The difference between a top flight team and a lower league team is that when the top flight team get their chances they invariably take them, whereas the lower league teams often miss their best chances. I thought that was definitely the case yesterday. Maybe it's because Rangers don't usually play with such intensity but they fluffed it when they had their opportunities and we didn't.
I thought Rangers surprised everyone yesterday with the way they played. I said all week that I fancied the bus to be parked and I think Jackie set the team up early with the same expectation - we were clearly told to just hold the ball and take the sting out of the Rangers team and support by controlling possession. That didn't work though as I thought Rangers were very good in the first half and played with an urgency and intensity that really surprised me.
I said after both first half goals that we didn't deserve to be ahead, and not by 2, but there we were. Shiels and Daly miss sitters, we go up the other end and score goals. Armstrong's was a lovely finish and we got a bit of luck with GMS's looping effort that took forever to go in! It was hugely frustrating though to concede a poor goal that Rado should have saved, but it was even more frustrating that we didn't get what I thought was a clear penalty just after. Mr Madden set the theme with that for the rest of the game.
I thought we were better second half and Rangers didn't have too many clear chances in the second period. Set pieces were always the danger and it was because of that that I was stunned that Keith Watson didn't start ahead of Wilson due to his height and I think that decision by Jackie backfired. However, it was game over when ex-Dee Simonsen gave it straight to Ciftci. The moment of the match for me was Ciftci celebrating before knocking it into the net.
In terms of who played well for us, the answer is probably not many. We were honking for most of the game and didn't play nearly as well as we could. For me man of the match was probably Armstrong who I thought was our best threat going forward, although I believe Paton got the official MOTM, which I'm not going to argue too hard with it. Rado should have saved the freekick, Wilson didn't play well, the two CB's struggled to cope with Daly in the air all game and got pulled too far apart at times, Robbo was ok, Rankin was quiet. In the final third Gauld was in and out of the game - although did very well at the second goal - and GMS was similarly in and out of things. Ciftci didn't play well at all (I suspect because he was on a booking and that took the aggression out of his game) but is always a threat.
A footnote to the whole thing. Bobby Madden was terrible yesterday. The second half particularly some of his decisions were baffling. It was almost like he was a Rangers fan and former season-ticket holder in charge of the game...
Ultimately we were poor, we didn't play well for long periods of the game but we still came away with a 3-1 win in an away game at Ibrox. You've got to be happy with that, just as I'm sure many Rangers fans are satisfied with the way their team played for long periods.
RFC 1 DUFC 3
posted on 13/4/14
Regarding Çiftçi, it's been a few games since he's played well. Has seemed really lazy & disinterested, when at the start of the season he was putting himself about everywhere. I wonder if he's carrying an injury, or if he's dropped his game due to lack of competition from other strikers. Also frustrating that when he does get the ball, he tries to do it all himself.
Armstrong seemed back to near his best though. He's another that had dropped his game but was well on form. Hopefully he keeps that up.
Gauld was anonymous, apart from the part where he skinned two players to set up the 2nd goal. So not all bad.
The rest were nothing special or terrible I thought, except Wilson who is starting to look well past it. It's becoming debatable whether he's even good enough for back-up right-back anymore. McCulloch would beat him for pace.
But in the end, overall quality told over the League One team. We took our chances, whilst they panicked playing in front of such a large, neutral crowd.
posted on 13/4/14
UTC, nicely summed up and agree with you.
Hobo, it seems like we always have one of our front players in form but rarely have them all in form at the same time! First it was Gauld, then GMS, then Ciftci, arguably Dow and now we seem to be going into an Armstrong period!
I do hope they all peak on May 17th!
posted on 13/4/14
More than 25 years since rangers beat United in the Scots cup. Impressive record lads.
posted on 14/4/14
United
Family final at Parkhead phew.
posted on 14/4/14
By the way, we're going to call it ParkShed.
posted on 14/4/14
Can't believe i forgot to do -1
posted on 14/4/14
Call it whatever you like mate, i'm just glad rangers aren't there.
I thought the game would be tight and I said on here on fri utd would win 3-1 in a tight game, sealing it late on.
Mark WIlson was all over the shop on Sat, Souttar was a bit of a bombscare too
Utd got in some very good positions but the final ball was often lacking. There was one specific example of Gauld passing straight to a rangers defender in a 3 on 1 on the left side. Gauld was excellent for the 2nd goal, as was Ciftci in pressuring.
Ricky Foster
Lee McCulloch trying to volley the utd keeper at a corner too <doh<
posted on 14/4/14
Yeah I can't believe Gauld never had a shot at goal in that move
I still don't understand why Wilson played ahead of Keith Watson. That change didn't make any sense whatsoever.
I think I said elsewhere in this thread we set up tactically to stifle the game early doors and when we went a couple of goals up we didn't see the need to change.
If we'd gone behind we'd have become more offensive - the full backs would have got forward, the midfield would have pressed higher and the wide forwards would have stayed high, pinning their full backs back. As it was we didn't need to and we were pretty comfortable for most of that second half.
The referee was fecking atrocious by the way.
posted on 14/4/14
Remember I said to you before Wilson would play for his experience in big games. He looked way off the pace though.
WOuld have been interesting to see if rangers would have got a pen for that down that end. Alot of soft free kicks were given too.
FOr Ciftci's goal aswell, he'd just awarded another soft free kick in a dangerous position and I was like AW NAWWW, then the replay goes off and CIftci's in on goal
Ian Black as much to blame as Simonson for that, that was a great chance to load the box and swing one in.
Armstrong and Paton were good, Rankin was good too.
posted on 14/4/14
It was definitely a penalty. Some of the decision made by the ref just got more and more bizarre as the game wore on. It got to the stage where we were all laughing at the clear bias in the stands.
Even at their goal it was a very soft freekick in my opinion.
The thing with Watson being dropped is that they were always going to be a threat at set pieces and Watson is much better in the air so that's why I assumed he'd play. I thought we looked a lot more comfortable at set pieces when Watson came on.