GVB > BVB

 

Wow... Just wow.

I honestly never saw the result last night coming. I did put money on us to win, but 1-0. 

I expected us to go into the game with a plan to absorb pressure and hit on the counter. Much like what I assume the plan was at Parkhead. This time it was much more effective though as we pressed Dortmund right from the get-go. Every time they got the ball we were on them.

I think this result shows us, the fans, a lot of things.

The Boss

 First off Gio is clearly not doing as bad a job as portrayed after the Old Firm defeat. I freely admit I was close to questioning the boss after that defeat. I've been very open in my desire for him to be appointed, even before Steven Gerrard, but after some lacklustre displays after the winter break and the complete capitulation in the Old Firm, I was questioning if it was the right move after all.

It's easy to forget how good the team had been before Christmas or to even write some of those results off in the moment after an embarrassing defeat to your rivals. We are fans after all, and we live in the moment and we are ruled by our passion.

Gio came out after that loss and said he had a vision for how he wanted the team to play and he would keep going with that vision. True to his word he's stuck with it and the team has been phenomenal since that game.

The main thing now is that they continue to play like this going forward, as every game between now and the end is a must-win.

The players

There are a few players I want to highlight in particular here, first off is Alfie. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Since Gio came in the turnaround in Alfie's season has been amazing. He looks fitter, leaner, and hungrier for success than perhaps even his best under Gerrard. He's playing with a smile, and a scowl, that shows just how much his love for the game and the club is shining through right now. He's scoring important goals, and with the club needing an out-and-out goalscorer now more than ever, it's great to see. 

It's just a shame he only scores against European lightweights Legia Warsaw, Young Boys (twice), Porto (twice), Feyenoord, Benfica and Borussia Dortmund eh? 

Next up is Ryan Jack. Since he's come back in he's shown exactly how important he is to the team. Many were writing him off after a lengthy spell out, but thankfully he's proving those people wrong. He's brilliant in all phases of the game for us. He defends well, often allowing for Tav to get further forward with confidence knowing Jack will have that area of the pitch covered if needed but also linking attacks with some great passing. He's also not scared to take a shot.

Ryan Kent also deserves a mention here, he too had come into some criticism like the manager. We were hearing how he doesn't contribute enough, he goes missing, etc, etc. Now when I was on the 4th Official podcast with Chris Bett (@chr1sbett on Twitter) I mentioned that this was unfair, especially in the Old Firm, because he had been identified as the danger man and that meant he was often double and triple marked. Since then we have seen Kent get a bit more freedom and with that we have seen some spectacular displays. Not least of which was last night in Dortmund.

Finally I'm going to bang my John Lundstram drum again. I've been banging this drum all season, and taken some criticism for it, but I think he's a brilliant player. I've said all along he needs a run in the team, not cameos and Zungu type roles. Both periods where he's been afforded this I think he's justified my opinion, and it was class to see him get a goal last night in what was another very strong showing from him. 

After the Hearts game I said he should be starting more, some said they wanted him to show it against other teams too, which was fair. I think he's followed that up with strong displays against Hibs and Dortmund and for me, the jersey is currently his to lose.

The Media

The media have been better than I expected on this, I was expecting a massive downplaying of the result, which probably ranks as Rangers best individual European result in my lifetime. 

It may be because I don't live in Scotland so I'm not as exposed to it, but I've not heard much bemoaning of the result. There's been the usual from opposition fans about how "Dortmund are a shadow of their former selves" despite being 2nd in Bundesliga and favourites to win the Europa League.

Even the pundits in the studio seemed a bit "meh" about the result really after the game though, what should have received massive applause seemed to boil down to "yeah but it's only a 2 goal lead".

Meanwhile, towards the end of the later game in the Europa Conference (I think that's its name) we were hearing about how great a team FK Bodø/Glimt are, how comfortable they are on the ball etc etc.

That's the world we live in now though, and that's why it's so important we stop giving MSM the time of day and instead enjoy fan media. Is fan media biased, of course, it's written by fans for fans, but I like to think it's a balanced bias. I'll personally call out bad performances, as do many of the bigger fan media groups, but I'll also sometimes look to put a cooler head on my reviews also. One thing is for sure though, wins like last night will always get the credit they're due from me.

Now to make sure we carry this momentum into Sunday against Dundee United, and then on to the return leg at Ibrox next Thursday. I'm confident that is going to be one of the best atmospheres of the season and let's hope that brings with it the result.

Until then, I hope your team wins.

The Rambling Ger

Subscribe

Twitter - @GerRambling

IG - TheRamblingGer