Rangers 1-2 Hearts. The big elephant in the room

From now on, Sandy Jardine can watch and safeguard from heaven of Ibrox of each of the stages of development of future history. His name in Light Blues, is not just a slogan, it is a reminder of the commitment and loyalty. And if you want a wake up call to the future generations of Rangers. See his name on high is an amazing feeling, very well by the decision of the club, including the campaign to raise money, which is doing these days by Jim Hannah, dear friend of Sandy, to make the Sandy Jardine Memorial Bust. The colorful stagings at Ibrox and settings are always sensational; I will not get tired of saying it. If we add the legends that were on the ground to honor Sandy, that was a unique moment.

The two teams of Edinburgh representing a unit of measurement to know the possibilities, see the musculature of the contenders, making early diagnoses, if you will. Fitba is of easy verbal incontinence, hypothesis there is always, all the colors. In life it is easier to level up than down. Another life is football. But there is another question that humans do not objectively: reflection to know where we are. I know many people who spend their lives watching others rather than himself. They believe that are still living as and where before, not realizing that everything moves and live of the memory is a dam that stops. Always bothered me read the word “clueless” to qualify McCoist, even knowing that I do not agree with many of his decisions, I always believed that the commitment required a space of dissent but to support the team. The situations of recent years were sufficiently difficult, intricate to deposit the blame for all the ills of the club in this alleged synthesizing word. Stereotypes are small compasses that allow short voyages for the life. With them in hand are achieved quick explanations for complex issues.

Lacked continuity and concentration, two crimes that pushed him to defeat. There is no consolation, no immediate solution. What matters onwards will quickly grab some shortcomings and work to reinforce one of the great strengths of a player: your mentality. Not all the players are able to cope with mental toughness, the episodes of frustration, adverse criticism, injuries, internal rivalries or the pressure they undergo continuous.

Rangers show various dimensions in the same game, attenuated or exacerbated according the score. The beginnings were plethoric, that to take the world forward, with the lads pressing high up, trying to drown the rivals, breathing down their necks, forcing errors. A short pass back, carries Neil Alexander to precipitate, losing the ball in a compromising place and redone to contain. Was a good sign.

The exercise of constancy begins to decline, there is no spare of stylistic resources. This is interrupted by the boisterous choreography of errors and misguided decisions. Nothing new. It remains an inefficient balance, cautious, with an innocuous possession between Black and Law, without any depth, or Temps flashes with actions that simulate a wasp in a closed container, but need some more contribution of McLeod.

We had control of the game, the initiative, but not provoke serious danger. Moreover, without midfielder able to put a ball into the area for Boyd. Someone, one at least, who understands as anyone that the possession of the ball is not a finality in itself, but the pre-launch to a vertical pass which must succeed an attempt on goal. With Hearts waiting behind, without any intention to make space for Kris, the harassment for the sides made from Kenny Miller, among the most active, made a show of generosity that did not stop moving. The former Vancouver was noble effort, who plays with his body to protect the football, but bewilder in the final stretch.

Repeated defects. Knowing that any loose ball could be penalized, Rangers went back to repeated. The ball is the main commodity of our team, have it, possess it, distribute it requires commitment, not usually seen in these times. Not the first time I write this and I´m afraid it will not be the last, since the reverse trend, far from abating, does nothing but to increase. A concrete example, Camy Bell takes the long ball from the back, Boyd jumps, forced, with defender, Hearts recovers the ball and starts the fast hostilities with Sow. Jambos could not capitalize on those weaknesses. At first, his offensive innocence collaborated in which our tachycardia was not angina attack.

In football, regardless of latitude, there is a prefabricated speech, whose bow dazzles some fans, which holding the winners always speak as if the other team does not exist. Everything that happens on the field is his sole and exclusive responsibility. If they win, it´s on its merits. If they lose, for their shortcomings. Agree something in between, Hearts stood in smartly at Ibrox. One of our problems is that none of our players become superior to the rivals.

Our midfielder’s column was not able giving geometry to the game; the ball fell on Foster, always in a hurry, anxiety-prone, with two options: the gallop or the long ball. We found a consistent opposition, the duo Gomis-Prince made an overflow basin and pressure quite efficient. Both are well-known center midfielder axis since the time of Dundee United. They played together seven years ago when Craig Levein took Prince to the arabs. While Prince pursuing Law when got the ball, making shadow, Gomis, a bloodhound in the marking, was responsible for relief and strong leg to cut our actions (Temps was his first victim). Prince, with a diplomatic passport to freedom of movement, moving between lines, getting some fluidity in the transition.

Law was relied to the nearby pass. He paid with lack of space and it ends up suffocating the collective game. In favor of Law, also be aware of the mirror by the irregularity of the defense, not help much to him. Throughout last season could prove an overexertion, the back and forth game. Nicky is the kind of man who, if he find the fulcrum, can define how the team plays, a good foot to handle periods of play. The first quality must have is the resistance: being able to cross the ocean of grass that would stretch between Black and the strikers in very particular scheme of Rangers.  McLeod peeked and left. Lewis reduced the game to pull centers from the right, without much practical effect. The agile Temps hid his talent. On Tuesday, Temps looked more like a video game player, supersonic than one real player. On Sunday, he did not deploy with the force, vertigo and rhythm.

In the preseason an in the two official games, Rangers struggled mightily to contain any contrary, small and medium. Go back the tape, and return to the midweek game. Stand in the middle of the field, Liam Craig, hibs playmaker, enjoyed all the freedoms to deepen their game, capable of breaking our lines (again) with a single pass and even appealing to basics. Rangers were not resisting, only retreated, leaving more room for the rise of rivals, was no cutting or tackle. Craig move the ball at will and although it was repeated in the looking for Harris, had the same effect, do harm. Irretrievably we expose, we are fallible in the move back.

It became increasingly difficult to reach also three-quarter line, filter a great pass, and make uncomfortable the Hearts defense. Boyd had to wait for the ball in the air, frequently anchored in the area, which we objected to Daly last season. With one or the other, the rival antiaircraft knows how to counter them, doing all very predictable. The attacker transited amid failed attempts, divided balls, friction, shocks, and inaccuracies.

After the interim, Rangers lost in the desert so peculiar to these times. Once again a defensive carelessness in a corner offered opening the scoring for Hearts when Wilson heade in unopposed from a very favorable place. Wallace followed to Wilson but did not cover him and Bell did not come out to clear the ball. (0-1).

Every minute that passed, more neurotic. The pressure was becoming unbearable was in the stands and on the ground, the air was charged with lecky. Anxiety is always contagious. This game has never been Cartesian and Rangers rummaged through the drawers of the goal. Some argue that in football the casual is the logical, and for that reason the long ball of Wallace sought a head, and found Miller. Pass to Law, that accommodates the body, leans to leave the ball in the net against an outpace Gallagher. A solace for the English. (1-1).

So cruel can be football that rewards you and punishes in under a minute. The disassembly was so emphatic, so exact. The second goal is the most terrible manifestation of this, the expression of deficiencies. Osman Sow stormed into the middle of the moor, with the Skipper and the other guardians hunting flies. Lee dodged the marking his dance partner, the Swedish crossed the ball (1-2).