The concerns, are we panicking or is something amiss?

DylanGer said:
That's not the same argument though is it?
Who kicked their arse tonight? A few players maybe three were ok....you suggesting the other 8 want away?
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I’m not saying everyone who played poorly wants away. I’m saying I think it could be the reason for one or two having a pretty dramatic downturn in form. If I thought they were all shite because they want away then I would have said that.
 
That team tonight we played were totally shite.
I mean a dreadfully poor side. Pub Team is a touch dramatic but the vibe is correct.
To play so poorly against their shit 10 men should cause alarm.

Yes, job done but I'm more than a little concerned.
 
It's impossible to ignore the fact that some of our key players are unsettled. Maybe securing Europa League money will help get their new contracts signed but if they don't sign soon we need to move them on.
 
A1bertz said:
That team tonight we played were totally shite.
I mean a dreadfully poor side. Pub Team is a touch dramatic but the vibe is correct.
To play so poorly against their shit 10 men should cause alarm.

Yes, job done but I'm more than a little concerned.
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Yes - I’m not one to panic or follow the drama queen route, but tonight concerned me even more than the Malmö game.

Borna seemed almost ill at times, he looked awful and his performance reflected that. After missing the 2nd sitter Alfredo went totally awol with a haunted look, until he missed the 3 sitter in the 2nd half.

I can’t recall a Rangers team looking so ill at ease.

It most definitely raises the question of what’s up?
 
Combination of factors that we didn't have last season.

Injury,suspension and Covid all hitting at the same time.Coupled with the disappointment of losing to Malmo in the manner we did has heightened peoples worries.

The portrayal of them as the reincarnation of 1950s Hungary with Kygo as the new Puskas is having that scar tissue from prior to last season come back again. Simply because they wont or cant be that bad again.

People really need to calm down. Im not happy about elements of our play tonight but Im not unhappy that the team didn't run themselves into the ground in 40 degree heat trying to win a game we didn't need to win with such an important game on Sunday. Tonight waS about getting through and we did that.

Hopefully we can add one or 2 players by the end of the window and look forward to more European Nights at Ibrox. Now lets focus on Sunday and showing them why we're The Champions.
 
There is no need to panic,we have had a disrupted start to the season between injuries,suspensions and covid , we will recover.
IMO the current celik team reminds me of us under Warburton,plenty of flare going forward but defensively a nightmare,which we will exploit on Sunday.
 
Certain players getting disillusioned no concrete offers have came in for them to move on , lack of motivation maybe
 
Northampton_Loyalist said:
It can't be denied that we have started the season looking lethargic, slower and fragile. In any sport it is always easier chasing and while we led the league all season last time out, we were chasing the title from the position of runner up. We are now favourites and that brings a whole different set of challenges.

I think the scum getting a wee bounce from a new manager and an absolute gift of a set of fixtures to bed in have highlighted the issue rather than created the issue and as the season progresses, and our squad settles back into a routine, I fully expect us to get back to that relentless and methodical way of grinding out result after result after result.

Sunday will be a huge opportunity for us and we need to grab it. Putting them firmly in their place dents their growing confidence, cements our status as champions and it gives us a chance to springboard into the rest of the season.
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That’s almost word for word where I’m at too
Sunday is the true test as to who’s the team to beat. Honestly having Roofe in the starting 11 is why we’ll win by a couple
 
Apart from missing chances I thought we were alright first half tonight

I'm hoping 2nd half was some sort of plan to conserve energy, as we were absolute bollocks

No time to panic, regards if Sundays resul. See where we are by the next break,
 
Players are not working hard enough for the manager and coaching staff there's a clear lethargy throughout the team, some players tonight we're just going through the motions as they know regardless of how poorly they play they will always start.
 
Give them until full time on Sunday.
Old Firm match at Ibrox. If they can't raise the performance for that then maybe it's time to ask questions.

I think people thought we would stroll past Malmo and into the Champions League while tims dropped points and struggled in the SPL. So far it has all been just a bit flat for us and they are doing better than expected.

Let's see how it goes on Sunday.
 
Alan Johnson said:
I'm still clinging to the hope it was a piss poor pre-season,don't lose on Sunday and we have 2 weeks to get our shit together during the international break.
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That's my opinion too. But I worry if we don't turn it round soon it might start to affect confidence.

Plus we're not exactly the world's most patient fans, really hope the crowd doesn't turn on the team.
 
