What is/was the catalyst for our dramatic loss of form?

Midfield General said:
Form is the main issue,followed by team selection,tactics mentality and our injury list.
There is no doubt that Goldson has gone from being a fairly decent ch with a decent pass to a hesitant,mistake ridden,poor passing shambles.Maybe just too many games and should be replaced by Balogun or King.Players like Lawrence,Cantwell and Dessers cant maintain a run of form.
Playing Sterling at left back is a waste,he should be a sitting midfielder alongside everyones favourite Lundstram to protect our fragile defence.
Can we trust Borna for the last few games,he at least gives us an attacking threat but it would be a gamble.Hopefully Ridvan will be back.
Lawrence and Cantwell shouldnt be in the same team,its one or other and i would slightly favour Cantwell.
I Would make Sima our main striker with McCausland and Matondo either side.
Finally the players need to show the right mentality,no more learning from things and as Walter Smith would say."Just Win!"
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Agree with everything you're saying here with the exception of Borna. He should be nowhere near the team - especially at Parkhead.
 
RTD-BEAR said:
Ridvan going out is massive he has his faults but he can play the way manager wants

Bb can't its not his game and never had been

We are missing dio big time as he held cover ground and runners

Tbh I'd be inclined to go 3 at the back for a while to give us some pace with balogun

And with sima/matondo tav on right and sterling/jl/raskin in middle with cantwell and whoever wins the lucky draw to be striker for the day
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Tav on the right you say FFS when are we ever going to learn
 
Midfield General said:
Form is the main issue,followed by team selection,tactics mentality and our injury list.
There is no doubt that Goldson has gone from being a fairly decent ch with a decent pass to a hesitant,mistake ridden,poor passing shambles.Maybe just too many games and should be replaced by Balogun or King.Players like Lawrence,Cantwell and Dessers cant maintain a run of form.
Playing Sterling at left back is a waste,he should be a sitting midfielder alongside everyones favourite Lundstram to protect our fragile defence.
Can we trust Borna for the last few games,he at least gives us an attacking threat but it would be a gamble.Hopefully Ridvan will be back.
Lawrence and Cantwell shouldnt be in the same team,its one or other and i would slightly favour Cantwell.
I Would make Sima our main striker with McCausland and Matondo either side.
Finally the players need to show the right mentality,no more learning from things and as Walter Smith would say."Just Win!"
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Sterling sitting alongside Lundstrum you said ,I wouldn't sit alongside Lundstrum on a train never mind play alongside him.
 
JDC76 said:
Agree with everything you're saying here with the exception of Borna. He should be nowhere near the team - especially at Parkhead.
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Yes i have doubts too he also has turned from an ok defender with a great attacking threat to a nightmare defender.If he can find any form i think he provides balance to the team but we need Ridvan back fit.
 
Midfield General said:
Yes i have doubts too he also has turned from an ok defender with a great attacking threat to a nightmare defender.If he can find any form i think he provides balance to the team but we need Ridvan back fit.
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Losing Ridvan has been a major blow as he was really coming on to his game.
 
Yilmaz, a 22second freak goal, the Dundee debacle, Diomande, and a complete loss of form and confidence. Midfield has been shocking last couple of games.
 
SaulBearenson said:
Injuries have caught up with us and the players who are fit are knackered. Clement has made repeated mention of the fitness levels not being anywhere close to where he wants them, and that's down to the preparation before he took over.

We've also lost our left side, with Yilmaz and Cortes injured. Sima playing on the right isn't working for me, as, like Matondo, he's at his best coming in off the left. I'd be playing Dessers or Silva up top, Sima left, McAusland right for the remaining games.
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I don't think it's a simple as that, this team have completed imploded the last 3 games. OK I'll agree we have been plagued by injuries, but we had a few weeks off there due to the international break. OK some of our players were away, but most had a break. We have some of our injured players back, and we were in a strong position to win this league. That is all the motivation we needed.
 
waldo 1160 said:
Yilmaz, a 22second freak goal, the Dundee debacle, Diomande, and a complete loss of form and confidence. Midfield has been shocking last couple of games.
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I think before all that happened the Motherwell game (god knows where that performance came from) spooked us. We haven't played well since, aside from Benfica away.
 
Winning at rugby park...i honestly think the players thought it was in the bag and have took their eye off the ball. walking out that stadium it felt like we had overcome a big hurdle and I personally felt that we were on our way......that's OK being a fan and thinking that but professional players shouldn't be thinking that way.
 
