OK let’s be clear, losing against Liverpool is not embarrassing
But what is embarrassing, no what is entirely wrong is when everyone can see what is wrong, when the manager cannot.
Not only did we say before the game that Brighton and Napoli both caused Liverpool serious problems by putting two strikers up front, to help pin back Liverpool; but the commentators were offering us the exact same advice.
They were commenting upon the lack of fight, and they were lamenting about the lack of support for Morelos and rather pathetically they were offering their advice on how to improve our team, just hoping Rangers could somehow get better.
In a nutshell we were just pathetic.
I argued that for a 5-4-1 to work we would need Colak up front, because Morelos could not hold the ball and his distribution was not world class. In the 71st minute the commentators said the exact same thing.
And we said our midfield would not work, especially if we put the aging, slow Davis alongside Lundstram. It is clear for anyone with half a football brain they get in each other’s way, with neither knowing how to cover the others moves. In the 60th minute they were saying we needed another midfielder to grab more control of the centre.
But what is worse is the commentators could see all these problems in just a few minutes of watching this Rangers team, So, can we honestly now ask why can’t Gio see it?
Has our management team fallen asleep?
One major problem is there was zero off the ball movement.
Just watch the game…sorry, don’t watch the game, it will ruin your brain, but when Liverpool got the ball, one of the team was always there, ready to get a simple return pass. That is something I have been asking Rangers to practice every single match for years.
Yep we are not professionals, but I seem to remember that this is one of the most basic rules of football. A rule that every single professional should know it, but somehow Gio has forgotten to enforce this simple golden rule.
In the case of Rangers, when we got the ball, the rest of the team were just walking around as if it was a Saturday knock-about, and all we could do was punt it up the field.
I could go through hundreds of examples, but one case involved Davis in the middle of the field, who rather than working his socks just pointed his finger (sort of Kamara-style) and forced the defenders to just pass the ball between themselves.
Can we now say, if Gio cannot get his team to even play the ball out from the back, then Gio is no longer the best manager for Rangers.
Not to mention his refusal to play two up front, even when it was required to win a must win match.
Last year, what made Rangers feared in Europe, even if the results didn’t always go our way was our work ethic, and our ability to get the ball out from the back quickly.
That is now missing.
Today there was no reason to play for a draw. We were already on the cliff’s edge.
Yet Gio seems to have set up our team to lose.
The sad fact is, in the first half, Liverpool were able to get the ball into our box every two minutes. Liverpool didn’t even need to sweat to swat us easily aside.
Sadly, the only good to come out of today is we are now certain to finish fourth in our group, and we don’t have to embarrass ourselves in the Europa League.
For some context Brugge is doing very well thank you, and could easily be in the knockout stages next year.
Don’t talk to me about money. This was all about tactics, and a manager who is now clearly out of his depth.
We are all our own little armchair managers/experts and people like to belittle that but some of us have been watching Rangers for decades and know that at the moment we are stuck on a ship with a captain who has never been to sea. Our XI and backbone changes almost by the match.
We were fine against Hearts at the weekend , let those players start against Liverpool and tweak if needed. These players get paid to practice playing football then they get to put that practice to use for real. What are they actually practicing with this team of coaches apparently so revered around Europe?
Like when Gerrard was manager with the intelligent Beale behind him are we in the same scenario with Gio? Would his coaching staff maybe do things differently?
I know Gio hasn’t been without his injury problems this season, particularly in defence but can’t he just pick for example Tavernier, Goldson, King and Barisic in front of McGregor for example as his starting defence then give minutes to Davies and Yilmaz when the game allows it?
We are also stuck with too many midfielders who play similar roles then choose the wrong combination. Be honest, Davis is done now and Kamara isn’t feeling it. Lundstram is still getting picked based on the decent run he had earlier this year and maybe needs a little time out on the bench to remind him that when you first earn that number it doesn’t entitle you to keep it.
Jack and Arfield are at least committed even if we would like them to be able to turn the clock back a few years. We have Sands and Tillman who aren’t even our players and at the moment certainly aren’t worth the buy out clauses we’d have to stump up for them.
