Tuesday 25 January 2011

Miller's departure not the main problem for Rangers in their title challenge:

Saturday's loss at Tynecastle to Hearts has caused a bit of doubt among the Rangers support and the media on whether Rangers will reclaim the SPL title for the 54th time this season.Has the departure of Kenny Miller cost Rangers the SPL title?

The answer is no. Kenny Miller's departure is a big blow and his 22 goals have helped Rangers to the position they find themselves in right now however there is a much bigger problem than where the goals will come from.

There are strikers at Rangers who have what it takes to step up to the plate such as Jelavic, Naismith and Lafferty who could fill that void for Rangers and rumours seem to suggest Kris Commons will be at Ibrox any day now which would be a good signing and would bolster Rangers' attacking numbers, however Rangers may have to change the way they play if the title is to be taken back to Ibrox once again.

Rangers never seem in a rush when attacking and nobody seems to go for goal straight away. It sometimes looks like they are trying to avoid having to take a shot by passing it quickly and shifting the responsibility.When this is mixed with the odd case of mistaken choice when shooting Rangers don't seem to create many clear cut chances and hardly any of the chances Rangers create are inside the box.

The strikers are not given the support they need from a midfield which is able to pass the ball around well but rarely manages to create clear cut chances and this leads to frustration in front of goal which has been shown particularly in last few games against Inverness and Hearts .

The defence isn't exactly in great form either and at times is a bit shaky and for me there is two main reasons or players to blame for this: Lee Mculloch and Madjid Bougherra.

Lee Mculloch hasn't made an impact in a game for Rangers in a while and Madjid Bougherra has to start staying in his position as he is leaving the defence open for a counter attack every time he tries to play winger, midfield and striker and he should just leave these roles to the people who were originally put in these positions by the manager.

Rangers are still in a good enough position and a win tomorrow away to Hibs will help return some of the confidence as well as getting revenge against Hearts at Ibrox next week. With two games in hand over a Celtic side five points aheads of Rangers, Rangers need to win their games in hand and continue winning to maintain their position at the top of the pile.

A 4-4-2 with Jelavic and Naismith up front seems to be the best option available to provide the right stuff needed up front and both can find the net which is needed.

Rangers may stick to the way they are playing and it could come right but no matter how they play, the next few weeks are crucial to Rangers' season and they have to play at the highest level they can and if they do this, they will be in the best position possible to keep up their chase of trophies on four different fronts and winning the league with maybe a few other trophies would be the perfect way for Walter Smith to bow out at Rangers.

A change in style would help make this perfect ending for Walter's second reign at Ibrox and help make it an easier trasition to whoever the next manager is.

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