Is it time Steven Gerrard dropped Connor Goldson?
One player to be receiving an increasing amount of criticism in recent weeks, and especially since yesterday’s shambles at Dens Park is the previous untouchable Connor Goldson.
Initially a seeming stunning signing, Goldson’s casual and composed style contrasted nicely with then-partner Nikola Katic’s more brute force style and together they were nice foils for each other.
However, following his ‘mortal’ display at Fir Park where a hapless slip let Motherwell in and his afternoon barely got any better, Goldson’s overall form has been average at best and worrying at worst.
We’re aware he had an ‘illness’ of the chest in recent months and had been playing through the pain barrier, but the last we heard that’s cleared up and also isn’t, curiously (thankfully) related to the heart problems which blighted his career down south.
And for the first month or two Goldson reminded us of Carlos Cuellar – that same languid smooth and unflustered style plus a good solid tackle on him.
But following said mess at Motherwell, Goldson’s form has dipped and swayed, and his frankly hopeless display yesterday has led to calls for him to be reassessed.
Yes, not necessarily dropped, but we have to remember Connor Goldson has only missed two matches since signing, and this follows two years of borderline complete non-football.
His form has suffered, and frankly right now he’s a liability more often than not.
His manager has admitted Goldson is a bit of a, tongue in cheek, pain in the neck, as he’s always in his face asking if he’s playing. We do like enthusiasm, we do, and we want our players to want to play and to deliver for the shirt, but this reeks slightly of immaturity and a lack of humility.
Think Donkey from Shrek – that childlike ‘pick me’ nonsense should be beneath us and we let our manager get on with it.
Whether Gerrard is feeling a sense of pressure to pick Goldson we don’t know, and we stress, we DO like this defender and think he’s got a lot to offer. But not right now – right now, mostly, his form is patchy at best and distressing at worst.
For us, Gareth McAuley has to be a starter – experience and reading of the game as well as his leadership qualities are vital for this defence – it can’t be left to McGregor to yell at everyone all the time.
But who partners him? Well, for us, right now, it’s between Worrall and Katic. Both are young, and both offer different things, but Katic is ours and Worrall, despite having individually good matches here and there, doesn’t want to stay long term and that’s pretty final.
But as for Goldson? Needs a rest. A break. A few weeks out to recharge his batteries. He might be yelling pick me from Auchenhowie but Rangers need to pick their best players, not the most eager ones.