[Teddy Bear]

I didn't really expect much before the match, what with the Boumsongless defence (something which has severly hampered our chances for the title unfortunately)

On the balance of the play / chances created Celtic deserved to shade it but to be honest it was another awful old firm game. It's been years since both teams have been at such a poor level IMO.


I thought Djordjic looked pretty good. He offered more than Lovenkrands, but that wouldn't be too hard, showed good heart and fight and wasn't intimidated by Balde.

Ricksen's goal - good build up and great header. That's how to get at Celtic, not playing long balls up to Novo when he's being marked by Varga and Balde! Even better it shut up the manky ones during the chorus of that Liverpool song they sing

 

[Teddy Bear]

Sorry, I forgot Old Firm defeat means I should be throwing the rattle out my pram.

Did anyone else see the DISGRACEFUL stamp by Sutton on Zurab - he was clearly trying to break Zurabs back to try and kill him. He should be JAILED for this ATTEMPTED MURDER. Then afterwards came McGeady's disgusting stamp on Hutton, an attempt to break his ankle and foot and CRIPPLE him for life. Balde going in with his studs up on Djordjic trying to rip his shorts off in some sort of bizarre perverted SEX GAME. Throughout the game Ricksen and Rae were singled out for terrible sectarian abuse and when Prso and Andrews clashed heads and were lying on the ground, possibly with SERIOUS INJURIES, the Celtic fans were cheering and hoping they going to DIE. Then did you see the ballboys not give the ball back to Rangers players after Celtic went 2-1 up? This is the sort of unsporting behaviour the SFA should be investigating!

etc

 

[Angle_eyes]

I did, but i'm still too angry to put any of it into words :fero:. You forgot MON blatantly trying to touch Vignal up when all he wanted to do was take a throw in. There is clearly a conspiracy of frightening proportions against Rangers FC. Everyone's in on it, and i'm thinking about hiring private investigators to follow the main culprits around for the next few weeks. If any of them so much as look at an Irish theme pub, i'll be going straight to the papers...

 

[Paul Le Gone-BohsCelt]

:dielaugh: :dielaugh: :dielaugh:

 

[mincecfc]

Well, I am now back from my hols. I never saw the game but I have seen the goals. All I can say is

 

[King_Henrik]

Well done the Bhoys, on the balance of play it should really have been 4 or 5-1, but any win against the huns is a cause for celebration - and i didn't pass up the chance - so you won't find me complaining.

PS. Good luck to the huns in the League Cup.

 

[The Exiled Heretic]

Not alot in the game in my opinion. Defensive mistakes cost us dearly. Apart from the two goals I thought I Andrews was solid put his positional awareness was shown up withoout Boumsong beside him. That said going to Celtic Park is not the best time to start a new defensive combo. Zurab on the other hand was more at fault in my opinion after another half-hearted attempt at a challenge for the first goal.

Disappointing to be out but the Old Firm games aren't something you expect to win every time. I don't think we need to be too worried over that game. If he gets a good centre half for the remaining two old firm encounters then I think that will be enough.

 

[King_Henrik]

If he gets a good centre half for the remaining two old firm encounters then I think that will be enough.

Enough for what?

 

[The Exiled Heretic]

Enough for what?

Enough to eridicate the main weakness in the team at the moment.

 

[Dule]

Why didn't Rangers play on the floor more often, when you did, you got success, instead of kick and rush. I don't know why Mladenovic went to Scotland, he should have went to Spain when clubs wanted him.

 

[The Exiled Heretic]

Why didn't Rangers play on the floor more often, when you did, you got success, instead of kick and rush. I don't know why Mladenovic went to Scotland, he should have went to Spain when clubs wanted him.

Unfortunately both sides of the old firm have taken to playing route one football. It's not pretty. I'd rather see Rangers play on the deck too. With the new signings I hope this is what McLeish has in mind. The majority of the sides we played in Europe this year played good fast passing football along the deck and we couldn't when we tried. I hope this is the road we are now going down.

 

[King_Henrik]

The Old Firm game wasn't good to watch, if i'm being honest then i'd like to see both Celtic and Rangers playing the type of football that they did 2 or 3 years ago - the last time a match involving both our teams that was really enjoyable to watch was a really long time ago. It's always absorbing as a supporter of either club when the outcome matters so much, but apart from the passion of the supporters then i don't think the event that is an Old Firm match would be too appealing for a neutral to watch.

 

[Dule]

If one of the sides decided to play short passing then they'd destroy the opposition, That's what I've noticed when our sides play british ones, providing we can take our chances. The technical superiority tells, especially when the scottish sides get drawn vs eastern european sides.

