Toothless Rangers tippy-tap to nothing

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Toothless Rangers tippy-tap to nothing

The pressure had been reduced slightly going to Pittodrie thanks to a convincing dispatch of Queen of the South, but the post-match hype over the quality of the display, hype Warburton was happy to humour, led to slightly false expectations once again.

And this has become a worrying trend this season. For every time Rangers beat a Peterhead 5-0 or a Queen of the South 5-0, suddenly everyone connected with the club believes a corner has been turned, before the next match where expectations come crashing back to earth.

Warburton’s selection for the visit to Aberdeen was a pretty predictable one with no surprises, with the usual 4-3-3 formation and Halliday holding in defensive midfield, and despite how obvious it was it still managed to produce something akin to a decent display with some zippy midfield play and a more convincing defence in that first half.

The problem appeared to be the complete lack of any end product whatsoever, and that is another recurring theme against the better quality sides. Indeed, in the first half there were zero shots on target, and Lewis only had one save to make, itself from a wild deflection.

It was the same old Rangers pass pass pass with lots of flanking and overlapping, but a dismal absence of killer instinct – teams absolutely know how to handle Mark Warburton and his system, and with the calibre of SPL sides being a fair old leap up from the Championship, the seventh place Rangers currently reside is, it has to be said, a very accurate reflection of the displays.

Sure, Warburton will curse the call which incorrectly gave the home side a free kick from which they scored a stunning winner, but nevertheless his side created so little, it really only lost Rangers one point because at no point did anyone in a blue shirt look like they believed they could win, and McInnes’ side barely had to defend, in truth.

In the end, fair free kick or not, it is yet another reality check for Rangers who continue to disappoint when it truly counts. Sure, Aberdeen is a tough place to go, but a Rangers with anything more to their game than the same tired old tactic might actually have reaped more, such was the home side’s relative unimpressiveness.

While they were hardly put to the sword themselves, it must not be forgotten McInnes’ side was pretty poor too, but the difference is they took their chances, and looked far more dangerous in attack than Rangers, with flowing counters and close things a pretty regular occurrence.

Rangers are in a quandary right now. Warburton’s tactic continues to flatter against any weak side (something Rangers will only possibly face again in the Scottish Cup) but when against league opposition it is exposed viciously.

Warburton claimed the difference between Queen of the South and County was that against Queens Rangers were more clinical, while against County they had not taken their chances. No mention of the difference in quality of the opponent.

And while there was indeed a lot to commend about the display v Skelton’s side, and it showed signs of progress, anything meaningful derived from it is well and truly doused now.

The Rangers rollercoaster goes on, with more lows than highs it has to be said, and two wins of seven is quite simply abysmal.

Worryingly, it is unclear whether this team or its manager ‘can do better’.

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59 COMMENTS

  1. i thought, the goals aside, Gers were the better side overall. certainly in the 1st half. the amount of shots that flew over the bar was bloody annoying as is the needless freekicks. they need to work on their decision making during the game and make sure of a pass.

  2. No end product, not aggressive enough, not enough quality Jst can't go up a level. Decision to give that freekick was laughable such an easy decision to get right ref was in perfect position bt we shudnt need to rely on penalties or the ref making wrong decisions to get something from a game, defence makin same mistakes as usual not gd enuf!!

  3. Waggy was posted missing , he never kicked his own ar+e and for me this sums the guy up when we need him . Hill was poor but you cant fault the guys effort and wee Holt has become absolutely indispensable . Aberdeen were MINCE but its our own fault for not finishing .As has been said all that tippy tappy pish near our own 18yd box is an accident waiting too happen .

  4. We just need to start getting behind our team and man up. It's going to clearly take time to get fighting fur the top. If we're realistic then we won't be disappointed. Keep supporting our manager and players.

    • Fuck off. How much more of this shite can we handle.Time and time again people like you spout the same shite. Sure it takes time to recover but the manager is not able to compete in this league. Thanks Warbs, now fuck off.

    • Martin, This is the famous Glasgow Rangers we are talking about here, not Elgin City or some other ordinary unambitios outfit and to be 100% realistic the cold/sad truth is that to continue blindly supporting a management team that constantly fails in all aspects of their duties i.e. team selection, transfer crazies, tactics, tippy tapping football to the point of punters losing the will to live, with absoloutely no end product while insisting, no matter how reckless, on attempting to play pass football from our 18 yard box with current sub standard players (technically speaking) is simply not acceptable, Wilson & Hill may just have got pass marks today but that is only being highlighted cause it is the exception to the rule these days given the pantomimes of recent times and seriousely begs the question of what positive contribution to the cause DW providing, answer = bugger all, you dont need to be Septic Peg and It totally pains me to point this wake up call to all bears but fact is we must get rid of The Hat, DW and that trouble making wee scouse git asap and move on with a manager who operates on this planet, we are still live and kicking which is, and always will be, the most important thing and if we move now WE WILL stop them getting 10 but a couple of bitter pills need to taken, however reluctantly, very very soon, I expect many bears will disagree with my points and way forward but all I ask of them is to check in to these pages in 6-8 weeks and tell me then that I am over the top cause I guarentee there will be a clamour for their heads by that time as things aint going to get any better with the Chuckle Brotheres at the healm, WATP

