learn from last night and cut out the stupid mistakes then we should be ok.
* * * * *
IT'S TIME - Feb. 22/2006
So tonights the night then and the anticipation is mounting for us Gers and because I slept in I have been given the day off so I can go watch the game. so that exciting stuff indeed. So Ricksen as well is back from injury and I would think that he will be on the bench as he has just returned from injury and not only that but his form has not been the standard expected of a Rangers player and it would be counter productive to just throw him in there when he won't be match fit. On other news the Villareal coach has not been around his team due to a family crisis and we can only hope that this will affect his team as we need all the advantages we can get. McLeish has also said that he is happy to be the underdog in this tie and that suits Rangers in my humble opinion as all the pressure will be on them and due to the fact that we are not expected to go further, the knock on effect could be that we give them a good humping.
Enjoy the game folks.
* * * * *
BRING IT ON! - Feb. 21/2006
As I write it is 37 hours until Rangers kick off their biggest match in 13 years. There is so much at stake for the club and all I can think about is how Rangers will play and adapt their play to counter Villareal and how to make the most of the first leg to make it somewhat less difficult in the 2nd leg. Not only will that be inportant but the fans must play their part and make as much noise as possible from the first whistle to the final whistle. Not only should they do that but there should be a large gathering of rangers fans outside their hotel to make loads of noise tonight which will make them less effective as hopefully they will be extremely tired. If we can freak them out a bit it will give Rangers a psychological edge over Villareal.Also there are three Villareal players on a yellow card and they lose their discipline and get ayellow card then it gives us more of a chance. So thats a start then but what about the team to put out? Here's my choice:
Watterreus
Hutton Kyrgiakos Rodriguez Smith
Hemdani
Ferguson
Burke Prso
Buffel
Lovenkrands
Subs:Klos, Andrews, Murray, Malcolm,G Rae, Boyd, Novo
Firstly Wattereus gets my vote as it would be a bad thing just to throw Klos in after not playing in a while and I know that Kyrgiakos has been poor for much of this season but he saves his best for Europe and was named in the squad for the best players in the group stage and if he can play that way as he has for Panathanaikos in this tie then we stand a chance. Rodriguez is another with Champions league experience as part of the Monaco team to reach the 2004 final and that will be vital in dealing with a fairly potent attack. The two full backs deserve their place after recent sterling performances but they need to keep their heads and get overawed by the occasion otherwise they're screwed and so is the team.
In Midfield, Hemdani is the perfect candidate to sit back and prowl around in front of the back four keeping a close watch on Riquelme who will probably be playing and keen to make a spectacular comeback from injury as well as setting things off from the back. Ferguson playing ahead of Hemdani can be the player that the play flows through and must show his true abilities and show that on his day he can be one of the best midfielders in Europe in terms of passing, controlling the pace of the game and taking the game by the scruff of the neck.
Out wide well of course Burke has to be in there and this is a chance for him to build a reputation for himself. The Villareal defence lack pace and he must exploit this at every opportunity he can. On the left now I realise that this is not where Prso usually plays but he has said in the past that he likes to play out there and with his dribbling power and ability to hold the ball up well he is almost going to be like a foil for Lovenkrands to use his pace through the middle-in what is his best position- to beat the slow Defence and hopefully get a goal or two. And Buffel sitting behind Lovenkrands can do what he does best probing and pulling defenders all over the place and playing those passes and flicks that he does so well.
So to sum up there is a very good chance to make a great start in this tie and as ell as playing well the players need to play smart and not make stupid mistakes its a huge game and a chance for the players and the club to firmly put themselves on the European map for triumphs now as well is in the past.
Have a great day.
* * * * *
No Burke for Scotland - Feb. 20/2006
Monday then and the noteworthy news today Rangers wise is that Chris Burke has not been called up for the upcoming friendly against Switerland. I am surprised at this as will most Rangers fans and I for one cannot figure out why he has not been picked when Scott Brown is out through injury and not only that but Barry Ferguson who is not fully fit is in and we can only hope that nothing happens to him in the game.
On to Wednesday then and the Villareal players are saying how worried they are about Rangers playing a long ball game and they expect aphysical game. Now I think that this is a case of them playing mind games with Rangers they will know to cope with any long balls and if we do play long balls they have to be better than the ones we used against Celtic which were hopeful at best and hopeless in terms of the end result. The Villareasl defence is slow and if we can get Lovenkrands in making runs, springing the offside trap and getting in behind the defence then we can look to get goals and hopefully make a good start. The only thing as well is that Riquelme will be back and it could pan out two ways.
1) He returns to top form and gives the Rangers defence the runaround and inspires his team to a good win at Ibrox.
2) He is not yet fully fit and the atmosphere and lack of match fitness takes its toll and he is unable to play to his full potential and Villareal go back to their form displayed so far this calendar year.
Plenty more to come on this topic this week. Well the masters football yesterday was good fun watchoing England lose to Calgary 4-0 and Vancouver 4-1 was sweet but what wasn't so good was England beating Scotland 4-1 and Scotland losing 7-1 in the final. The reason given exclusivly to the Rangers Media blogmeister by John Wark was that it was a game to far and you could tell as the Scottish players looked all knackered especially Mcavennie but it was good to get Gordon "Jukebox"Duries autograph as well as Warks and we got in free compliments of the Sponsors so that was cool.
Right folks thats all from me I'm on a 1-9 shift this week and only got up half an hour ago, hence the late posting of todays blog which no doubt you have been waiting on all day with anticipation!
* * * * *
An OK Sunday - Feb. 19/2006
Its so nice to wake up on a Sunday morning as I just have and not feel pissed off because of a bad result. Yesterdays result does not mean we will finish 3rd or 2nd as there is still a long way to go and the way things have been this season I am sure there will be one or two slip ups but lets hope that I am wrong. It has been known before.
OK so while the win was welcome it also showed that at times our defence is calamitous the chance that Stephen Glass had for one is indicative of how the defenders are so busy ball watching that they are failing to watch the players and that won't do a better finisher than Glass would have put that one away and we can feel fortunate that Lady Luck was on our side on that occasion.
Once again the young Scots in the team were the lynchpin of yesterdays team and I am really excited about the progress and potential of Smith, Hutton and Burke especially. Alex McLeish has been tipping Burkey to get into the next Scotland squad and based on his recent form he is well worth a shout and for me he can make the right midfield berth his own for many years to come at club and international level and not only that I think he will come to be regarded as one of the best players in that position in Europe. Alan Hutton got the man of the match from Rangers as well and in last weeks game he was one of our best players as well. Those performances have been massively important for Hutton after his horrific injury and the character he has shown to bounce back deserves success to come for him and as for Smith I think his passing, crossing, tackling and forward runs are good but where he lets himself and the team don is with bhis passing for example a stray pass from him yesterday led to the chance for Hibs that could have spelled disaster for Rangers but it is one of those things we can put down to inexperience.