I have never seen a squad of players who seem to all hit poor form at the same time. It’s like wildfire. It usually starts with Goldson and Tav and then Lundstram.
Hive mentality then seems to kick in and before you know it the others follow suit. Even Butland has succumbed.
Normally it strikes after the winter break. The arrival of a new manager seems only to have delayed the catastrophic collapse this season
One thing is for sure, if we don’t part with the three players mentioned we are likely to repeat the same process over and over
If we can’t get rid, then we need to reduce their playing time by having better players in their positions who can play at least half the games
 
Rangers daft said:
Winning at rugby park...i honestly think the players thought it was in the bag and have took their eye off the ball. walking out that stadium it felt like we had overcome a big hurdle and I personally felt that we were on our way......that's OK being a fan and thinking that but professional players shouldn't be thinking that way.
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That was also the game that Cortes got hurt and led to the start of the imbalance on the left.
 
I appreciate the goals against record is v good but the quality of our defending and the the defensive set up has been poor for months.

We have been conceding Mickey Mouse since the turn of the year eg Aberdeen at home but when we win these failings are over-looked.

No proper team loses a goal within 20 secs, concedes within a minute of recovering a 2 goal deficit, has all 10 outfield players attacking a corner in a level European tie nor in successive away matches coughs up big chances in the opening minute.

It’s the failure to address these issues which is being exposed now our attacking play has dropped off. The fact that our captain is one of the worst offenders and is seemingly undropable alongside his friend at CH is not exactly a good look
 
To me it is lack of belief and crumbling under pressure. When Clement first came in, there was no real pressure. We didnt expect to go through in Europe and we didnt expect to be in the league hunt so of course we could play well and managed to start 2024 still in 4 competitions! When it looked like we actually could win the league, the bottle went and the players reverted to type. This lack of handling pressure has been evident for 6 years now, and is endemic within the squad. Starting with Goldson, Jack, Borna, Tav and then like a sickness it goes through the Lundstrams, the Roofes and before you know it when all your senior players have no belief, then the whole squad stops believing.

We can change strikers, change wingers, change tactics, change managers. Until the source of the problem (the senior players however good they are that have no belief or can't handle pressure) is removed, the outcome will always be the same.
 
Had a quick look at the goals by County and noted in 2 of the goals Lundstram was twice on the wrong side of the goal scorers each time, which suggests he has ’switched off ’ mentally. It has been noticeable of late he is no longer as creative as he was before Motherwell.

Add in that Clement has to play a central 3 midfield against the shinners or end up with a skelping at Parkhead. And one of those has to be Sterling with a clear role of playing hard and negating Hatate. One bump and that guy will hide for the rest of the match!
 
the reason is a complete lack of football ability from certain players.

lets not beat about the bush, Dessers is a ridiculously poor footballer yet we depend on him to score the goals to win us a title. We really dont give ourselves a chance do we. Its as if we are on a suicide mission and we dont like ourselves
 
nobody said:
Ffs I don't have to provide you with evidence. Are you the police?
all that people Spoke about after RC game was Butland was scared to come off his line. I blame having Tav and Goldson in front of him, I blame Tavs mistake against the bheasts for doing that. He came off his line, Tav flapped and shat himself as Tav does and the ball ended up in the back off the net.
Right back at you relates you your last line.

Look, Why don't you just change your user name to tavbear and follow him to his next club and support Tav FC in His amazing personal records and numbers
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Everything I expected to be honest.
Opens mouth, bumps gums, can’t back up argument.
I’ll leave it at that and this’ll be my last reply to you on this one.
 
ThreestripeS said:
Yilmaz getting injured means we have to play Sterling who we are crying out for in midfield the now.
Diomande and cortez are a big miss same with not having another centre forward to push dessers.
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Agree with that mate. Personally I would have gone with Borna at left back against the likes of RC and Dundee and used Sterling where we really need him. It’s all the more frustrating that we need to rely on Lundstram on his own, who is not mobile enough, while Raskin sits on the bench, god knows what’s going on with him!

The loss of Cortez and Yilmaz at exactly the wrong time has had a massive impact on our chances overall. But, and it’s a big but, we absoloutley should be able to deal with Motherwell, Dundee and RC with the players we have available.

That’s the massive issue the gaffer needs to solve this summer.
 
