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Long suffering
10-02-2010, 10:45 PM
Honestly, that is the best I have seen him since he came to us. He was outstanding in the second half and really set the tone by increasing the tempo. He was everything that you would look for from him: tenacious, hardworking, tough tackling, harried mark kerr brilliantly and he even one his fair share in the air. Well done Rankin :top marks

Cropley10
10-02-2010, 10:48 PM
Honestly, that is the best I have seen him since he came to us. He was outstanding in the second half and really set the tone by increasing the tempo. He was everything that you would look for from him: tenacious, hardworking, tough tackling, harried mark kerr brilliantly and he even one his fair share in the air. Well done Rankin :top marks

Yep - he never shirks the opportunity to try a 40 yard pass or a shot from distance either.

NOLA
10-02-2010, 10:48 PM
Honestly, that is the best I have seen him since he came to us. He was outstanding in the second half and really set the tone by increasing the tempo. He was everything that you would look for from him: tenacious, hardworking, tough tackling, harried mark kerr brilliantly and he even one his fair share in the air. Well done Rankin :top marks

you can't come on here and praise the scapegoat:grr:

he played well though:wink:

hibee_girl
10-02-2010, 10:50 PM
He was excellent :agree:

Judas Iscariot
10-02-2010, 10:51 PM
Have I missed something?

shamo9
10-02-2010, 10:51 PM
He really needed to deliver considering Miller had his poorest game in a Hibs' shirt. If we can get the midfield three firing on all cylinders against Rangers I'd fancy us to get a result.

Well done to him. Seems he hasn't forgotten his ICT days.

down-the-slope
10-02-2010, 10:52 PM
even the guys moaning about his first half performance ( I thought he did OK first half) were saying they could not beleive how good and involved he was both in wining the ball back and playing the forwards in second half

Baldy Foghorn
10-02-2010, 10:52 PM
Honestly, that is the best I have seen him since he came to us. He was outstanding in the second half and really set the tone by increasing the tempo. He was everything that you would look for from him: tenacious, hardworking, tough tackling, harried mark kerr brilliantly and he even one his fair share in the air. Well done Rankin :top marks

:agree:

Does a power of work and running............

Hainan Hibs
10-02-2010, 10:53 PM
I'm glad he has improved and putting in good performances, can't argue with his work rate and work ethic.

Just please stop firing "squigglers" into Row Z. Please:boo hoo:

Edinburgh Green
10-02-2010, 10:55 PM
He was excellent, won loads of headers as well.

Hibs90
10-02-2010, 10:56 PM
Good performance from him.

Long suffering
10-02-2010, 10:56 PM
Have I missed something?

yes

18Craig75
10-02-2010, 10:56 PM
I thought he was man of the match :agree:

First half I thought he was playing with a real urgency most others were lacking. Yeah he had a few missed placed passes but so did everyone.

Well done & keep it up!

Malthibby
10-02-2010, 10:57 PM
Thought he was pretty grim in the first half, but then really put in a shift which was needed, because as noted above, Miller had a bit of a howler tonight.
GG

The_Todd
10-02-2010, 10:57 PM
Had a better game than some, that's for sure.

No reason for him not to try shooting from distance if he feels he can score, better than Bamba trying from distance anyway!

Can never fault the effort of the wee man. Take a bow, son.

The Voice Of Reason
10-02-2010, 10:59 PM
Agree with the OP :agree:

Thought JR was MOTM tonight, tremendous workrate and good play all round from him.

Well done JR. :thumbsup:

Shrekko
10-02-2010, 11:06 PM
Have I missed something?

Clearly yes.

I despair if people can't give credit where it's due.

JR has never been my favourite but he was superb in that second half. Anyone who refuses to acknowledge that is clearly blinkered IMO.

