I dislike teams that play passively. I find it difficult to watch when a group of players sit back, and don’t front up. So you can appreciate how I felt watching that first half against Motherwell. It was very difficult viewing.
After the game, Graeme Murty said we had prepared for the physical encounter, and that we had been practising in training all week to deal with their two strikers. However, the team just looked unequipped for the challenge in the first half.
Our opponents won the 50/50 balls, showed greater desire, and our defence just didn’t deal with the threat posed by the likes of Curtis Main and Ryan Bowman.
This is not how a Rangers team should be performing. The manager did get the desired response after what was probably a heated half time team talk, but the question is, should you have to go to such lengths to get a performance from your side?
The current boss is in a difficult situation. The players don’t know whether he’ll be in charge next season, and that may cause him issues in motivating the players, but on Saturday’s evidence, they certainly responded when he laid down the law at the interval.
Tactically though, Murty’s credentials look a bit more suspect. Stephen Robinson set up with a back three, and it’s clear it would cause us problems, but the manager never thought about changing the 4-2-3-1 formation he has so steadfastly stuck to during his time in charge.
His unwillingness to change could be put down to stubbornness/inflexibility or maybe just plain naivety. He said he planned ahead to deal with the opposition’s threat, but that plan clearly failed. Does he have the tactical nous to really get this team back to the top of the Premiership? I have my doubts. Did the draw against Motherwell help make up your mind on the managerial situation? Let me know in the poll.
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