Does Martyn Waghorn need a rest?

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Does Martyn Waghorn need a rest?

Of Rangers’ 33 matches this season, Martyn Waghorn has started 32, and been subbed on in the other.

To say Rangers’ talisman up front has been ever-present would be stating the case almost exactly, and if form over the past five matches is anything to go by, the former Wigan man needs a rest. Desperately.

The 26-year old has been absolutely stellar this season, a truly superb signing and has 27 goals in those 33 appearances – that speaks volumes for the impact he has had.

But it is evident to anyone watching Rangers that over the past few weeks his confidence has been low, his touch has deserted him and the goals have dramatically dried up.

Fundamentally Martyn Waghorn looks out on his feet and no one will surely know this more than his manager. While still working imperiously hard and sticking to his normal gameplan, the quality of his all-round play has been notably below his normal, while his finishing has been painful.

It is not like Rangers lack forwards to replace him with to give him a well-earned breather. The Ibrox men are absolutely chock-a-block with decent front men like O’Halloran, King, McKay, Forrester, Clark and Miller to name but six who can more than adequately fill in.

Some might say they would be substandard replacements for the contribution Waggy is capable of, but equally an off-form Waghorn is sadly not making that contribution.

A front three with any of those mentioned should still be good enough – no one player should be completely indispensible and that includes Waghorn. There are certainly enough options to cover him for a period.

Some might say giving him a rest would dent his confidence, and they are probably right, but worse damage is being done by every shot he misses, or bad touch he takes.

That said, his manager is the one with wisdom far beyond what you and I have, and he will make the right call, whatever it is.

If I was Rangers boss I would give Waggy a rest for a few matches, but I am not.

We will see what Warburton does come Tuesday.

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20 COMMENTS

  1. He looks miserable… Give him 2 weeks off in the sun. Worked with Sterling and Liverpool a couple years back.

    • I posted as far back as the Morton game that Waghorns head had gone down.He was on Mckays back all game whinin at him.I seen wee Barrie f***in him off and rightly so.Clark takes it stinkin from a lot of people,me included,but if he started that game he would have scored on Saturday.

  2. No he needs to stop feeling sorry for himself, the way to get through a bad spell is to graft harder & eventually it will start happening again, to many times recently if he misses a chance his head is down which can send bad vibes through the rest of the team, I said to my son at half time yesterday Mr Warburton needed to take him off because he is having a negative effect on the team, so if he doesn't stop feeling sorry for himself then just drop him not rest him

  3. It would be nice to have the resources to give Waghorn a week off but unfortunately the lack of an out and out target man is a significant problem and there is not one player other than Miller that could do the striker job. If we think Clark could then we are burying our heads in the sand.

    The problem is not that Waghorn is not scoring, the problem is that neither is any one else. Given the chances that were scorned against Alloa yesterday we should have won by seven or eight goals. Not one of our midfield players is scoring enough goals. We should be expecting at least ten goals each from our wingers, (and we should expect to see better corner kicks as well), and we should be expecting to see our attacking midfield players contribute with a similar number of goals in this division. As it is our right back is more effective than anyone else other than Waghorn.

    On days like yesterday we also lack a Talisman, someone like Gazza, that can waltz through the defence and score without assistance. Thankfully MOH looks like he is one player capable of this, next season we need an additional three or four of that quality!

    • When we hit that earlier slump , Law was out injured . When he came back into the side , we came good again . Is it any coincidence that we've been poor again over the last few weeks that he's been left out ? I know he was poor last season , but for me he's our most creative and attack minded midfielder this season. Also , there's too much pussy footing in and around the area , lets see more shots at goal getting fired in .

    • Law has chucked it.Think he's been told he's not getting a new deal regardless.Hope so.
      A disgrace last few seasons.

  4. We are playin in the 2nd tier of Scottish football ffs. The hat has done well to get the players he has. We will never get the standard of laudrup/ gazza again so it's time to get real. We are doing fine chill out

  5. Id say he needs to get his finger out & get cracking he is paid to score goals, simple, Although if you read "inside Futbol2 Kenny Miller says he will get a Hat trick against Kilmarnock so thats all right then. I am getting fed up with these excuses we should be beating these wee teams. look at Alloa a draw for gods sake, We need a better plan B, fair enough they parked teh bus but we need to be able to get round that issue, Its becoming a recurring theme now when Miller or somebody goes to press & says Oh we'll do this or that, Then the next week its we are furious/sorry we didnt score. Im getting fed up

  6. Thanl you Tom Anderson for this yesterday
    As it is our right back is more effective than anyone else other than Waghorn.

    So what is happening is our right back scores goals & the rest aint, Mr Warburton please sort it ou Thank you

  7. We will probly get the usual sh*te on tuesday, Rarin to go,Cant wait, Up for it etc etc, Then [hopefully] if we get a win it will be papered over, Waghorn needs to think about what he is doing & raise his aim, he is not gonna get anywhere whinging or gettin his mates to say how great he is

  8. I think with Rangers having strength and conditioning coaches at Ibrox these days, Waghorn would have been rested if he needed a rest. I again think that he is just lacking a wee bit of confidence just now. The negative outcome of this is that he is moaning at other players. However I have no doubt that he will come good again. Rangers bossed the game on Saturday and it was plain for all to see that it could have been ten one. Lets not get in to a panic or a frenzy about this. Everyone of us would have welcomed this league position and the decent football that we have now compared with the last few years.

  9. If we fail to get past Killie tomorrow then stand by for the same PR sh*t that followed the St Johnstone game.

    You could write the Level 5 headlines now………….It's all about winning the league and getting promotion to the SPFL, completely ignoring losing an opportunity for an early return to European competition.

  10. Could bring him on second half the next few games as he is a impact type player.
    The run in could be crucial so he will need to be at his sharpest by then. King & O' halloran
    would give most defences problems.
    Warbs needs to go 4-4-2 we are rangers ffs.
    We need the swagger back.

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