Strachan - Come the summer, stick or twist ?

I don't think 4-5-1 was appropriate before the game. Why?

1) Vennegoor and McDonald is the only strike partnership we have, and they have been playing well in he past 5 or so games.
2) Vennegoor is a big game player. See last season, and a number of European nights.
3) A 4-5-1 with McGeady behind McDonald, and no Brown in midfield would be THE smallest Celtic front 6 we've ever had. This is against a team who's main strength IS strength and height. It would arguably be suicide. Perhaps we could count on playing good football entirely on the ground, but on a rainy Spring morning at Mordor with those thugs?
4) Defensively that would leave only 3 competent headerers (if that's a word) in the entire team, including O'Dea who is only just back and who was also imho culpable a few times from corners when he did play.
5) In the 4-5-1 it is expected of the lone striker to hold the ball up well. Although he done very well at the Hampden final, it would be a risk hoping McDonald could do it again.

I'm not saying there is not a very good case for the 4-5-1, but I don't feel that was our problem on Saturday. Considering our midfield 4 dominated the game/possession with our main fault lacking the cutting edge up front, I think it would be a strange decision to leave out a big striker.


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RE: The decision to bring on Naylor, I think it was a decent shout as we had Rangers pinned back, the left back role was actually more a wing-back role, which is more suited to Naylor than O'Dea.

 

playing one up front doesn't have to be negative though, it's all about the service provided by the midfield and we would have had 3 very attacking minded midfielders having a real go at them.

 

Players have to take responsibility too mate, there is no denying that. So you make a fair point there.

The 4-5-1 looks negative I suppose, but if we've got Naka, McGeady and Maloney in the line up and two sitting midfielders then we do have plenty of creative options.

Big Jan did go through a wee spell of finding the net there, you're right on that mate. I don't think though there has been a drastic improvement in his form and our game plan (long balls in) made him the most important player for us and left McDonald (who, imo, is our most potent goal threat) outside the box too often.

 

Naka?

Also I feel the second part is a bit unfair considering he has picked out some good players from abroad - just because they weren't big buck signings doesn't mean he shouldn't get credit:

(Naka big bucks), Hinkel, Boruc, Crosas.. I'll throw in Zurawski as a bit of a flop although he looked like some player for 1 season. Apart from that the only other foreign signing was Doumbe on the cheap, who has been plagued by injury, so again I might be reluctant to criticise Strachans foreign policy.

 

I'm not certain, but i think you mean the way we (fortunately) won the league last season? There's no doubt about it - last season was VERY lucky for us. With regards to having it wrapped up weeks ago, i agree. Defensive ineptitude, a lack of confidence, and an inability to hold on to a lead have shafted us in 2009 alone.

Although i'm sure there are many Gers fans who could do similar, the following games are those where we have * up, and why we are in the position we find ourselves:

Hearts draw in April - 1 goal up instantly, McManus not match fit, Aguiar free kick, and our failure to score (Loovens missed 2 great chances) in a second half we bossed. Again. 2 points dropped.

Arabs game in March - a further 2 points dropped after failing (again) to get a hold of Sandaza. Needed Naylor wonder hit to actually avoid defeat, out of * nowhere.

Draw against Motherwell in February - 2 points dropped after abysmal failure to keep a hold of a one goal lead. Silly free-kick conceded by Loovens, and shocking marking on what was - admittedly - a laughable playing surface.

Again in Fenruary - 2 points dropped after a TERRIBLE performance up in Inverness. Didn't score a goal, and didn't really look like doing so. The Butcher effect can indeed be commented on, but still - that was *.

Worst day of the season - 3 points dropped at Pittodrie after Zander "I'm actually a Celtic fan" Diamond's heroics. Brown in goal that day, back four looked like they had met each other only hours before, and were in a (poorly organised) training session for charity. 4 goals conceded from 4 attempts. * nightmare.

First game of 2009 - AGAIN the Arabs grab a double, this time when we were 2 up after 60 odd minutes! Weak back 4 performance again - scored to go 2 up, and then when we conceded instantly afterwards it was panic panic panic. 2 points dropped.

13 points dropped when they should not have been, and that's just in this calendar year not the whole season. While nothing is always going to go your way, at least half of the points referred to above should have been in our pockets, with us a mere 1 win from 3 games away from 4 in a row. Simply not good enough.

 

well they * cant be that * bad then? top of the league with 3 games to go

 

1) McDonald doesn't need a partner as long as he gets decent support from midfield.

2) How many times has he scored in Europe? I remember one against Man United. How many times has he scored against Rangers? I remember one last season.

3) Do you not think smaller, more agile players running at taller, slower players would give them more of a headache? They dealt with us passing in front of them, and they dealt with long balls. Pace and direct running would have moved them around imo.

4) What 'headerers' did they have? Boyd, Miller, Smith, Davis, Edu, Mendes? No. They had Weir, Bougherra and maybe Dailly from the start. They didnt pose an aerial threat going forward.

5) McDonald holds the ball up better than JVoH. He can back in, get fouls, trun defenders and move with the ball better than any striker we have.

 

You might be reluctant to criticise, but that doesnt mean he doesnt deserve criticism.
I did say apart from Naka and Boruc. Hinkel is only just starting to prove himself and Crosas could still go either way.

