If we called Rangers lazy…
Different matter when it comes from in-house
Could you imagine the uproar there would be if we came out and called Rangers player’s lazy so and so’s? Why it wouldn’t be worth living!
However, there has been a noticeable difference to the performance levels obtained by Rangers in the league as to what has been achieved in the cup competitions.
Sasa Papac has came out and used the term “lazy” to describe Rangers cup performances in comparison to their league efforts but is this the correct term? There are a number of reasons why Rangers may have shaded in the cup.
However, lets not get carried, Rangers are yet to taste defeat in the domestic cups this season so it is not as if they are falling apart!
Some of the reasons could include:
Squad rotation – players coming in from the cold or just not as good as the first XI players
Higher motivation in opposition – a league win over Rangers may just get three points but knocking them out of the cup is something really special
The lure of Champions League – the prestige and cash involved with the tournament could act as a higher motivational factor
Attendances – take the game versus Dundee United in front of just under 25,000 fans. Double that attendance would have been at Ibrox For a league match and could have roared the players on further
Ally McCoist – it is widely reported that McCoist calls the shots in the cup games, is he less of a motivational master than Walter Smith?
Win bonuses – are the win bonuses for cup games not as motivational as they are for league games?
Or is just one of those things?
Given that many of these things are not mutually exclusive, it is easy to see that there could be a number of factors which ensure Rangers have a lower level of performance in the cup compared to league games.
However, with the League Cup final looming large, this is something the SPL champions will need to get out of their system.
Will Rangers carry more purpose in the League Cup final on Sunday?
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It’s now the business end of the season for Rangers, victory in the League Cup final is a must and I’m sure it will be decked in red, white and blue ribbons on Sunday afternoon. Of more importance though is the game against Hearts at Tynecastle, not a happy hunting ground in recent years, victory would place one hand on the SPL trophy and close any sqeak of light Celtic may still have on Rangers slipping up and allowing them back in. Smith knows that the games are now piling up with Rangers set to be playing games midweek as well as weekends for the next 3 weeks. The Dundee Utd result was unwelcome in terms of fixture congestion, but it may well be the spur the pushes th players onto securing the League Cup and then the SPL. Hopefully with an Old Firm final to finish the season off with.
How funny would it be if Dougie McDonald was awarded that game eh?
Quagmire,
YOu’re a kind man allowing us to still have a ‘squeak of light’ on the SPL! I like optimism, but I didn’t expect it to come from a Gers man with regards to our league hopes!
NO, it wouldn’t be funny if dougie ‘red mist’ mcdonald got the last Celtic-Rangers game. How about giving it to onw of those refs with the dodgy surnames that Watty adores?