Should Rangers take this risk?

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Should Rangers take this risk?
 Article by: Richard Fillingham

Last Sunday’s shambolic first half at Hampden Park, where we stood off a fast paced Celtic team and backed off deplorably, to ‘admire’ them play through us was the worst 45 minutes I have ever witnessed in a very one-sided match. Now the attention turns to Saturday’s final instalment of the Old Firm double header.

What is the best Rangers team Pedro Caixinha can select to try and get a result in the league?

Should we play a more defensive line-up at the start of the game? Picking a harder to beat X1?

Depending on what happens in the first 60 minutes, Ped could change the tactics for the last 30 minutes to a more attacking style. Especially, if we are behind in the match with 20 or so minutes to go and having to chase the game for a draw or all 3 points.

Let me explain what Walter Smith used to do against Celtic and he had more successes than any of the modern managers. He played very tightly by trying to have as many people in his side who could win the ball and then pass it.

If playing a flexible 3 – 4 – 2 – 1 formation, this is the team I would pick.

                                                      Foderingham
                                         Bates            Hill          Wilson
            Tavernier                Holt              Toral               McKay 
                                          Hyndman              Miller
                                                            Dodoo

Subs: Alnwick, Garner, Windass, Waghorn, Hodson, Beerman, O’Halloran

It is a risky approach, only going effectively with 3 at the back, but is it worth that?

Young David Bates can play at right back or centre back and Tavernier would play ahead of him, so they can both deal with Sinclair who is fast and a real handful if he is on form. I think we need Tavernier in the team but only as the right wing back, where he has the freedom to drive forward at every opportunity to help create real danger in the heart of the Celtic defence which is also their weakness. Also for his talent at pin-pointing free kicks around the box.

Roberts ran riot against young Beerman last Sunday and I would hope that on form Wilson and speedy McKay could take care of him at Ibrox this week.

The rest of my picks don’t need explaining.

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24 COMMENTS

  1. I will say this the 1.1 game was like the s
    Scottish cup game Selltic taking it very easy but got caught out with a late goal i just think if we open up and attack them we could score one or two goals but i just get the feeling in my gut they will hurt us more maybe three or four goals,i would keep it tight and do not go for it from kick off.

    • I think all three Celtic centre back options are vulnerable, especially Boyata who can't win a competitive header and regularly lands CG in trouble back passes.

  2. Think it's time we forget about winning anything until the summer. If all the reports are that then some of the players have jacked it in, they did the same with warburton who was too soft, and
    Now doing it after being put under pressure. Personally I'd drop most of the 1st team and play our youth team until the summer jist to see what they can do, is only keep miller, Wilson and fod at the mo, the rest can be replaced with youth and at least they would put effort in

  3. No rangers team should fear them.Go after them and we will win.stopping their run should be enough motivation.get wee fergie in there to spell it out before kick off. I would burst vessels to play against them.any real bluenose would. NO FEAR GERS C'MON LETS DO THIS AND SHUT SHREKS MOUTH.

    • How did that work out?
      Celtic are miles ahead of rangers and there won't ever be a time when they are in competition. You're working on blind hope. Desperate that it will work out ok. But it won't. Sorry.

      Next year rangers will be in a fight for 4th. Show me any evidence otherwise. King is ruining rangers and you're watching it happen, hoping it will stop instead of doing something about it. And the result is Celtic will win the league for years, and years to come. Face reality.

  4. You have a very unbalanced team there- fodderingham is half way between goal and corner flag for a start.

  5. Tavernier is a huge liability. Huge. We need hard tacklers and ball winners and we simply don't have them. If Cax can't get them up for this they should all f'kn go including him. I don't want to see a smile on his face after we are played off the f'kn park. What dumplin' picked this as our manager?

  6. i would play mc kay up top with dodoo, i seem to remember lovenkrands scoring twice in one game against them, wee barry could cause them all sorts of problems and u would find brown having to keep with him in a deeper position,this would stop him trying to dictate play. the bottom line is pedro wont do it .