Based on the thread title, a bit of both. A sluggish start, hampered by a poor pre-season combined with a decent Celtic start has people concerned.

I'm confident we'll play our way into the season after the international break. We need to check their momentum on Sunday.
 
SuperGers07 said:
For me, something is amiss. Maybe the team have simply reached their peak as a collective unit? Undoubtedly we have a talented bunch of players in the main.

Last season was a mammoth effort but to regress this much in a short time should be seeing legit questions asked in terms of on and off the field.

The window to sell someone for a high fee has been misjudged and Recruitment has been in the main sloppy over the summer. To go from the position of strength in May to this now?

Let’s see how the next few days go. Sunday will tell us a lot. We need to get this squad some help in the door, if that means some have to go to stop the stagnation then so be it.
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We will put it right on Sunday Afternoon mate
 
We’re definitely off form. But it’s celtic we’re playing on Sunday. I’m predicting a narrow victory to the good guys with btts.
 
We will be seriously fucked if we don’t win the league this year, free shot at 30m and that’s the kind of money we can’t let that lot have a sniff at, we do that we might just see them crumble again, only team that can stop us winning it this season is ourselves we know what this teams capable of
 
Gilberstoun Bear said:
We will put it right on Sunday Afternoon mate
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Of course we will…our still depleted squad, slow pace and lack of shooting ability makes me confident.

Of course, there is always last season and poking our fingers in our own eyes will not be enough to convince me it will be ok on the day.

Now I’m not into the narrative of there is something amiss. It seems clear our preseason has been poor, many players remain unfit or out of form and the new signings have not clicked yet (or may just be shite as others suggest).

Fortunately Sunday should not define our season but a significantly more convincing performance from the champions would certainly help.
 
CaptainCourageous said:
Start of a massive new season and we were still paying for what happened last season (Slavia in Europe - suspensions). Pre-season was unorganised, European Championships and Copa hasn’t helped, neither have injuries. There are contract issues hanging over a couple of players and a number of them are ageing and out of contract next summer.

The one thing we could decide the outcome in all of that we didn't.It should be club policy that beyond a certain date anyone going into the final year gets moved on, even if it means taking a massive hit on the fee. In general players who are allowed to see out the last year of there contract don't have the best of seasons as there heads elsewhere, they won't be committed in challenges incase they get injured which is understandable. There will be examples of players having a great last season but across the board more so than not it doesn't happen.
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JW1988 said:
Anyone claiming this malaise started in the summer is either kidding themselves on or their eyes are painted on. In 2021 calendar year we’ve been more off form than on it.
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32 competitive matches this year.
21 wins
6 draws
5 losses (one of which was on penalties)

Over the course of a 38 game league season, that sort of form would get us 82 points - but that includes matches against the likes of Slavia Prague, Antwerp & Malmo who are better than any other team in the league besides Celtic.

We've not been as convincing as in the first half of last season, but for the most part, we've learned to find other ways to win. I actually think Sunday could be a great opportunity for our front 3 - at home, and with the sort of space/one-on-one opportunities they can usually only dream of in Scotland.
 
SuperGers07 said:
Recruitment has been in the main sloppy over the summer
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This is it for me. I don't know if there's just no money there to invest so we're back at the Big Eck bargain basement Bosman market again or if we're resting on our laurels but I don't see any improvement in the first XI from the players recruited in the summer. Squad players for the likes of Falkirk away in the LC at best so far.
 
Alan Johnson said:
I'm still clinging to the hope it was a piss poor pre-season,don't lose on Sunday and we have 2 weeks to get our shit together during the international break.
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As you say I think not losing on Sunday is massive - it gives us 2 weeks to hopefully take stock and put right a few things as well as getting some players up too speed.

However that won't address my main concern, our poor recruitment in the summer that has seen us stand still. It is universally said you improve from a position of strength, which we have spectacularly failed to do. Not one of our new signings is a guaranteed starter.
 
Some players clearly aren't fit - Morelos, Barisic for two. And I don't think the contract negotiations should have been allowed to drag on into the first month of the season.
 
SuperGers07 said:
For me, something is amiss. Maybe the team have simply reached their peak as a collective unit? Undoubtedly we have a talented bunch of players in the main.
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I think it’s more or less this.

Gerrard squeezed every last drop out of several players last season. Goldson, Tav, Davis and McGregor all had their best ever seasons. Barisic, Helander, Kamara and one or two others were all consistently superb too.