Enjoy whats left of your weekend I'm off to the saddledome to watch the Legends of soccer featuring a Scottish and English legends side against a Calgary and Vancouver all stars teams so it will have the likes of Durie, Nicky Walker, Frank McAvennie, Mark Walters, Nigel Spackman, Dale Gordon, Paul Walsh amongst others so that should be fun and of course I will give a report on proceedings at some point today or tomorrow.
* * * * *
All Quiet - Feb. 18/2006
So now that we are into February and the fallout from the transfer window has settled down, what we need to foces on is the fact that this month is going to be a very tough one as we have 2 games against Hibs and one against Celtic, Aberdeen and the biggie against Villarreal. This is showtime now and we must make the most of our games and show the true Rangers winning spirit as all of these games are winnable and is a must that not only must we perform well but also win the games too and keep battling all the way. With the size of squad we have there is no excuse for us to falter in the SPL as we must create distance between ourselves and Hibs and keep trying to close the gap on Hearts and Celtic which quite frankly is a tall order but as I have said previously is perfectly achievable.
A lot of speculation lately has been that the reason for Eck not getting a lot of funds are that he is on the way out and the money is being kept for the new manager now that Souness has been sacked as Newcastle boss lets hope that he is not going to be the next boss as we all know that he will walk out as soon as something else comes up and more importantly he is not a very good manager as he is tacticallt inept and seems to ignite feuds for the sake of it with players, other managers and the media amongst others if Murray was to go for him it would be an example of the old pals act and will be a true indicator of how much Murray has lost the plot. But in saying that I fully appreciate everything he has done for the club and when I have seen him in Edinburgh going into his office I have been tempted to go up to him and thank him which according to a friend of mine who used to work for him he would appreciate.
Anyway folks thats yer lot have a good day.
* * * * *
All Quiet - Feb. 17/2006
So its back to the chase this weekend for 2nd spot and we have a lot of face saving to be done. Tony Mowbray has put together a good young side who will cause us a lot of difficulty so we must exercise some caution and not go for the all out attack leaving the defence exposed and we must also try and cut out the speculative long punts up the park which have been over prevailant this season.
Here is my team for tomorrow are you reading Mr McLeish?
Klos
Hutton Andrews Rodriguez Smith
Burke Ricksen G Rae
Buffel
Boyd Lovenkrands
For me Ferguson needs a rest in preparation for next wednesdays game plus the fact that he has been a bit pish as well and as for no Kyrgiakos in the side well I'm sure not many would disagree with that.
We must keep the ball on the ground and play good passing football. There is no reason for us to play badly and the players must realise that they are playing for a place in Wednesdays CL game.
Enjoy the game tomorrow and have a good weekend
* * * * *
All Quiet - Feb. 16/2006
All quiet on the Ibrox front today, the only thing that seems to be happening is David Murray stating the bleedin obvious and warning players that they are playing for their futures now.
What I want to know is why has it taken him so long to come out and say this as for years now we have pampered, cajoled and been too nice to some players even when they have not been performing or when they have given us the runaround whether by injuries or just not giving a f***. So it is most defenitely a case of too little too late. Also McLeish is saying that this season might not be a trophyless one if we win the European cup, now as much as its a long shot and probably won't happen I've had a gut feeling about this and if we even get to the final I will fly to Paris for it even with no ticket but I can't see it happening even my optimism has its limits! But I will keep believing that 2nd is possible right up until the last minute.
Hope all is well.
* * * * *
Still No Word - Feb. 15/2006
So there is till no word on Le Guen signing at least news thats been made public anyway. So who knows what is going to happen his assistant said that today there may be an announcement but has now moved the goalposts and will reveal more "In due course."
So enough about that the other thing to interest me is Mikel Arteta urging Nacho Novo to stay and fight for his place and he is quite right to do so. Nacho is not the first and won't be the last player to have a difficult second season with Rangers and the same applies to other players and other clubs so if I was Nacho I would be playing to the best of my abilities in any position that the manager chooses to play me in. He is a good player and has many good attributes, pace,skill and is a good finisher but what he is lacking now is confidence and also patience as well and once he gets those back it will be a return to the Nacho we all know and love.
The Villareal coach has been quite critical of our central defence and has said some less than flattering things about big Soti. Join the queue mate thats all I can say.
Right thats me, not feeling too good today got a lump in my throat and coughed up blood this morning. Nice.
* * * * *
The Prospect of Le Guen - Feb. 14/2006
Tuesday then as as we begin to recover from Sundays result and get excited by the prospect of Le Guen possibly taking over we have to hope that the players have not given up on 2nd place after the Edinburgh to dropped points at the weekend. What is intriguing me is that i am thinking that the pressure will be on Hibs more than us after them beating us just over a week ago and the fact that they will be without Scott Brown and maybe Kevin Thomson. Not only that but they have a dodgy keeper too and have been very inconsistent this season and depending on who is in our team we can maybe get a point out of the game.
But there are a few days to go before the game and who knows what may happen between now and then. With the negotiations on going between the club and Le Guen anything could happen and I would be happy to see him take over now as I do not believe that mcLeish is able to motivate the players sufficiently enough. Sundays performance showed that to the world and if we are serious about getting past Villarreal we need someone in who can motivate the players and someone who has a bit of tactical nous. I hate to say these this but at the moment this is the truth of what is happening just now and there have been too many examples of managers announcing that they will be leaving their clubs and their teams subsequent performances and results being poor happening to want this to happen to Rangers now. So if McLeish can go sooner than the end of the season I for one will be happy.
Have a good day Gers Fans.
* * * * *
It is PLG Time! - Feb. 13/2006
So it looks like Le Guen is set to take over from McLeish this summer according to the BBC and if he does he will not have too much difficulty in deciding who should stay and go as he moulds his own team. The ones who, in my opinion, should go are:
Wattereus-He has said he is going to leave but even then his performances have at times been less than satisfactory.
Kyrgiakos-Enough said.
Bernard-Done nothing to justify his signing and wasn't all that great at Newcastle and we have Stevie Smith who is a better prospect and has played better than him.
Alex Rae-A decent player and a good guy to have in the dressing room but he is too old and not the type of player to help us reach the next level, He has been helping with coaching and I would offer him a role in the coaching department.
There are others who will need to pull their socks up big time and start playing to their full potential and it will be interesting to see how they respond to Le Guen and his personality, tactics, training methods and results but if they don't shape up they should go as well and those players are: Fan Fan, Rodriguez, Hemdani, Ferguson, Ricksen, Malcolm, Namouchi,, Gavin Rae and Novo. Going back to the French guys, I think we will see the best of them now as they will relate with Le Guen better but were also I understand unhappy with McLeish and his methods. If these guys I've just mentioned go back to how they have played this season then they should go even Ferguson and I know we shelled out big bucks for him and he's the captain, loves the club blah blah blah, but if he is not doing the job then he should go no one is bigger than the team let alone the club and the same goes for anyone else.
Thats all folks have a good day(or night).
