Warburton’s biggest test yet

12
Warburton’s biggest test yet

With the blasted Scott Allan saga
finally over, Rangers can move on at long last, onto things that truly matter.
And that begins tomorrow at Recreation
Park, and a trip to
Rangers’ (former) bogey side Alloa Athletic where so many recent Ibrox managers
have struggled to get a result.
Indeed, it was not till, oddly,
Kenny McDowall took the trip to Clackmannanshire that Rangers managed their
first win v the Wasps on their own patch since 1922. Admittedly the two have
only faced each other on Alloa’s territory three times in history, but
post-admin Rangers struggled to get anything more than a point there.

This is the first trip for Mark
Warburton’s revitalised Rangers to the artificial turf, and with 12 goals in
three competitive matches, we could glean a great deal from tomorrow’s
performance and result.
If Rangers go to a plastic pitch
on a traditional bogey ground against a bogey team and this time produce even a
half-decent display and get the win, it will be the first time in the modern
era that has been achieved.
Plastic pitches are notorious for
the difference they make. Players do not have the same sense of smooth balance
and predictability they do on grass, and such surfaces are especially hard work
for wingers. The fact the surface just ‘feels’ different psychologically
affects players’ performance.
Fans can make the contrary
argument that it is the ‘same for both teams’ – very true, but one of those
teams experiences 18 matches on that surface every season, and 18 on grass,
while the visiting team experiences only two on that surface and 34 on grass.
So it does give the home side a
huge advantage.
And that is the test for
Warburton. To prove that his side has progressed so much compared with last
season that such an obstacle is irrelevant.
I should iterate the mention of
the pitch is not an excuse – Rangers are a much better team than Alloa so,
artificial surface or a mudbath, the playing conditions are no fall-back
crutch.
But what is certain is Alloa, as
Rangers’ long-standing bogey side (well, them and QoS), have the Indian sign
over the Govan men and the biggest way to prove Warburton and his sweeping
changes are the real deal, beyond thrashing Hibs, beyond dispatching St Mirren,
is to overcome, with a hint of finesse, Danny Lennon’s XI.
A good result would also finally
get attention off players who do not want to play for Rangers, and focus it
back on those who do.

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12 COMMENTS

  1. Sellik will never change, let's face it. They invented sporting integrity after all.
    They have now bought to stop Rangers signing but don't forget…he played for Hibs and did when they bottled it last season, wellhe was on the park. Not as good as hyped up to be and will rarely play for sellik. Rod Spewtree and his haterd of all things Rangers is at the root of this, I hope all Gers fans give Easter Road a wide bearth and give the NO money

  2. It will be no surprise to see D Lennon's team well fired up for this but I think Rangers will have too much quality for them to be honest. I also think that of course the home side has the advantage on the dreaded plastic pitches, and Rangers haven't played well on them before but lets face they weren't playing well on grass pitches either last season!!.We now have a management/coaching team worthy of the title and I look forward to a hard fought 2-0 victory.

  3. Hib’s have lost their best creative player from last season championship for a song, while better than losing the player for nothing it's still a loss and they know it. Money brought in is going right back out to pay Farmers £500K. Celtic having gained a good championship player that to be honest is probably no better than what they should already have or something is wrong. Celtic shopping in the championship is just a sign of the times having no real competition and only spending if they get into the group stages of the CL. Hardly earth shattering and not even close to the whole Mo Johnston affair now that was proper trolling from Rangers. Rangers benefit that Hib’s midfield has lost that bit of spark that Allan brought last season and Gers will be as determined as ever. Mark W has experienced how some Scottish clubs deal and it will be of benefit. Celtic get a new bench warmer that will give whatever attendance something to cheer about when he comes on for 15 mins till next week and everyone has moved on.

  4. 15th May Scott Allan says I am praying to get the chance to sign for my boyhood heroes 14th August he says I am absolutely delighted to sign for Celtic such a fantastic club it is an honour and cant wait to play my part in bringing success to our supporters!! there we were all thinking that his boyhood heroes were Rangers it turns out that he is a closet soap dodger hope he performs to the same level with them as he did down south We are born Rangers fans and we die Rangers fans no way any of us would sign for the manky mob

  5. TBH what do we expect from footballers they talk absolute sh*te, remember all the drivel from messrs naismith,whittaker etc . This man Warburton is the real dele lets get behind him & support the team & get the f*ck outrta this league as quick as possible, i would like to see the season done & dusted by xmas. Mind you the way scots fitba is we will probably get deducted points for some reason!

  6. Let's be honest he is a half decent player that would have almost guaranteed promotion but being as he's still gone the same applies. Quite funny how he looked about as comfy as a bed of nails with that manky kit on though

  7. Alright can we do a Hearts with the team we have now will they cut it in the top flight?.
    Time will tell but we are on a run now hope it lasts.

  8. Yes, that was a BIG test lol. Actually on a different note, how pathetic was the Alloa player greeting to the papers after Oduwa done him with the flick? Sad thing is I knew that would happen as soon as the move was executed, had a Celtic player done it, the guy would have gone down on the pitch and given it the we're not worthy hero worship bow, and told the papers how great it was to be done by one of his heroes. What am I saying? Nobody in green white could've done that. Same reaction when Kanchelskis showboated years ago, so I knew the same would happen, nobody in blue is supposed to show a it of individualism apparently.

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