joewarkfanclub

Not sure what this team & manager needs to do to earn some leeway from some of our fans. I get folk being disappointed with the result, and everyone is entitled to give their opinion on the performance, particularly second half. But cheesy peeps, some of these takes are wild!

Cant bring myself to vote for Paulsen despite the saves he made to keep us in it. The mistake he made was too big and so unecessary. Thought Hodge was our best outfield player albeit he was far from perfect.

Played well first half, Paulsen's nosebleed aside. Penalty decision was a joke so pleased Rangers failed to convert. Controlled the first half, dominated possession, created some decent chances but couldnt take any of them. Second half we were miles off it. Way too many misplaced passes and bad decisions handed the momentum back to Rangers. Probably the worst 45 minutes Ive seen from us in a year. Disappointing to lose the game, but we go intona 10 day break now that will allow us to refresh and give the manager time on the training pitch with the players, as that second 45 cant happen again.

Maswanhise ran his arse off on Wednesday night. You might not like what he did on the ball (he did get 2 assists) but lets not criticise his work rate.

If we keep the ball and control the game (and the referre/VAR dont do our legs) we win. If we go to gung ho and leave ourselves open on the transition, we will undoubtedly conceed and that will make things significantly harder. Controlled aggression is the key.

The biggest problem with any change of league structure is the tv deal. Sky want 4 × The Rangers v Celtic games a season, end of. We can advocate for bigger leagues and we all know it would help youth development and reduce the issues that come with familiarity, but if Sky say no, and no one else will pay, its dead in the water.

Good to see some communication at last. I get that its a bit late, but appreciate that with the match schedule, sometimes these sit down interviews can be difficult to fit in. The only disappointing thing is that, despite acknowledging the POD refit is far from ideal, there was no mention of plans to sit down with season ticket holders to try and mitigate the problems. That should be a priority.

So we are! For some reason, I had it in my head we were on 7 points. Even better! 🧡❤️🧡

Alfred is basically a slightly more cuddly, less scarey Jens (with hair). We are currently 3 points better off than we were this time last season. Even if we lose to Rangers we will still be 2 points better off after 5 games. All that with having totally replaced nearly the entire team. After the Rangers game we have a 10 day break. We then play Aberdeen and Dundee and go into the international break. I suspect that come October we will be starting to see the real Alfred Johansson Motherwell side. Im pretty excited about the prospect.

Olly must have a contract until at least May 2027 otherwise he would be someone elses player. Given he is going out on loan, I would hope it was a 2 year extension so we are protected. I can understand why he would be disappointed. With the game time.he got in the early games he would be thinking there was a pathway to the first team. Especially when Oscar got injured. Unfortunately the signing of Dylan Levitt has blocked that path. He is still a young man. Best thing he can do is knuckle down, give everything for Ayr and gain as much experience as he can until May. That way he should be able to demand a start next season.

It does all seem a bit performative these days. I get why the players would do it after a big win, when the crowd has been raucous and we are all celebrating together, or indeed after an unlucky defeat where they have given everything and the fans want to show appreciation. But doing it after every league game devalues it for me. And I definitely dont like to see it if the team has put in a stinker. Just get up the tunnel and sort things out in the dressing room.

Sorry Grizzly, But even I know Vogt doesnt rhyme with Pettigrew! 😍😍😍

Looking forward to this one. It feels like we have banished the curse of Ibrox, and this Rangers team dont scare anyone. If Alfred gets the team selection right and we are organised and handle them at set pieces, we can get a positive result here. Fernandez is so indisciplined positionally, Im pretty sure we can lay traps and get him to step out into areas he shouldnt and hurt them from there. We have threats all over the park and a strong bench now to change it if we need to. Id still take a draw, but Id love to get another win there and keep us in the top 3 of the table.

Agree re Lowry. He has been absolutely top drawer for us so far. Not the same player as Slattery or Just, but he has that level of technical ability and creativity that just gets you off your seat. He also seems to have matured and is in a really good head space right now. Do we have some magic formula that we give to the waifs and strays that come here looking to resurrect careers? Hoping he has a point to prove on Saturday. Big performance incoming!

I dont disagree with most of that, but Im not sure putting him out on loan helps. He isnt an academy kid who has lived here all his live and has family and friends nearby. Putting him out on loan might actually make matters worse. I think some strength and conditioning work would be helpful, but he looks lost at the moment so Id be keeping him close, showing him a bit of love (as Alfred did last night) and keep picking and choosing his minutes carefully. You may be right, he may just not have what it takes, but we should still treat him right and give him the best chance we can to show his best. Ultimately, if its not good enough, we shake hands and get him a move back to whatever level he can thrive at.