* * * * *
Old Firm Tomorrow! - Feb. 12/2006
One of the most uninspired Rangers performances I have seen in my time watching Rangers ahppened today and there were a number of reasons but the thing that really stood out other than the fact we lost was the lack of confidence in fact there was alomost none and this was reflected in various positions on the park but it had a knock on effect and led to these things happpening.
1)The fact that Rangers only had one real shot on goal throughout the game, Buffel when one on one with the keeper should have dinked it over Boruc instead of knocking it across the Novo whose confidence is down at the moment.
2)The lack of cohesive link up work throughout the team there was precious little off the ball movement from those further forward but praise must go to the full backs and Chris Burke for keeping their heads up and making runs and at least looking like they are trying to create something.
3)Far too many long balls were played which was bread and butter to the defence as they played the offside trap well, not only that but it meant that when the ball was even half cleared a Celtic player was always there midway inside their own half to pick it up and retain possession.
4)Barry Ferguson kept giving the ball away and twice in row played the ball against a defender and made himself look like a player with no imagination or creativity.
5)Kyrgiakos, he is a liability and could have been sent off and made himself look like a fud when went down when Hartson went past him such actions deserve derision and make Rangers look bad and a laughing stock.
6)Not only that but the lack of communication between him and Andrews led to the celtic goal as they both went for the same ball and it happened again when we had a corner and if they had stayed out of each others way there may have been a better end result.
What is galling too is that Celtic looked ordinary and like us looked like a team going through the motions and why we didn't take advantage is surely down to the fact that McLeish is at the moment clueless on what to do and quite frankly I think he should go after the Villarreal games as I think a change would freshen things up and may lead to more confident displays.
Well it was certainly not worth staying up all night for and it was a depressing walk home for me but on a more positive note it was the first time I have been walking to the game and not been offered crack! but the cracks are there in the team and I am not confident that we will get past Villarreal I just hope now that we do not get humped by them but as we have seen we seem to save our best for Europe and today was a million miles away from our best. It was interesting to see le Guen assistant in the crowd too, if we do get him he has his work cut out with some players that we have. In tomorrows blog I am going to assess the players and say who I think stay and so until then its farewell from me.
* * * * *
Old Firm Tomorrow! - Feb. 11/2006
So here we are then less than 24 hours until kick off and sadly I lost to my flatmate at FIFA 2006 in an old firm game last night but lets hope that it is not an idicator of what will happen tomorrow. I am not sure what our realistic chances are tomorrow for sure it will be a tough one as always and also difficult to predict as both teams this season have been so inconsistent in terms of results but one thing that the Old Firm have in common is a dodgy defence and if we can get Lovenkrands playing through the middle with Buffel playing just behind him then that will be enough to unsettle and wear down the Celtic defence before bringing Dado Prso on to really turn the screw.
However we must not forget that they are still a potent force and carry enough ammo to give Rangers a doing so if the likes of Petrov, Hartson, Maloney, Zurawski and Nakamura can be kept in check and subdued, which admittedly is quite a tough job, then we should be ok as long as we play the game the right way and battle to the end not give anything away as well as making the most of our chances then there is no reason why we cannot win as long as we get on top and stay on top.
This is the team we should go with tomorrow:
Klos
Hutton Kyrgiakos Andrews Smith
Burke Ricksen Ferguson Murray
Buffel
Lovenkrands
Subs: Wattereus, Rodriguez, Malcolm, G Rae, Novo, Boyd, Prso.
This team has a solid core to it and while it is certainly not the most adventurous of line ups it is enough to nullify the threat posed by Celtic in attack as well as being pacy in attack which I think could leave their defence exposed. What should happen regarding subs if it comes to it, is to take off Murray move Burke out to the left, put Ricksen on the right of midfield and put Prso up front with Lovenkrands and then followed by Boyd coming on for Lovenkrands. The midfield engine room should be solid enough and if we can get Buffel getting on the ball combined with good off the ball runs by Burke and Lovenkrands with an end product then we should get a goal or two.
My major concern is in defence particulary the centre as the two full backs have been good Smith more than Hutton though as he has played more but if we see any calamitous slip ups from Soti or Marv then I think they should come off and afterwards used sparingly as we do not need any more liabilities in the team and those two have done more than most to contribute to our domestic decline this season.
So folks enjoy the game tomorrow lets hope its a good result so no matter whee we are in the world we can go to work on Monday with our heads held a little higher and remember to keep believing!
* * * * *
Good Luck in the Future Eck - Feb. 10/2006
So the McLeish era is drawing to a close and I am going to start by paying tribute to to Eck as he has shown dignity, resilience and honesty throughout his tenure as manager of one of world footballs greatest clubs. The success he has brought the club over the past four and a bit years deserves to be applauded and he must surely be recognised as one of our greatest managers. The fact that some signings have been less than less t successful is down to the fact that he has at times has been forced to wheel and deal with one hand tied behind him and I sincerely thank him for what he has done for the club. This seasons champions league run has been the most enjoyable European adventure since the 1992-93 season and I along with every other Gers fan on the planet hopes that it continues past the upcoming round and we should all be thankful about what he has achieved and that he didn't walk out on us after the treble winning season of 2002-03 when he could rightly have walked away citing the downsizing of quality of the squad as a factor.
However this seasons domestic form has been unacceptable and it was only a matter of time before he was out of the door and some selections have been baffling particulary when he been playing people out of position and when they have been injured and that as I have said over and over again is highly detrimental to the players concerned and more importantly the team and that is simply not good enough and as for some of the signings, well, the less said the better but again with a few of them it was down to financial constraits more than anything.
I feel the timing of the announcement was a bit baffling as we all saw what happenend when it was announced halfway through the season that Walter Smith would be leaving and the team subsequently disintegrated and I thought maybe David Murray would have learned his lesson from this but seemingly not and as for the forthcoming investment I for one am very excited by it and I recognise that the reason nothing has been said is due to legal requirements and Rangers are not above the law so I am not too bothered as long as the new manager whoever it is and lets all hope it is Le Guen gets the funds to significantly improve the quality of the squad. lets not forget Le Guen is the man who put Essien, Shabani Nonda amongst others on the map and if we get him we can look forward to another exciting chapter in the clubs great history. This is after all the man described as the "French Mourinho". I understand from a well informed source that the figure could be around the 40-50 million pound mark and for goodness sake the money must be spent wisely so no more Kanchelskis, Prodans, Flo's or Hendry's please.
So what now? Well the players must recognise that they will be playing for their futures if they want to stay at the club and that might just make certain players play to their full capabilities and show the new man whoever he is what they can do, who knows maybe this is the short sharp shock that some of them need ands maybe they will want to do Eck a favour so he bows out on a high ,ok the league championship is a goner but second place is still achievable and the players must fight to the end and show as well how well they can play the game.
So there we go quite a day for the Gers and as we head into the weekend there will be a lot of mixed feelings amongst ourselves but lets not forget that while Eck is on his way out our great club isn't and there will still be great times ahead the future is ours not the past!
