VoodooChild360
26-05-2008, 01:15 PM
(Thought I'd just write a wee article about one side of the arguments which isn't being heard too much. Let me know what you think)
So the dust is finally settling on the Scottish Premier League for 2007/08. A season of real ups and real downs for both sides of the Old Firm. This post-season though it seems things are little more different than usual. One particular side of the Old Firm are still being very vocal about how their dream season was ruined. Whether it be about phantom corners not awarded down at Motherwell, goals that never were from Aberdeen or the football big wigs refusing to extend the season, it seems the Rangers fans are throwing the toys from the pram as much and as violently as possible.
Of course for everything they throw at us, we Celtic fans have a counter argument. Majority of the time it is quite simply two words, "Mike McCurry".
Instead of having all these pathetic squabbles and clutching at straws shouldn't the Rangers fans maybe turn their attention to one person who seems to have escaped the criticism? That man being their manager, Walter Smith. Now without even touching his defensive minded 4-5-1 tactics I'm going to look at another massive flaw to Smith's tactics. His sheer reluctance to give the kids a chance.
It's been a well stated fact this season that the infamous re-arranged fixture they had with Gretna back in January could have been won by a team of Rangers youngsters. Instead of playing all the first team and giving them yet another game to add fatigue he could have mixed it up with some of the boys coming through. Maybe then when it came to crunch time in the last month of the season Rangers players wouldn't be totally out on their feet and we would all be sitting here with Rangers as SPL Champions instead of us.
So correct me if I am wrong but isn't it a football managers job to have a "squad" to compete with the ins and outs of a full league campaign plus whatever domestic and European cup competitions the team may be in on top of that? So what is wrong with playing some of the youngsters from time to time Walter? A lot of Rangers fans I know in my workplace have been talking up this boy Fleck who is coming through but given Smith's track record with the youth team, will his chance ever come?
It's a well fact that all the boys who've come through Rangers youth setup and are in the team now were all given their initial chances by previous Rangers managers.
Allan McGregor - After loan spells to numerous clubs in the Scottish First Division was finally given his chance by misfit manager, Paul Le Guen after the pressure mounted from the Rangers fans to drop calamity goalkeeper Lionel Letizi.
Charlie Adam - A successful loan spell at St. Mirren which helped the Buddies get promotion to the SPL saw him get thrown into Rangers starting lineup by Paul Le Guen. A strong start to last season was thwarted when Uncle Wattie came back and took over from the sacked Le Guen. Adam has Yo-Yo'd in and out of the starting lineup since.
Chris Burke - Rangers version of Aiden McGeady (on a lesser scale)? Initally given his chance by Alex "Big Eck" McLeish. Has been a fringe player since Walter Smith has been back. In the times he has started though he does a good job but it seems Walter prefers his big animal Lee McCulloch or "Rat Boy" Nacho Novo out wide in his 4-5-1.
Barry Ferguson - Rangers Captain initially came on the Rangers radar during Walter Smith's last time in charge of Rangers. However Walter was forced to play the Barry Ferguson card only after Paul Gascoigne was sold to Middlesbrough at the tale end of the 97/98 season. Fergie was in and out of the team but never a regular. It was only when Dick Advocaat took over that he installed Barry at the centre of Rangers midfield. The rest as they say is history folks.
Steven Smith - If you ask a lot of Rangers fans as I've had, they will tell you Stevie Smith is one of, if not the best full back in the Rangers squad since Alan Hutton left the club. Stevie got a run in the first team (again) under Paul Le Guen and established himself however again since Walter Smith came back young Steven has had to take a back see to the rather gash Sasa Papac at left back. Just to further compile it Walter opts to play the predominantly right footed Steven Whittaker or Kirk Broadfoot as Left Full Back before putting Smith in there.
So when you ever watch a Rangers game on Setanta and you see names like Furman, Campbell, Lennon, Loy, Lowning and Fleck listed as substitutes for the game then it's more than likely that is as best as they will get under Uncle Wattie. His reluctance to boost an already narrow squad with some much needed youth to give him more options at a crucial time should definitely be looked at as major benefactor in Rangers losing the SPL title. Rangers dream 4 trophy season disintegrated into 2 trophies when the answer to the problems were there all along.
Now if Mr Smith and Mr McCoist would take a look across the city they would see what Gordon Strachan has achieved at Celtic by giving the youngsters a chance.
Aiden McGeady, Stephen McManus, John Kennedy, Paul Caddis, Cillian Sheridan, Darren O'Dea, Rocco Quinn and Michael McGlinchey have all either broken through to the first team or find themselves on the cusp of a place in the Hoops first team squad under Gordon Strachan. A flaw Martin O'Neill often carried in his tactics as only Shaun Maloney really got his chance under O'Neill however Strachan has shown some balls and given the young Bhoys a chance rather than going out and splashing the cash on some foreign tosh. Now we are the team raking in the rewards for it.
Something Walter should have definitely considered when it came to the end of the season instead of running his first teamers into the ground. Yes the SPL did give Rangers a big ask but surely a team of hungry, Rangers daft youngsters could stick a barrel load past St. Mirren?
