You Can’t Judge Rangers…Can You?
After recent entries focused on behind the scenes nonsense, it comes as
a genuine pleasure to write about football again. So if politics are what you
came for, I hate to disappoint you with 11 men kickin’ a baw.
a genuine pleasure to write about football again. So if politics are what you
came for, I hate to disappoint you with 11 men kickin’ a baw.
With a patchy 4-3 victory
achieved at Glebe park, to a 4th-bottom Brechin City,
coming back from both 2-0 and 3-1 down no less, it is abundantly clear this
Rangers team is incredibly difficult to judge.
achieved at Glebe park, to a 4th-bottom Brechin City,
coming back from both 2-0 and 3-1 down no less, it is abundantly clear this
Rangers team is incredibly difficult to judge.
More or less the same first XI
absolutely destroyed Stenhousemuir 8-0 at Ibrox, and have effectively coasted
their way through the season thus far, with only one defeat. Consequently
judging either the players or the manager is an extremely tricky process
because of the unprecedented nature of the situation Rangers find themselves
in.
absolutely destroyed Stenhousemuir 8-0 at Ibrox, and have effectively coasted
their way through the season thus far, with only one defeat. Consequently
judging either the players or the manager is an extremely tricky process
because of the unprecedented nature of the situation Rangers find themselves
in.
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| Dunno about you but I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it. |
It is difficult to give too high
a praise when a convincing win is achieved, because the disclaimer is ‘they should be destroying teams like this’.
Equally it is hard to criticise too harshly after a poor team display because
‘this club is used to playing Aberdeen, not Ayr’ and as a result the circumstances and comparisons
are thoroughly skewed.
a praise when a convincing win is achieved, because the disclaimer is ‘they should be destroying teams like this’.
Equally it is hard to criticise too harshly after a poor team display because
‘this club is used to playing Aberdeen, not Ayr’ and as a result the circumstances and comparisons
are thoroughly skewed.
Rangers fans are incredibly
fussy, and expect 8-0 every week, but of course footballers are human and will
not produce high-quality performances every match, no matter how poor the
opposition are.
fussy, and expect 8-0 every week, but of course footballers are human and will
not produce high-quality performances every match, no matter how poor the
opposition are.
However, with a return to the SPL
(Or ‘Premiership’ as it is now called) within mid-term sight it is worth
considering exactly where Rangers will be, personnel-wise, by the time the club
reaches the summit.
(Or ‘Premiership’ as it is now called) within mid-term sight it is worth
considering exactly where Rangers will be, personnel-wise, by the time the club
reaches the summit.
A valid question to ponder is how
many of the current squad are truly good enough for an SPL-winning Rangers
team? While the return to the SPL will almost certainly not yield a title
during the first season, Rangers fans, for the majority, will still expect it
to happen anyway.
many of the current squad are truly good enough for an SPL-winning Rangers
team? While the return to the SPL will almost certainly not yield a title
during the first season, Rangers fans, for the majority, will still expect it
to happen anyway.
As a result, it is worth
examining the quality of the current squad compared with the last SPL-winning
Rangers team.
examining the quality of the current squad compared with the last SPL-winning
Rangers team.
In 2010/11, Rangers’ team was,
give or take, the following;
give or take, the following;
Allan McGregor; Steven Whittaker,
Madjid Bougherra, David Weir, Sasa Papac; Maurice Edu, Steven Davis, El-Hadji
Diouf, Vladimir Weiss, Nikica Jelavic, Steven Naismith, Kyle Lafferty, Kenny
Miller.
Madjid Bougherra, David Weir, Sasa Papac; Maurice Edu, Steven Davis, El-Hadji
Diouf, Vladimir Weiss, Nikica Jelavic, Steven Naismith, Kyle Lafferty, Kenny
Miller.
Our first team today is, give or
take;
take;
Cammy Bell; Richard Foster, Lee
McCulloch, Bilel Mohsni, Lee Wallace, Ian Black, Lewis MacLeod, David
Templeton, Robbie Crawford, Nicky Law, Jon Daly, Andew Little, Arnold Peralta.
McCulloch, Bilel Mohsni, Lee Wallace, Ian Black, Lewis MacLeod, David
Templeton, Robbie Crawford, Nicky Law, Jon Daly, Andew Little, Arnold Peralta.
Ultimately, the difference
between the two squads is that the title-winning team only contained two
players signed from ‘lesser SPL teams’ – those being Naismith and Whittaker.
Nowadays effectively the entire squad is made up from such players and those groomed
through the youth system.
between the two squads is that the title-winning team only contained two
players signed from ‘lesser SPL teams’ – those being Naismith and Whittaker.
Nowadays effectively the entire squad is made up from such players and those groomed
through the youth system.
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| From a Croat international… |
Now, this is nothing fans do not
know. However, I polled the question on Twitter yesterday of who the fans
believe is good enough for a Rangers SPL team, albeit I excluded the term
‘title-winning’, and only one response of the many I got believed that a mere
solitary player, that being Lee Wallace, was good enough. The rest of the
replies considered the likes of Bell,
MacLeod, Law, Little, Mohsni and Templeton to be suitable.
know. However, I polled the question on Twitter yesterday of who the fans
believe is good enough for a Rangers SPL team, albeit I excluded the term
‘title-winning’, and only one response of the many I got believed that a mere
solitary player, that being Lee Wallace, was good enough. The rest of the
replies considered the likes of Bell,
MacLeod, Law, Little, Mohsni and Templeton to be suitable.
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| …to a reserve Norn Iron cap |
Is this ‘blue-tinted specs’? Have
Rangers fans standards dropped so much that we now feel a 25-year old Templeton
who has been, frankly, a grossly disappointing player for Rangers, is good
enough to play in an SPL Rangers team?
Rangers fans standards dropped so much that we now feel a 25-year old Templeton
who has been, frankly, a grossly disappointing player for Rangers, is good
enough to play in an SPL Rangers team?
Bottom line is few of these
players would have been consistently selected in the SPL prior to
administration. Only Wallace (who played along with Papac rather than instead
of him) and Foster managed it, and even then, the latter was a squad utility
player.
players would have been consistently selected in the SPL prior to
administration. Only Wallace (who played along with Papac rather than instead
of him) and Foster managed it, and even then, the latter was a squad utility
player.
It seems unlikely that Jon Daly,
Nicky Law, Ian Black or Dean Shiels (Remember him?) would even have been signed
by Rangers in the SPL let alone take up a space on the bench far less start
every week.
Nicky Law, Ian Black or Dean Shiels (Remember him?) would even have been signed
by Rangers in the SPL let alone take up a space on the bench far less start
every week.
This is not to deride them; Law,
Daly and Black are in particular having fine seasons. But the world will change
markedly when Rangers return to the top flight and supporters have to remember
that the current team (upcoming mid-term changes notwithstanding) will almost
certainly have a massive overhaul in 2015.
Daly and Black are in particular having fine seasons. But the world will change
markedly when Rangers return to the top flight and supporters have to remember
that the current team (upcoming mid-term changes notwithstanding) will almost
certainly have a massive overhaul in 2015.
I will put it out to you guys out
there reading this; do you agree with me that this team (and all the players in
it, with the possible exception of Wallace) is miles off the quality of a
title-winning Rangers SPL team? Or do you think there are fragments of isolated
quality (or more) in it which would be good enough to make the step up?
there reading this; do you agree with me that this team (and all the players in
it, with the possible exception of Wallace) is miles off the quality of a
title-winning Rangers SPL team? Or do you think there are fragments of isolated
quality (or more) in it which would be good enough to make the step up?