So from me Calgaryloyal i wish you all a good day and give a huge round of applause to Alex McLeish
* * * * *
Yesterday's Result - Feb. 9/2006
Still depressed after yesterdays result and it is perfectly obvious that radical action has to be taken at the club as it seems that the more experienced players are just not performing and on top of that McLeish has not been acting in the best interests of the club. Here are a few examples.
1) By continually picking Ferguson when he is far from fully fit and carrying an injury and not playing all that well when we have Gavin Rae just back from injury.
2)Fergusons lack of high performance since his return suggests that he is a comfort zone and therefore doesn't need to go out of his way to prove himself.
3)He keeps on picking Marvin Andrews and Kyrgiakos when it is clear that these two are not performing well and are not doing their jobs properly.
4)The fiasco with the two goalkeepers is a farce, Stefan Klos was consistently great for years and then gets dropped for a gaffe prone keeper although hopefully Mcleish will recall Klos to rightful place between the sticks.
5)The tactics are clearly not working and there seldom seems to be a back yup plan when things go against us the team needs to be prepared for all eventualities.
So while that by no means covers everything it is a clear indicator of some of the areas where things are clearly far from perfect. I know we haven't had a lot to spend but you only have to look at Hibs as an example of a team that plays as a unit, has flair, pace and passion and after their fine 7-0 win over Livingston it gives me a great deal of concern as to whether we can get 3rd spot and a UEFA cup place let alone 2nd place and a place in the Champions League qualifying rounds. I hate to be so pessimistic about things and as regular readers will know I try to be as positive as possible but today it is hard to be optimistic when we have results like the most recent two. I would not be surprised to see McLeish leave one way or another after we get knocked out of Europe and the way things are going we will get humped by Villarreal.
It will be very interesting to see what happens on Sunday as it always is at Old Firm games, as we will see what personnel changes are made and we will see how much character this team has and if it has the winning mentality and the self belief to bounce back and show how good they are and show if they deserve to wear the light blue jerseys.
Anyway folks thats all from me I hope you have a good Thursday and avoid Aberdeen fans thankfully I don't know any out here.
* * * * *
Yesterday's Result - Feb. 8/2006
Well it looks like we will be losing Kygriakos at the end of the season and he will be no great loss the only times he has played to his full capabilities has been in Europe and once we are out if I was Alex McLeish I wouldn't pick him again as we all know what a liability he has been at times and I think it may be worth giving Fan Fan another chance just so we can somehow justify his wages or as I have noticed this morning
Andy Websters representatives have broken off talks with Hearts and there is a player we could do with as he is young he has presence he has leadership attributes, he is Scottish and would be less liable to do moronic things in the penalty area and he would also cost next to nothing and not be so much of a prima donna.
I was also interested to read about the possibilty of more protests at Ibrox the next time we lose, now I know that performances at times this season have been dire and unacceptable domestically but in Europe where it really matters we have done really well and I for one would sacrifice domestic honours for a decent run in Europe which may be helped even more by Riquelme being injured I don't know when he will back but lets hope its not for a while. We have just lost an 11 game unbeaten run and at least being out of the cup means we can focus on pushing for 2nd place or hopefully 1st place and on conquering Europe heres hoping anyway.
Right troops thats enough from me, arrivederci.
So, only 7 days to go until the biggie and we have to hope that the players are focused only on this weekends game at Falkirk the last time we played there it was a 2-2 draw and it is bread and butter games like this one that will help determine our league placing and therefore where we are if anywhere in next seasons European competitions. More on than later on in the week but the big news just now is that Stevie Smith has signed a new contract to keep him at the club for two more years. This is a good move by the club as he is a good prospect and has done ok while he has been in the team and has been another of our homegrown players to have shone and given the fans hope about the future. However he still has a lot to learn and while he will make mistakes the fans should not get on his back if he goes through a bad patch like there was with Maurice Ross although Smith is by far a better player. As long as he sticks at it works hard and goes the extra mile to improve himself then all will be well as the talent is there is just needs to be harnessed right with the right coaching he will get there.
Lets hope that the new manager whoever he is, is the man to take the club and its players forward and make them better whether its a senior first team player or a 12 year old just joined the club. The club needs to keep the production line going and this first batch of Murray Park graduates gives me great optimism for the future who knows in a few years we could be producing the calibre of some of the Ajax or Man Utd graduates lets hope so as it would be a shame to have spent all the money on the facility and not fulfilled its potential. Burke, Hutton, Smith and Ross McCormack doing well down at Donny Rovers may not be the greatest players ever but they're no' bad and with a bit of application they have the potential to reach a high level.
Thats all from me have a good Tuesday.
Falkirk in Five - Feb. 27/2006
Monday and only five days to go until our next game at Falkirk and the anticipation is really mounting as to the big investment that is coming in. Whether its 30mil 100 mil or 5 mil we need to be cautious about what strings are attached I would hate to see Rangers sell out just to make a few million and we need to make sure that any investment is going to be beneficial for the long term as well as the short and mid term. I for one would not be too bothered about having Ibrox sponsored as lets face it it will always be Ibrox to the fans and while those in the media and those in public life and the clubs employees will have to refer to it as the "XYZ" Stadium it won't matter to the ones that matter the fans to whom it will always be Ibrox.
Watching the EPL action at the weekend got me thinking about who we could sign and the price range particularly signing players from relegated teams one player who could do us a good turn is Mikael Forsell at Birmingham City who I think are certs to go down, now he has pace, goalscoring ability and a bagful of tricks up his sleeve and a player who can bring us an extra dimension and he is a big game player too which is something we need more of. Or what about Lomana Lua lua of Portsmouth he is a good player with potential to be a great player and a player of his abilities should be at a bigger club than Pompey, with his pace and power he would be an excellent addition to the side.
Ok there are a ton of other players we could go for but sadly our days of signing the Brian Laudrup, Paul Gascoigne and Arthur Numans of the world are over. Or are they?
We will wait and see........................
Oh and the Daily Hate Mail and the Express both say that Le Guen will be unveiled next week after the Villareal games. As much as I hate those rags I hope that they're right.
A Slow Day - Feb. 26/2006
Nothing much going on today is there? What a dull Sunday so far mind you its 10.45 here as I write so theres plenty of the day left. Anyhoo yesterdays Rugby what a result eh and while its a shame that the grand slam is out of reach the 6 Nations Championsip is winnable for Scotland. Well one thing that has caught my eye is Gordon Waddel in the Sunday Mail going on about the card displays making Ibrox a bit less intimidating in his words what with the patterns and with the cards being held laoft reduces the decibel level and you know he may have a point there but for me and just about every other gers fan it was indeed a sight to behold.
Ok sorry folks but either theres not a lot to talk about today or I'm suffering from writers block so I'm offski the dishes are calling.......
