Every game of a football season could (and should) be considered critical. Every point counts. But to call the remaining games of the Scottish Premier League season for Glasgow Rangers as vital is like referring to Lionel Messi as “no a bad wee player.” Bit of an understatement.
It’s now or never for the reigning champions who have seen a seemingly impregnable 15 point lead over Celtic evaporate, and currently sit an astounding 4 points behind their East End rivals. Sure, there have been injuries; the loss of Steven Naismith was without doubt a crippling blow, but let’s be honest people, Rangers aren’t exactly playing teams of English Premier standards. Even without arguably their best player, their squad should still be good enough to demolish St. Mirren as well as a banged-up Aberdeen team at Ibrox. The buck stops with the manager. He needs to instill 1st half energy in his team, always play attacking football with two strikers and two natural wingers, and stop playing people out of position when there are better options at his disposal. Let’s examine those points:
1) He Needs to Instill 1st Half Energy
This is not happening. Against Aberdeen at the weekend it was a lackluster 1st half effort. It took a goal from the red shirts before Rangers decided to show any form of urgency. Rangers were 5 points behind Celtic before kick-off. Urgency was a necessity as soon as the referee blew his opening whistle. Any honest fan of the club can see this for themselves, but an interesting statistic to back this up relates to goals scored. Of the 43 total goals this term, only 14 (33%) of them have occurred in the first half. Also, two of Rangers last three wins have been 2-1 victories against St. Johnstone and Inverness, requiring a winning goal in the 81st and 83rd minutes respectively.
Rangers are not scoring enough goals, period, but the players need to get out of the starting blocks in Usain Bolt fashion rather than the sloth-like personas that are becoming the norm. Ally McCoist needs to make this happen. Get players to either step up, or step off the field.
2) Always Play Attacking Football
Long gone are the days of giving teams “a good gubbing.” Rangers seem to be taking the approach of playing not to lose as opposed to playing to win. However, in the correct environment I am not against this style of play; Champions League games for example. There are certain opponents in that arena that would destroy Rangers if they decided a toe-to-toe approach was the way to go. The draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2010 is a prime example where that tactic was a beneficial one. Can you imagine in that match if United had come out playing defensively? Me neither; there would be as much chance of Allan McGregor claiming top scorer prize this season. The thing is, Rangers are the Manchester United of the Scottish Premier League. Two strikers in the middle and two natural wingers on each flank is the way to play domestically. Even with a slightly depleted squad, Rangers still have more talent than other teams (some may question if Celtic fall under that umbrella, but that’s a debate for another day), so there is no reason even then for negative play or one attacker up front. The responsibility again falls on the shoulders of the manager.
3) Don’t Play People Out of Position
Not playing guys in their optimal positions rarely leads to fluidity or prime performance. Kyle Bartley is not a right back. Against Aberdeen last weekend he looked like a duck out of water. As for Lee Wallace, come on Ally, really? As a player, I like Lee Wallace. He’s a solid left back, but he’s no left midfielder (or winger; however you want to look at it). He lacks pace and rarely troubles the opposition right back. How can the manager justify starting Wallace in that role ahead of “The Kirkintilloch Express,” Gregg Wylde? Wylde changed the game against Aberdeen when he hit the field. Playing Sone Aluko on the right side and Wylde on the left adds another dimension to the Rangers attack. Pace and skill on both wings will open up the field, make it harder to defend, will create more chances, and by the law of averages will result in more goals.
Whether you agree with my opinion or not, tactical changes need to be made. Doing the same thing over and over again is not going to magically transform matters. A fifteen point division lead to a four point deficit and seven points from the last five matches should have sent out a major red flag by now. Mr. McCoist needs to see the urgency (Stevie Wonder would’ve changed things weeks ago). Rangers need to start trouncing teams in order to make a statement, and put themselves in a position to potentially reclaim the league’s top spot by the final whistle of the next Old Firm game. If more points are lost in the upcoming weeks and the match against Celtic on March 25th is essentially meaningless in terms of title aspirations, there is more chance of the Scottish National team winning the 2014 World Cup than Ally McCoist’s services being retained for next season. Rangers are capable of overcoming the current point gap, but the appropriate tactics need to be applied NOW.