Are we too nice (soft)?

Ron Swanson said:
Yes, we’ve lost our identity.

I’ve said it a few times on here.

Rangers title winning teams in my lifetime (and before) were full of absolute bastards who could play, complimented with the game changers who make the difference (most of whom had a ruthless streak too).

We’re as far away from that as I’ve ever seen.
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Yep. Folk reference Helicopter Sunday as a reason to be optimistic (and I'm still optimistic we can do it this season)

But they forget just how much ruthless bastards were in our team back then

Barry Ferguson, Fernando Ricksen, Craig Moore, Marvin Andrews, Alex Rae, Dado Prso, Nacho Novo etc

It wasn't our greatest side, but those lads went to war in the Rangers jersey. We have no one of that ilk today
 
Nizzy72 said:
Apart from the sheer bampottery of Fabio Silva and his Norman Wisdom impressions are Rangers too soft on the field and overplay the Corinthian spirit?

I'd love to see us indulge in more physical and aggressive stuff and get to grips with the dark arts of the game.

I mean, the bheasts from the east must practise this in training.
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Yes, but I think the propensity of referees to pull a red card out when a Rangers player puts a tackle in (see Dujon Sterling v Aberdeen) has neutered us completely. We often take a yellow for our first foul. Compare to tackles allowed on our players by referees (Lundstram v St Johnstone, McAusland v Motherwell).
 
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Need some bastards in the team. Also a captain that referees the game like the other mob have.
 
daven37 said:
While I think the OP has a point, you are too harsh on the players

When you have a manager who is constantly going on about calm heads and that he doesn't like to see the players get angry on the pitch, what are you expecting the players to do?

Ryan Jack and Morelos had that needle about them but they are not around or constantly injured.

Controlled aggression is what I think PC is looking for. Hard to do that in Scotland when opponents are overly aggressive.
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I might well be too harsh but when I see us back down to that lot especially at Ibrox I feel I have a point.
Perhaps my age gives me a different level of what I expect.
 
BombersBoots said:
Yes soft as shite that’s part of our problem as is having no proper Ranges men in our team .

We need a Ferguson, McCall , Brown or Gough.
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Do players of that calibre even exist in the modern game in Scotland? Genuine question btw, to me, it appears there are lots of guys that support us, very few of them seem to have the talent required to pull it off.

It's one thing to be Rangers daft, you need the ability and the bollocks to back it all up. We've signed plenty of Rangers men over the years since 2012, and they've all mostly been substandard or shite, to be brutally honest.
 
The players we have all seem like great people off the park and try their best but I think it's such a poor, unbalanced and untalented group of players, I'm bored of the state the clubs been left in.

They just aren't good enough and a lot of them think a good few weeks is enough to stay here and be praised.

I think the manager will totally change the profile of player we target, no chance would he have signed most of this squad.

We are averaging a title every 5 years if we are lucky, it's so far below what can be excused due to finances.
 
TonyAtTheBing said:
The players we have all seem like great people off the park and try their best but I think it's such a poor, unbalanced and untalented group of players, I'm bored of the state the clubs been left in.

They just aren't good enough and a lot of them think a good few weeks is enough to stay here and be praised.

I think the manager will totally change the profile of player we target, no chance would he have signed most of this squad.

We are averaging a title every 5 years if we are lucky, it's so far below what can be excused due to finances.
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Honestly?

You are right.

We need a few diehard Rangers guys in the team.

Hard guys who wouldn't take any shit from any opposition, especially Sellik.
 
Without a shadow of a doubt. Every week we get kicked to bits yet you look at the stats and we have the same bookings as any team we play. We get booking for stupid petty fould whilst other teams bully us and get away with kicking lumps out of us.
 
Los Pollos Hermanos said:
Who are these guys?
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Okay, I'm afraid you are right.

We don't have any potential signings who will run through a brick wall for Rangers.

But, big Phil has to put a bit of steel in some if not most of our current players.

As my old gaffer used to say: "You've not been eating yer porridge."
 
muttley said:
That Morelos hardly had a card to his name, yellow or red, before he came to us says it all.

He was soon painted as the Devil Incarnate of Scottish football.