Novo Leaving? - Feb. 25/2006
So Novo is hankering after a move back to Spain and it just sums up so many players attitudes in football in that instead of trying to fight and work for his place and doing something constructive to help his case he decides, throught the media to whore himself round some mid ranking clubs in Spain. This to me is a disgrace or at least the timing is as the team still have a lot to battle for this season even if the league is beyond us if he had waited until the end of the season and said "Ok thanks for having me here Rangers I've enjoyed my time in Scotland but its time I went home and it would be nice if these teams were to sign me."Then that would be fine but the timing is wrong and as for those clubs he mentioned, would they want to sign him based on his current form? I know I wouldn't thats for sure.
So yeah its a bit boring with no Gers game this weekend so the one thing I'm rooting for is a Scotland victory over the English after this months results for Rangers would be a great end to the month and would almost make me want to be back in Scotland. Enjoy your Saturday night folks.
Follow follow!
A Calm Friday - Feb. 24/2006
Ruddy hell its Friday and no game for us Gers which is good as it gives the guys a chance to recuperate properly from this months exertions. As I said at the beginning of this month it was always gonna be a hard one and we could and should have won all the games we played sadly that wasn't the case and with the announcement about Eck leaving its been a funny old month. Its totally weird on a Friday not having a game this weekend to preview so instead its a quick round up of news. Hemdani is not giving upn the chase, quite right too and we show a bit of urgency-more than he was showing onn wednesday-and not give anything away cheaply then we can still get 2nd spot and the quarter finals and all we need is luck, graft and a never say die spirit. That long haired Man Utd flop Diego Forlon has been spouting pish about how the Ibrox pitch was deliberately made a state by Rangers to disrupt their fluent passing game. Now I'm sure most of us could tell him that the Ibrox pitch is always a state at this time of the year and he knows he was offside too for his goal and said so in the Record and it is clear to me and almost everyone else that the poffside rule needs to go back to what it was before and the old saying if it ain't broke don't fix it springs to mind all too readily.
Right thats yer lot folks I'm running late for work as it is but of course would never abandon my responsibility to you bears and resident tic fans. Enjoy your weekend.
Gers 2 Villareal 2 - Feb. 23/2006
Last night Rangers were unlucky not to sneak a victory against Villareal and while we were in my opinion cheated of a chance of victory by the rules and by the officials but I should also point out that one of their disallowed goals should have stood as it was never offside. But as usual Rangers shot themselves in the foot and made it more difficult for us to get through than it should have been. We did get some things right but also got things wrong as well.
Rights:
1)Keeping the two homegrown full backs in the team-Once again they both played reasonably well and did not let the occasion get the better of them. They kept their heads up and hardly put a foot wrong all night.
2)Lovenkrands through the middle-Ok his sole contribution was his 20 yard screamer but the fact remains that he was there and able to take advantage of Burkes stumble.
3)The Central defenders played ok- They were in now way responsible for the goals and made a number of great tackles, blocks and challenges and while they weren't perfect it is a vast improvement on other performances we have seen.
4)Prso, despite his handball played well too and held the ball up well and worked his socks off with no reward in terms of goals for him.
Wrongs:
1)Playing Namouchi- I think at times he gets unfair stick but again he shpowed he has little creative flair and his passing in the final mthird was woeful there were two occasions in the first 20 minutes when he could have played a better through ball into the strikers and only succeeded in messing things up and a sliced shot from him was laughable as it trickled wide, but give him some credit he worked hard and he is less prone to be shoved off the ball that Buffel is.
2)Prso should be banned from the Rangers penalty area what he was thinking-if anything-is beyond me when he stuck his hand up.
3)We got exposed time and time again by their slick passing and wing play and we are lucky that they didn't take more advantage than they did.
4)The team took a while to settle down and the players were far too keen to get rid of the ball when they had time to hold it and look for a pass or run.
5)There was a lack of organisation and communication at the back and McLeish really needs to sort that out as that has been an all too familiar story this season and no one was rolling up their sleeves and taking responsibility.
So a draw is not the worst result we could have got and we certainly stand a chance of getting through but as long as we learn from last night and cut out the stupid mistakes then we should be ok.
IT'S TIME - Feb. 22/2006
So tonights the night then and the anticipation is mounting for us Gers and because I slept in I have been given the day off so I can go watch the game. so that exciting stuff indeed. So Ricksen as well is back from injury and I would think that he will be on the bench as he has just returned from injury and not only that but his form has not been the standard expected of a Rangers player and it would be counter productive to just throw him in there when he won't be match fit. On other news the Villareal coach has not been around his team due to a family crisis and we can only hope that this will affect his team as we need all the advantages we can get. McLeish has also said that he is happy to be the underdog in this tie and that suits Rangers in my humble opinion as all the pressure will be on them and due to the fact that we are not expected to go further, the knock on effect could be that we give them a good humping.
Enjoy the game folks.
BRING IT ON! - Feb. 21/2006
As I write it is 37 hours until Rangers kick off their biggest match in 13 years. There is so much at stake for the club and all I can think about is how Rangers will play and adapt their play to counter Villareal and how to make the most of the first leg to make it somewhat less difficult in the 2nd leg. Not only will that be inportant but the fans must play their part and make as much noise as possible from the first whistle to the final whistle. Not only should they do that but there should be a large gathering of rangers fans outside their hotel to make loads of noise tonight which will make them less effective as hopefully they will be extremely tired. If we can freak them out a bit it will give Rangers a psychological edge over Villareal.Also there are three Villareal players on a yellow card and they lose their discipline and get ayellow card then it gives us more of a chance. So thats a start then but what about the team to put out? Here's my choice:
Watterreus
Hutton Kyrgiakos Rodriguez Smith
Hemdani
Ferguson
Burke Prso
Buffel
Lovenkrands
Subs:Klos, Andrews, Murray, Malcolm,G Rae, Boyd, Novo
Firstly Wattereus gets my vote as it would be a bad thing just to throw Klos in after not playing in a while and I know that Kyrgiakos has been poor for much of this season but he saves his best for Europe and was named in the squad for the best players in the group stage and if he can play that way as he has for Panathanaikos in this tie then we stand a chance. Rodriguez is another with Champions league experience as part of the Monaco team to reach the 2004 final and that will be vital in dealing with a fairly potent attack. The two full backs deserve their place after recent sterling performances but they need to keep their heads and get overawed by the occasion otherwise they're screwed and so is the team.
In Midfield, Hemdani is the perfect candidate to sit back and prowl around in front of the back four keeping a close watch on Riquelme who will probably be playing and keen to make a spectacular comeback from injury as well as setting things off from the back. Ferguson playing ahead of Hemdani can be the player that the play flows through and must show his true abilities and show that on his day he can be one of the best midfielders in Europe in terms of passing, controlling the pace of the game and taking the game by the scruff of the neck.
Out wide well of course Burke has to be in there and this is a chance for him to build a reputation for himself. The Villareal defence lack pace and he must exploit this at every opportunity he can. On the left now I realise that this is not where Prso usually plays but he has said in the past that he likes to play out there and with his dribbling power and ability to hold the ball up well he is almost going to be like a foil for Lovenkrands to use his pace through the middle-in what is his best position- to beat the slow Defence and hopefully get a goal or two. And Buffel sitting behind Lovenkrands can do what he does best probing and pulling defenders all over the place and playing those passes and flicks that he does so well.
