Rab Stewart is a bit concerned at the team's performance.
September 29th: 3.45p.m.:The final whistle blows and, yet again, around 1000 'Well fans have forked out £6.50 to watch a second-half performance which most of us cannot believe for its lack of commitment and tactical awareness.
Yet again we string men across the back and let Rangers do all the pushing forward, hoping to score on the break. Yet again we lose a goal and don't have the faintest idea how to start chasing the game and try for a result.
Why was Dougie Arnott left to toil all alone upfront scurrying after high ball after high ball? Surely if our attack-minded approach at Fir Park is proving successful and we encourage keeping possession and stroking the ball around this style of play should be maintained away from home. We accept that Rangers have a very talented squad of players but does that mean we simply let them dictate the play? Players who, in this situation should welcome the responsibility, were invisible. Steve Kirk laboured to even get a kick of the ball, Davie Cooper was invisible for most of the match and seemed not to relish the need to work for the full 90 minutes.
If Colin 0'Neill was injured and struggling why not replace him sooner and re-shuffle the team accordingly. Why bring on young McLeod when the occasion obviously was too much for him and continue to launch high balls down Gough and Brown's throat? Why leave Cusack on the bench until there were 7 measly minutes left to play? When he did come on he gave us a physical presence up front which immediately upset the Ibrox defence.
It is a major worry that on several occasions already this season the team loses concentration at the start of the second half and loses careless goals: 4 points have now gone astray at Love Street and Ibrox as a direct result of this. Even though our first half performances at home have been of a quality which is a joy to watch at times this has to be sustained over the full 90 minutes if we are to progress beyond being a team which is happy to settle for Premier safety rather than the richer spoils of Europe.
Ibrox is the least atmospheric place at the best of times yet that is the quietest I have ever heard a Well support at the bigot's den. Maybe we just couldn't believe the lack of inspiration shown; maybe we just knew what to expect. It must be tremendously frustrating for players like Burley and Russell, who did everything in their power to keep taking the play to Rangers, to be frustrated by redundant tactics and to witness so many of their colleagues having an off-day. This was our eighth successive away defeat at Ibrox, the fifth by a 1-0 margin. It is not enough for the defence to perform well if the message is to 'lose with dignity'. On Saturday, February 16th we return to the Broomloan Stand, perhaps to see an attack-minded 'Well side? If not, let me hazard a guess at the scoreline . . . Rangers 1 Motherwell 0.
R. Stewart
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