That the club allowed it was just as bad, tbh.
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I get the point that you’re making but let’s not pretend Morelos wasn’t a petulant dafty who probably deserved the majority of his cards. To the point where a lot of the support were sick of him and even Gerrard said he couldn’t defend him any more.
 
Biniaro11 said:
I might well be too harsh but when I see us back down to that lot especially at Ibrox I feel I have a point.
Perhaps my age gives me a different level of what I expect.
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You do have a point mate. I just feel part of the problem is the players are being asked to play and behave that way.
 
RandyMac said:
I get the point that you’re making but let’s not pretend Morelos wasn’t a petulant dafty who probably deserved the majority of his cards. To the point where a lot of the support were sick of him and even Gerrard said he couldn’t defend him any more.
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So Alfie was only a petulant dafty after he came to Rangers. ? That's a very strange take, mate.
 
I get the tendency to believe this, but then you look across the city and they’re hardly packed to the brim with bruisers either.

Carter-Vickers is probably the only one you wouldn’t fancy facing up to in a square go.

We just need better players and a better overall strategy.
 
Difference between us and them is that a lot of teams are beat before the match even starts against them,but against us they may fancy their chances. Like it or the not,teams don't fear us.
 
ronadamus_prime said:
Do players of that calibre even exist in the modern game in Scotland? Genuine question btw, to me, it appears there are lots of guys that support us, very few of them seem to have the talent required to pull it off.

It's one thing to be Rangers daft, you need the ability and the bollocks to back it all up. We've signed plenty of Rangers men over the years since 2012, and they've all mostly been substandard or shite, to be brutally honest.
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It’s the mentality over the Talent in some cases we have players who need to learn from it and players when behind that knew they would never catch up so don’t bother.

We have a mid championship mentality in too many of our players as that’s where a lot of them have come from and it’s worn off.

Sterling all though he probably got his ass kicked has the mentality, I would energy say Yilmaz has Butland for sure but a lot of the rest of them it’s acceptable to Lose and draw games.
 
Bear84 said:
No, we’re too lazy.

Our midfield is outworked by almost everyone we play. Plus usually 2 wingers not working nothing to do with laziness it's lack of quality
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Our midfield isn't outworked , we have one of the fittest in the league in lundstrum with the stats to back it , the issue is our midfield is playing piggie in the middle between the defence giving the ball away and our forward line not being able to hold the ball up

Nothing to do with laziness for me it's lack of quality
 
Bear84 said:
No, we’re too lazy.

Our midfield is outworked by almost everyone we play. Plus usually 2 wingers not working enough.
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We don't have the necessary depth in midfield. People that see Lundstram as the problem, for instance, miss the point; rather, it's the lack of depth in midfield that's the real problem. We need more midfielders who are likely to play when required.
 
Nizzy72 said:
Apart from the sheer bampottery of Fabio Silva and his Norman Wisdom impressions are Rangers too soft on the field and overplay the Corinthian spirit?

I'd love to see us indulge in more physical and aggressive stuff and get to grips with the dark arts of the game.

I mean, the bheasts from the east must practise this in training.
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Difference in this as I see it is they don’t get punished whereas we would be seeing numerous yellows and reds every week.
 
I think our team are conditioned by Scottish refs not to challenge hard in tackles.
One of the tactics used by other clubs is to fall down as soon as a Rangers player gets near them.
Rangers players see other teams (the scum) getting away with a lot and probably think, what is the point? I would get booked for the same tackle.
A lot of them seem to be just going through the motions at the moment.
 
One the summed it up for me was the Idah goal at Ibrox. Bernardo picked up the ball and strolled through our half without a hint of a challenge before finding Idah. If it was cantwell driving forward at the other end he’d have been kicked or dragged to the ground to stop him in his tracks and kill the move, which is what Celtic are master at when they are in danger. They usually escape certain bookings too. We aren’t ruthless enough but are also more likely to be punished than others
 
HandsomeHead said:
I get the tendency to believe this, but then you look across the city and they’re hardly packed to the brim with bruisers either.

Carter-Vickers is probably the only one you wouldn’t fancy facing up to in a square go.