So to sum up there is a very good chance to make a great start in this tie and as ell as playing well the players need to play smart and not make stupid mistakes its a huge game and a chance for the players and the club to firmly put themselves on the European map for triumphs now as well is in the past.
Have a great day.
No Burke for Scotland - Feb. 20/2006
Monday then and the noteworthy news today Rangers wise is that Chris Burke has not been called up for the upcoming friendly against Switerland. I am surprised at this as will most Rangers fans and I for one cannot figure out why he has not been picked when Scott Brown is out through injury and not only that but Barry Ferguson who is not fully fit is in and we can only hope that nothing happens to him in the game.
On to Wednesday then and the Villareal players are saying how worried they are about Rangers playing a long ball game and they expect aphysical game. Now I think that this is a case of them playing mind games with Rangers they will know to cope with any long balls and if we do play long balls they have to be better than the ones we used against Celtic which were hopeful at best and hopeless in terms of the end result. The Villareasl defence is slow and if we can get Lovenkrands in making runs, springing the offside trap and getting in behind the defence then we can look to get goals and hopefully make a good start. The only thing as well is that Riquelme will be back and it could pan out two ways.
1) He returns to top form and gives the Rangers defence the runaround and inspires his team to a good win at Ibrox.
2) He is not yet fully fit and the atmosphere and lack of match fitness takes its toll and he is unable to play to his full potential and Villareal go back to their form displayed so far this calendar year.
Plenty more to come on this topic this week. Well the masters football yesterday was good fun watchoing England lose to Calgary 4-0 and Vancouver 4-1 was sweet but what wasn't so good was England beating Scotland 4-1 and Scotland losing 7-1 in the final. The reason given exclusivly to the Rangers Media blogmeister by John Wark was that it was a game to far and you could tell as the Scottish players looked all knackered especially Mcavennie but it was good to get Gordon "Jukebox"Duries autograph as well as Warks and we got in free compliments of the Sponsors so that was cool.
Right folks thats all from me I'm on a 1-9 shift this week and only got up half an hour ago, hence the late posting of todays blog which no doubt you have been waiting on all day with anticipation!
An OK Sunday - Feb. 19/2006
Its so nice to wake up on a Sunday morning as I just have and not feel pissed off because of a bad result. Yesterdays result does not mean we will finish 3rd or 2nd as there is still a long way to go and the way things have been this season I am sure there will be one or two slip ups but lets hope that I am wrong. It has been known before.
OK so while the win was welcome it also showed that at times our defence is calamitous the chance that Stephen Glass had for one is indicative of how the defenders are so busy ball watching that they are failing to watch the players and that won't do a better finisher than Glass would have put that one away and we can feel fortunate that Lady Luck was on our side on that occasion.
Once again the young Scots in the team were the lynchpin of yesterdays team and I am really excited about the progress and potential of Smith, Hutton and Burke especially. Alex McLeish has been tipping Burkey to get into the next Scotland squad and based on his recent form he is well worth a shout and for me he can make the right midfield berth his own for many years to come at club and international level and not only that I think he will come to be regarded as one of the best players in that position in Europe. Alan Hutton got the man of the match from Rangers as well and in last weeks game he was one of our best players as well. Those performances have been massively important for Hutton after his horrific injury and the character he has shown to bounce back deserves success to come for him and as for Smith I think his passing, crossing, tackling and forward runs are good but where he lets himself and the team don is with bhis passing for example a stray pass from him yesterday led to the chance for Hibs that could have spelled disaster for Rangers but it is one of those things we can put down to inexperience.
Enjoy whats left of your weekend I'm off to the saddledome to watch the Legends of soccer featuring a Scottish and English legends side against a Calgary and Vancouver all stars teams so it will have the likes of Durie, Nicky Walker, Frank McAvennie, Mark Walters, Nigel Spackman, Dale Gordon, Paul Walsh amongst others so that should be fun and of course I will give a report on proceedings at some point today or tomorrow.
All Quiet - Feb. 18/2006
So now that we are into February and the fallout from the transfer window has settled down, what we need to foces on is the fact that this month is going to be a very tough one as we have 2 games against Hibs and one against Celtic, Aberdeen and the biggie against Villarreal. This is showtime now and we must make the most of our games and show the true Rangers winning spirit as all of these games are winnable and is a must that not only must we perform well but also win the games too and keep battling all the way. With the size of squad we have there is no excuse for us to falter in the SPL as we must create distance between ourselves and Hibs and keep trying to close the gap on Hearts and Celtic which quite frankly is a tall order but as I have said previously is perfectly achievable.
A lot of speculation lately has been that the reason for Eck not getting a lot of funds are that he is on the way out and the money is being kept for the new manager now that Souness has been sacked as Newcastle boss lets hope that he is not going to be the next boss as we all know that he will walk out as soon as something else comes up and more importantly he is not a very good manager as he is tacticallt inept and seems to ignite feuds for the sake of it with players, other managers and the media amongst others if Murray was to go for him it would be an example of the old pals act and will be a true indicator of how much Murray has lost the plot. But in saying that I fully appreciate everything he has done for the club and when I have seen him in Edinburgh going into his office I have been tempted to go up to him and thank him which according to a friend of mine who used to work for him he would appreciate.
Anyway folks thats yer lot have a good day.
All Quiet - Feb. 17/2006
So its back to the chase this weekend for 2nd spot and we have a lot of face saving to be done. Tony Mowbray has put together a good young side who will cause us a lot of difficulty so we must exercise some caution and not go for the all out attack leaving the defence exposed and we must also try and cut out the speculative long punts up the park which have been over prevailant this season.
Here is my team for tomorrow are you reading Mr McLeish?
Klos
Hutton Andrews Rodriguez Smith
Burke Ricksen G Rae
Buffel
Boyd Lovenkrands
For me Ferguson needs a rest in preparation for next wednesdays game plus the fact that he has been a bit pish as well and as for no Kyrgiakos in the side well I'm sure not many would disagree with that.
We must keep the ball on the ground and play good passing football. There is no reason for us to play badly and the players must realise that they are playing for a place in Wednesdays CL game.
Enjoy the game tomorrow and have a good weekend
All Quiet - Feb. 16/2006
All quiet on the Ibrox front today, the only thing that seems to be happening is David Murray stating the bleedin obvious and warning players that they are playing for their futures now.
What I want to know is why has it taken him so long to come out and say this as for years now we have pampered, cajoled and been too nice to some players even when they have not been performing or when they have given us the runaround whether by injuries or just not giving a f***. So it is most defenitely a case of too little too late. Also McLeish is saying that this season might not be a trophyless one if we win the European cup, now as much as its a long shot and probably won't happen I've had a gut feeling about this and if we even get to the final I will fly to Paris for it even with no ticket but I can't see it happening even my optimism has its limits! But I will keep believing that 2nd is possible right up until the last minute.
