By David Herd
MATCHES NEXT WEEK:
Most Read on FollowFollow.com No change of Heart – Rangers 0 – 2 Hearts The FF Weekly Quiz Rangers quotes from the Brugge game
MOTHERWELL V RANGERS PREMIERSHIP SAT 02 AUGUST 17:30
RANGERS V PLZEN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Q3 TUE 05 AUGUST 19:45
Welcome to this new feature on the website, which combines a look forward to the next week, a look back on the past seven days, and some historical trivia from this week in years gone by.
The Russell Martin era at Rangers has started with progressing through the second Champions League qualifying round against difficult opposition in Panathinaikos. The result is what matters most, and credit is due for negotiating such a tricky tie so early in a massive rebuild. There’s no doubt that these games arrived well before the new recruitment team have been able to get in players they want to fill key roles, as well as the team still containing several players who surely will not be part of the longer term plans.
There’s also no doubt that we rode our luck in both matches, games where we watched the team constantly give up cheap possession and gift clear chances to the Greeks. Luckily, their finishing was almost as bad as their diving, and thanks mainly to two fantastic goals by new winger Djeidi Gassama, we are now guaranteed European football into 2026 in either the Champions or Europa League.
The new Head Coach is a man who is known to have a style of play and philosophy that he rarely deviates from. His 4-3-3 system sees just the one defensive midfielder, width in attack from quick wingers, and two attacking central midfielders getting forward to support the striker. It’s a system that needs players at the back who are good on the ball, as there are basically five players in the team who will press the opposition high up and often be well ahead of the ball when we have possession in our own half. Early signs are that we are struggling to properly implement this structure, partly because we are still relying on several players who simply don’t fit very well into it.
There are plenty worries. For me, these initial games have shown that Aarons at left back has to be only in an emergency, Raskin as a left sided box-to-box midfielder is reducing his influence and his time on the ball, Dowell belongs nowhere near the starting eleven, and Danilo isn’t a lone striker who can link the play effectively enough. But I’m sure Russell Martin knows fine well all of these things, and that none of these players will remain in those roles for long. A left back, a striker and more wingers will arrive, of that I’m certain. And a left sided centre back is surely also high on the priority list. The arrival of young Mikey Moore from Spurs surely is the start of us seeing Dowell eased out of the picture.
The bottom line is that we are through, and we now face a team who don’t appear to be much better than the Greeks. Our new team, and new system, will bed in over time and surely only get stronger and better organised. Many watching the BBC coverage of the midweek second leg would be forgiven for thinking Rangers had been hammered and were out by the way the presenters were talking. No doubt that was what their commentators wanted. But we still have a chance of joining the continent’s elite in the biggest club competition. It will be extremely difficult to get there, but it’s by no means impossible. We will give ourselves a better chance, though, if we can keep the ball better, and rely less on players who are simply not good enough.
PREDICTION TIME
MOTHERWELL 1 RANGERS 2
The Premiership has to be our top priority this season, one title win in the last 14 is beyond depressing. We start with a trip to Fir Park, a ground where we haven’t lost in the top flight since 2002, but against a Motherwell team who were unlucky not to beat us last time there, and who won at Ibrox the last time the sides met. The Martin 4-3-3 system on paper is one that should be better at breaking down the packed defences we face so often in domestic football, although I suspect Motherwell might come at us after watching our suspect defending in the two European games. I fear they will likely score at some stage.
As in all of these away games, we will need to win a physical battle in order to then allow our better footballers to show their superiority. I expect to see us play with Gassama from the start, and to possibly give some time to Lyall Cameron who played well in the friendly against Middlesbrough.
I’m going for a narrow and hard-fought win, and it wouldn’t surprise me if our Champions League supersub on the wing gets his name on the scoresheet again. A win is vital, the last thing we need is to be chasing Celtic already after one weekend.
RANGERS 1 PLZEN 0
Our Czech opponents have a decent pedigree in European competition, but not as good as our own. They did pull off a brilliant away win in Servette in midweek, turning a 0-1 home defeat into a 3-2 aggregate win, and that does suggest they are a team who are set up to counter attack and like to play on the road.
I doubt whether Rangers will alter either the shape or the approach from the last round, but hopefully another week allows the team to gel together a bit more, the players to understand their roles a bit more, and the Head Coach to learn from his mistakes in selection. No Danilo, no Dowell, and a left back on the left would all help make us better.
I can’t see many goals, and think the visitors won’t be too upset if they lost by just the one. A low-scoring and nervy night is what I envisage.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
A personal opinion on the player who has most excelled in the past seven days.
