very long ago, we were rubbing our hands in anticipation of the first
Old Firm game of the new season, as if the Gers had only to turn up to
be sure of a barrowload of goals and three points. The suggestion was
daft then, just as it is daft now, but no less daft than all the doom
and gloom which has enveloped FollowFollowland this week.
Rangers chiseled out a couple of excellent results at Inverness and
Nicosia, then were unlucky to lose in Sheepieville, yet from the tone
of certain Bears’ opinions you would think we are back to the bad old
days of Capucho, Emerson and Ostenstad. C’mon guys, lets try to keep it
sensible. Yes, the performances have left a bit to be desired but, at
this early stage of the season, the new men are still settling in and
might need a wee bit longer before they have properly bedded down.
Surely we can approach a game with the Other Mob in a much more
positive frame of mind. Reading a few posts on the Messageboard, you
might think we were due to play Barcelona this weekend, instead of the
sad, rudderless, Euro sceptic team which is effectively John Fartson
and ten others. Regardless of what names Gordon The Garden Gnome picks
out of his hat, Rangers should have too much for them and, with more
than 40,000 Bears behind the team (DO IT!), we should be reminding them
that we have better players, we are a better team and, ahem, WE ARE THE
CHAMPIONS!!!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one to defend slackness from players or
indecision from the manager. There are instances in both areas which
have worried me but it really pisses me off when the mood can swing
from bring-it-on to aw-naw-we’re-shite in the space of a couple of days.
It bothers me that Big Eck doesn’t seem to know what his first pick
eleven is. Is Fanfan a centre-back or right-back, is Rodriguez the main
man at the back, what will be Ricksen’s regular position? With Hutton
and Hemdani currently sidelined, he is perhaps being forced to use
players in different roles but that can happen to any team at any time.
I wouldn’t want the current mix and match set-up, with the pack being
shuffled once or twice in the course of a game, to continue for too
much longer.
But again I repeat, it is very early in the season. For now I’m
prepared to give the Freckled One the benefit of the doubt, lets see
how things pan out over the next month or so before indulging in any
wrist-slashing stuff. We have a stronger squad than at any time in the
past five years, I have no doubt we will successfully defend our SPL
crown and, for the first time in yonks, I’m not suicidal about our
European prospects.
I’m annoyed that, by losing last weekend, we’ve put ourselves under
pressure against Sellick. Going into the game a point behind them, the
onus is on us to win it and any result other than a Rangers victory
will be acclaimed as a moral victory for the Scum Of. Here’s hoping
that point will be made very forcibly in the dressing room and we’ll
get the sort of get-right-intae-them stuff which earned us three
memorable wins last season. All the wee blips will be forgotten when we
do the business on Saturday and I’m confident Big Eck will make his men
aware of this during his team talk.
There can be no half-measures this weekend. The time for shadow-boxing
has past, we have to be up for this one because They are hurting and
will be looking to get back at us. They will see last Sunday’s result
as a sign that we might be vulnerable and, already being a point better
off, they could not ask for a greater incentive than the possibility of
stretching that advantage. It must not happen.
Having been lifted by events at Aberdeen, nothing could do more damage
to Septic’s morale than to suffer the backlash from a very determined
Rangers team. We seemed to be forever playing catch-up last season,
nosing ahead then losing the initiative. I’d much prefer to see us
leading from the front this time around, slapping them down on Saturday
then pushing on when the Jambos’ early season bubble inevitably bursts.
We have a very exciting season to look forward to. Remember that next
time you are tempted to let rip with the verbals. Or would you rather
be in Timothy’s shoes? Aye, I know, it’s a silly question but,
listening to some Bears shooting from the lip this week, I was tempted
to ask that very question. Getting through this slow start without any
significant mishaps – last Sunday was just a hiccup! – will set us up
for the months ahead and I’m convinced this will be a good season for
Rangers.
Reaction to the game in Nicosia was both disappointing and surprising.
