Pedro’s gone, and as the way it goes we are left with his singings. There has been many articles in the media assessing Pedro’s signings as being a success or a failure. As always but what agenda they have is always up for debate. My views on the remaining signings are as follows;
Bruno Alves: Still a class player, brings experience and organization to the back four. Lacking a wee bit of pace and clearly adjusts his game to compensate. Distribution and aerial ability still excellent. SUCCESS
Cardoso; Looked shaky a couple of times and a lot of the media have written him off as a failure which I think is harsh. He has visibly improved for me in the past month or so and doesn’t go to ground so easily. He wins a lot in the air and contrary to what some opposition managers seem to think he doesn’t mind a physical battle and is happy to come back for more. Not the finished article and arguably under pressure since McCrories emergence but still PROMISING in my book.
Candeias; For the money I think he has been very good. Works his socks off, can beat a man and gets decent balls into the box early. SUCCESS
Dorrans; Not always spectacular and there is definitely more to come from him. He has been asked to play deeper where he is efficient enough but doesn’t contribute anywhere near what he has done when he has ventured forward. He has still scored 5 or 6 goals from midfield despite his deeper role. Still a key player. SUCCESS
Jack; Does the basic stuff very well and rarely gives the ball away. Didn’t cost a penny in transfer fees and has been a great addition to the squad IMO. SUCCESS
MORE RANGERS STORIES
Dalcio; No assessment required. Thankfully just a loan. FAIL
Pena; All round play nonexistent. Scored a few goals and is definitely a threat around the box. You can see what he is and that to succeed, he really needs to play in a league where you get at least twice as long on the ball and never need to tackle back. I think somewhere like Mexico might suit him. He simply won’t cut it in Scotland and I suspect will be restricted to late appearances off the bench under Murty before being shipped out at the earliest opportunity. EXPENSIVE FAIL.
Herrera; Clearly not a bad player and has shown moments of quality. However, he doesn’t look like he has the pace, strength or mobility to do much damage here. Hasn’t shown anywhere near enough to suggest he is any better than Joey Garner!FAIL so far but not a total write off.
Morales; After an initial flurry of goals he has become a bit of a marked man and is in the midst of a bit of a drought. All round play really good though and the team, in general, hasn’t struggled for goals this season and he contributes to that even when not scoring himself. Once he adjusts to the newfound attention he gets I have no doubt he will hit the goal trail again. BEST OF THE BUNCH
Declan John; A useful addition to the squad with pace and direct running. I would like to see him step forward one instead of Windass when Wallace comes back. If he is available for free at the end of the season I would take him permanently without a doubt. SUCCESS.