Rangers More Rangers >
Rangers’ flaccid midfield lacks a creative influence
Standing alone in the centre circle he clapped goodbye. A legend – paraded before a audience of loyal followers – he soon left the pitch, shuffling away down the tunnel from which he so often emerged a leader and so occasionally exited a loser. At 41, that was it. David Weir was gone.
It was an image which had me in a state of morosity. While Ally McCoist may have not much use for old Sir David of Weir these days, it wasn’t a lack of heart that forced his farewell. A determined, disciplined a passionate warrior, Weir was adored by most Gers supporters because he wanted to win. He cared. And, as he left down the tunnel to a raucous chorus of cheers and chants, I was left wondering who, with a similar hard-wired, do-or-die attitude could emerge for the second half of a game in which Rangers were being held.
No-one did.
The real danger to Rangers’ title challenge is a shortcoming in the midfield, a lacking in players who can make things happen and while much has been said in recent weeks about Steven Davis’ drop in form, truth be told, it’s been a while since the current captain has been at his best. The 27-year-old has always been at the very heart of the team and always seems dependable enough, but the Northern Irishman really hasn’t stamped his authority as a creative midfielder for about a year-and-a-half now. Alongside him, the sporadic Maurice Edu might have picked up his performances of late, but he’s another of Rangers’ almost-men.
And I’d suggest this goes some way to explaining why the Gers’ home form has been so flaccid this season. With the greatest respect, lesser teams are more likely to play more a negative game when they come to Ibrox, than when they host Ally McCoist’s men. Most teams who come to Govan fully aware that Rangers are a superior side, will sit back and try to contain their opposition, asking the question to the midfield: can you break us down?
Well, if said midfield are lacking that inventive spark, the answer is more likely to be no. A frustrated team who can’t cut through the masses need a break in ranks and that’s more likely to happen to a confident home team than a cagey visiting team.
Alas, there are additional areas area where Rangers fans feel they need improvement, maybe even reinforcement. Among them, is the forward line. Yes, it’s true, in the absence of Steven Naismith the team has lacked a killer edge. But with Sone Aluko’s arrival, Rangers have added something exciting to each game and if the club can hang onto Nikica Jelavic for this window, the Croatian hit man will have little choice but to buck up his ideas and find his feet. If he wants a move to England, the shop window is where he’ll want to shine.
Still, could it be that beneath all of these problems, our bitter rivals are leading the way because they’re simply better equipped than we are? Could it be that we just don’t have the answers to the questions they pose us? Although they may have had a dose of luck in recent wins, it’s these wins that are propelling them away from us, the chasing team.
I’d suggest it’s not doom and gloom time just yet, but it is time to evaluate what our problems are, so we can look at specific signings while the window remains ajar.
I’ll leave you with a quote from the great Richard Gough, another man so brave, fearless and determined and one who thoroughly believed second place was just no good. He said: ”Rangers are wonderful club when you’re winning. A tough old club when you’re not.”
Posted by Rangers fan Ali Hunter
Follow Ali on Twitter @AliHunter1
Featured ContributorsMore >
-
Jason Burt
The Telegraph's football correspondent Learn more >
-
Luke Moore
Co-founder of The Football Ramble podcast Learn more >
Watch it on BT Vision
-
Championship
-
Sat 19 May
- West Ham v Blackpool Live 2pm, Sky Sports 1
-
Champions League
-
Sat 19 May
- Bayern Munich v Chelsea Live 6pm, Sky Sports 1
NewsMore news >
-
Yates looking forward to Wembley date
Cheltenham boss Mark Yates is relishing next Sunday’s npower League Two play-off final showdown with Crewe after his side secured a 4-1 aggregate win over Torquay. Read more >
44 mins ago -
Gill: United can compete on transfers
David Gill is confident Manchester United will be able to challenge their big-spending noisy neighbours in the transfer market this summer. Read more >
44 mins ago
Most popular
4 weeks ago
5 hours ago
Comments
Please leave your comments using the box below. Learn more
BT is not responsible for any external content or links uploaded by users of the site. Nor does the presence of information or links about other parties' products or services confer any form of endorsement of another party's products or services by BT. Please show respect to other users and avoid bad language when posting