Taking into account the smaller signings that have been a waste of time and money then that IS a poor transfer record

 

For me Mike while JVOH found his scoring touch I am not convinced he had found his form again ?

He has been in the past, there's no denying that, but he's looked spent to me Mike.

True, but Brown for all his energy isn't a big player, with a nig physical presence.

I'm not convinced Rangers are all that big and brutish anymore Mike. Edu looks like a strong lad, nut Mendes, Smith and Davis aren't hard men imo.

Three out of four isn't too bad. But I felt Saturday's game summed up Hinkel for me. I actually thought he was possibly our best player - when he was going forward. But I feel he is lacking defensively.

5)

Or we play a counter attack game. They needed the win more than us. If we could let them come on to us and hit them on the break with our skillful players rather than pumping it up to Skippy with his back to goal?

Despite the bulk of possession I don't feel it was because we bossed the midfield. Our CM pairing were really poor and I don't think we can say we bossed midfield with Hartley and Crosas playing so badly. I just felt Rangers were happy to surrender possession because we were devoid of ideas.
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I thought at that stage we were going to go 4-3-3, and keep on JVOH.

 

that was my point, he's still a plank of wood, lets be honest, but he was popping up at the right time in the right place lately, and if we had left him out and still lost, GS would be getting it in the neck for leaving an in form striker on the bench, sometimes it seems the manager can't win.

but in response to your OP, I do think it's time for a change anyway, fresh start, new manager, funds available, and the chance to go 5IAR

 

last year I said all along that we where still going to win the league because I knew Rangers where poor away from home and we did. The one thing I remember is that we didn't fear any game in the run in. We where lucky with some of them but we didn't think before them that we were not going to win any of them.That's the difference this year.

I remember wishing that Aberdeen beat us because I thought it would have changed the way we approached the Rangers game as a win there would have seen us still top of the league.

I now fear that the players will find it hard to get up for the game against Dundee Utd and it could lead to Rangers winning the league at home against Aberdeen on Saturday if we don't take the 3 points on Tuesday night.

 

That's what I'm saying. There were 2 choices, either play him with a partner or depend on the midfield. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, I'm just saying that given the pairing were on a decent run, and all the other factors I stated about size, having to play 4-5-1 etc, I thought a 4-4-2 was the right choice.

2) How many times has he scored in Europe? I remember one against Man United. How many times has he scored against Rangers? I remember one last season.

3) Do you not think smaller, more agile players running at taller, slower players would give them more of a headache? They dealt with us passing in front of them, and they dealt with long balls. Pace and direct running would have moved them around imo.

Boyd was causing grief for us in the air, so Weir/Bougherra/Boyd ties up our potential three. Papac is a big lad, Edu is strong and Miller is decent in the air so they would in my view overpower us with JVoH.

Repeating myself here but I've not disagreed with you. Merely stating why I thought 4-4-2 was a better pick than 4-5-1.

 

Fair comment mate.

 

Fair enough Mikey. But i think 4-4-2 was the wrong choice given the personnel available.

I cant agree that JVoH is a 'big game player' or that he has been our best performer in Europe at any point during his time.

 

I'm making a mess here answering yourself and Kieran although you're both saying much the same thing and both things I agreed with.

I thought at the end we pretty much left 2 at the back with everyone else bombing forward, perhaps Naylor is the better player gonig forward and brought slightly more pace, energy and *ahem* delivery at that stage... Anyway

I also think JVoH has been playing well, for example against Aberdeen a few people on this board gave him a hard time but I personally thought he done well - holding the ball up, laying off headers into dangerous areas and was generally a handful for the defence.

What I was going to spend a little bit more time on in the future is a post explaining how it's the board that's strangling us rather than Strachan. For example, what price to bring on an in-form Zurawski on Saturday? Our depth was dramatically exposed.

I don't know how much blame you can put on Strachan for this, but all over the park I felt we lacked options. I guess injuries played their part as well.

 

I meant *one of* our best I mean, outwith Nakmura and Boruc from our current team, maybe only Caldwell would have a stronger shout than Vennegoor although even then Caldwell had that 'mare against Benfica.

 

Fair enough.

I dont mean to be too hard on the Big man. I hear him speaking in interviews and i like him. I see him trying his heart out on the pitch and i like him. But hes just not good enough anymore. He is far too slow and he just shouldnt be offered a new deal.

 

The board have to shoulder some of the blame too, I agree.

 

Although i am not wgs biggest fan i think he deserves another year but whether or not he wants to stay is another matter as i think he will return to england in the summer then the question would be who replaces him personally i wouldnt go for any of the names mentioned in the papers i think steve clarke the assistant manager of of west ham who did the same job at chelsea under ranieri and mourinho he would imo be great choice and although he hasnt been a manager himself the experience he has in epl & champions league makes hjm an ideal choice as he will be snapped up by epl team soon he is very highly rated in england but the lure of CELTIC the team he supported would be too strong to refuse..

 

A close member of my family is very friendly with a close member of Clarke's family (they used to get tickets for Chelsea's big games and go down and see them in Manchester/Liverpool) and I am certain that Clarke would walk to Celtic Park for the job.