Hope all is well.
Still No Word - Feb. 15/2006
So there is till no word on Le Guen signing at least news thats been made public anyway. So who knows what is going to happen his assistant said that today there may be an announcement but has now moved the goalposts and will reveal more "In due course."
So enough about that the other thing to interest me is Mikel Arteta urging Nacho Novo to stay and fight for his place and he is quite right to do so. Nacho is not the first and won't be the last player to have a difficult second season with Rangers and the same applies to other players and other clubs so if I was Nacho I would be playing to the best of my abilities in any position that the manager chooses to play me in. He is a good player and has many good attributes, pace,skill and is a good finisher but what he is lacking now is confidence and also patience as well and once he gets those back it will be a return to the Nacho we all know and love.
The Villareal coach has been quite critical of our central defence and has said some less than flattering things about big Soti. Join the queue mate thats all I can say.
Right thats me, not feeling too good today got a lump in my throat and coughed up blood this morning. Nice.
The Prospect of Le Guen - Feb. 14/2006
Tuesday then as as we begin to recover from Sundays result and get excited by the prospect of Le Guen possibly taking over we have to hope that the players have not given up on 2nd place after the Edinburgh to dropped points at the weekend. What is intriguing me is that i am thinking that the pressure will be on Hibs more than us after them beating us just over a week ago and the fact that they will be without Scott Brown and maybe Kevin Thomson. Not only that but they have a dodgy keeper too and have been very inconsistent this season and depending on who is in our team we can maybe get a point out of the game.
But there are a few days to go before the game and who knows what may happen between now and then. With the negotiations on going between the club and Le Guen anything could happen and I would be happy to see him take over now as I do not believe that mcLeish is able to motivate the players sufficiently enough. Sundays performance showed that to the world and if we are serious about getting past Villarreal we need someone in who can motivate the players and someone who has a bit of tactical nous. I hate to say these this but at the moment this is the truth of what is happening just now and there have been too many examples of managers announcing that they will be leaving their clubs and their teams subsequent performances and results being poor happening to want this to happen to Rangers now. So if McLeish can go sooner than the end of the season I for one will be happy.
Have a good day Gers Fans.
It is PLG Time! - Feb. 13/2006
So it looks like Le Guen is set to take over from McLeish this summer according to the BBC and if he does he will not have too much difficulty in deciding who should stay and go as he moulds his own team. The ones who, in my opinion, should go are:
Wattereus-He has said he is going to leave but even then his performances have at times been less than satisfactory.
Kyrgiakos-Enough said.
Bernard-Done nothing to justify his signing and wasn't all that great at Newcastle and we have Stevie Smith who is a better prospect and has played better than him.
Alex Rae-A decent player and a good guy to have in the dressing room but he is too old and not the type of player to help us reach the next level, He has been helping with coaching and I would offer him a role in the coaching department.
There are others who will need to pull their socks up big time and start playing to their full potential and it will be interesting to see how they respond to Le Guen and his personality, tactics, training methods and results but if they don't shape up they should go as well and those players are: Fan Fan, Rodriguez, Hemdani, Ferguson, Ricksen, Malcolm, Namouchi,, Gavin Rae and Novo. Going back to the French guys, I think we will see the best of them now as they will relate with Le Guen better but were also I understand unhappy with McLeish and his methods. If these guys I've just mentioned go back to how they have played this season then they should go even Ferguson and I know we shelled out big bucks for him and he's the captain, loves the club blah blah blah, but if he is not doing the job then he should go no one is bigger than the team let alone the club and the same goes for anyone else.
Thats all folks have a good day(or night).
Old Firm Tomorrow! - Feb. 12/2006
One of the most uninspired Rangers performances I have seen in my time watching Rangers ahppened today and there were a number of reasons but the thing that really stood out other than the fact we lost was the lack of confidence in fact there was alomost none and this was reflected in various positions on the park but it had a knock on effect and led to these things happpening.
1)The fact that Rangers only had one real shot on goal throughout the game, Buffel when one on one with the keeper should have dinked it over Boruc instead of knocking it across the Novo whose confidence is down at the moment.
2)The lack of cohesive link up work throughout the team there was precious little off the ball movement from those further forward but praise must go to the full backs and Chris Burke for keeping their heads up and making runs and at least looking like they are trying to create something.
3)Far too many long balls were played which was bread and butter to the defence as they played the offside trap well, not only that but it meant that when the ball was even half cleared a Celtic player was always there midway inside their own half to pick it up and retain possession.
4)Barry Ferguson kept giving the ball away and twice in row played the ball against a defender and made himself look like a player with no imagination or creativity.
5)Kyrgiakos, he is a liability and could have been sent off and made himself look like a fud when went down when Hartson went past him such actions deserve derision and make Rangers look bad and a laughing stock.
6)Not only that but the lack of communication between him and Andrews led to the celtic goal as they both went for the same ball and it happened again when we had a corner and if they had stayed out of each others way there may have been a better end result.
What is galling too is that Celtic looked ordinary and like us looked like a team going through the motions and why we didn't take advantage is surely down to the fact that McLeish is at the moment clueless on what to do and quite frankly I think he should go after the Villarreal games as I think a change would freshen things up and may lead to more confident displays.
Well it was certainly not worth staying up all night for and it was a depressing walk home for me but on a more positive note it was the first time I have been walking to the game and not been offered crack! but the cracks are there in the team and I am not confident that we will get past Villarreal I just hope now that we do not get humped by them but as we have seen we seem to save our best for Europe and today was a million miles away from our best. It was interesting to see le Guen assistant in the crowd too, if we do get him he has his work cut out with some players that we have. In tomorrows blog I am going to assess the players and say who I think stay and so until then its farewell from me.
Old Firm Tomorrow! - Feb. 11/2006
So here we are then less than 24 hours until kick off and sadly I lost to my flatmate at FIFA 2006 in an old firm game last night but lets hope that it is not an idicator of what will happen tomorrow. I am not sure what our realistic chances are tomorrow for sure it will be a tough one as always and also difficult to predict as both teams this season have been so inconsistent in terms of results but one thing that the Old Firm have in common is a dodgy defence and if we can get Lovenkrands playing through the middle with Buffel playing just behind him then that will be enough to unsettle and wear down the Celtic defence before bringing Dado Prso on to really turn the screw.
However we must not forget that they are still a potent force and carry enough ammo to give Rangers a doing so if the likes of Petrov, Hartson, Maloney, Zurawski and Nakamura can be kept in check and subdued, which admittedly is quite a tough job, then we should be ok as long as we play the game the right way and battle to the end not give anything away as well as making the most of our chances then there is no reason why we cannot win as long as we get on top and stay on top.
This is the team we should go with tomorrow:
Klos
Hutton Kyrgiakos Andrews Smith
Burke Ricksen Ferguson Murray
Buffel
Lovenkrands
Subs: Wattereus, Rodriguez, Malcolm, G Rae, Novo, Boyd, Prso.