As an armchair manager I’d pit the B-team against the A-team in bounce matches every day to see who has the desire, not just skills and tricks. Players who want to roll the sleeves up and wear the shirt with pride.
When we made changes tonight we looked more dangerous with Sakala, Colak and Matondo. Kent is playing every bit like the player Liverpool just wanted rid of and Morelos can point to his badge when he scores as often as he likes but we all know he wants to leave on the first train to the promised land wherever that is.
Our star man in a massive CL match, something we have dreamt about since everything went pear shaped in 2012 was a goalkeeper who is approaching his 41st birthday. The guy is an absolute legend but he can’t go on another season.
Our Europa run last season is now a fading memory but we’d do well to remember that at our very best and punching above our weight that competition was our level. We can’t expect Gio to do the same in the CL but he needs to get it right in the SPL as a priority.
Excellent post Gary you’ve nailed what most of us are feeling and thinking, GVB must go now he’s sending out all the wrong signals , not good enough not at that level etc etc .
Agreed Derek.
I don’t think he cares enough he will move on no passion about the man sad to say he takes a defeat easily but says his team are always ready I’m sorry gio you picked the wrong team
I wish Van Bronckhorst and his coaching team would read this article. It is spot on. However, our manager is too stubborn to take advice. We started with ten men.
Tillman made no contribution but was played out of position on the wing. Also he is out of his depth at this level. Davis is too old. He no longer has the engine to cover the ground. Just stands around pointing out what his team mates should do next.
I agree ,watching that last night ,I had the thought ok we are full of players signed from brighton ,sheffield utd ,finland ,greece ,wigan etc and near retired players? .I then remembered back to last year when shrewsbury went to anfield and played their hearts out and fought for every ball, losing narrowly in the end and getting massive credit ,the respect and fear shown last night by this lot who wear our blue jerseys is a JOKE .
It has been shown too many times this season at the piggery ,amsterdam arena and now anfield .
Our third rate manager uttered the well used words ” we are playing at a very high level ” to excuse the performance and excuse his players again .
Time to concentrate on the league, however I fear even that is beyond this negative manager who cannot, as you pointed out see simple things that others can, like the sands ,goalie,lundstrum/davies together and 2 up front situation .
We are another pumping from that lot or defeat in the league from him getting his jotters imo ,he and others now look out their depth .
If I can also just add ,imo glasgow rangers have not had a decent ,qaulified top level manager since sir walter left the club ,it is not good enough .
The manager is the problem he hasnt got a clue how to engage with the Champions league…he is like a Rabbit in Car headlights….the team is basically the same but sadly the opposition aint…Rangers are knowhere near Champions league Standard the players or the manager am afraid to say
Gio needs to go.simple as!he was playing gerrards team last year and our fans carried them over the euro line,he took over 6 points ahead of celtic & proceeded to throw the league away & tbh rode his career luck by getting to Seville because the fans would’ve demanded his head had he not..losing the league when 6 ahead & getting bumped out of europe would just not be acceptable.so how he set up HIS team this season would be critical & honestly this seasons displays have been the worst we’ve had to sit through in years,playing out from the back is so laboured & predictable even the spells worst teams can put us under pressure & we look shit!EVERY big game he sets up a terrified team,from 1 second to 90 minutes we play with 11 defenders who would play in our penalty box if gio had his way.CL can be kinda excused as its obvious we r totally understandably out our depth but the set up,tactics,selection & performances we’ve put in at parkhead will never be accepted by any rangers fan & tbh after all these heavy,embarrassing defeats he doesn’t look too bothered or hurt…its just ehhhhh,ehhhh,ehhhh…he should be banging tables & apologizing to fans & vowing that it’ll never be acceptable!but no,just mumbly ehs…and honestly I think eh sums up his rangers management career,hes confused about tactics,his team selection and hasn’t got a clue how to change his way of thinking & if things r going wrong on the pitch,he hasn’t got a clue how to correct it!any subs he makes r usually the wrong ones too late.do us a favour gio & leave.feyenoord fans warned us of slow,boring,predictable football & he certainly hasn’t disappointed us on that front!
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