UEFA Cup Final - how Rangers taught me to not play football and hold on for 0-0

[serious14]

Currently halftime in the UEFA Cup Final, and quite frankly, Rangers are a disgrace to football.  This is beyond despicable. 

11 men behind the ball after 15 minutes??  A lone striker heading to the corner flags at the half hour mark??

I hope Zenit thump them 5-0 in the second half and teach the gits a lesson.

 

[serious14]

Hmmmm, that's two handballs the referee has missed now, one for each team.  Oh my......

Reports coming in that the big screens in the centre of Manchester where the 60 000 odd Rangers fans who don't have tickets are watching the game, stopped working just before kickoff.  The City of Manchester police are somewhat busy at the moment it would seem.

Gotta love Football sometimes......

 

[serious14]

And that's what you get for sticking 11 men behind the ball.

Zenit 1, Rangers 0 - Denisov in the 72nd.

Say buh-bye to Manchester once 100 000 drunken losing Rangers fans have some fun with it. 

 

[serious14]

OhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHH GOALGOALGOALGOALGOAL

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!

That Russian announcer is awesome!!!!    2-0 to Zenit, 93rd minute.  Goodbye Manchester!!!! 

 

[dru]

So it didn't get any better the from Rangers? I had to leave at half time to go to work.

Had no particular interest in this game but after about 10  5  1 minutes watching the game I wasfinding myself cheering on Zenit.

 

[marinermick]

Currently halftime in the UEFA Cup Final, and quite frankly, Rangers are a disgrace to football.  This is beyond despicable. 

11 men behind the ball after 15 minutes??   A lone striker heading to the corner flags at the half hour mark??

I hope Zenit thump them 5-0 in the second half and teach the gits a lesson.

the tactics got them through the quarters and semis

rangers were dreadfully out of their depth and did well to make the finals

luck would have to run out eventually

 

[serious14]

the tactics got them through the quarters and semis

Yes yes, I know, but I'm putting on my Craig Foster hat here - only one team tonight tried to play football, a game where the objective is to score goals by transferring the ball from your defence to your attack using your feet.  Rangers got as far as "give to ball to your defence".

Sorry, but I can't condone negative football.  I even get angry when Man U do it (FA Cup Final last season - shambles!!!!).

P.S.  Reports from all the UK news agencies paint Manchester as a bit crazy right now - a fun night in the North West for all.  Russian fan stabbed outside the stadium and Rangers fans fighting amongst each other. 

 

[marinermick]

i condone any type of football as long as you get results

 

[marinermick]

i am just pissed off that judas advocaat gets rewarded

 

[serious14]

Hahaha, fair enough - but just so we're clear, what Rangers played tonight was not "football" as such. 

 

[Paolo]

i condone any type of football as long as you get results

+1 when my sides are involved.

Neutral games i just wanna see goals

 

[mustapha_beer]

Watched the full game this morning, and felt that Rangers played as well as they possibly could under the circumstances. Playing 1 up front was a bit negative, but Zenit created so much space as it was....if Rangers had tried to play a more attacking formation, they would have got massacred.

As with the Fiorentina game, it was a case of being harassed out of possession every time they went over the halfway line, while trying (and failing) to close the opposition down whenever they had the ball.

The first goal came, ironically, at a time when I thought Rangers might just have been getting their act together, and Zenit were starting to misplace passes.

Overall, Zenit were worthy winners, but I can't help but feel a small degree of pride at the fact that a team with so many Scots managed to get so far....even if they were playing for the Weegies!!!!!!

 

[brett]

Dick Headvocaat.

 

[skilbeck]

As a celtic fan I feel two ways about this result in all honesty. The upside is that the Rangers got beaten in Europe and that they didnt do one better than our 2003 result. The downside is it seems to give evidence of the decline in standard of the Scottish Premier League and the prospects of future success for Celtic in Europe is grim.

 

[RADINHO]

lol see good football got Zenit somewhere and Rangers no where

 

[Sym]

Ummmm so the Uefa cup final is no where ?
Couldn't care if I won 8-1 or mad dodgy 1-0 disgraceful game
Results are entertaining

 

[Arabmariner]

As a celtic fan I feel two ways about this result in all honesty. The upside is that the Rangers got beaten in Europe and that they didnt do one better than our 2003 result. The downside is it seems to give evidence of the decline in standard of the Scottish Premier League and the prospects of future success for Celtic in Europe is grim.