We just need better players and a better overall strategy.
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It’s mentality more than actually being built or looking like a hardman.

The desire to win and put your body on the line for the team. We need players who’d run through brick walls to win trophies for Rangers.
 
We play about 10 games a season more than the rest of our opposition, most of which are at a far higher level. Throw that in with bad recruitment leading to a small pool of players having to play all the extra games think Tavernier, Goldson and Lundstram, I'm not sure that being too nice is the main issue. I think we're less talented at making fouls early on in attacks in a way that referees stop the game for it but can't possibly justify a booking. Nobody will convince me that Celtic don't work on that as they are very good at it.
 
The amount of people who think all our problems will be solved by signing a few 'hard men' or 'Rangers men' is mind-blowing.

The problem is our players aren't very good.

We're too slow in build up, our defence looks shaky any time they're under pressure and our attacking options are virtually non existent.

Signing a few players who smash into tackles or shout at folk won't change any of that.
 
Blue bells are blue1872 said:
If we signed the likes of Gogic tomorrow he would have a red card by the weekend most likely.
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If some of the players had his attitude, work rate, desire and commitment we'd see a difference.

Our CB's lose physical battles to the likes of Simon Murray, Eamon Brophy, Miovski.

Lundstram basically gave up chasing back at Dingwall. Dessers, Lawrence, Cantwell, Silva go down at the slightest of touches (when it's not a foul) and roll about the ground when the ball is still in play.

Borna, Wright, McCausland, Raskin, Dowell, Matondo, Lawrence do not like a physical battle. You see them going half hearted into challenges and no one is expecting a Vinnie Jones/Souness/Hurlock type challenge.

Balogun showed it at the weekend. Committed himself on a few occasions and was second best. He had the desire to win that ball back and made three excellent challenges. We don't have enough players like this with the fire in their belly.
 
CaptainCourageous said:
If some of the players had his attitude, work rate, desire and commitment we'd see a difference.

Our CB's lose physical battles to the likes of Simon Murray, Eamon Brophy, Miovski.

Lundstram basically gave up chasing back at Dingwall. Dessers, Lawrence, Cantwell, Silva go down at the slightest of touches (when it's not a foul) and roll about the ground when the ball is still in play.

Borna, Wright, McCausland, Raskin, Dowell, Matondo, Lawrence do not like a physical battle. You see them going half hearted into challenges and no one is expecting a Vinnie Jones/Souness/Hurlock type challenge.

Balogun showed it at the weekend. Committed himself on a few occasions and was second best. He had the desire to win that ball back and made three excellent challenges. We don't have enough players like this with the fire in their belly.
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Cogic gets off with putting the boot in.
If he had a blue top on he wouldn't.That's my point.
 
Yip , sheep and tims are constantly in refs ears whilst no gers players say boo , I believe Scott Wright did was booked and sent off when he did ........
 
Yes

Tav is noticeable, he would rather stand outstretched asking the ref to sort something than get stuck in, I.E When Hart picks the ball up after his penalty, instead of going in and just taking the ball etc we beg the referee to do something

Sometimes it just takes someone taking a booking, getting aggressive to get something moving.

Our whole team is soft, For all his faults Morelos would have got the ball off the keeper and had the fans up and at it at the same time.

Same with things like Kent sent off vs Aberdeen, a quiet word to the referee instead of surrounding him and hounding him

it isn't just opposition who think we are a soft touch, refs do too which is an issue.
 
Thornliebank_Bear said:
I would like to see players with more aggression that love the battle, Ian Ferguson, Bomber, McCall, Amo, etc, but it is a difficult situation as the refs are quick with cards for our players and dont bother with the opposition.
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Ian Ferguson must be one of the most underrated footballers ever. What I’d give to have Ian Ferguson nowadays. He’d 100% be in my all time squad.
 
Definitely think our players don’t want to commit to many big 50-50 tackles out of fear of refs dishing out cards. Which is understandable as that’s generally what happens. So that’s on the club and management for not going to war with refs, SFA whoever and sticking up for players and highlighting inconsistencies. We’ve allowed a narrative of big Bad Rangers to be established and not nearly being brave enough in tackling it. I’ve said before we need to challenge them officially, unofficially, in the press where ever this narrative is and try and change it.