There are three outstanding candidates. Findlay Curtis turned the first leg last week, scored again at the weekend, and at just 18 is getting his big chance and taking it. Djeidi Gassama has scored within a few minutes of coming on the pitch twice in two competitive appearances, and given us two fantastic finishes to enjoy. But I’m giving my player of the week to a man I have been saying all summer I wanted Rangers to sell.
Jack Butland was my man of the match in the 2-0 home win at Ibrox, we could easily have been three goals down in a potentially poisonous Ibrox if not for his excellence. Then, this week, he made another couple of crucial saves in the first half at a time when conceding a goal could have turned the tie. He was awful last season, losing so many ridiculous goals. But we all know there is a top class goalkeeper in there, and if he has rediscovered the form of his debut season then we might have saved ourselves a lot of time and money in finding and paying for a new Number One.
IT HAPPENED THIS WEEK – Random events in Rangers history that happened in this corresponding week. Here are some memorable moments that happened between August 01 and August 07.
August 01 1986 – Rangers player-manager Graeme Souness makes front page news by paying £725,000 for Ipswich and England centre back Terry Butcher. The fee was the highest ever paid out by a Scottish club, with the manager confirming Butcher would immediately become team captain. It would be money well spent, the Englishman becoming the rock on which a first title win in nine long years was built, as well as being skipper in the initial seasons of the club’s legendary nine-in-a-row success.
August 02 2015 – There are just under 26,000 inside Ibrox to see the first competitive home match under new boss Mark Warburton. Peterhead were the opposition in the first round of the League Cup, and they were swept aside 3-0 thanks to goals by David Templeton, Kenny Miller and James Tavernier.
August 03 1968 – Rangers and Arsenal draw 2-2 at Ibrox in a competitive pre-season friendly. Goals by John Greig and Andy Penman mean honours are even in what was a historic occasion. The iconic royal blue shirt with the white V-neck collar was worn for the last time at Ibrox, as well as this being the first time the writer of this article ever went to see Rangers play!
August 04 1979 – Rangers defeat Celtic 3-1 in the Dryborough Cup final at Hampden in front of 40,000 spectators. Despite being a pre-season competition, the match has earned a place in Rangers folklore thanks to the iconic third goal scored in the 78th minute by the great Davie Cooper. His incredible solo goal features in every list of the greatest goals in club history. Less well remembered were two other magnificent goals in the first half. The first was scored by teenager John MacDonald, and the second by Sandy Jardine, who ran over 80 yards with the ball, beating several Celtic players to score another truly amazing solo goal.
August 05 2018 – Steven Gerrard takes charge of his first league match as Rangers manager, with Pittodrie the venue on the opening day of the season. Referee Kevin Clancy reduced Rangers to ten men after just twelve minutes, showing Alfredo Morelos a straight red card in an incident that saw the Colombian have his punishment retrospectively reduced to a yellow card after the club appealed the decision. But it still meant Rangers had to play over 80 minutes with a man less, and it looked until deep into injury time that a James Tavernier penalty would secure all three points for the new boss. But Aberdeen substitute Bruce Anderson grabbed an undeserved equaliser for the home team, leaving Gerrard an angry man in the post-match interviews.
August 06 1989 – Rangers defeat Spurs in a friendly at Ibrox, that is played in a highly competitive spirit. New signing Trevor Steven scored the only goal of the game in the second half, in a game where a running feud between Spurs superstar Paul Gascoigne and Rangers midfielder Ian Ferguson saw both players warned by the referee. The game was played in front of a sell-out crowd as well as TV cameras from Scottish and national news. They were there to capture the home debut of another summer signing, one that had attracted massive attention. It was the first time former Celtic striker Mo Johnston played a match at Ibrox wearing the Rangers colours.
August 07 1996 – a historic season gets underway for Rangers with a Champions League play-off match at home to the unknown Russian side Alania Vladikavkaz. After going a goal down, Rangers roar back in the second half to win 3-1 thanks to goals by Derek McInnes, Ally McCoist and Gordan Petric. Qualification for the group stage would be secured after an incredible 7-2 win in Russia in the second leg.
DO YOU KNOW – a quiz question based on this week’s fixtures.
This week’s question:
WHO WAS THE LAST RANGERS PLAYER TO SCORE A HAT-TRICK AT FIR PARK AGAINST MOTHERWELL?
I hope you find these weekly articles both entertaining and interesting. Please use the messageboard thread to feed back any comments.