Collectively I felt this group of players probably wouldn’t be able to sustain those levels of performance without an infusion of greater quality to the starting eleven.

We’re obviously unable to fund that without CL money or the sale of one or more of our prize assets so we’re more or less asking the same squad (last night saw no new players on the field) to go again and I always thought that was going to be too big an ask.

Perhaps once we get Sakala and Bacuna up to speed, or if we can finally welcome back a fully fit Ryan Jack and keep Kemar Roofe off the treatment table, possibly even add one more to the squad now that we’re guaranteed EL group stage cash we’ll begin to turn a corner, but right now we resemble a side who look spent from the efforts of giving their all last season and for me personally it’s not entirely unexpected.
 
We'll enjoy playing v their defence on Sunday and I'll be reasonably confident if we have Kent or Wright back. But we won't.

Their Japanese chap brings a new threat which our CBs and indeed back 4 may struggle with.

As is always the case, the game could go either way. But it's one where a draw might be welcomed by both.
 
CaptainCourageous said:
People had concerns after Partick, Tranmere, the defending against Arsenal, the lack of creativity and goals during pre-season. You weren’t allowed to talk about the Tranmere defeat as it was only a friendly - minutes in the legs, yet the Real Madrid win was massive.

Malmö home and away bar a 35 minute spell was garbage, Dundee United at Tannadice was turgid. Alashkert home and away was no where near good enough, we rattled a poor second tier side. Ross County away was fine, we played well in spells but the tempo dropped and our defending at times was weak.

We don’t look fit, players are miles off it. There is no tempo or urgency about our play. Our distribution is too slow, slack and sloppy. Mistakes across the back four, too much chopping and changing. A staleness about the team.

Start of a massive new season and we were still paying for what happened last season (Slavia in Europe - suspensions). Pre-season was unorganised, European Championships and Copa hasn’t helped, neither have injuries. There are contract issues hanging over a couple of players and a number of them are ageing and out of contract next summer.

There is a lack of money across Europe in the transfer market, we haven’t been able to cash in on any of our players and if you think this summer and start to the season hasn’t been up to much - wait until next summer should we fail to win the league and claim that Champions League group stages place. McGregor, McLaughlin, Goldson, Balogun, Arfield and Davis all out of contract.
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Great summary.

I would also add that I think some of the players may have ran their race for us to win the title last season & wont hit those levels again, which is why good managers strengthen when on top.

The squad needed freshened up & Gerrard’s hands are tied financially- he’s got Sakala & Lundstram, but neither has contributed anything so far & Bacuna may do well, but looks like a name from our “if we don’t qualify for the Champions League” list.
 
HandsomeHead said:
I think it’s more or less this.

Gerrard squeezed every last drop out of several players last season. Goldson, Tav, Davis and McGregor all had their best ever seasons. Barisic, Helander, Kamara and one or two others were all consistently superb too.

Collectively I felt this group of players probably wouldn’t be able to sustain those levels of performance without an infusion of greater quality to the starting eleven.

We’re obviously unable to fund that without CL money or the sale of one or more of our prize assets so we’re more or less asking the same squad (last night saw no new players on the field) to go again and I always thought that was going to be too big an ask.

Perhaps once we get Sakala and Bacuna up to speed, or if we can finally welcome back a fully fit Ryan Jack and keep Kemar Roofe off the treatment table, possibly even add one more to the squad now that we’re guaranteed EL group stage cash we’ll begin to turn a corner, but right now we resemble a side who look spent from the efforts of giving their all last season and for me personally it’s not entirely unexpected.
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I see you deliberately missed out Lundstram who is by all accounts our marquee signing.

he was meant to lift the midfield as an EPL player and yet he looks to be out his depth. If he does not improve and fast we have put a serious wage into the club that is not worth it.
 
The lack of investment in improving the starting 11, not the squad, since Gerrards first summer is now really hurting us. Last season was the core group of the same players peaking at the right time. Over the summer we had to add two or three new faces onto the starting 11. Instead we got more squad fillers. Injuries, suspensions and Covid haven’t helped but we’ve massively taken our eye off the ball with our summer recruitment strategy.
 
We do seem to be falling into the age old trap of bulking out the squad with average players to end up with a swollen first team with little potential to give them game time and sell on for a profit.

Our goal must have been to replace the likes or Davis/Arfield with a long term solution that adds more to our team, but we've taken a step back on that front I think with Lundstrum. Bacuna doesn't appear on paper to be someone in that mould.