James.
10-02-2010, 11:19 PM
I was impressed with how much Rankin won in the air tonight. Was it him that had an absolutely sublime back heel pass as we were going forward at one point?

greenlex
10-02-2010, 11:21 PM
Have I missed something?
As usual Aye. :wink:

lucky
10-02-2010, 11:24 PM
He is a limited footerballer who works hard but he was no where near MOTM tonight. He was our best midfielder as KM and LM had shockers

jabis
10-02-2010, 11:33 PM
He is a limited footerballer who works hard but he was no where near MOTM tonight. He was our best midfielder as KM and LM had shockers

so he took it upon himself to make up for them :top marks JR

shamo9
10-02-2010, 11:39 PM
He is a limited footerballer who works hard but he was no where near MOTM tonight. He was our best midfielder as KM and LM had shockers

:hmmm:

Jonnyboy
10-02-2010, 11:44 PM
you can't come on here and praise the scapegoat:grr:

he played well though:wink:

Sheesh they'll be praising Hogg next :bitchy:

zlatan
10-02-2010, 11:44 PM
I was amazed he came out instead of McBride for the second half but he was excellent in the 2nd half, as were the whole team tbf.

On another note, that was only my 6th or 7th game this season tonight and I'm worried I have a massive jinx on Liam Miller, he always plays poorly to say the least whenever I'm at a game.

keep the faith
10-02-2010, 11:45 PM
He was definately MOTM tonight.

down-the-slope
10-02-2010, 11:48 PM
I was impressed with how much Rankin won in the air tonight. Was it him that had an absolutely sublime back heel pass as we were going forward at one point?

Yup - will be on Sky on Saturday i'm sure :greengrin

GlesgaeHibby
10-02-2010, 11:50 PM
Excellent shift from Rankin. Always looking to drive the team forward, worked hard, was strong and tenacious.

More of the same please!

PeeJay
11-02-2010, 08:23 AM
He had two particularly crunching (but fair! :wink:) tackles in the second half - right in front of where Yogi was standing - that were as good as anything Murray has ever unleashed on his opponents - plus he was as involved as much as possible, he made one or two mistakes, but overall had a really good game - well done Rankin!

EskbankHibby
11-02-2010, 09:39 AM
I was amazed he came out instead of McBride for the second half but he was excellent in the 2nd half, as were the whole team tbf.

On another note, that was only my 6th or 7th game this season tonight and I'm worried I have a massive jinx on Liam Miller, he always plays poorly to say the least whenever I'm at a game.

McBride had been booked but also took a knock in a block challenge quite early in the game.

Fingers crossed he is fit for the upcoming matches.

EVENTUALLY
11-02-2010, 10:34 AM
Honestly, that is the best I have seen him since he came to us. He was outstanding in the second half and really set the tone by increasing the tempo. He was everything that you would look for from him: tenacious, hardworking, tough tackling, harried mark kerr brilliantly and he even one his fair share in the air. Well done Rankin :top marks

I'm not a fan of Rankin. He has a tremendous level of fitness and demonstrates enthusiasim in equal measure but his awareness of his role as a left sided midfield player is shocking. In my view one of the main reasons Riordan is finding himself isolated on the wing is Rankin's inability to link play with DR. He constantly takes possession on the left side and after a wee pirouette heads in to centre field and the right side of the pitch to play a nothing pass to McBride/Miller/Wotherspoon. DR sees more of the ball from Ian Murray than he ever does from John Rankin. His shooting is woeful and he should be reminded that his squiggler found the net more due to Boruc's poor keeping than his ball striking ability. I'm not sure Lewis Stevenson is the answer to the left sided berth but I'd have him in ahead of JR.

Kerrplunk
11-02-2010, 10:58 AM
Honestly, that is the best I have seen him since he came to us. He was outstanding in the second half and really set the tone by increasing the tempo. He was everything that you would look for from him: tenacious, hardworking, tough tackling, harried mark kerr brilliantly and he even one his fair share in the air. Well done Rankin :top marks

Couldn't agree more....thought he was outstanding,especially 2nd half.

Nailrod
11-02-2010, 11:03 AM
I'm not a fan of Rankin. He has a tremendous level of fitness and demonstrates enthusiasim in equal measure but his awareness of his role as a left sided midfield player is shocking. In my view one of the main reasons Riordan is finding himself isolated on the wing is Rankin's inability to link play with DR... You raise a good and valid point. I assume JR is supposed to be some kind of attacking left-sided midfielder. As such he should be one of Deek's main sources of supply. I wonder how many goalscoring opportunities he's actually created for Deek this season (I'm tempted to guess - 'none')

I'm not sure Lewis Stevenson is the answer to the left sided berth but I'd have him in ahead of JR.
I would have Gow. I think he would pose far more of a direct threat himself, and create an awful lot more opportunities for the forwards. With Miller and McBride we have more than adequate cover in defensive midfield and playmaker roles.

