Rangers Home - 21/10

[Euan]

Lafferty is ruled out, by the NI FA for failing to attend their recent international match.
That’s a bonus as he usually scores against us.
Hopefully Morelos doesn’t fancy our pitch and has a poor match as they’re lacking options up front otherwise.
Similarly hope they’ll rest players with their UEFA League game midweek, but that’s probably unlikely as they’ve had the international break, without supplying any Internationals, and will want to give players a run out.
Grasping at straws comes to mind!

[Swift Frank]

Martin has been drilling the players all week and has a plan in place specifically for this game.
7 nil Rangers.

[Willie Wastle]

Lafferty is ruled out, by the NI FA for failing to attend their recent international match.
That’s a bonus as he usually scores against us.
Hopefully Morelos doesn’t fancy our pitch and has a poor match as they’re lacking options up front otherwise.
Similarly hope they’ll rest players with their UEFA League game midweek, but that’s probably unlikely as they’ve had the international break, without supplying any Internationals, and will want to give players a run out.
Grasping at straws comes to mind!

I agree Lafferty out is a bonus. But it doesn't really matter what XI they pick - if they play to their full ability, they'll win. We need our guys to play their absolute best, and them to have an off-day. It's possible. But that's all.

[Willie Wastle]

Just read a stat I wasn't aware of, on the BBC website.

We're on a run of 18 league games without a draw, stretching back 7 months to March, when we drew 2-2 with Ross County. There have been a few near things, a lot of games decided by a single goal, but no draws.

Get your money on a draw for tomorrow!

[smc4761]

Good day for the Accies without kicking a ball, St Midden Dundee and Motherwell all losing

[Willie Wastle]

Good day for the Accies without kicking a ball, St Midden Dundee and Motherwell all losing

Yes, all beaten. Dundee heavily - no "new manager bounce".

So regardless of our result tomorrow, we stay 9th. Hopefully our players see it as an opportunity. If we could just take something from the game, that would be a great outcome for the weekend. Even a narrow defeat, with a fighting performance, would be all right - but it's a chance to pull away a point or three, if we can do that wee bit better.

Incidentally, looks like Arfield will be missing for them too.

[Euan]

A draw would be great and may be possible if we get back to our early season defensive form which got us our Fir Park win and contained Celtic to a scrappy 1-0 defeat.
Probably time to rest Want, maybe for Tshiembe and revert to a 442 or 451, with Ziggy at right back and McGowan in right midfield. I’d also consider bringing in Fulton as Woods has lacked conviction.
Fulton
McMann Kilgallon Tshiembe Ziggy
Sowah Martin Daz McGowan
Boyd Miller

Results went our way today, so we’re guaranteed 9th place regardless, and Aberdeen losing keeps Rangers in the top six plus Hearts winning keeps Celtic off the top, both of which reverse scenarios would have motivated Rangers.

[Gav]

Sowah and McGowan in midfield !!!!. That makes Canning look like a genius.

[Willie Wastle]

Too much tinkering for me.

Woods is our number 1.

I take the point about maybe resting Want, but assuming Daz and Mickel are coming back in, that's more than enough changes. It's up to the players to play better, not the manager to mess around with selections.

[Euan]

Sowah and McGowan in midfield !!!!. That makes Canning look like a genius.

Someone has to

McGowan is better attacking than defending, he puts in a good cross, whereas Ziggy is a better defender.
Sowah played wide left midfield second half v St Johnstone and did well.
I quite like the tactic of doubling up on the full backs against a team that attacks down the wings, with Martin and Daz defending the centre.
We don’t have a decent wide midfielder, right or left. Would you rather have Dougie? cause that’s who will be playing wide left.

[YeOldeHamiltonian]

Sowah and McGowan in midfield !!!!. That makes Canning look like a genius.

Sowah and McMann-either/or could work left back/left midfield as there is no point Imrie playing there as he doesn't chase back and undermines any little confidence McMann has.

For me,we should throw a curve ball in this game and play one of the kids like Lewis Smith or Stanger-our best defender along with Kilgannon.

What the aforementioned shows is the lack of decent options in midfield and it puts the crap Canning says about having our strongest ever squad into the spotlight.Fwiw,I can see Keatings being played in midfield either today or in forthcoming games.


Boyd and Miller would be too lightweight up front and easily pushed off the ball,so that is a no no.

