?I am not usually one to fall for tabloid headlines but I have to say the back page of the Sun (after the CIS exit) screaming Please Leave Govan struck a chord with this particular Bear.
I was very excited at the appointment of PLG and looked forward to domestic dominance and perhaps a decent run in Europe, hell I even defended him as the results went from bad to worse and said give him time he'll come good. I managed to convince myself the Caley Thistle defeat was the bottoming out of the situation and had been cheered by the victory in the rain in Livorno and our first (and so far only) comeback from behind to win at Love St. Talk about a false dawn! The defeat by Caley was bad but it was paled into insignificance by the lunatic utterings from PLG after the Motherwell debacle. Ok the performance was better than against Caley and we drew rather than lost but it was marginal and to say we played well dumbfounded this particular observer. Either he was watching a video of a previous tanking of Motherwell while he sat slouched in the dugout and mixed up the two or he genuinely believed we played well, I leave it to you to decide which of these is worse!
I don't want any hogwash that he was trying to give the team a boost by not slating them in public either. Remember this is a Manager who has chopped and changed every element of the team all season almost always rewarding a decent performance with relegation to the subs bench (Oh sorry it's resting them) so don't tell me he's concerned with the teams feelings.
Let's be in no doubt here people, the football this season has got progressively worse, yes there has been the odd bright spark, but the general trend has been a steady decline since the first day of the season. Remember that game when in the first half we played some sparkling stuff yet contrived to miss sitter after sitter. Where are all these chances now, we are creating nothing and the standard of football last night was worse than anything seen under McLeish at our lowest point last season and I for one didn't think that was possible. The manager seems to me to be totally incapable of motivating the players or making any meaningful change when things are going wrong. Many have said he has underestimated the pace of Scottish Football and has been taken by surprise, so I ask them why is he being so stubborn and sticking to tactics (mmm?) that are patently failing or is he just thumbing his nose at his detractors who are now the vast majority of Rangers Supporters. His time is UP and he should go now or Mr Chairman, if you have any concern other than flogging us, you should press the ejector button. If I performed my job to the level of consistent incompetence being shown by this stubborn Gaul my feet wouldn't touch the ground as security escorted me from the building and that applies to many of us.
I am at a complete loss to see where any improvement is coming from at the moment, with the exception of Barry Ferguson, who has managed to put in some brilliant displays since regaining his fitness, Novo since his return to favour and McGregor (although he didn't cover himself in glory with the goals at Tannadice), I don't think any of the players can really say I've done my bit.
This is my take on the others who played against Saint Johnstone, Steven Smith has stalled in his progression and is in severe danger of following his fellow full back Hutton backwards down the development spiral. Hemdani is not a central defender and although in previous games he has been less culpable than others around him and put in some decent shifts, he sold the jerseys at the second goal. If he's playing he should be in midfield end of story. Papac had his worst game in a Rangers jersey to follow from his second worst 3 days earlier, jury still out. Clemont was starting to play well prior to his injury and came back with a decent shift against Maccabi. Against St Johnstone he was woeful and that built (if that's the right usage) on his shambolic performance at Tannadice, where I counted six passes in a row straight to Utd players in the second half. Rae was not at the races but could we really expect him to come in and do the business. Buffel has gone from a real quality player to an anonymous bit player who only shows his skills in brief flashes and seems to have lost his ability to hurt the opposition. Sebo is a headless chicken of the highest order, comparisons to Billy Urquhart are common place but I think that's a bit of a slap in the face to Billy.
Boyd is the classic enigma, sure he's lazy, sure he doesn't work as hard as he should and this shows up particularly at these trying times, BUT he is by far our best goals corer. PLG has ruined him, dropping him when he has scored and persisting in playing him in this one man up front pish we've had to endure all season. Everyone can see that is not Boyd's game you so stop trying to make a point at the expense of the team in a pathetic attempt to show the fans who's right and who's wrong.
The subs who came on couldn't change it either, Prso is finished at this level and should be gracefully put out to grass before we forget the good performances we've from him in the past. Adam is still too inconsistent but at least shows promise and Martin has been hampered by injury, although I have to confess I think he has been sussed by defences after an initial bright start.
Of those that were missing from the teamsheet, Rodriguez has been part of the shambolic defending that has blighted us this season but he's a better centre half than Hemdani. Svensson looks nervous and insecure and his performances to date with the exception of Livorno away have shown why, a dud. Sionko has flattered to deceive and prior to his injury he was poor and Letizi has made some high profile howlers and should be back up to McGregor.
The only other regular feature has been Bardsley but he has fallen out with the manager who again seems content to let the team suffer to prove a point, Bardsley should be playing ahead of Hutton in my view. So all in all it's not a very bright picture as I see it, too little quality, too little heart and a manager who has lost the plot completely. His signings (3 from the giants at Vienna) have in general failed to make any impression and his constant chopping and changing of the team hasn't allowed for any level of consistency at all. If you think I'm depressed you are dead right I am!
I have no idea what PLG said at the press conference today and I am deliberately writing this before I read anything, however no doubt he will shrug it off with a typical we carry on mantra. Carry on with what I ask, the utter gash we have had to watch recently? Or is it the inspired tactical formation with one man up front against giants in the game at Ibrox, the turning of Ibrox from a veritable fortress into a just another venue for the opposition. Perhaps it's the world class defending we carry on, where any cross ball into our box will cause utter chaos and has a fair chance of being a goal. We've only played one really good game this season (Livorno) and had three other decent performances, albeit both Hearts and Falkirk really failed to turn up at the Brox and Maccabi fell apart when they got into the final third, and that my fellow Bears is not good enough - not by a long chalk!
PLG must go and he must go now so that a new Manager can see what he needs to buy in January so that we might have a fighting chance of starting next season in a decent position. Our last two managers have been rightly lambasted for being out the league race at Xmas, this clown had us down before the end of October and out on Bonfire night. One thing for you to note Mr Custodian, every defeat is wiping £s off the likely selling price so if you like money as much as I think you do, you better ACT and act NOW.
Yours in complete dejection and at the end of my tether.
Big Mac