RangersLad1983 said:
Sterling sitting alongside Lundstrum you said ,I wouldn't sit alongside Lundstrum on a train never mind play alongside him.
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One defeat in 28 with Lundstram in the centre of the park, mainly with a Jack, Raskin or Diomande beside him.

One defeat in 28 with a right side of mainly McCausland, Wright

Left side of Sima, Matondo, Cortes

What happened when we changed it ?

BTW Sterling started LB celtic away got beat, CM celtic home, we got beat, Motherwell home LW we got beat, Benfica away RW we drew, celtic home LB drew, Dundee away LB we drew. He actually has a poor record, he only has had less than a handful of other starts I don’t want to use utility player/Jack of all trades master of none, but he needs to be given a position and left to develop. PS he was also honking at RB vMorton in the cup and whipped off ten minutes in to the second half.
 
Could fatigue be an issue? We’ve played more games in Europe and the league cup. Factored in with injuries and getting players who were injured in and up to speed.
 
Cavanloyal said:
Single biggest factor for me... Yilmaz getting injured playing for Turkey.
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This for me too. Aside from the fact he is a VERY good player, he offers us balance, width and keeps us on the front foot. Cortes and him looked very good together too. 2 guys who can play football at pace. We have missed them dreadfully to be honest.
 
IMHO the dressing room is lost and at an absolutely catastrophic point in the season. I suspect Goldson has not taken kindly to the criticism he has faced recently and the dressing room is split down the middle. Motivated teams don’t fall apart due to injuries, two of our best performances this season were Ross county at home and Dundee away in the midst of an injury crisis.

I can only conjecture that egos have been bruised and battle lines drawn between different dressing room factions. This team has lost its motivation and is neither performing for the manager nor the fans. I suspect Clement doesn’t help as like managers before him, he has undroppables, which I suspect causes huge fractures in the dressing room.

If I played for the club, I’d be hugely disappointed by the inaction of the board and management in terms of defending the club and the players against a very polarised media and general atmosphere in Scotland. It pissed me off greatly, that we lost the media war re the Dundee postponements and were somehow shouldering some of the blame.

Same inaction on the clear corruption and honest mistakes in pivotal games, meek, cowardly responses and zero progress made. If those who run the club are failing to fight for it and are derelict in the protection of clubs brand, why do we think players who have serially let us down are going to be motivated to fight.

Our players must look across the city with a degree of envy at the way the filth are represented and protected…no matter how wrong they are. I just don’t see any motivation to fight for what’s left of the season and Sterling’s honesty confirmed that there is no easy answer in terms of the dressing room.

Players downing tools for whatever reason only ever benefits our opponents, we the fans suffer the most. The club has been run poorly and our player contract situation is coming back to bight us, with much of our senior squad members close to the end of their contracts…what could go wrong in that situation?
 
scotto said:
Could fatigue be an issue? We’ve played more games in Europe and the league cup. Factored in with injuries and getting players who were injured in and up to speed.
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Definitely mentally and physically, but a lot is to do with our player minute management, we made 3 of our 5 subs well after we had made it 5-0 v Hearts at home as one example. These are the games you rest your regulars blood youngsters keep your squad fresh. 3 of our leggiest looking players recently have been Tav, Goldson and Lundstram, all in their 30s rarely rested or subbed.
 
RangersLad1983 said:
Tav on the right you say FFS when are we ever going to learn
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Mate we have only small amount of games left with very little options to the summer

Changing to 3 at the back takes a lot of defensive side away from tav.

We have ton of injuries and in general I'd prefer sterling in middle of park

What team looks like next year is a different discussion but last few games we are limited in what we can do.
 
dcbluenose said:
Anyone else get the feeling Lundstram knows he won't get a contract and now he's chucked it because of that?
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We shouldn’t be going in to the business end of the season with players who have been told they have no future at the Club.

