First day nightmares as Rangers get it all wrong

Well what a mess that was.

If pre-season was an indicator then no one should really have been surprised, however the levels served up were completely unacceptable and shocked most of us. It was that bad.

The reaction has been fierce and intense, if anyone at Rangers had any ideas about what the pressure is like then they will have no illusions now. I’ve often joked that you get ten minutes to make a first impression at Rangers, it isn’t that far wrong.

For many, that first impression hasn’t been good enough. For many the pressure is on and that includes the manager.

Rangers have managed to hand the impetus away in spectacular fashion and now there is additional pressure we could have well done without.

The worst of it all is when that team came out on Saturday many of us, in fact the majority, whether on social media or on the group chats, questioned if it was correct.

We were about to find out it was horribly wrong.

I’m going to try not to be responsive and reactive to the individual player performance because they have literally been here for weeks. Writing anyone off or making snap judgements won’t help anyone or do anyone any good, however it would be naive enough to suggest everyone has impressed.

(I caveat this with the fact I am no tactical expert and merely a fan telling what his eyes can see)

The big issue for me started with the selection and the shape which very quickly became evident as the game progressed.

First of all, Todd Cantwell, the decision to leave him out was a mistake. The beating heart of all things good the last months of last season, it should be built around him and to his strengths. Instead it worries me he has been shifted about and has suffered in pre season so far.

The decision to play a double pivot, in terms of Nico Raskin and John Lundstram as defensive midfielders, is complete overkill when facing a team with eleven behind the ball.

It then becomes far too slow in the transition and those two players don’t influence the play because one is more than enough. I can’t be convinced John Lundstram needs to be so deep he is in the backline against such a defensive opposition, it’s unnecessary. One, with the two centre backs, is more than enough defensively.

That slow build up consistently allows teams to regroup and we can never hit a team with pace. Then when we do break the two sixes have too much space between them and the forward line because they are far too deep. The six (Raskin) should feed the tens and attackers who are then able to come into that space, turn and effect the game from there.

Instead, anytime we carried it further forward it was completely bunched up and all the forward players were standing in a line marked by Kilmarnock defenders with no room to manoeuvre. It was static, no runs being made, no runs beyond as too far up. Zero cohesion in what they were trying to do.

There was no out ball, they basically suffocated us. That’s not only on Beale and the tactical approach, the performance of the frontline (basically the forward four) was non existent. That’s a massive concern.

Dowell, Sima, Lammers and Dessers did not effect the game at all which goes back to the original decision to not play Cantwell as a mistake.

This stat graph from StatsBomb kinda illustrates what I have been trying to explain. The front four, that narrow, against a deep midfield and packed defence was never going to work.

The other startling observation is no one passes it to Borna, barely at all, and John Lundstram is basically playing in a position completely unnecessary to the actual game against such a low block.

Narrow, slow and lacked ideas is difficult to argue against.

There has been a lot made of Tavernier taking a corner then running right over to right back to take a throw, that is completely correct to highlight. Within six seconds of that happening Jack Butland had the ball back. I completely understand if Tavernier takes it to keep shape, but surely then have someone else take the corners on other side to stop this happening.

We had a quick throw opportunity and we didn’t take it, instead the tempo was far too slow and we dithered as we did all game. It all adds to the above and people’s frustration at what was a completely pedestrian performance.

If we continue to be so defensive, so slow in tempo and narrow in width, then this will be a long season. Teams will simply do what Kilmarnock done to us so easily.

Rangers need to fix it and quickly. It may just need a slight personnel adjustment or it might need a positional reboot, that is what the management team are there to fix. It might take Danilo and Cifuentes to immediately start.

The players also need to wake up and quickly. We can blame tactics and choices all we want but simple desire was lacking badly. Being second best to so many second balls is unacceptable. Performing with such a lack of urgency is also not acceptable. Having your goalkeeper frantically urge you forward in injury time, because you are static, is not a good look.

I’m not ready to react or burn everything down yet, weirdly I still have faith and I completely concede at this moment it is blind faith, in time I believe we will look like the team we want us to be. But I am also not naive enough to concede the complaints have some merit and aren’t far wrong either.

The problem is we don’t get that time at Rangers and it must be fixed quickly.

For Rangers every game is a must win and the unnecessary pressure they have put themselves under means that statement is even more true. We simply can’t afford these performances both individually and collectively.

For our captain to post a reel of his ‘highlights’ in a season where the team won absolutely nothing just invites pressure and is a serious lack of judgement. Fans are extremely angry but criticism is fair for this. It then transfers into a match day and the smallest thing see’s harsh criticism. James Tavernier didn’t cost us the goal nor was he our worst player, the graph above shows that, but the fans are fed up with constant failure and instagram posts simply fuel the fire that he doesn’t ‘get it’.

Even if I think it’s harsh on his performance, he has caused the backlash himself with an incredible lack of judgement.

The blunt truth is no one will care about renovations to the stadium, museums and Blue Sky Lounges unless we get it right on the pitch. I’m sick of this gut wrenching feeling of despair and it can’t become a season theme. It’s game one and we have to ensure it was a brain fart never to be repeated.

For that they have it all to prove.

Fashion Sakala and Glen Kamara will move in the next week or so according to managers comments. With potentially more to follow, the futures of Ianis Hagi, Rabbi Matondo, Ben Davies, Scott Wright, Robbie McCrorie, Jon McLaughlin all still up for discussion means some movement is certain.

That could be some serious income and whilst I don’t expect us to spend another £15m perhaps there will be room for a Centre back and maybe even a winger or forward capable of something different. Easy to say that’s needed after Saturday. There is still questions over both full back positions also and the clamour for complete overhaul remains. We might even have to pick up a goalkeeper from somewhere if those do depart.

So I don’t think the window is finished just yet.

As for those who have arrived, expectation is now abundantly clear if it wasn’t already. Life at Rangers is intense and there is no room for performances like Saturday. As for the management, a fix is abundantly necessary quickly.

It’s all now here thick and fast, no time to mope, we must get going and quickly.

I’ll find out soon if this weird feeling of optimism, based on not a lot in honesty, is well placed but I fancy us to react strongly. Rangers will go on a run which is required and bounce back, my heart tells me that whilst my head says there is nothing to support that, yet.

If we don’t, then the reaction will only be louder and after a summer of positivity that is unthinkable.

Finger out Rangers and quickly please.