This team has a solid core to it and while it is certainly not the most adventurous of line ups it is enough to nullify the threat posed by Celtic in attack as well as being pacy in attack which I think could leave their defence exposed. What should happen regarding subs if it comes to it, is to take off Murray move Burke out to the left, put Ricksen on the right of midfield and put Prso up front with Lovenkrands and then followed by Boyd coming on for Lovenkrands. The midfield engine room should be solid enough and if we can get Buffel getting on the ball combined with good off the ball runs by Burke and Lovenkrands with an end product then we should get a goal or two.
My major concern is in defence particulary the centre as the two full backs have been good Smith more than Hutton though as he has played more but if we see any calamitous slip ups from Soti or Marv then I think they should come off and afterwards used sparingly as we do not need any more liabilities in the team and those two have done more than most to contribute to our domestic decline this season.
So folks enjoy the game tomorrow lets hope its a good result so no matter whee we are in the world we can go to work on Monday with our heads held a little higher and remember to keep believing!
Good Luck in the Future Eck - Feb. 10/2006
So the McLeish era is drawing to a close and I am going to start by paying tribute to to Eck as he has shown dignity, resilience and honesty throughout his tenure as manager of one of world footballs greatest clubs. The success he has brought the club over the past four and a bit years deserves to be applauded and he must surely be recognised as one of our greatest managers. The fact that some signings have been less than less t successful is down to the fact that he has at times has been forced to wheel and deal with one hand tied behind him and I sincerely thank him for what he has done for the club. This seasons champions league run has been the most enjoyable European adventure since the 1992-93 season and I along with every other Gers fan on the planet hopes that it continues past the upcoming round and we should all be thankful about what he has achieved and that he didn't walk out on us after the treble winning season of 2002-03 when he could rightly have walked away citing the downsizing of quality of the squad as a factor.
However this seasons domestic form has been unacceptable and it was only a matter of time before he was out of the door and some selections have been baffling particulary when he been playing people out of position and when they have been injured and that as I have said over and over again is highly detrimental to the players concerned and more importantly the team and that is simply not good enough and as for some of the signings, well, the less said the better but again with a few of them it was down to financial constraits more than anything.
I feel the timing of the announcement was a bit baffling as we all saw what happenend when it was announced halfway through the season that Walter Smith would be leaving and the team subsequently disintegrated and I thought maybe David Murray would have learned his lesson from this but seemingly not and as for the forthcoming investment I for one am very excited by it and I recognise that the reason nothing has been said is due to legal requirements and Rangers are not above the law so I am not too bothered as long as the new manager whoever it is and lets all hope it is Le Guen gets the funds to significantly improve the quality of the squad. lets not forget Le Guen is the man who put Essien, Shabani Nonda amongst others on the map and if we get him we can look forward to another exciting chapter in the clubs great history. This is after all the man described as the "French Mourinho". I understand from a well informed source that the figure could be around the 40-50 million pound mark and for goodness sake the money must be spent wisely so no more Kanchelskis, Prodans, Flo's or Hendry's please.
So what now? Well the players must recognise that they will be playing for their futures if they want to stay at the club and that might just make certain players play to their full capabilities and show the new man whoever he is what they can do, who knows maybe this is the short sharp shock that some of them need ands maybe they will want to do Eck a favour so he bows out on a high ,ok the league championship is a goner but second place is still achievable and the players must fight to the end and show as well how well they can play the game.
So there we go quite a day for the Gers and as we head into the weekend there will be a lot of mixed feelings amongst ourselves but lets not forget that while Eck is on his way out our great club isn't and there will still be great times ahead the future is ours not the past!
So from me Calgaryloyal i wish you all a good day and give a huge round of applause to Alex McLeish
Yesterday's Result - Feb. 9/2006
Still depressed after yesterdays result and it is perfectly obvious that radical action has to be taken at the club as it seems that the more experienced players are just not performing and on top of that McLeish has not been acting in the best interests of the club. Here are a few examples.
1) By continually picking Ferguson when he is far from fully fit and carrying an injury and not playing all that well when we have Gavin Rae just back from injury.
2)Fergusons lack of high performance since his return suggests that he is a comfort zone and therefore doesn't need to go out of his way to prove himself.
3)He keeps on picking Marvin Andrews and Kyrgiakos when it is clear that these two are not performing well and are not doing their jobs properly.
4)The fiasco with the two goalkeepers is a farce, Stefan Klos was consistently great for years and then gets dropped for a gaffe prone keeper although hopefully Mcleish will recall Klos to rightful place between the sticks.
5)The tactics are clearly not working and there seldom seems to be a back yup plan when things go against us the team needs to be prepared for all eventualities.
So while that by no means covers everything it is a clear indicator of some of the areas where things are clearly far from perfect. I know we haven't had a lot to spend but you only have to look at Hibs as an example of a team that plays as a unit, has flair, pace and passion and after their fine 7-0 win over Livingston it gives me a great deal of concern as to whether we can get 3rd spot and a UEFA cup place let alone 2nd place and a place in the Champions League qualifying rounds. I hate to be so pessimistic about things and as regular readers will know I try to be as positive as possible but today it is hard to be optimistic when we have results like the most recent two. I would not be surprised to see McLeish leave one way or another after we get knocked out of Europe and the way things are going we will get humped by Villarreal.
It will be very interesting to see what happens on Sunday as it always is at Old Firm games, as we will see what personnel changes are made and we will see how much character this team has and if it has the winning mentality and the self belief to bounce back and show how good they are and show if they deserve to wear the light blue jerseys.
Anyway folks thats all from me I hope you have a good Thursday and avoid Aberdeen fans thankfully I don't know any out here.
Yesterday's Result - Feb. 8/2006
Well it looks like we will be losing Kygriakos at the end of the season and he will be no great loss the only times he has played to his full capabilities has been in Europe and once we are out if I was Alex McLeish I wouldn't pick him again as we all know what a liability he has been at times and I think it may be worth giving Fan Fan another chance just so we can somehow justify his wages or as I have noticed this morning
Andy Websters representatives have broken off talks with Hearts and there is a player we could do with as he is young he has presence he has leadership attributes, he is Scottish and would be less liable to do moronic things in the penalty area and he would also cost next to nothing and not be so much of a prima donna.
I was also interested to read about the possibilty of more protests at Ibrox the next time we lose, now I know that performances at times this season have been dire and unacceptable domestically but in Europe where it really matters we have done really well and I for one would sacrifice domestic honours for a decent run in Europe which may be helped even more by Riquelme being injured I don't know when he will back but lets hope its not for a while. We have just lost an 11 game unbeaten run and at least being out of the cup means we can focus on pushing for 2nd place or hopefully 1st place and on conquering Europe heres hoping anyway.
Right troops thats enough from me, arrivederci.
posted by RangersMedia @ 2:48 AM
<< Home