[Swift Frank]

A draw would be great and may be possible if we get back to our early season defensive form which got us our Fir Park win and contained Celtic to a scrappy 1-0 defeat.
Probably time to rest Want, maybe for Tshiembe and revert to a 442 or 451, with Ziggy at right back and McGowan in right midfield. I’d also consider bringing in Fulton as Woods has lacked conviction.
Fulton
McMann Kilgallon Tshiembe Ziggy
Sowah Martin Daz McGowan
Boyd Miller

Results went our way today, so we’re guaranteed 9th place regardless, and Aberdeen losing keeps Rangers in the top six plus Hearts winning keeps Celtic off the top, both of which reverse scenarios would have motivated Rangers.

Would be better with Mark Fulton,or even Rikki Fulton.

[Willie Wastle]

Sowah and McGowan in midfield !!!!. That makes Canning look like a genius.

For me,we should throw a curve ball in this game and play one of the kids like Lewis Smith or Stanger-our best defender along with Kilgannon.

We have plenty of previous for doing this, all the way back to Billy Reid's tenure. You'd think a less testing game would be the time to blood youngsters, but the Accies way often seems to be to chuck them in the deep end. I've often wondered about this - it's happened too often not to be deliberate - but now I've seen a rationale. Thanks, YOH!

[YeOldeHamiltonian]

No Kilgannon,Penney and the undroppable Imrie playing.

[Swift Frank]

Classic Canning Selection Bingo..
Picking the team using the old Accies 50/50 Draw tombola
CANNING PLEASE GO NOW
And take Penney with you.

[TerracingTomas]

I assume Kilgallon was injured as he wasnt even on the bench which is a great pity given Penney’s late penalty nightmare. A creditable performance from Hamilton up to a point who as we grew into the game looked the more positive even at 1 down. Boyd scores a wonder goal no more than we deserved and then it all fell apart. Penney gives away 2 penalties and the rest is history. Need to see the replays but by all accounts the first was a definite not so sure about the second. Missed the 4th Rangers goal. You can dress it up any way you want but Dundee come without a win and leave with 3 points and Rangers come without an away win since god knows win and leave with 3 points. At least 4 rangers fans in front of me got up and applauded as the second penalty went in but by then the stewards were no where to be seen but otherwise the ticketing arrangements seems to have had some impact.

[Swift Frank]

Creditable performance?
Are you having a laugh?
YOU are a typical example of a Happy Clapper.
What a joke.

[Willie Wastle]

Wasn't sure about the selection, but I think it worked pretty well for most of the game. I assume Kilgallon is injured? Tshiembe did such a good job he wasn't missed. Want's been due a rest, but it was quite a shock to see Penny get a start (his first in the league, I think?) albeit he did well. Ziggy did a great job marking Candeias out of the game, and was rightly aggrieved at getting subbed...

... but it was the right decision! Most of us felt we could have been more attack-minded in our approach today, and that's what we got when Boyd replaced Ziggy. Delighted to see Boyd score yet another wonder goal - the boy's a fantastic prospect. Sadly, our hopes only lasted 2 minutes.

No complaints from me about Martin Canning's selection, formation and tactics. I thought he got things more-or-less right today.

No complaints about the performance either. Inside the last 10 minutes things were looking good, and the worst I could envisage was a narrow 2-1 defeat. The scoreline really didn't reflect the game, and flattered our opponents, who must have been relieved to win at all, far less by so many.

Least said about the refereeing the better. Classic case of a big team getting all the decisions. Morelos should have got his second yellow for simulating a blow from Bingham - right in front of the referee! My take on the pens was the first was probably hand ball, but the second was a dive - but open to correction when I see TV coverage.

Disappointing in the end, but we certainly gave them a game.

[Swift Frank]

Was I watching the same game as you?
Ffs.

[Euan]

Ticketing seemed to work well, only a few obvious away fans down the front and only noticeable at 3-1, although we had to put up with the hospitality mob banging on the windows.

Regarding the game, Andrew Dallas was as poor and biased a referee as I’ve ever seen.
- no penalty when Miller is manhandled to the ground by Tavernier in the first half
- no red card for Morelos for kicking an Accies player off the ball right in front of the Accies dugout
- no second yellow for Morelos for simulation when he went down clutching his face after Bingham stood beside him
- no second yellow for Candeis for applauding the referee when he was eventually booked
- no taking to for McGregor but a talking to for Bingham when McGregor barged into him outside the area
- a soft penalty to ensure Rangers got back in the lead after Accies equaliser
- a soft penalty to put it beyond doubt a minute later

..and that’s all I can think of immediately, there’s more!!

Rangers should be embarrassed that they needed to cheat to beat Hamilton Accies.

The score in no way reflected the game, every commentator on the radio on the way home said as much and Morelos should never have been on the pitch to score or gain a penalty.

The penalties may well have been legitimate, according to the laws but neither would have been given at the other end and Dallas was desperate to give them.

The only disgrace today was the referee, Accies deserve credit for the overall performance.