It’s been a long-running theme for Rangers, ever since promotion to the SPL. The increasingly awful record at Ibrox.
Rangers’ final season in the Championship under Mark Warburton did not see a single defeat at home, but once the top flight was attained, Fortress Ibrox, in the league at least (cup competitions were a bitter pill to swallow most of the time at Ibrox) was no longer and Rangers’ first season back in the SPL saw three home losses.
Not too bad in theory but we did only manage a third place finish. Then we look at this season; seven losses already and we aren’t even in April yet.
Staggeringly only two of those losses were under Caixinha – one the disgrace against Celtic, the other the Hibs loss with the Jack red card.
Graeme Murty, who a number of fans have decided is far better than Caixinha and has reintroduced the optimism factor, has lost five at Ibrox including three with the new signings.
We don’t dispute there is a better feeling at Ibrox, but when you look at the bare stats and the frankly horrible home record, a lot of that feeling is thanks to the away record. It is not incredible, it is what a Rangers team should be achieving. But the home record stinks.
And it has stunk worse under Graeme Murty than any other single manager in Rangers’ recent history.
You can mitigate all you like for fans putting too much pressure on the players and make claims that Ibrox is not a good atmosphere these days; but the place was far worse when the Ashley crew were around and sack the board was going on.
Yes, the opponents weren’t as tough as they are now, but Rangers didn’t have Greg Docherty and Jamie Murphy back then either. It was Ian Black and Fraser Aird.
The simple harsh truth is no manager since 2012 has lost as many at Ibrox as Murty has.
Let’s spin the record at Ibrox out to all competitions:
2012/2013 – L4 (Ally)
2013/2014 – L0 (Ally)
2014/2015 – L4 (Ally)
2015/2016 – L2 (Warby)
2016/2017 – L1 (Warby) L2 (Pedro)
2017/2018 – L3 (Pedro) L5 (Murty)
This is no way Ibrox Noise demanding the return of any of Ally, Warby or Pedro – far from it. But it is an attempt to illustrate the ‘good feeling’ sense we all have (even us on the site) had recently is a borderline illusion – we have seen great players coming in and that has excited us.
We have seen a good run in the SPL and that has been uplifting. But more probing analysis tells a different story, a story of how no manager has actually been worse than Murty when it comes to the numbers.
You want to point to the away record? It is a fair point – our away record is far stronger. But guess what;
Pedro Caixinha only lost two matches away from home. Murty has lost four.
The numbers simply do not add up as evidence Murty is taking us in a truly better direction.
We ‘feel’ better, but that, for us, is far more down to the fact we have some great players now. Players like Murphy, Cummings, Docherty, an on form Windass.
Murty’s general stats as Rangers manager are actually among the worst of the lot. As you can see above.
The one legacy of Murty is getting the best out of Windass – and the tactical genius there was putting him behind the striker, otherwise known as his ‘best position’. The fact every other manager played him on the left wing out of position has been converted into ‘tactical brilliance’ from the current manager rather than simply plugging a square peg into a square hole while accommodating Jamie Murphy, a dedicated left winger.
We know this probably sounds like a vicious attack on Murty, we do (it’s not intended as one, just a presentation of the facts). And we know how fickle we’ve seemed, given how positive we were up till Celtic.
But we also urged caution – and that Celtic, then Killie were the really big tests – the fact Murty failed them both badly made the Hibs loss a lot worse than an isolated incident.
But regardless of all of this, the record at Ibrox is an inexplicable eyesore, and whoever the heck the manager is, until that is massively improved, Rangers will do no more than fight for second place.
Spot on Ibrox Noise. Can't add to that, 100%.
OK the buck stops with Murty and his inexperience has let him down.
Not his fault thrown in at the deep end.
Great players really, the quality of players at Ibrox is some above average with scope!
12 of them not fit for purpose sorry 11 Nikos off.
Can't handle the heat at Ibrox half of them!!!!
Been saying it till I'm blue in the face our problem at home is the formation we have been playing .
This idea of flowing attacking football with two wingers .
It is far two easy to play against , proper managers know how we are going set out and know we won't change it , rarely anyway .
We should always play 442 at home with one winger candias or Murphy giving extra grit and graft in middle, and two strikers .
We go out at home and fly try kill game and if it doesn't happen we get frustrated and if we lose one that's us beat .
I'd like us to get a great ch in at start playing more defensively at home and having a more patient build up .It's not new Walters Smith never played with two wingers and teams were always tight and defense minded .
I'd like see a midfield if mcrorie as dm with Docherty and jack either side if him with Murphy floating on wings and across front two .
We try too hard to accommodate Windass all time! why ?
Windass scores goals bt his midfield play is dreadful at times .