  7. No matter wat team he puts out will b good enough not going to bust my head finking about it cos the players are miles below the standard of the manky mob I'll be going to the game expecting zero cos this lot are spineless bottlers results in the bigger games prove it.

  8. We need to make sure we have bodies blocking their path at every turn which means a defensive formation with plenty people central. 4-5-1 formation.

    Then we make sure our attacking players can break up the park lightning quick. Cast your mind back to when we beat Lyon 3-0 in France few years back and that was textbook what I'm talking about.

    I'd go with: –

    Foderingham, Beerman, Wilson, Hill, Bates, Holt, Toral, Hyndman, Tavernier, McKay, Miller

    Miller will be sole striker and will run himself into ground after an hour so Dodoo would replace him with his energy and pace.

  9. Ok at 7/2 i will have £50 on us we will win i am sure of that now Selltic have nothing to play for a good hard game will see them off lets do this lets win this one.

  10. All right my teddy bear friends! I am commenting as a Celtic fan! Read this blog as it's a balanced view although like all blogs including the Celtic ones has a few dodgy views and comments. I like how you discuss personnel and formations. I hope that the game tomorrow is competitive and exciting with loads of controversy, like a proper derby should be.

  11. Certainly a far more promising looking line up than what Pedro came up with last weekend! I just hope that if after 20 mins or so it's not working or certain players aren't at the races then he changes it i.e. if McKay starts and is as rotten as he has been recently then no point in going any further with it….. then give Windass a chance for example.

  12. Bottom line is we are all aware of the sad fact that current Rangers squad is short of talent and couldnt hold a candle to vast majority, if not all, previous Gers squads, right from the day Moses McNeil asks his pals if they wanted a game of fitba,

    BUT and it is a legitimate and justifiable BUT, I have seen many Septic teams down the years who were far superior to this current mediocre lot and feel there is no doubt that there qualities and abilities are hugely over rated in the media, but then when did the papers or telly ever let the facts or the bleeding obvious get in the way of their warped and hidden agenda driven approach to journalism, particularly in recent years where they have never passed up on an opportunity to join the cowardly baying masses who bent over backwards to stick the boot into us.

    However, my point is that as poor as we currently are there is absolutely no reason why with the right starting line up, tactics (Tora Tora Tora), pride, guts, self belief, we cant come out reasonably comfortably on top (2 or 3 -0) as the gap, which I acknowledge is there at the moment,is a hell of a lot narrower than reported plus I think its safe to say that if majority of team don't grow a pair today and go AWOL like last week then most wont be there much longer, hopefully they are sharp enough to have sussed that fact out and use it as an incentive rather than a threat.

    After recent events this is turning out to be not so much a game today but more of a job interview for ALL involved at Ibrox as a repeat performance would surely be unacceptable going forward

    Come on guys THEY ARE THERE FOR THE BEATING – BELIEVE IT!

    WATP

  13. We are crying out for a Graham Roberts style defender, who knows how to win a hard but fair tackle. I hate to say it but I wish Simunovic played for us. This is a sickener!

  14. That first half today is just as shambolic, Europa league? We will get humiliated by some Lithuanian team.

  15. If Caixinha is grinning and hugging that prick Rodgers at the end of the match again, he should be sacked!

    • he should be sacked anyway HIS team went on the park with no creative plan whatsoever. As a manager he looks lost….and obviously his "Scottish" appointment coach has went tits up cause he has no grasp of the enormity of an old firm game. Pitiful absolutely pitiful. Words fail

  16. Dave King Invest or GO we've all had enough now. We all want you to come out and publicly tell us what you're going to actually do and how much you plan to spend. If not step aside get yourself out off Rangers!!

  17. They can all GTF the manager& board included, in 48 year i've never felt this hmiliated,unless they beg walter to stop celtc we are fucked. i wil never defend this shower a shite again miller and hill being the exception.

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