Why THIS Steven Gerrard decision left us baffled
A lot to chew through and as is normal during a new Rangers regime these days, it gets off to a stuttering start and our fans get instantly divided between the grumpy ones who aren’t happy (us) and the optimistic ones (the rest) who think it takes time.
Happened with Pedro, Murty, and when things went south for Bread Man, him too.
But we were puzzled, truly, when in the second half, manager Steven Gerrard removed Daniel Candeias (already utterly out of position in the middle) and replaced him centrally with defensive midfielder Ryan Jack in an attacking role.
We’re at a loss for all of this in truth.
First off, why is Josh Windass, a 10 at best, occasionally a left winger, now our right flanker?
Secondly, why is Daniel Candeias, our POTY last season, being shoved into the middle from the right? He’s been utterly anonymous in both Ibrox encounters.
Thirdly, why bring on Ryan Jack at all?
Fourthly, why, as an attacking midfielder, when he’d been out for eight months and isn’t an attacking midfielder?
Fifthly, while we’re pleased Ojaria and Middleton got run outs and impressed (our best players, incidentally), why did they not come on in Jack’s place?
We get that Stevie is introducing new ideas, and a new shape. We don’t oppose that if it works.
He’s learning the ropes and we all knew this would be the case. But some of last night’s management puzzled us.
Why was the team actually worse after his half time team talk than in the first half?
In Stevie We Trust? Of course not – he’s only just started. Would you immediately trust a new manager who is still only learning? Would you trust anyone in any position implicitly before they actually earn it?
What we accept is we go along with Gerrard’s ideas – we urge caution and we hope his legendary status and general knowledge of the game proves him correct.
We didn’t blindly trust Pedro, nor Warburton, nor Murty.
That is something a Rangers manager must earn – and we will give him time.
But we won’t implicitly trust from the off. Especially if he plays Ryan Jack as an AM!
How do you all feel?