Easter (Road) surprise?
The return of the tormenters is the event of the week for Rangers fans to look forward to.
Having enjoyed tremendous recent success against the Ibrox giants, the Edinburgh side Hibs will be hoping, and perhaps expecting that they can crush the hosts once again on their own patch.
The previous encounter between the two was so one-sided as to be embarrassing. Out fought, out paced, and practically outnumbered, Rangers were given a severe footballing lesson which only the goal from Sebo late on managed to temper a mite.
Le Guen got just about everything wrong that day, and will be praying for a much better performance from his men and that he manages to implement the correct strategy. Crucially, he must not underestimate what this Hibernian side are capable of. Firing three goals past Rangers at Ibrox is not a wholly easy task to fulfil, yet their last two visits to Govan have reaped this number of goals at an almost effortless canter.
It seems that Smith will return at left back to replace the hopeless Papac, which is a relief on paper, but actually slightly troubling given Smith holds his hands up to a dreadful performance at Easter Road when he was outwitted in every way by Sproule. It was his worst display for the blues, and it is hoped his return from injury will be a much happier occasion and that he manages to grasp the fundamentals of nullifying the threat of the Northern Irishman.
Adding further spice to this fixture are the strong links suggesting a move from Edinburgh to Glasgow for the midfielders Thompson and Brown. Speculation has been rife about the chances of one or both of these joining the Ibrox ranks in January, rumours bolstered by the revelation that minutes after his side’s victory over Dundee Utd, Brown handed in a transfer request. His agent Willie McKay has been conspicuous by his recent presence in the press, working for his client tirelessly although his motives are suspicious at best, and Hibs’ manager John Collins reportedly tore the request up on receipt and dismissed it in its entirety.
However, surely the £3M asking price each is a gargantuan stumbling block for Rangers, a club unwilling to invest serious cash in any player these days.
On the flip side, a player recently linked with a move away from Ibrox is the flame-haired winger Burke. After pouring cold water on an apparent £12,000 deal, then vacating the negotiating table, Burke failed spectacularly to ingratiate himself to the supporters, before hastily getting a quote in the Rangers News committing his desire to stay at Rangers. The cynic would suggest this is plan B, should he fail to get the move away and the substantial wage increase, to keep the supporter onside rather than giving him grief in the event he stays.
Curiously enough, Rangers’ best run of the season, four matches unbeaten in all competitions, was in Burke’s absence.
However, tracking back to the impending fixture, and of course the one key player missing for Rangers is Boyd. Injured by a foul against Falkirk, a scan revealed the worst, that he is out for a month. His goals will be sorely missed for sure, and it is up to Le Guen to juggle the side to compensate. Conceivably either Sebo or Buffel will replace him, and with Sebo being a straight swap, it is more likely to be him. Or perhaps Prso will play as the lone striker with Buffel on the left wing and freedom to cut inside.
Either way, a tough game is in prospect.
Having enjoyed tremendous recent success against the Ibrox giants, the Edinburgh side Hibs will be hoping, and perhaps expecting that they can crush the hosts once again on their own patch.
The previous encounter between the two was so one-sided as to be embarrassing. Out fought, out paced, and practically outnumbered, Rangers were given a severe footballing lesson which only the goal from Sebo late on managed to temper a mite.
Le Guen got just about everything wrong that day, and will be praying for a much better performance from his men and that he manages to implement the correct strategy. Crucially, he must not underestimate what this Hibernian side are capable of. Firing three goals past Rangers at Ibrox is not a wholly easy task to fulfil, yet their last two visits to Govan have reaped this number of goals at an almost effortless canter.
It seems that Smith will return at left back to replace the hopeless Papac, which is a relief on paper, but actually slightly troubling given Smith holds his hands up to a dreadful performance at Easter Road when he was outwitted in every way by Sproule. It was his worst display for the blues, and it is hoped his return from injury will be a much happier occasion and that he manages to grasp the fundamentals of nullifying the threat of the Northern Irishman.
Adding further spice to this fixture are the strong links suggesting a move from Edinburgh to Glasgow for the midfielders Thompson and Brown. Speculation has been rife about the chances of one or both of these joining the Ibrox ranks in January, rumours bolstered by the revelation that minutes after his side’s victory over Dundee Utd, Brown handed in a transfer request. His agent Willie McKay has been conspicuous by his recent presence in the press, working for his client tirelessly although his motives are suspicious at best, and Hibs’ manager John Collins reportedly tore the request up on receipt and dismissed it in its entirety.
However, surely the £3M asking price each is a gargantuan stumbling block for Rangers, a club unwilling to invest serious cash in any player these days.
On the flip side, a player recently linked with a move away from Ibrox is the flame-haired winger Burke. After pouring cold water on an apparent £12,000 deal, then vacating the negotiating table, Burke failed spectacularly to ingratiate himself to the supporters, before hastily getting a quote in the Rangers News committing his desire to stay at Rangers. The cynic would suggest this is plan B, should he fail to get the move away and the substantial wage increase, to keep the supporter onside rather than giving him grief in the event he stays.
Curiously enough, Rangers’ best run of the season, four matches unbeaten in all competitions, was in Burke’s absence.
However, tracking back to the impending fixture, and of course the one key player missing for Rangers is Boyd. Injured by a foul against Falkirk, a scan revealed the worst, that he is out for a month. His goals will be sorely missed for sure, and it is up to Le Guen to juggle the side to compensate. Conceivably either Sebo or Buffel will replace him, and with Sebo being a straight swap, it is more likely to be him. Or perhaps Prso will play as the lone striker with Buffel on the left wing and freedom to cut inside.
Either way, a tough game is in prospect.
posted by RangersMedia @ 4:02 PM
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