Clement was rotating Barisic/Yilmaz then dropped Barisic completely, told him he had no future, Barisic is moving on to a new contract elsewhere, Yilmaz is injured rather than play King or even Davies or Fraser we go with Barisic away to Ross County, what kind of reaction did he expect? Someone you’ve told isn’t good enough isn’t going to jeopardise the rest of his career/last contract (aged 31) essentially, for a game against a team of jobbers. I am one of Barisic’s biggest fans but his performance was totally expected,

If Lundstram has been told the same, expect similar.
 
ecossebear said:
To me it is lack of belief and crumbling under pressure. When Clement first came in, there was no real pressure. We didnt expect to go through in Europe and we didnt expect to be in the league hunt so of course we could play well and managed to start 2024 still in 4 competitions! When it looked like we actually could win the league, the bottle went and the players reverted to type. This lack of handling pressure has been evident for 6 years now, and is endemic within the squad. Starting with Goldson, Jack, Borna, Tav and then like a sickness it goes through the Lundstrams, the Roofes and before you know it when all your senior players have no belief, then the whole squad stops believing.

We can change strikers, change wingers, change tactics, change managers. Until the source of the problem (the senior players however good they are that have no belief or can't handle pressure) is removed, the outcome will always be the same.
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Your point makes absolutely no sense, you said we had no pressure when Clement came in as we were out the league, you do realise that we closed the gap and actually took over them?
There must have been pressure at some point as we closed that gap surely?
Love how you pick and choose when there's pressure.

That last paragraph, if we actually had a competent striker we'd be far better off.

You'll be absolutely flummoxed when the last of the old guard go and we're still not winning leagues, you might actually admit to yourself that it was all about the quality of the players.
 
surfbear said:
Injuries and tiredness for me plus nervousness under pressure. Dreadful passing tonight summed up by Lawrence in the last minute when he could have put Matondo through.
Cortes is a big miss, Yilmaz even bigger miss and Diomande had started well in midfield. Add trying to get players like Sima fit after injury and lack of confidence and it all adds up.
We simply have no plan B against packed defence our midfielders don’t get into the box enough and forwards not physical enough
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That’s a worry. I seem to remember it being said that Clement had struggled against defensive sides previously.

A lot of modern thinking managers seem to have a ‘vision’ for how they want the game to be played and appear reluctant to deviate away from it. I think that’s certainly been true of all three of our previous managers.

If this is also true of Clement then we’re going to have an issue unless our recruitment is spot on and we somehow avoid a repeat of the injury catalogues we’ve had over the past couple of seasons.
 
Mallaig Thrillman said:
Do you think we are seeing the type of leadership required of the captain of a team challenging for a league title?
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The team overall are not capable of a consistency to win every match, that's the bottom line of it. Does Tavernier have leadership qualities, clearly yes to those that matter, can he make our players better, no obviously.

From what you will see him do, what would convince you of his leadership?
 
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1) Ridvan being injured
2) Sterling not being in midfield
3) McCausland being injured and not playing.


Since McCausland went off injured against Motherwell we have really struggled. His energy in the final 3rd has really been missing. Sima should be on the left and him on the right.
 
KarlSvenson said:
1) Ridvan being injured
2) Sterling not being in midfield
3) McCausland being injured and not playing.


Since McCausland went off injured against Motherwell we have really struggled. His energy in the final 3rd has really been missing. Sima should be on the left and him on the right.
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Ive found it strange that despite Mccausland being back from injury for weeks he hasnt had much game time.
 
Mallaig Thrillman said:
He's a football team captain. Most good ones lead by example and make other players better by motivating them to give of their best. You think he does that?
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He must do it, or he wouldn't be captain. If not then there'd be a dressing room revolt.

I'd say he does lead by example, he never hides that's for sure. He's a very good (imo) but limited player leading a limited team.
 
Barryhopez said:
He must do it, or he wouldn't be captain. If not then there'd be a dressing room revolt.

I'd say he does lead by example, he never hides that's for sure. He's a very good (imo) but limited player leading a limited team.
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%^*& sakes Barry two and a half hours to come up.with that? :D

WTF does 'very good but limited mean'? He can't be both.
 
Mallaig Thrillman said:
%^*& sakes Barry two and a half hours to come up.with that? :D

WTF does 'very good but limited mean'? He can't be both.
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Sorry mate, life, kids (leavers night for one) got in the way of my response time :D

Tav's a very good SPL player and has performed well, at a lot of times, in Europe but overall he's a limited player or would not be in the SPL.
 
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Barryhopez said:
He must do it, or he wouldn't be captain. If not then there'd be a dressing room revolt.

I'd say he does lead by example, he never hides that's for sure. He's a very good (imo) but limited player leading a limited team.
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His, and the team's, last three performances, suggest he does nothing of the sort, at least not when it really matters.

I can't understand why some folk refuse to contemplate the possibility that he is just a really poor captain.
 
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