Russell Martin

[Suhari]

35 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

HT. 0-0. On another day they would be at least 2-0 down - Butland made two fantastic saves to keep them in it. 

They've been second to everything and overrun in midfield every time Pana come forward. They are a mess defending corners and have only had one shot on target. This is against a side most of their fans were expecting them to comfortably roll over. 

Fans already asking why they play it sideways when there is a forward pass on, and seem puzzled that the high-energy, aggressive, attacking football and high press they've been expecting is nowhere to be seen. Already questioning why players are being played out of position, why the full backs are so narrow and inverted, and whether this style of play will work against packed defences in the SPL.

To be fair to them, 22nd July is very early in the window to be having a tough competitive fixture, and I'm sure the team they start the season with will look quite different to the side they've got out tonight. It's also somehow still 0-0, so it's not beyond the realms that they could nick something. But it's not a very good start. 

They're being brave though, right?

[coalman]

2-0. Rangers cruising into the next round. A new hero is born at Ibrox.

[Midfield_General]

2-0. Excellent goal on the break. 

[Gloucester Saint]

6 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

2-0. Excellent goal on the break. 

You can see exactly why @Chez was keen on Saints signing Gassama from Sheff Weds. 

[Dusic]

Good start for him in a big game and clearly has already coached the team to play his possession style - which of course is not for everyone but is why they will have selected him.

Think it will really suit him up there and he will do a good job. Their recruitment seems a bit more ambitious with the new funds.

[Midfield_General]

11 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

You can see exactly why @Chez was keen on Saints signing Gassama from Sheff Weds. 

Yep. Came on and was immediately the best player on the pitch. Looks an exciting player. 

[Wsaint]

Got quiet in here quick 😂

[trousers]

1 hour ago, Wsaint said:

Got quiet in here quick 😂

It's almost as if one game doesn't prove anything one way or the other...

[Pamplemousse]

If they beat PSG in the league phase then I'll eat some humble pie but until then let's just wait and see.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

2 hours ago, Dusic said:

Good start for him in a big game and clearly has already coached the team to play his possession style - which of course is not for everyone but is why they will have selected him.

Think it will really suit him up there and he will do a good job. Their recruitment seems a bit more ambitious with the new funds.

European football always seems too quickly upon Rangers and Celtic. If they've already adapted to his style significantly, then it's been a quick turnaround.

If they get through any preliminary rounds, then Martin's style will be an asset for Rangers. A limited budget side, controlling games against good opponents. It's in the league, he's going to have to be able to turn possession into goals. And against far more defensive sides than he faced with us. The gap in quality even between Rangers and the other Scottish sides will help. But there may be plenty of frustration along the way.

[woodsaint1]

I've quite a few friends who are big Rangers fans and to be fair they're not getting carried away by one performance. Ultimately RM will be judged on -

1. Whether they're able to close the gap to Celtic and how they fare in games against them

2. Whether they're able to reach the group stages of the CL

It will be a while before either will be determined, but by September we'll have an idea.

I remember being very excited after Sheffield Wednesday away, our first Championship game under RM. Although it was only 2-1, it was a game we dominated from start to finish (recall us holding onto the ball for the majority of the 9 minutes added time to comfortably see it out). There were many other games during that season where we were dominant, largely helped by the superior squad we had compared with other Championship sides. It will be the same at Rangers where they're expected to dominate the other 10 teams in the league, minus Celtic.

However, when we came up against good teams in the Championship, or in the PL against better teams/coaches, we got found out very easily because they had done their homework on our flaws under RM. I would like to see RM do well at Rangers, but could easily see Brendan Rodgers (a very good coach) and Celtic finding them out very quickly, unless RM has learnt from his experience with us. If they arent keeping pace with Celtic early on, the atmosphere at Ibrox will turn hostile very quick (RM is already on the back foot as he was shite during the brief spell he had there as a player).

[notnowcato]

Decent result on the night for Rangers. Panathanikos are a decent side, expect them to turn it around in the 2nd leg.