We recall earlier in the season a few misguided souls among our support actually proposed Calvin Bassey as a replacement for Borna Barisic.
They were so impressed by him some of them picked the ex-Leicester man over our world class Croat.
Rangers’ trip to Paisley, we hope, ended that one.
It’s simplifying things to say Bassey was out of his depth, but the harsh truth is he cost at least two of the goals at St Mirren Park, and looked completely ill at ease with the match, the system, and the tactics.
Bassey is one with great strength, pace, and power, but he lacks defensive intuition (something we’ve said a few times) and he’s hardly graceful.
Of course, before we go any further, he’s literally just a kid, but if you’re good enough you’re old enough. But he isn’t.
Borna Barisic is in a different league, and Rangers look a completely different team when either he or James Tavernier aren’t in the side.
Bassey’s lack of width meant Rangers struggled to get up the pitch – the usual switching play between Tav and Barisic was not there, and Bassey’s one-dimensional play was not the right move for a match which required a little more thought to breach St Mirren’s rearguard.
Many fans think Stevie got the selection wrong – he definitely got LB wrong.
One of Rangers’ main tools is that extraordinary width, overlapping runs and crosses Tav and Barisic give – take either of them away and you remove that dynamic.
Bassey has his place, but a cup quarter final against a team who are in form probably wasn’t it, and our manager, who has got 99% right this season, can count this as the 1% that was a mistake.
He should have played a stronger team, and we’ll get onto Zungu’s disappointing display another time.
But no, Bassey isn’t Barisic – he’s decent depth v Hamilton, but in a big match, he’s just not got it.
Sorry.
Let’s not get too carried away. The strength of our team this season has been being able to rotate the team without as much as skipping a beat. So it’s difficult to criticise the selection of Bassey over Barisic when he has filled in successfully many times. Indeed I believe the perception was that while Bassey wasn’t as good as Barisic he brought other strengths to the team. Mostly defensively ironically. Let’s hope this was a blip for a young player. We lacked bottle tonight but Bassey doesn’t strike me as the type of player to lack bottle.
Tactically I thought we got found out early doors against Standard Liege before turning it around. After a poor start St Mirren copied that template and pushed pacey players up against our full backs to stop them getting forward. Bassey like Tavernier both struggled as a result.
The bassey can go rank rotten,ive watched him a few times now and he cant read the game,no use same as itten
WATP🇬🇧
Correct IN big mistake . On another subject of I may please tell me you noted the immediate slimy contribution from Tom Tim English . Magnificent ?!?? Great for Scottish Football….where was this bile when the rotten mob got stuffed by Ross County…Wretch !!!!!
As much as we dislike English, his post has to be taken in context. He’s praising the semi finals overall and said ‘no offence to Celtic or Rangers’.
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