What has happened to Nikola Katic?

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What has happened to Nikola Katic?


There are a tonne of things to get through with regards today’s atrocity in Livingston, but one thing is starting to really stand out – what has happened to Nikola Katic.

Still learning, sure, but along with Connor Goldson our best defender and for some unknown reason the underwhelming Joe Worrall has seemingly come in and nicked his place.

After Connor Goldson was rested midweek for Worrall to come in, once again the on-loan Forest stopper started, and back in the place of the Croatian.

We’re at a loss as to:

Why Worrall is emerging as a regular starter when Katic is clearly superior – his partnerships with both he (V Ayr) and Goldson (Villarreal, Livingston) appears to have absolutely no chemistry or communication, with the most we see being Worrall yelling at everyone else complaining they’re not doing their jobs.

We completely advocated the signing of further defensive depth, and we have no issue with dropping a player when he is out of form. But Katic wasn’t, and didn’t even need a rest. He’s 21 for goodness’ sake.

We also understand rotation to keep things fresh, but after eight changes today, we can’t help wondering if excessive rotation is counterproductive.

What do you guys think? Should Katic and Goldson be the regular duo?

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17 COMMENTS

  1. 100% Katic quicker and reads better …deals that include having to play people is fine but surely not to the detriment of Rangers !!!!

  2. Lack of Katic wasn't the reason the team couldn't create a single decent chance. Worrall did alright and is still settling in, far from a 'regular'.
    The whole team struggled to keep the ball, struggled to win the ball, struggled to put a decent cross in the box and struggled to test their keeper. Katic would not have made a difference to those issues and I feel that scapegoating Worrall would miss the point. I do prefer Katic marginally but as was seen against Ayr and St Johnstone, he's not the messiah.

  3. No argument from me. That was some strange business today. Poor. Bitterly disappointed at our chances slip ping away,now.

  4. Pretty sure i heard Katic say in an interview that playing on plastic pitches gave him lower back trouble because of his hieght. Maybe Gerrard rested him for this reason.

  5. Without doubt connor goldson and nikola katic are our top, centre half pairing.Goldson is the best centre half at rangers with katic not far behind him.Both a good bit better than joe worrall,imho.

  6. Is this another case where the loan deal says the player must get games if not then there are penalties activated frankly I wouldnt have him in the team before Gareth MacCauley let alone Katic after todays debacle but he was not alone in that sense, Gerrard got the team selection and substitutions all wrong you could have taken any of the starting outfield players off thats how poor it was we are struggling to stay in the top six let alone win the league

  7. It might be part of the loan deal that we have to play worrell. Can't think of any other reason why you would be playing him when katic and goldson are better players and a better partnership

  8. Why change a very good central defensive pairing? And after Worrall's performance today Gerrard must realise it was a poor decision on his part. Worrall has just arrived at Ibrox but seems all mouth telling everyone around him they can't do anything right as far as he is concerned.Shocking to see and a shocking performance all round. Wake up call for sure.This team must fight their way up this league and some individuals may find they are not up for it. Rangers were given no time on the ball. Expect it in every game from now on. Next game v Hearts will be even more of the same. Rapid Vienna? I'm not interested. Let's concentrate on the League. We are presently 6th place in the League and will be 11 points behind Hearts if they beat us next week. Having played 8 games. Time for a reality check. Whether it be Hearts, Celtic, Hibs or Kilmarnock 11 points is a lot to make up in this League. Let's Go.

  9. At one point in the 2nd half, we had Barisiç, Middleton and Candieas standing within 10 feet of each other on the left wing! So who's in the middle? Surely we're allowed to shoot from 20 yards, surely we're allowed to play straight through the middle? Sometimes the player's pass the buck when they're passing the ball. Going wide time and time again is predictable and pointless. It's about time the guys had the balls to have a pop from the edge of the box now and again.

    • Good points. Far too much possession for possession sake. It's easy to not make mistakes and keep possession by constantly passing sideways or back (Brown at Ceptic been getting away with it for years) but where are our risk takers, where is the killer pass, where is the pace. I lost count today of the times we had possession on the edge of the box and never had a shot. Why not? It might fly in the top corner or take a wicked deflection or go for a corner. If you don't shoot you don't score. As the great ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky said "I missed 100% of the shots I never took."

  10. I agree Katic and Goldson is the first choice partnership, but I see others have noted Katic commenting that plastic pitches are even worse for tall players, so that could be the reason.

    No matter, today was not good enough. We have to fight for the right to play football in this country. They should all know that by now. Coulibaly and a lot of others have to wake up. I don't think this was the best time to change the CBs, against a team that hasn't lost since Day 1. I would also not have played both Lafferty and Morelos. We have been playing one up top with two wide. Lafferty is not our best LW option, so its him or Fredo up top.

  11. Why does Gerrard insist in playing Ejaria he’s worse than a man short He don’t want the ball and when he gets it it’s offloaded straight away , playing with 10 men every time he’s in the team….

  12. Agree that Katic & Goldson should be no.1 Partnership.

    The Only Problem is that as part of Worrall's Loan Agreement, He has to play a Certain number of Games etc, But if im being Honest, Karanka has a fucking cheek to demand how much Worrall plays given that He spent £20million restructuring Forest's defence making Worrall 5th Choice so Karanka probably wouldnt have Played Him Anyway.

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