by Steve Hoad
ImSitiv gives his take on Rangers’ recent form and what December may bring for the R’s.
Been a bit quiet on the board of late or is that just me? It also strikes me that we`re all much more positive this season. Despite a recent poll overwhelmingly suggesting we`d finish in the lower half of the league, I`ve seen none of the despair we continued to have only last year about the sceptre of relegation.
About the worst predictions are that we`ll finish mid table. Most suggest a play off place is easily within our grasp, and optimists can even see automatic promotion as a possibility. There seems to be no takers for QPR as champions though. At present however, Newcastle and West Brom have made the top slots their own.
We face some tough matches in December which will test our convictions and lead to some downgrading of these predictions. January however promises some easier fixtures, so it will be important not to lose faith if December turns out to be bleak and sunshine forecasts appear misplaced.
Can we capitalise on December`s home games? Middlesboro`s form has waned after early promise, but will it return with a vengeance at Loftus Road? Sheff Utd, a lowly 14th perhaps, but only 4 points off the play offs plus an appetiser for the FA Cup game. And Bristol City, a chance to avenge that early defeat of suffer our first double? None will be easy. If the results sour, it will be interesting to see how the “fans” react. Home advantage or home pressure?
And away games at Watford and West Brom on Sky will certainly put us under the spotlight. Watford is doable, but I have major apprehension about West Brom. Then at the end of December`s programme, we have to fancy our chances at Ipswich. But out there in Anglia, mid week at the end of December could prove to be a particularly greasy banana skin in the cabbage patch.
By then it will be time for the end of term report. An improvement on mid term, or will the greasy banana be at the foot of a slippery slope? I wonder.
Steve Hoad
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