Since when did we become such an all-conquering power that we could
afford to be so blasé about an away win in Europe? The days of teams
going to places like Cyprus and running riot against a motley
collection of waiters, bus drivers and insurance clerks are long gone.
It was no surprise to find Anorthosis to be well organised, with more
than a few useful players in their side – they were equally awkward
opponents ten years ago - so surely a 2-1 victory is something to be
celebrated.
Of course, the performance was hardly vintage stuff but, at this stage
of the team-building process, did we really think it would be? It was
all about working hard for 90 minutes and getting a result which would
take us closer to the riches of the Champions League. In my book,
Rangers left Cyprus with that mission accomplished and we should now
fancy our chances of finishing the job at Ibrox next week. I’d like
nothing better than to see us do it with a swashbuckling performance
and a few goals…but if we have to settle for a 0-0 draw, I’ll take it,
thank you very much.
Pittodrie was a different case altogether. I reckon Eck picked the
wrong team. After the trip to Cyprus, I would’ve tried Fanfan and
Rodriguez together at the heart of the defence (at least they can talk
to each other!), I might have been inclined to rest Fernando after his
midweek efforts (wouldn’t that have been a master stroke?) and I’d have
gone for Thompson and McCormack in the starting line-up, leaving Nacho
and Dado on the bench just in case. We would have missed the big
pony-tail’s presence but who knows what trouble Ross Mac might have
caused the Sheepies? Management of the resources available to him will
be the Freckled One’s biggest test and I’m afraid he slipped up badly
on Sunday.
Yet we should still have won the game. Ronaldo was impeded for their
first goal but, even after they got a second, the Gers were still able
to pull it back and looked like going on to win comfortably until the
Ricksen red card turned the thing on its head. Having already been
booked in the first half, Fernando was an obvious target and, from the
moment McNaughton knocked the ball past him, the Aberdeen player was
more intent on running into his challenge than running clear of it. But
it was a yellow card and the outcome was predictable.
John Underhill is one of a long list of non-descript referees who,
knowing they won’t make it to the glamour group, opt for reffing by
numbers. They brandish cards left right and centre – after about 25
mins on Sunday you know there was no way the game would finish with 22
players on the park – they annoy managers, players and fans alike
because they have no common sense to apply, they influence the result
more than the players and generally spoil the game as a spectacle. Get
used to it, there are a few of them out there.
Stuart Dougal is the man in charge on Saturday and, while I know there
will be plenty of you ready to regurgitate your breakfast, I reckon he
is just about the best of a bad lot. Whatever dirty tricks Septic get
up to, and they will get up to plenty, we should be cute enough to step
back, resist the temptation to match like with like, be first to the
ball, keep the thing on the deck – the Artmedia Bratislava way,
tee-hee! – and register another victory for football over thuggery.
Playing to our strengths and their weaknesses, there should be no doubt
about the outcome. I’m hoping to see Buffy fulfill his pre-season
promise by exploiting the immobility of the hammer-throwers in their
back line and cashing in on Dado’s good work. With a certain
opponent-crippling defender possibly making his last appearance in
green and grey hoops, fingers crossed we get through the 90 minutes
without any broken legs!
If it was up to me, I’d have Big Marv back in our defence, just to go
man-to-man with Fartson in the air, and I’m hoping Fanfan and/or
Rodriguez will be sharp enough to mop up anything else which might pose
a threat. And I’m confident Baz will boss the midfield, backed up by
Alex Rae, and will see to it that our front players don’t lack
opportunities.
The possibility of us letting FC Semtex off the hook at a time when
they are in such disarray turns my stomach. We have to put them in
their place, kick them when they are down, strike a blow which
consolidates our supremacy and have them planning to erect crush
barriers for the inevitable protest gatherings in the Breezeblock
Boulevard car park.
We have much more pleasing matters on the agenda. The gelling together
of the new team, the defence of our title and the Champions League (go
on, rub it in!) are more than enough to keep the adrenalin flowing… and
three points on Saturday should kick-start things very nicely.
LITTLE BOY BLUE