When two became one

It's said that a week is a long time in politics.  For Rangers fans the next couple of days are going to feel like a decade as we wait to see if the club makes a move into the transfer market.  Many of us were already uncomfortable about the lack of depth in the striking department prior to the sight of Jermaine Defoe being stretchered off in tonight's game.

Although Defoe left the field of play looking rather uncomfortable, manager Steven Gerrard commented after the match that he was up and walking around so initial fears about the seriousness of the injury may be unfounded. However it would be a surprise if Defoe was not to miss at least a couple of games which means the clamour for a striker to be signed before the transfer window closes will continue.

The squad does have options in terms of current personnel.  Greg Stewart has played as a striker before and could indeed again but his current fitness state remains unclear with no involvement with the squad since prior to the Winter break.  Other options from within the current squad include playing Ojo or Kent through the middle and perhaps even Aribo.  This is not the natural position for any of these players and at such a crucial point of the season there is little room for experimentation.

Even without Defoe's injury this evening the lack of striking depth in the squad has been a talking point among supporters for a number of weeks.  Whilst it is hoped that Morelos can avoid further suspensions this is far from guaranteed so calls for a third striker are valid.  The problem that arises is who wants to come to Rangers and play understudy to Morelos and Defoe?

Social media is of course awash with names - with Lawrence Shankland and Sam Cosgrove both featuring heavily.  Both are very different players but I feel that it is unlikely that either would be prepared to come to Rangers at this point of the season and play second fiddle to Morelos and if he recovers from injury, Defoe.  A move in the Summer may appeal to both players, as they would have the opportunity to prove themselves to the manager and coaching team during pre-season, but this doesn't help us in the here and now.

The best option is perhaps to look to bring in an experienced striker on loan for 6-months in the same way that Defoe himself was brought in last January.  This would provide the required cover whilst ensuring that money is not wasted on signing players in a panic. Who this mystery experienced striker could be is the tricky part...

WDTCR 💙

It's not a question of bottle

In the aftermath of Sunday’s disappointing defeat Rangers social media was awash with comments that once again this Rangers team had ‘bottled it’. Accusations were made that when the pressure is on, this current crop of players, and management, can't handle the pressure. It’s easy to make knee jerk reactions when emotions are running high in the immediate aftermath of what was a truly awful performance but the claim that this team are ‘bottlers’ just doesn’t stack up. 

Earlier this season this team played Porto, Champions League regulars, knowing that they needed a victory to keep alive their hopes of Europa League qualification. The performance from Rangers that night was magnificent, securing a 2-0 victory which gave them the platform to go and qualify from a extremely competitive group.  Three weeks ago Rangers went to Celtic Park and defeated the current Champions in their own back yard.  This was despite being pegged back to 1-1 and having to contend with some questionable refereeing decisions. 

Questioning the temperament of this team is lazy and fails to acknowledge a more glaringly obvious problem with this Rangers side; an over reliance on Alfredo Morelos and a lack of goals from players who could be expected to contribute more.  Morelos has missed the last three games and Rangers have looked a different animal. Whilst Jermaine Defoe has a predatory instinct meaning he’s an invaluable penalty box striker he does not have the elements in his game that Morelos does and which Rangers have become so reliant on.

Morelos' ability to get Rangers up the park and to push opposition teams onto the back foot cannot be more clearly demonstrated than an incident in the game at Celtic Park three weeks ago where Morelos won a header, chased the header 30 yards, hassled the defender and won a free kick for Rangers. Jermaine Defoe, partly due to age but perhaps more because of the kind of player he is, isn’t going to do this. This leaves Rangers with a major problem when Morelos doesn’t play. 

The lack of goals from the other forward players in the current Rangers team was also laid bare in the Hearts game. Despite how awful Rangers played they could, and should have, scored two if not three goals before half time on Sunday. Ryan Kent and Joe Aribo, both playing in the wide forward areas missed glaring opportunities on Sunday. Neither of the chances were gilt edged but for players of this quality Steven Gerrard will have expected at least one of these chances to have been taken. Although Kent did score in the 2nd half, going in at half time ahead would have changed the complexion of the game and given Rangers an impetus to carry into the second half.  

Ultimately it was a bad day at the office yesterday for Rangers, perhaps the worst performance to date from a Steven Gerrard team, but there were still opportunities for Rangers to have won the game yesterday.  In the cold light of day this does not change the result but it does suggest that if Kent, Aribo and others selected to play in the wide forward positions can increase their goal return results like yesterday will be avoided going forward.

A positive result is needed on Wednesday night when Ross County visit Ibrox and I fully expect Rangers to win this game comfortably. Doing so will allow the team to start building momentum again ensuring that they very much stay in the title race.

WDTCR💙