  5. The last half hour against QOS showed us all the way Rangers can win games by playing two very fast wingers who are very capable of going past opposition fullbacks, aiming for the corner flags to stretch their defence and quickly cut passes back for our onrushing strikers. We hit five goals and it could have been ten.
    Today we had no one on the right wing therefore crowding out our striker position. Why on earth MW can't see this is beyond frustrating, it's fucking maddening. I can't bear to see this repeated in every fucking game. McKay and MOH are match winners by not going near the opposing penalty box. On today's performance Waghorn, Kranjcar and Mr Warburton should hang their heads and Warburton MUST, MUST fuckin' wise up. Running in channels is for ships sailing between England and France, forget it on a football field, it quite simply becomes an iron curtain in front of our strikers.Play to the wings, your Plan A is becoming a total disaster for Rangers football club.
    As soon as I saw MOH missing from the teamsheet I said we're fucked with crowding out our striker again. I'll let you guys decide but I have had enough of this shit.

    • Spot on there is absolutely no goal threat whatsoever as they wont commit players into the box for a quick cross.His style of management makes possession more important than goals. Taxi for Mr Warburton if he does not want to change the style of play then we will keep getting the same results

    • I've had enough of this chap too, we're 7th in league and falling drastically we won't win heehaw with this management

    • Alex who r u kidding that rangers team is crap ,there best results have been to teams like qos lower league teams,the fitba we play is crap bottom line I think rangers will be fighting relegation

  6. Why are people always so negative on this forum? FFS, so we've lost a few games but it doesn't really tell the whole story. We had 59% possession and more shots at goal than Aberdeen. When we were awarded the penalty we were right back in the game and could have gone on to win
    It's not even the end of September and people are already taking as if our season is over. There is a lot of football to be played this season and septic will have their off days too. We are not out of the running yet. WATP… In Warbs we trust!

    • A ball kicked 20 feet over the bar does not count as a shot on goal, if it does you must think a Foderingham clearance must also be counted.A shot on goal should be exactly that. The Aberdeen goalkeeper had one save therefore Rangers had one shot on goal and missed. Par for the course in our quest to win the SPL I'm afraid. Forget shots at goal, lets see fuckin' shots ON goal preferably landing in the back of the opposition's net.

    • We're not out the running for what? We have won two lost two and drawn 3. We have scored 8 goals and let in 11! And please give it a rest with this nonsense patter of posession! It is totally irrelevant! Posession counts when it turns into something.,posession with no end product goes by another name….wastefulness. In Warbs we don't trust..anymore

    • Its not the result its the ignorance from the coaches to realise they went into this campaign with a defence that will not cope. But they're all friends so it's ok…

      So yes we are out of the running against a mediocre celtic side.

      We have a striker who scores goals through the middle so we play him out wide?

      The best team keeps losing because of coaching choices. Negative goal difference says it all. If I was waghorn I wouldn't sign that contract

  7. 8 goals in 7 matches tells it's own story.

    The Tims have scored 23 in 6, ffs!

    They gave that Aberdeen team a doing, we are in 7th place with a wage bill higher than the rest of Scottish football put together with the one exception.

    Unless the financial situation is sorted things are not going to get any better. Celtic ' s turnover is likely to be north of £80m in their next accounts, our last audited accounts showed revenue of £19m.

    We don't have a single saleable asset.

    We signed Joe Garner who will get sent off more often than he will score goals.

    Celtic have Dembele who will go for £20m next season, Rodgers will strengthen in the next 2 windows and make sure of CL participation again next season , another £30m in the kitty.

    What's King and his board doing………feck all, whilst Celtic disappear from sight!

    Next season they will be going for 7 IAR and our board are hapless.

    The accounts are due out shortly…….another loss with little show of progress despite getting home cup draws at every opportunity.

    King promised transparency of which there is feck all……..no surprise I suppose with a convicted fraudster calling the shots, a man who is toxic in the finalcial world, his reputation goes before him.

  8. When is war Burton going to get rid of our second rate right back and try to change his tactics now and again his transfers during the were poor he should have looked at some good young scots instead second rate player from the lower leagues in England 1.5 million on garner when he could have signed hemmings for a sixth of that and he scored about 20 in the Scottish premier league last season

    • yes tavernier a liability he's up there with Keirnan as being responsible for losing goals Aberdeens first goal? no right back he was wanderin around the centre circle.Needs to be first and foremost a defender and Kranjcar comin on just increased Holt and Hallidays midfield efforts..we are bottom part of league time for serious managerial questions.

