Tomorrow, amidst a mess of a manager search, Rangers face Ross County at home. Yet again, the players are in a position to get those 3 wins in a row which seems to haunt them.
But just before we look at that, an apology of sorts. Like most, I was extremely presumptuous when it came to Derek McInnes being the next Rangers manager. That’s obviously fallen through now. There’s a saying about assumption I’ll need to be more wary of…
Since the win over Ross County in August, the Highland club have changed manager. Owen Coyle has a lot of experience, but it’s fair to say he’s looking to repair his reputation. County have failed to score in their last 3 matches, and recent form has been mixed at best:
ROSS COUNTY LAST 5 LEAGUE GAMES
Aberdeen (away), 2-1 defeat
Motherwell (home), 3-2 win
Celtic (home), 1-0 defeat
Hearts (away), 0-0 draw
Dundee (home), 2-0 defeat
Ross County are a side with dangerous players, but they rarely find consistency. The likes of Schalk, Gardyne and Curran can be good on their day. The emergence of Davis Keillor-Dunn has certainly excited their fans, and he looks like a real prospect. In defence, Andrew Davies and Jason Naismith are capable players at this level. It’s very likely that Coyle will set up to make this game tight. If they can force a slower tempo to the match, they’ll prove to be difficult to break down.
For Rangers, with Murty now in charge for the rest of 2017, not many changes are expected. Ryan Jack is suspended, so a change in midfield is required. It’s unclear at this time if Danny Wilson is available after his head knock last weekend. It’s been suggested that Bruno Alves is fit for this game. I believe the team will be as below:
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PREDICTED LINE UP
Foderingham
Tavernier
Alves
Wilson
John
McCrorie
Barjonas
Holt
Peña
Miller
Windass
In terms of shape, the 4-4-2 with the diamond midfield will probably be kept.
With all the speculation surrounding McInnes, there’s a chance the players have been distracted this week. Hopefully, they’ll continue the performances of the last two games, where the desire to win was much better. The knowledge that Murty is in charge for the rest of the month should also settle some issues. Players like Morelos and Candeias will be pushing to get back into the team, and Dorrans and Wallace won’t be far away from fitness. If we can get the win on Saturday, we can go into a very difficult month with some confidence.
I think this game will be a little tight to begin with. The key will be the timing of the first goal. I believe Rangers will win 2-0 and get that “3 wins in a row” nonsense off our backs.