RIP
11-02-2010, 11:13 AM
John is the most improved player at Hibs under Yogi

Fans need to forget the old Rankin that struggled under Yogi and wake up to this great new guy who is part of the Yogi dream of superfit dynamos who play their heart out for the team.

Take a bow John Rankin :notworthy:

TonyStokeprano
11-02-2010, 11:27 AM
Thought he was poor in the first half, but had an excellet second half. He is probably the fittest player in the team, has outstanding stamina. If he could just cut out the world cup passes and squigglers we could have a good player on our hands.

ahibby
11-02-2010, 11:31 AM
I know Zemama has fallen from grace a bit on this messageboard and perhaps wider a field but I wonder just how much of our improved second half performance was attributable to the wee man. This is perhaps not the most suitable conditions for his style of play with the pitch being churned up and sandy his dribbles are harder to pull off. I thought our midfield offensive was poor in the first half and much improved in the second. I wasn't impressed with the midfield during the first half but Rankin (yes Rankin) and Zemama seemed to make it easier for us to play through the middle. Ian Murray was outstanding IMO and Chris Hogg shouldn't be berated for loosing his footing when trying the long pass, which he did on more than a few occasions. The condition of the pitch will cause us problems if we go behind like last night (it will cause any team problems as they have to risk more), refereeing like last night's will also cause us problems; I hope we aren't unfortunate enough to encounter him more than a couple of times.

Judas Iscariot
11-02-2010, 11:57 AM
Well I'm in the miniority here as I thought he was poor again..

Yes he tries really hard, puts in a good shift, runs all day long, super fit etc etc but he's so limited SKILL wise on the ball..

There's very rarely a end product worth noting from Rankin and as said already his distrubution and positional sense on the left is not helping Riordans game whatsoever..

If someone who tries hard, runs alot and is super fit and has minimal football ability, floats your boat maybe watching long distance running or track in field is more your thing!?

Personally I prefer technically gifted football players that can entertain and turn the game with a moment of magic..

Rankin never does any of the above!

CropleyWasGod
11-02-2010, 11:59 AM
!?

Personally I prefer technically gifted football players that can entertain and turn the game with a moment of magic..

Rankin never does any of the above!

See the Didier Deschamps line about piano carriers vs. piano players.

ahibby
11-02-2010, 12:01 PM
Well I'm in the miniority here as I thought he was poor again..

Yes he tries really hard, puts in a good shift, runs all day long, super fit etc etc but he's so limited SKILL wise on the ball..

There's very rarely a end product worth noting from Rankin and as said already his distrubution and positional sense on the left is not helping Riordans game whatsoever..

If someone who tries hard, runs alot and is super fit and has minimal football ability, floats your boat maybe watching long distance running or track in field is more your thing!?

Personally I prefer technically gifted football players that can entertain and turn the game with a moment of magic..

Rankin never does any of the above!

Last night he turned a few of their players and shot maybe a foot wide or so. When you compare that with one of Miller's efforts (which went 20 yards wide), Rankin looked good and a lot better than he usually does. I'm not saying that one move warrants mass hibsteria but in the second half he looked much more a footballer than I have ever seen from him. He also worked hard at geeing up the entire team and going for our second.

CorrieHibs
11-02-2010, 12:17 PM
Honestly, that is the best I have seen him since he came to us. He was outstanding in the second half and really set the tone by increasing the tempo. He was everything that you would look for from him: tenacious, hardworking, tough tackling, harried mark kerr brilliantly and he even one his fair share in the air. Well done Rankin :top marks

Said that after the game. Thought he was excellent. Keep it up John.