As others have alluded to - we spent a lot of energy and emotion on last year and my concern has always been that, with the players we have, that's their peak. We need players who are hungry for multiple titles and cups, not just a one and done.
 
Scaramanga said:
I’m not saying everyone who played poorly wants away. I’m saying I think it could be the reason for one or two having a pretty dramatic downturn in form. If I thought they were all shite because they want away then I would have said that.
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The reality is you don’t know but you would rather default to the most negative opinion -it’s effectively spite filled same as you hear from the stands -unreasonable anger at players for reasons that are in the observers head.
I tend to think the manager isn’t going to select players who have chucked it indeed he had a rant last week about their application.
 
Small margin's and all in the head I think, they after a shaky start are scoring for fun we just need to turn the same corner, watched them for the 1st time last night against a good team and they have weakness. Might seem like an age old saying however 1st goal and the following 10 mins will tell us a lot with both teams - they have many a debutant in the team so the fan's need to roar no matter the nerves
 
Gennaro_88 said:
We do seem to be falling into the age old trap of bulking out the squad with average players to end up with a swollen first team with little potential to give them game time and sell on for a profit.

Our goal must have been to replace the likes or Davis/Arfield with a long term solution that adds more to our team, but we've taken a step back on that front I think with Lundstrum. Bacuna doesn't appear on paper to be someone in that mould.

As others have alluded to - we spent a lot of energy and emotion on last year and my concern has always been that, with the players we have, that's their peak. We need players who are hungry for multiple titles and cups, not just a one and done.
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And what was the solution to that? The plan got us our greatest title win in our history. We broke the bank to get there and now the market has slowed down and the ins and outs have stopped.
Maybe this argument is right that this squad has shot its bolt but it will take time to prove that and change that.

This is the problem with a lot of our support they don’t take on the wider issues and indeed the detail of how we move forward. The expectations are not realistic and defining the squad now as a failure is clearly premature
 
Bknowe said:
People really need to calm down. Im not happy about elements of our play tonight but Im not unhappy that the team didn't run themselves into the ground in 40 degree heat trying to win a game we didn't need to win with such an important game on Sunday. Tonight waS about getting through and we did that.
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This is my take as well. I may be clutching at straws but last night I felt we played well within ourselves. The team wasn't going to run itself into the ground when we were ahead in the tie & creating chances.

3 points on Sunday is the test now.
 
It's the middle of August and we are neck and neck with the tims and into the Europa League group stages. A little bit of realism is needed here.

I notice people are writing off our recruitment this summer. We've seen a cumulative six games from two of them and one is getting up to fitness. Let's judge them in a few months time. People were creaming themselves over Sakala's performances towards the end of last season, how he'd have an impact like Novo.

Lundstram could come good too, he won't though if people just give him dogs after a poor start to his time here.
 
Something is definitely amiss. Gerrard put faith in some players maintaining their fitness during an extended break only for it to be thrown back at him, ie Barisic for example who has came back that far off it its frightening.

We haven't upgraded Davis, who in the later years if his career, cannot be expected to carry the team when the chips are down. Arfield and Jack required upgrades and it hasn't happening as we expected with Lundstram struggling and the other lad with the heart issue unfortunately.

As for Kamara and Goldson and their contract sagas if they don't want to be here then send them on their way. Goldson is like a different player this season and its not pleasant viewing. Kamara is quality and irreplaceable but needs must if we have books to balance.

Maybe I'm wrong but drastic changes are required and mentally our players look like they're struggling bigtime.
 
DylanGer said:
And what was the solution to that? The plan got us our greatest title win in our history. We broke the bank to get there and now the market has slowed down and the ins and outs have stopped.
Maybe this argument is right that this squad has shot its bolt but it will take time to prove that and change that.

This is the problem with a lot of our support they don’t take on the wider issues and indeed the detail of how we move forward. The expectations are not realistic and defining the squad now as a failure is clearly premature
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Agree - think the reaction overall is knee jerk and pessimistic.

The squad, whilst not playing well atm, is in my view miles ahead of celtic. I guess my point really is that they lot across the city were in exactly the same spot 2 seasons ago and look how quickly that unravelled.

What's disappointing is how much progress we made to get from Gerrards first season to last year, and it's stalled big time (recruitment and development wise). That's something that needs rectified as soon as it's spotted, not retrospectively imo
 
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