 

[The Exiled Heretic]

In Scotland at the moment only one club plays football and that is Hibernian. They are recieving alot of praise for it and I hope that is something the Old Firm look at. In the early eighties when the Old Firm were not the force in Scottish football Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen and Jim McLean's Dundee United dominated the domestic game as well as being major forces in Europe by playing attractive football- McLean even gave his players an entertainment bonus depending on their displays and regardless of the result. Old Firm sides have played football in the past too. When Rangers won their 9 in a row Tommy Burns Celtic played very good football without success in the same way as Hibs are doing at the moment. A few years back Ivano Bonetti's Dundee were won of the best footballing sides in the SPL but again without any success- maybe that is the problem.

 

[Dule]

Hibs are 3rd in the SPL right? Which you could say is top in the SPL excluding the Old frim, i don't think it's any coincidence that they are in this position by playing this football, I remember how Fulham destroyed Division 1 playing great passing football or how Arsenal went on 49 game unbeaten, it's all down to the passing, one touch style that is played.

 

[MVB]

Dusan I'm afraid the problem is, on our side anyway, that we have an extremely bad manager who doesn't even know what his game plan is - let alone possesses an unattractive one!

I'm the first to criticise Celtic's style of football under MON, which is extremely bad to watch at times, but you have to say fair play to them! If they can play route one and catch us out as easily as they did in this match, then they thoroughly deserve every Old Firm win and every league title coming their way until we get a man in who knows what he's doing.

In terms of the game itself it was a totally deserved Celtic win. Could have been more and I'm extremely worried about where Rangers are going under McLeish.

Dusan the reason Mladenovic didn't feature against Celtic was because Alex McLeish hasn't the balls nor the integrity to show any faith at all in the guy. It's a managerial thing because I refuse to believe that big Dragan is so bad he can't even make the bench for a Cup game. If it was up to my good self mate, I'd play a diamond midfield with Dragan holding and making passes - two work horse midfielders either side such as Ricksen and G.Rae when fit (Djordjic for now) and Thomas Buffel playing as a main creator/playmaker type. Not only would this midfield have the necessary numbers and workers in there to break up other teams, but Dragan and Buffel's creativity - supplemented by the decent Djordjic and ever-improving Ricksen - would ensure we played good football.

Unfortunately mate those in a more fortunate position than us "know best" so to speak

 

[The Exiled Heretic]

Diamond would be the way to go- Saturday would have been the perfect game to try it out. McLeish seems to be leaning more to a 4-3-1-2 when he has two stikers available and a 4-4-1-1 when he does not. At least that is the way it looks sometimes- other times it's hard to tell what the hell he is playing.

Bazza would be the final piece in the jigsaw for me. I was watching sky sports news at the weekend and on a small feature on the Bazza bid they should the goals he scored so far at Blackburn. Everyone involved good quick football along the deck. That's the kind of football I'd like to see again and the type of football Rangers could once play- even under McLeish.

If Bazza does return then we get a fully fit squad it's going to be interesting to see what happens. You'd have to say whatever formation he uses there are going to be 4 midfielders. Out of those 4 he would have to choose from Ricksen, Alex Rae, Gavin Rae, Mladenoic, Bazza, Buffel, Djordic, Lovenkrands, Burke, Namouchi and Malcolm. Good for options but would mean long spells for a few on the bench. Would be good to see Lovenkrands punted and Maloclm reverted back to defensive cover. I wouldn't like to see Ricksen moved back to right back because of this because I think that he is wasted there.

 

[Dule]

A foreign manager would probably work wonders but would have to be one with a strong focus on technical ability and passing. I'm sure if Rangers played a passing game, it would help Mladenovic adjust a lot more and it would also help Rangers out in Europe and possibly progress, Celtic's brand of football might work in on the occasional time but against top quality a side needs to hold the ball. you even see it here in the premiership, defenders are always too quick to just hoof it, especially the british players, the only English player that you see rarely play a long ball is Rio, but that is also why England are so crap at major tournaments etc. simply because they don't have good ball retention.

 

[MVB]

You're absolutely right Dusan, spot on.

In this country these exists a kind of "Not suited to the English/Scottish game" culture with regard to players who like time on the ball.

But the thing is, if the "English and Scottish game" is so good at hampering the creativity of these players, then why do English and Scottish teams continually get turfed out of Europe in a heap? It's total bull$hit, and down to a negative mentality. The fact is if we played a passing game and focused on movement, we'd tear these teams apart.

 

[The Exiled Heretic]

On a number of occassions I've said I'm right behind the manager and I still am. For one he stopped O'Neill going for 5 in a row this year.

If at some time in the future Rangers looked for a new manager then I'd like to see them go for someone like Co Adriaanse. He has obviously taught his side to play football because the are very good on the eye. They are also top of their domestic league at the moment and still in Europe which says alot for a small club who have not sacrificed quality of football in order to get success.