  9. Aye right Kenny, 10 points behind after 7 games, will be 25 before the season is finished.

    I thought European football was a shoo in, not now.

    Top 6 at best.

  10. Look we got beat in a game we looked good in but we only looked good in a game when we where behind other team defends we move more we look good we have more of the ball we are just not good enough so lets stay where we are top six team until we can buy better players well done MW and the team.

  11. We are a deluded lot. We are getting completely duped again. MW should never have been allowed near Rangers he has done nothing in football apart from taking Brentford on a good run (so what). He was an experiment for Rangers that has obviously gone wrong. MW should be sacked now prior to getting hammered by Septic next month which I imagine will be his last game anyway. As for a replacement its an impossible job. Massive expectation with zero cash. Come on King let us know what your plan is!

  12. Warburton, in my opinion, in the major problem. We have a squad of good players who, if they were not coached to make keep ball the name of the game, would win matches. The lack of drive, energy and ambition going forward with the ball is noticeable and dismaying. All the players want to do is 'find a man', so we consistently overplay it or take it forward so slowly that poor sides are back and organised let alone sides with any quality. That Aberdeen side were rank but never mind the opposition, it's our constent lacklustre approach which is the problem. It can only be the coaching and no matter how long we wait it will not change until he is changed. Waiting for it to improve is going to do no more than wait till it's far too late to get anywhere near where this present squad are capable of, but like his 4-3-3 he has no other ideas, unfortunately. I really liked Warburton's responses as manager when he came in last year, but he has consistently been too predictable, one tactic and devoid of response to opposition tactics and I say change him quickly or we face a whole season of this.

  13. We have to get behind the manager and the team instead of ripping them apart after every game. We didn't win it but if we had we would have been second in the table. We had some bad luck today but there's a long way to go.

    • Yes, and that will get us wins Roly…or we could harden up, get rid of this bad appointment now before we're all left with a sour taste. We got this one wrong, it looked ok for a while last year but the second half of the season and the start of this one has showed he is badly out of his depth.

  14. Tempting as it is, going all out negative on this performance does not help. Having said that there are a few fundamental issues which need to be fixed quickly. Firstly, we need a right back who is primarily a defender. Today Tavernier was exposed or both goals and caused Wilson to pick up a yellow card early in the second half. Secondly, Waghorn is not a right sided attacker, we need to play players in their most natural positions – O'Halloran on the right would have offered more balance. Thirdly, linked to my second point 4 – 3 – 3 cannot work in every game. MW needs to consider alternatives. We have good variety in the squad and could play various formations, but no matter which one is selected having both Waghorn & Tavernier on the right does not work. Yes – it's been a very frustrating start to the season, we cannot make any changes until January and even then mid-season changes are rarely effective. Lastly, was out next manager a pundit for todays match ?

    • Totally agree Richard, but it's not about being negative for negative's sake, it's about being realistic. The manager has shown he is incapable of change, he was like that last season too, the overall tactic 4-3-3, the type of play, slow possession based obsession, the same players are picked Tav, Wallace, McKay and Garner should have been left out and Hodson, Halliday, MoH and Dodoo should be given a chance to show what they can do. Even if he was to respond in some small way to the response to the way other coaches play against him I could accept that, but he's just like a rabbit in the headlights. I don't think we need to buy, greatly but I do think we need a coach and I was thinking exactly as you are, he is certainly a man who knows what he's talking about, doesn't suffer fools and likes to win, fancy football or not.

    • There will be no money to make changes in January……the ST monies will be long gone and the board will have to dig deep to keep the lights on.
      Club1872 will have to step up to the mark as well.

      King and the board have failed big time.

    • I totally agree, we need to be realistic, AND, I do believe a top 4 finish with the squad we have is very realistic. My preference is to switch to a 4 2 3 1 – with everyone available i'd try Gilks, Hobson, Senderos (Hill), Wilson, Wallace, Rossiter, Crooks, O'Halloran, Windass (Kranjcar), Forrester (McKay), Garner (Dodoo). It's a more robust back 4 with good protection but all can play from the back when appropriate. The front four would offer pace and a more direct threat…. I m sure there will be many opinions on the personnel but I think we have wide spread agreement we need an option to change the formation, a more solid defence an allow the front 4 the freedom to express themselves.

    • Agree with you Richard. Tav must be dropped immediately.. Unfortunately, the manager constantly praises him for his efforts going forward, a point I would also argue given amount if crosses he hits first man with, so we have little chance of this changing.