It,s always difficult to compare different eras but there is no doubt that the Aberdeen and DUFC teams which regularly performed well in Europe in the 80,s played more attractive football than Rangers have this year.I,m not old enough to remember but I,m pretty sure the same could be said for the Celtic and Rangers teams of the 60,s and 70,s.
Having said that it,s a different ball game now.Pre Bosman clubs playing in European competition could only field 3 foriegners at a time,the bulk of the team was made up of nationals from that country.How many Englishmen would be left if you took all the foriegners out of the Man U and Chelsea sides?How many Spaniards play for Barcelona?
The Barcelona team that DUFC beat home and away in 1987 was one of the most expensively acquired sides in the world at that time but not a patch on their present side.We would have no chance of repeating that feat again.
Both DUFC and Aberdeen kept the bulk of their teams together through the 80,s.Most of their players were brought up from school age by the clubs and signed on long term contracts.Most contracts were heavily incentive based.....consistently winning....good money......playing crap and losing......beans and toast for a few weeks!
Nowadays they can,t afford to hold onto their best players.Players come and go like employees at MacDonalds.Even Rangers and Celtic as big as they are can,t compete with the silly money being thrown around in Europes bigger leagues.And the gulf between them and the rest of the SPL continues to get bigger as well.
In light of all this it,s hard to be critical of Rangers tactics.In fact it,s a credit to their coaching staff that they managed to take this group of players that far.If the Mariners get to the final of the next Asian Champions league whilst playing some "crap" football against some vastly more expensive and talented sides along the way will anyone on this forum give a toss about the quality of the football?
One thing I have noticed about Rangers is they have often played the one striker formation in the SPL this season.I can,t see that style lasting in domestic football.Their fans won,t wear it.They have got away with it this year because of their European success.

 

[FFC Mariner]

Sadly for Scottish football, Rangers proved that the overall standard is CCC at best.

Nice work by their fans in Manchester too.

 

[Teddy Bear]

Firstly they were not fans they were f*ckwits.

Secondly Arab is spot on. They can't compete with the money being thrown around the top clubs in Europe. Same goes for Celtic, until some rich oil tycoon buys either club and they get entry into the EPL, both clubs will only be nuisance value in the Champions league.

As for the style of play, Walter Smith is an absolute genius. To come in and strategise the team for a possible quadruple is beyond belief. Being a mad blue nose I know the style isn't best to watch but actually seeing the big clubs get frustrated is great positive. They haven't a clue how to handle it and at the end of the day my cheers are the same cheers whether they are playing attractive football or not. If they weren't achieving by playing that style of football Walter wouldn't continue with it.

The negative's about yesterday was the he should have started Novo and he should have brought Boyd on sooner.

Also if the SFA had given Rangers the same preparation as Zenit was given then maybe if might have been different.

But well done Zenit you had a great manager coach you to the cup and in the end was worth the extra money for him to stay.

*************THE TREBLE IS STILL ON!!!!!!!!*****************

 

[skilbeck]

Firstly they were not fans they were f*ckwits.

Secondly Arab is spot on. They can't compete with the money being thrown around the top clubs in Europe. Same goes for Celtic, until some rich oil tycoon buys either club and they get entry into the EPL, both clubs will only be nuisance value in the Champions league.

As for the style of play, Walter Smith is an absolute genius. To come in and strategise the team for a possible quadruple is beyond belief. Being a mad blue nose I know the style isn't best to watch but actually seeing the big clubs get frustrated is great positive. They haven't a clue how to handle it and at the end of the day my cheers are the same cheers whether they are playing attractive football or not. If they weren't achieving by playing that style of football Walter wouldn't continue with it.

The negative's about yesterday was the he should have started Novo and he should have brought Boyd on sooner.

Also if the SFA had given Rangers the same preparation as Zenit was given then maybe if might have been different.

But well done Zenit you had a great manager coach you to the cup and in the end was worth the extra money for him to stay.

*************THE TREBLE IS STILL ON!!!!!!!!*****************

correct except for the first and last comments.