But there is also ways & means of being hard on pitch without thundering crunching tackles. Things like body checks & blocks, not being pushed off the ball. Challenging for every 2nd ball. Getting in the faces of opposition. Mobbing refs at ever decision for and against us. Basics gamesmanship stuff. Don’t give them ball back, don’t pick any of them up after tackles. All that kind of thing.

And absolutely thrashing opposition teams if possible. None of this foot off the gas stuff. Go out to humiliate and demoralise every team so they fear us when it comes to match games. They old we won in tunnel type stuff.

But we need to change the narrative from players, to directors and stop being doormats to everyone.
 
Yep. Soft as shite. Watching us tackle is akin to watching a baby dipping a toe into the bath water.
 
Yes, we need a couple of bastards in the side. In fact, I'd like to see a bastard right through spine of side. A bastard central defender. A bastard of a midfielder and a bastard of a number 9. Just guys that firstly have the required ability, but are also going to battle for everything. Suppose they don't grow on trees, but it's what I'd like.
 
ForzaLaudrup said:
We certainly don’t play with an arrogance like we used to

We used to treat other teams with utter distain and bury them

We need a chip back on our shoulder for sure
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I agree maybe we don't like or are unable to handle teams getting in our face,that was not a problem especially for the Rangers players of old
 
BBBear said:
Our midfield isn't outworked , we have one of the fittest in the league in lundstrum with the stats to back it , the issue is our midfield is playing piggie in the middle between the defence giving the ball away and our forward line not being able to hold the ball up

Nothing to do with laziness for me it's lack of quality
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If you think we weren’t out worked in the 2nd half at Dingwall and the 1st half against Celtic at Ibrox then I’d question whether you watched the games.
 
JC85 said:
Not sure whether to call it aggression, or intensity, or whatever. But something is missing for sure. The Maeda v Tav thing for that goal a couple of weeks ago is the perfect example of it. You just wouldn't see any of our players sprinting like that to chase down a long ball and put a defender under pressure. They do it to us all the time and every single time we look like rabbits caught in headlights and can't cope with it.

Nothing has changed since Tav's infamous programme notes quote 4 years ago.
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Whist I agree with you in principle, the fact is no matter how much their player chased down the ball, if Tav had done his job instead of dithering, the ball would have been out for a throw in.
 
wee bud's pit boots said:
Whist I agree with you in principle, the fact is no matter how much their player chased down the ball, if Tav had done his job instead of dithering, the ball would have been out for a throw in.
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Agreed, and that's also part of what's missing. He got caught out because he wasn't expecting the filth player to be chasing it. He did the same thing later in the first half, sauntering about on the ball, Maeda robbed it off him and nearly cost a 2nd goal (Butland saved the resulting header). Their intensity levels v ours are night and day in these games. It's as if our players are shocked when they get stuck into us. We just don't learn.
 
JC85 said:
Agreed, and that's also part of what's missing. He got caught out because he wasn't expecting the filth player to be chasing it. He did the same thing later in the first half, sauntering about on the ball, Maeda robbed it off him and nearly cost a 2nd goal (Butland saved the resulting header). Their intensity levels v ours are night and day in these games. It's as if our players are shocked when they get stuck into us. We just don't learn.
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For the record this isn't a Tav 'hating' thing. In the first minute at Paisley last week, all he had to do was head the ball back to Butland, instead he tries to chest it and he fcuks up. It's unacceptable defending.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is we cannot afford any lapses in concentration from the first whistle, not just from Tav, but every last one of them. And you can be sure they'll be coming at us full tilt next weekend.
 
Nizzy72 said:
Apart from the sheer bampottery of Fabio Silva and his Norman Wisdom impressions are Rangers too soft on the field and overplay the Corinthian spirit?

I'd love to see us indulge in more physical and aggressive stuff and get to grips with the dark arts of the game.

I mean, the bheasts from the east must practise this in training.
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Yes. When the going gets tough, our players retreat into their shells.
 
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