      I wouldn't return to Mcleish as the comment above suggests. I think mcinnes is our man.. Same style of player as we currently possess (pacey wide attackers) but a bit more pragmatic than Warburton. His comment on tavernier lunging for the free kick from a bad starting position was telling.

  15. What are the deficiencies in our play and how can we redress the problems?
    How many readers agree that we 'control the ball', somewhat slowly until we get to the final third and fail to convert our play into goals? Passes left to right and back again! We simply lack penetration. We are not troubling defenders either by getting in behind and lack imagination, quick feet to create opportunities. Play breaks down and we are very often faced with a quick break against our over-committed defenders. both fullbacks up the park and 2 midfield players stranded. Add to the equation 2 inadequate centre backs. The system is far too expansive.

  16. So we should have won that game as well warburton?

    We'll be the best performing 7th place team in SPL history. Another record for Rangers!!!

  17. Hi… Earlier post interrupted. (problems/solutions) some may think thank freck! so. Perhaps a change in the system to tighten up possession and give greater protection to the centrebacks? 4:2:3:1 with Rossiter and Crooks in front of the back 4. Holt allowed to play in the middle of the 3 and make his decisive runs into the box. Gives us a little more control and stability, although does not solve the set piece misgivings?

    • where is Rossiter…….has his injury problems followed him up the road from Liverpool?

      Another poor recruitment, well done Warbs and McParland.

  18. You simply can't have the second biggest budget in the country, The best training academy in the country, a roster of good managers and coaches and be sitting 7th in the league with -3 goal difference. I am not interested in hearing this garbage about it's a building proccess and takes time. Tell that to Robbie Neilson who's won promotion for Hearts and been near the top of the SPFL since! Mark Warburton just doesn't have what is required it is very obvious to see. His style of play is poor. lots of little meaningless passes to keep posession which means nothing when you can't finish. It is time we began seriously looking for a new manager for January that can come in a steady us and get himself a good start for next season. And King needs to find money from somewhere because it looks more and more like a rebuilding job needs to take place with far too many of Warburtons signings not good enough for this level of football..WATP

    • There is no money for players……….someone should ask James Blair how much money is in the Club 172 bank account?

      I've cancelled my DD as I have no idea what's happening with the contributions.

  19. I am sick of listening to Warburtons excuses. Aberdeen were there for the taking and we blew it again. If we are beaten badly by septic in the semi then I believe that will be Warburtons Deila defining game i.e. sacked!

  20. Still September and the league challenge is already over.

    Never mind the defensive problems, we have only scored 8 goals in 7 league games…..Celtic have scored 23 in 6!

    Warbs and McParland were being lauded for their summer recruitment. It's not looking very clever now.

    The manager is already complaining about the winter break ………….what are we going to do for 3 weeks he moans?

    The failed board must have told him there's no money to ship the team out to the Algarve for some winter sun.

    Here's a suggestion Warbs, sort out the feckin defence.

  21. We are a project that would take 5 years to come to fruition. We don't have 5 years mr warburton. This is Rangers not Brentford. There is simply no cutting edge to our system its not working against proper full time teams. Believe me I would love it if it was but its not. You don't win points by keeping the ball all day. Like someone said before I think he would be magic coaching kids I'm afraid

  22. Week by week we slip further and further down the table. A guy in the work was slagging me on friday, saying how if we lose to aberdeen, who the tims destroyed, that we could end end up facing lennons hibs in the play off's this season. I told him where to go, that we would beat aberdeen. Now I dread going into work again tomorrow. How long must we put up with this nonsence? How many more weeks of decent play but no result's?
    This isnt good enough, someone has to step in and end this garbage once and for all.

  23. Bears, bears, bears, everybody needs to calm doon, throwing mud at one another is not the answer, whats that gonna get us apart from dirty faces. No – we need to think this one thru calmly and rationally, then get the trackies on and head for Ibrox with alsatians and pitchforks!

  24. Aberdeen's first goal said so much, the defence totally asleep, out of position and absolutely no awareness of the danger.
    My hopes, as with so many, for this season are being blown away in every game and there's doesn't seem anything is being done about it.
    Looks like Warburton is being found out, the jump up from last season is proving to be a bridge too far.

  25. People keep picking Rossiter in their team selections but no one knows where he is, or what is the nature of his injury.
    His career foundered at Liverpool as he was permanently injured……..does anyone know what's going on with him?

    He's on a 4 year contract at £10k per week plus bonus…….. where's the fecking transparency promised by King and a board that has failed the support?

    • its been said on a well known site,,rangers site,,the poor lad has a muscle wasting disease and has had for years,,supposedly liverpool where keen to move on believing he,s finished,,,,ask yourself who also came in for 8 million rated kid?i,m not downing kid but as time goes by the storie becomes believable.

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