Esson

Tokely Meekings* Golobart Gillet

Cox A.Shinnie Tansey

Tade McKay Hayes

Subs - Tuffey, Piermayr, G.Shinnie, Sutherland, Morrison, Ross, Foran

No point in damage limitation, an attacking 4-3-3 for me. I think Tokely is a better full back than centre-half and the Golobart/Tokely partnership doesn't work. I also recollect him having a good game there last season, so Meekings comes in at centre-half. Also, drop Foran to the bench - he's well off form and not showing much in the way of leadership.

* - If Meekings is still out, Tokely into centre-half with Piermayr coming back in.

Esson

Tokely Meekings Golabart Gillet

Tansey ShinnieA Cox

Hayes McKay Foran

Tuffey

Piermayer Meekings Golobart Gillet

Cox A. Shinnie Tansey

Tade McKay Hayes

Sod it. Let's go for it

Damage limitation for me. Rangers don't have all that much inventiveness going forward, so stifling them might just work. Snuff out Jelavic and there's not many goals. However, they are pretty solid defensively, so no point bombing into a brick wall.

Tuffey

Piermayr - Tokely - Golobart - Gillet - G.Shinnie

Tansey - Cox

Hayes - McKay - A.Shinnie

I'm giving Tuffey a chance. Not because Esson's been to blame but it's come to a stage when a new broom is needed.

Golobart will play more of a sweeper role. He seems to need a bit more time on the ball. With Tokely and Gillet man-marking, Golobart will probably get that. The alternative is someone like Cox to go back there. McKay pushed a lot further forward than Hayes or Shinnie so Rangers have to hold the back line lower down the field.

Not starting Tade would be a mistake.

esson

meekings--tokely-golobart--G.shinnie

cox

hayes-----------------------------foran

A.shinnie

tade--mckay

sucs: tuffey, piermayr, gillet, ross, morrison, sutherland, chipper

if meekings is out piermayr in

if anyone else is out lets just forfeit

Tuffey

Piermyr Tokely Golobart Gillet

Cox

Hayes A.Shinnie Tansey Foran

McKay

Not starting Tade would be a mistake.

Not starting Tade would be absolute disaster. We simply have to defend next week and look at Tade and Hayes to provide the relief. Now that is a real downer to McKay who will be dropped after two starts and a goal. More damage down to the inconsistencies and chopping and changing.

My "real" fear here is that Proctor will be the choice, McKay will be kept and we are throwing Piermayr in to the deep end. Sadly we are praying for Meekings to be fit but again tossed in.

But I actually feel that this is not the game to bench Foran - although that is well overdue.

ESSON

TOKELY MEEKINGS GOLOBART GILLET

COX TANSEY G.SHINNIE

A.SHINNIE HAYES

TADE

Cant you just see this being the first clean sheet of the season !!

----------------Tuffey----------------

Meekings---Tokely--Golly---Gillet

---------Morrison--Cox----------------

Hayes---------Shinnie---------Sutherland

-------------------Tade------------

Edited December 11, 201114 yr by dead_ball_specialist

Had to look again at seeing Golly in there. Thought we were back in time for a second.

As for Tade, depends how you're playing the match. I'd play to stifle Rangers and maybe grab a chance. McKay's job would be to play right up front to stop the Rangers back line advancing too far up the field. Tade couldn't do that. What a midfield of Hayes, Cox, Tansey and A.Shinnie could do would be told hold onto the ball. Take the pressure off. Again, Tade wouldn't do that.

It's a romantic idea to think we can just belt into Rangers and come out on top but realistically, scrapping for a point or even sneaking a win is a far more realistic idea. Tade for the second half makes more sense.

Esson

Tokely Proctor Golobart Gillet

Tansey Cox

Hayes A.Shinnie Foran

McKay

In Tade we have a player who has shown he will run himself into the ground for an hour or so. He will also harass Rangers defenders/midfielders constantly and provide the best out ball option. Far better that he starts then give McKay 20-25 minutes.

With davis out suspended and hogg, tudor jones, doran out in injured its difficult to pick a starting 11. However, we are always expected to loss against rangers, espially at ibrox so i dont see any point in sitting back so we may as well go all out and give it a go. Why not start with hayes, foran, mckay, tade, shinnie, cox and just go for it. If we get a point out of the game then grill but if we get gubbed then its half expected but i feel we should at least give it a go

we`re needing the 3 points - must try to win - no point us being defensive as we`re no use at it anyway!

Tuffey

Tokeley Golobart Gillett

Cox Tansey Shinnie Morrison Hayes

Tade Mckay

Can't understand these 'let's go for it' attitude. We needed a win at home to Dundee United. We didn't get it. What chance we beat the current champions and league leaders on their home turf, whist we have a variety of injuries? That's Berti Vogts/George Burley's Scotland attitude of ignore the opposition and play with no real tactics. How well did that work out?