Ah well, we're not complaining! :pointandlaugh:
So the dust is finally settling on the Scottish Premier League for 2007/08. A season of real ups and real downs for both sides of the Old Firm. This post-season though it seems things are little more different than usual. One particular side of the Old Firm are still being very vocal about how their dream season was ruined. Whether it be about phantom corners not awarded down at Motherwell, goals that never were from Aberdeen or the football big wigs refusing to extend the season, it seems the Rangers fans are throwing the toys from the pram as much and as violently as possible.
Of course for everything they throw at us, we Celtic fans have a counter argument. Majority of the time it is quite simply two words, "Mike McCurry".
Instead of having all these pathetic squabbles and clutching at straws shouldn't the Rangers fans maybe turn their attention to one person who seems to have escaped the criticism? That man being their manager, Walter Smith. Now without even touching his defensive minded 4-5-1 tactics I'm going to look at another massive flaw to Smith's tactics. His sheer reluctance to give the kids a chance.
It's been a well stated fact this season that the infamous re-arranged fixture they had with Gretna back in January could have been won by a team of Rangers youngsters. Instead of playing all the first team and giving them yet another game to add fatigue he could have mixed it up with some of the boys coming through. Maybe then when it came to crunch time in the last month of the season Rangers players wouldn't be totally out on their feet and we would all be sitting here with Rangers as SPL Champions instead of us.
So correct me if I am wrong but isn't it a football managers job to have a "squad" to compete with the ins and outs of a full league campaign plus whatever domestic and European cup competitions the team may be in on top of that? So what is wrong with playing some of the youngsters from time to time Walter? A lot of Rangers fans I know in my workplace have been talking up this boy Fleck who is coming through but given Smith's track record with the youth team, will his chance ever come?
It's a well fact that all the boys who've come through Rangers youth setup and are in the team now were all given their initial chances by previous Rangers managers.
Allan McGregor - After loan spells to numerous clubs in the Scottish First Division was finally given his chance by misfit manager, Paul Le Guen after the pressure mounted from the Rangers fans to drop calamity goalkeeper Lionel Letizi.
Charlie Adam - A successful loan spell at St. Mirren which helped the Buddies get promotion to the SPL saw him get thrown into Rangers starting lineup by Paul Le Guen. A strong start to last season was thwarted when Uncle Wattie came back and took over from the sacked Le Guen. Adam has Yo-Yo'd in and out of the starting lineup since.
Chris Burke - Rangers version of Aiden McGeady (on a lesser scale)? Initally given his chance by Alex "Big Eck" McLeish. Has been a fringe player since Walter Smith has been back. In the times he has started though he does a good job but it seems Walter prefers his big animal Lee McCulloch or "Rat Boy" Nacho Novo out wide in his 4-5-1.
Barry Ferguson - Rangers Captain initially came on the Rangers radar during Walter Smith's last time in charge of Rangers. However Walter was forced to play the Barry Ferguson card only after Paul Gascoigne was sold to Middlesbrough at the tale end of the 97/98 season. Fergie was in and out of the team but never a regular. It was only when Dick Advocaat took over that he installed Barry at the centre of Rangers midfield. The rest as they say is history folks.
Steven Smith - If you ask a lot of Rangers fans as I've had, they will tell you Stevie Smith is one of, if not the best full back in the Rangers squad since Alan Hutton left the club. Stevie got a run in the first team (again) under Paul Le Guen and established himself however again since Walter Smith came back young Steven has had to take a back see to the rather gash Sasa Papac at left back. Just to further compile it Walter opts to play the predominantly right footed Steven Whittaker or Kirk Broadfoot as Left Full Back before putting Smith in there.
So when you ever watch a Rangers game on Setanta and you see names like Furman, Campbell, Lennon, Loy, Lowning and Fleck listed as substitutes for the game then it's more than likely that is as best as they will get under Uncle Wattie. His reluctance to boost an already narrow squad with some much needed youth to give him more options at a crucial time should definitely be looked at as major benefactor in Rangers losing the SPL title. Rangers dream 4 trophy season disintegrated into 2 trophies when the answer to the problems were there all along.
Now if Mr Smith and Mr McCoist would take a look across the city they would see what Gordon Strachan has achieved at Celtic by giving the youngsters a chance.
Aiden McGeady, Stephen McManus, John Kennedy, Paul Caddis, Cillian Sheridan, Darren O'Dea, Rocco Quinn and Michael McGlinchey have all either broken through to the first team or find themselves on the cusp of a place in the Hoops first team squad under Gordon Strachan. A flaw Martin O'Neill often carried in his tactics as only Shaun Maloney really got his chance under O'Neill however Strachan has shown some balls and given the young Bhoys a chance rather than going out and splashing the cash on some foreign tosh. Now we are the team raking in the rewards for it.
Something Walter should have definitely considered when it came to the end of the season instead of running his first teamers into the ground. Yes the SPL did give Rangers a big ask but surely a team of hungry, Rangers daft youngsters could stick a barrel load past St. Mirren?
Ah well, we're not complaining! :pointandlaugh: