The punditry has spoken. Largely anyway. The predictions are in for tomorrow and most of them have tipped the home team to win. I get it. Our defence will be untested, our forwards aren’t exactly banging them away and the team looks low on confidence.
If the home club was playing at all well, I might even be concerned about the game. Actually, I’m not as will be apparent to anyone who reads this blog at length. Whilst I’m unhappy about the window – an understatement almost off the charts – I am not convinced that the team we’re coming up against are any great shakes, no matter who we have at the back.
I watched them unable to break down Kilmarnock. Neither did we. But we didn’t spend all those millions bringing in four front men and we have the excuse that the manager is attempting to do something different with our central striker, although God alone knows what that is and I hope it’s an experiment that comes to a swift end.
But they also struggled to break down Morton. And Servette. That they put four past Livingston puts some gloss on it, but three of those goals came late in the day. Against Ross County they got one early, and that always makes it easier. Their style of football is decidedly rotten; it’s public park, long ball up the pitch stuff and that’s not just the observation of an armchair fan but that of at least one professional football boss, the manager of Sparta Prague.
After they got the Ibrox club in the draw yesterday he said, “(They) are representatives of the old British type of football. Aggressive in the tackle, long balls and very quick on the counter-attack.” Those words convey so much.
When he describes that as the “old British type of football” it echoes what I’ve been writing on here. His style is a throwback to the sort of tactics that went out of fashion with bell bottom flairs. And based on this the hacks tip them to win?
My concerns are for our guys at the top end of the pitch. Whilst everyone else worries about how the defence will cope against their big punts, I worry that our own frontline isn’t firing yet. If we had gotten the early goal last weekend and scored even a third of our chances we’d have been out of sight in that game and we would be going into this match three points clear instead of just one ahead. And we’d have put down a marker in advance of this.
I’ve been saying for weeks I’m not worried about what they might do to us. My concern is that we might not offset any damage we do to ourselves by scoring enough to win the game. We’ve also failed, lamentably, to put any pressure on the officials and I think we might sorely regret that by the time the full-time whistle is blown.
So, most of the hacks have gone for the Ibrox club. It’s not unexpected, I’m just not entirely sure that we’re watching the same teams. Because I don’t believe they are any better than they’ve been over the past couple of years, and although we are, at least in theory, weaker for the loss of key players I suspect that their playing style drags them down.
For once I’m not going to mock the hacks for their predictions because we’re not playing well where I am comfortable predicting that we will win the game.
But it would not surprise me even a little if we did, because we’re much better than we’ve shown so far and they aren’t … and if we do rock up to Ibrox tomorrow meaning business then we will win and just once the press might even scrutinise the right person and the right club, because they have obvious problems the hacks are content to ignore.
If we can shake off the lethargy we will win. As much as we have wasted this window (and I agree with you entirely on this), The Mooch has wasted even more. 4 strikers, non of whom are better than Colak, who was only average at best.
Given that Kyogo is the best finisher at the club, it makes no sense to play him in a withdrawn role to set up midfielders running past him. Hopefully Callum is making this clear to the manager and he is taking it onboard.
Their defence is even worse than ours so if we can get our shooting boots on we should win. Big If though.
Taylor is a big weaknes disgrace he still seen as 1 st choice I be tempted to go 3 ,5 2 with Johnston and our new wide bhoy as attacking fullbacks with maeda up top with keogo failing this I rather see scales at left back need some power and physicality at that cespit go on Brendan put the poison back in their box
We don’t have the 3 for tomorrow. What we need against those hammer throwing clodhoppers is a classic Bobo, Valgaeren, Mjallby back 3 but we don’t have anything like that for tomorrow. It will be a back 4 and I am interested to see who starts as the central pairing.
I am fairly laid back about tomorrow. If we lose it’s no disaster. I want to see how Celtic line up when all players are fit. That won’t be tomorrow. If we leave with a draw, I will be delighted.
Fu*k the huns. And Prince Andrew.
Playing 4 3 3 we will get hammered
Abada and Maeda will do nothing. We will have 3 narrow midfielders on the right hand side running at Taylor and Scales with Matondo running wide
If we do not amend our shape they will win by 3.
Incidentally that’s what psv did to them in both legs
For once in a long time our performance tomorrow outranks the actual result.
Neither team can make claims to a successful start to the season, so only really bragging rights up for grabs, as nothing will be decided upon the outcome of the SPFL title.
The scum remain upon a far higher degree of pressure involved as potentially giving ourselves a 4 point lead after 4 games, will hardly be received well, especially with ourselves and 2 of our toughest away trips out of the way already.
We have become so use to getting the performance right, and the right result usually follows in Scottish football.
Yet on way to many occasions in the past within the derby, we have been by far the better team, yet never gained the result deserved, such can be the nature of the Glasgow Derby.
Wouldn’t be overly confident going into the game, yet seen nothing from the scum to be fearful of either.
Still got plenty good enough about us to dismantle these impostor scum, just time for ourselves to start delivering the goods and keeping Glasgow green and white still, and believe that will be achieved, but unsure about in what manner still
Prediction: Bias and restricted supporters will temper what could have been a mauling for the home side.
Look, it’s really pretty simple, allow meada to come inside and play through the middle with kyogo who should play more forward tomorrow. Secondly, have big Nat come up and protect calmac also playing 2 yards more forward.
Thats it ,not rocket science and allow the boys to enjoy playing the game.
You been playing Football Manager 23 again, Eldraco? How many times do you need to be told? It’s NOT real, mate.
Remember we are up against offials appointed by the lodge also var video advantage rangers
we’ll be caught out in midfield again too light and our forwards will see very little ball , if loon strum starts you know whats going to happen from the off crunching tackles on mcgregor and anyone else in his way with the approval from the ref and no protection from the ref or linesman , we’ll be on the back foot from the off
i seriously hope i am wrong , mcgregor has to step up if we have a chance
Lol, yi see what moley says about Palma, he’s no sevco class – what a weapon lolol
HG
Pin Beatle’s words on Palma’s locker then watch the hilarity unfold.
Yip. Let’s hope BR pulls a master stroke. Roll on tomorrow and show no fear.
The pressure is all on them they can’t afford to lose this match as klan members in the onion bears section of the support will demand Bennett and Bisgrove bin pluckie,and what onion bears want they get.
Hard to predict in the cauldron. Will Big Joe be at his best? Kyogo? Both of them at opposite ends of the pitch could decide the game.
They will press high up and that may rattle nerves of those who haven’t started well. this season. I think Joe should throw long balls to midfield.
They will flood the midfield and be aggressive. The only thing you can do is be equally or more aggressive. There’s no reason why we can’t compete there.
Fast wingers we have got and we need the full backs to get up in support and overlap too.
Kogyo will score at least one as will Abada. The main thing is don’t concede early and preferably don’t concede at all.
What else do you expect from the dimwits who support and think 2012 are better than us,remember 1 thing,WE ARE THE REIGNING CHAMPIONS.