If we could really match, hell, BEAT, Rangers by out-performing them with a barrage of goals, then don't you think these players would be at Rangers? It's the triumph of hope over reality.

Our best bet is to play it cagey, try to get a point away from home. Possibly even sneak a win. Getting tanked will just ruin our goal difference. And if we play an attacking line-up, with our injured and no-clean-sheets defence, tanked is what we'll get.

Can't understand these 'let's go for it' attitude. We needed a win at home to Dundee United. We didn't get it. What chance we beat the current champions and league leaders on their home turf, whist we have a variety of injuries? That's Berti Vogts/George Burley's Scotland attitude of ignore the opposition and play with no real tactics. How well did that work out?

If we could really match, hell, BEAT, Rangers by out-performing them with a barrage of goals, then don't you think these players would be at Rangers? It's the triumph of hope over reality.

Our best bet is to play it cagey, try to get a point away from home. Possibly even sneak a win. Getting tanked will just ruin our goal difference. And if we play an attacking line-up, with our injured and no-clean-sheets defence, tanked is what we'll get.

sorry but we have no goal difference to ruin..we are on -12...i for one could respect the team alot more if they went out there and grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and actually had a go...none of this sitting back rubbish. go out there and get at them. thats how you ake points of rangers anyway.. go at them and dont let them build.......oh yeah and NOBODY even think about looking at a rangers player in the box because sure as eggs is eggs they will fall over and we will concede the penalty

I thought Procs and Meekings were out for this one as well? Does anyone know their current injury status?

If Proctor, Piermayr and Meekings are all still out, which sounds very likely, then i think we may have to line up something like this:

Esson

Tokely----Golobart----Gillet----G. Shinnie

Cox----Tansey

Hayes A.Shinnie Foran

McKay

Assuming Proctor, Piermayr and Meekings are still out, i'd go with this:

Esson

Cox---Tokely---Golabart---Gillet

Ross---Tansey

Hayes---Shinnie---Foran

---Tade---

Subs: Tuffey, Shinnie, Morrison, Chippendale (If fit), Sutherland, McKay.

I've seen Gillet play CB and really wasn't convinced so i'd prefer to see Cox slip in at RB. I'd also go with Tade and leave McKay on the bench. I think Tade can hassle the Rangers defence whereas I see McKay being pushed of the ball and bullied by their defence.

sorry but we have no goal difference to ruin..we are on -12...i for one could respect the team alot more if they went out there and grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and actually had a go...none of this sitting back rubbish. go out there and get at them. thats how you ake points of rangers anyway.. go at them and dont let them build.......oh yeah and NOBODY even think about looking at a rangers player in the box because sure as eggs is eggs they will fall over and we will concede the penalty

Proctor Golobart

I think I'd be having to watch the game through my fingers if that was the centre-back pairing!

Proctor Golobart

I think I'd be having to watch the game through my fingers if that was the centre-back pairing!

I wonder if that combination would even manage in the first division. Our Defence seems to be very weak right now and it makes me nervous. I like Proctor but i'm starting to feel his footballing ability has gone. I hope he comes good now that Hogg is out anyway, I would much rather have an ICT player starting every game than another fairly dodgy CB whos only on loan.

Assuming everyone is still injured:

---------------Esson------------------

Tokely Golobart Gillet Shinnie

-------------Cox Tansey------------

------Hayes Shinnie Foran-----

----------------Tade------------------

If Proctors back replace Golobart,

If Meekings is back replace Golobart,

If Proctor and Meekings are back replace Shinnie and Golobart

sorry but we have no goal difference to ruin..we are on -12...i for one could respect the team alot more if they went out there and grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and actually had a go...none of this sitting back rubbish. go out there and get at them. thats how you ake points of rangers anyway.. go at them and dont let them build.......oh yeah and NOBODY even think about looking at a rangers player in the box because sure as eggs is eggs they will fall over and we will concede the penalty

when we were relegated to the sfl was it not on goal difference, due to 5-0 poundings from this weeks opponents and possibly hamilton.

tade up front as lone striker and as many defenders as we can behind him.

you can put it that way if you like bishbashbosh but at -12 do you really think that sneaking a one nil would make much difference to it.... like i said i would have much mroe respect if the guys went out and really had a go

Assuming everyone is still injured:

---------------Esson------------------

Tokely Golobart Gillet Shinnie

-------------Cox Tansey------------

------Hayes Shinnie Foran-----

----------------Tade------------------

I think this will be the set-up and team with the exception of McKay for Tade. Tade to come on with 15 mins to go if needs be.