But we all new time was needed and now we have cut points total that is got to be the way forward for now,if we can take a cup or two along the way that would be great,and that day will come when we will be on them from the start and fight for first place will be the norm, i just hope we can do this in the next 18 months but no later than 2 years its going be ups and downs but i hope for the best outcome,
Win rates: Caixhina 51% Murty 63%
No amount of figure manipulation and selective picking of statistics can change that
Nothing selective in it John – if Murty's 63% was taken at face value, he's as good a manager as Walter Smith. Is that really accurate? It's why we said there's a good feeling, but it's not really one which is backed up by the facts. If you're happy with the home record under him, more power to you.
But you don't win anything on your home record only. You've said that he has a poor home record, and even that Caixinha only lost 2 away games. If those are both correct how come Murty has a better record overall? And the numbers are the numbers – how can you say "Murty’s general stats as Rangers manager are actually among the worst of the lot." That's just not true. He has the highest win rate of any recent Rangers manager except Warburton funny enough, who was winning in a lower division.
And if Murty has better players than Warburton then fine but he doesn't have better players than Walter did does he?? Your whole argument is skewed – Murty can't possibly win can he?
We are also in second place in the league about 30 points closer to the scum than we were last season – how can you complain about that??? We hardly won an away game before Murty took over ffs.
John, we've presented facts. We presented them as an elaboration on the 'good feeling' and, in effect, Murty's overall win record, and why that doesn't really represent the true picture. As for not winning away games before Murty took over, again, it's not pretty for him. Pedro won 7 away games of 9 in the league, Murty has won 7 of 13.
IN – Murty hasn't lost 5-1 at home to Septic (and we were very lucky it was only 5 from memory), nor 2-0 to a team which has never won another European game before or since!
Very true John, and that's why Pedro is gone. But it's not really that accurate to say Murty is way better when you analyse the numbers. As we have said in previous articles, Murty, Warburton and Caixinha seems to be the manager market Rangers are in right now. One was a youth coach, one was a joke, and the other is out of work and attacking us on radio nowadays. In truth, it's hard to justify any of them.
Stats are stats !!! I think we need to have a sense check from where we were last season… Yes what we are watching now is much better, financially we are getting there slowly but moving forward once we get the season books sold and a good kit deal …we can move forward again ..Woh where is in the Managers job will need money ….Aleen had impressed with Murty in the Jan transfers ..Martin excluded…Young John ..playing at the highest level today against Uraguay…..Onwards …Scottish Cup then league next year
Josh windass has been talking about the crowd at Ibrox,when say we go down a goal, instead of the crowd supporting the team,we the crowd start giving them shit,ive followed Rangers for over 40 years,and i agree with him,i don't get to many games now because of ill health but the last few times I've been this season the home of my hero's is like a fuckin Morgue,whats happened to the atmosphere??? And on the subject of Murty send him back to the 20s and get someone in who's not everyone's pal.
I am becoming depressed reading the negative editorial content on this site. It is easier to criticise than than to offer constructive suggestions as to the way forward. The bottom line is that Murty is having to select a team made up of inherited players whose form has disappointed previous managers and loan players deemed surplus to the requirements of Premier and Championships in England. Having wasted valuable resources on the likes of Carlos Pena, the kitty is empty. There is no European bonus funds a certainty for next season and the directors are alledgedly keeping the club solvent with soft loans. What is the incentive for an investor?
We find your reply interesting Jimmy – it's actually more critical than anything we've said. All you've done is say we're borderline insolvent and there's no plan going forward. In fact, the only thing about this club you seem to like is Murty himself.
Can I ask IN, do you feel Jimmy Nichol has a role at Ibrox? I thought he was supposed to be the mentor, the eminence gris, advising Murty and making up for his lack of experience.
If this is true, why has he not been slated for the Celtic and Kilmarnock games? We can't blame Murty for not having experience, he hasn't pretended otherwise. We can't blame the board for giving him Nichol to bring the experience unless we feel Nichol is not good enough, so the only thing that is left is a) Nichol has failed to bring the experience and b) Murty is not listening to him unless it is c) we don't think Jimmy Nichol is up to it.
As there are a number of divergent opinions, but a lot of people think Murty is the wrong choice, can I ask them, and IN, what they think of Jimmy Nichol's performance
I’m with you in this one.. Bottom line that was the key role Walter had with Souness and Souness openly stated he got shit wrong but Walt saved him on a few occasions.. Not with IN it's not – just blame Murty!!
I've not seem much evidence of the two of them discussing options, especially in key moments in games when we are struggling to find solutions. That may not be Nichols fault.
Here’s a stat IN look at Cummings goal scoring ratio in the SPL and tell me he’s better than Morelos… You don’t like Murty ffs we all get it… Would be good to see something positive on here for a change….
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