Judas Iscariot
11-02-2010, 12:43 PM
Last night he turned a few of their players and shot maybe a foot wide or so. When you compare that with one of Miller's efforts (which went 20 yards wide), Rankin looked good and a lot better than he usually does. I'm not saying that one move warrants mass hibsteria but in the second half he looked much more a footballer than I have ever seen from him. He also worked hard at geeing up the entire team and going for our second.

What about Rankins effort in the 1st half where he ballooned it almost into the upper tier of the South after Stokes or Deek had laid him off!?

Liberal Hibby
11-02-2010, 12:54 PM
There's very rarely a end product worth noting from Rankin and as said already his distrubution and positional sense on the left is not helping Riordans game whatsoever..

Or it might be the other way round?

Dr Jimmy
11-02-2010, 01:04 PM
I'm glad he has improved and putting in good performances, can't argue with his work rate and work ethic.

Just please stop firing "squigglers" into Row Z. Please:boo hoo:

That is it in a nutshell for me. He does a good job for the team and his work rate is excellent. He just need to stop shooting and trying the "world cup passes". If he sticks to Win it, give it he will be a player.

Tyler Durden
11-02-2010, 01:06 PM
Rankin was average last night, there was nothing particular praise worthy about his performance. He put himself about a bit in the second half and worked hard - that's his job.

Yogi really needs to have a word about his shooting though, too many attacks are breaking down as he plants one in the stand.

SouthsideHarp_Bhoy
11-02-2010, 01:20 PM
Well I'm in the miniority here as I thought he was poor again..

Yes he tries really hard, puts in a good shift, runs all day long, super fit etc etc but he's so limited SKILL wise on the ball..

There's very rarely a end product worth noting from Rankin and as said already his distrubution and positional sense on the left is not helping Riordans game whatsoever..

If someone who tries hard, runs alot and is super fit and has minimal football ability, floats your boat maybe watching long distance running or track in field is more your thing!?

Personally I prefer technically gifted football players that can entertain and turn the game with a moment of magic..

Rankin never does any of the above!




It amazes me how some football fans see a game. Do you not understand that it is a TEAM game? That different players have different roles within the team, and that they all contribute to the overall balance of it?

Rankin is not supposed to be an attacking left sided midfield player, he is supposed to be one of two central midfield players who protect the defence and cover for the attacking wide players and/or full backs (if you notice McBride does this at the other side for Wotherspoon).

Rankin is essentially a defensive player for Hibs, who is so useful in filling holes and using his mobility precisely because we have a 'flair' player playing wide left - it is his job to produce skill, creativity etc, Rankins job (as with McBride) is primarily to stop us losing, and to give the TEAM the platform to then go and win the game via the skillful players.

Nailrod
11-02-2010, 01:23 PM
Or it might be the other way round?
Ok let's try it the other way round:


There's very rarely a end product worth noting from Riordan and as said already his distrubution and positional sense on the left is not helping Rankin's game whatsoever...

Nope. Sorry. That doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

Number_10 had it right. The end product from all Rankin's effort just doesn't justify the game time he gets.

I'm not saying he's rubbish - he's not. The first-time pass he gave to Galbraith against Celtic was terrific. If he'd taken a second touch either Galbraith would have been offside or he would have had to break his stride and the defense would have got back to him.

But that sort of thing just doesn't happen often enough. Right now we have a first-choice attacking midfielder who hasn't scored for nearly thirty matches, hardly ever gets a shot on target, almost never gets into a goalscoring position inside the opposition box, and has maybe three assists this season.

He's keeping players like Benji, Zemmama, Galbraith, and now Gow on the bench (all of whom have scored this season). In a situation like last night, where we're struggling desperately to come from behind and have to score, he should be first to be hooked. Instead, he seems to be immune from substitution. We binned our second top scorer, our most threatening attacking defender, and our most solid defensive midfielder, and we kept him on the park.

CropleyWasGod
11-02-2010, 01:25 PM
He's keeping players like Benji, Zemmama, Galbraith, and now Gow on the bench (all of whom have scored this season). In a situation like last night, where we're struggling desperately to come from behind and have to score, he should be first to be hooked. Instead, he seems to be immune from substitution. We binned our second top scorer, our most threatening attacking defender, and our most solid defensive midfielder, and we kept him on the park.

... and in doing so, rescued a game that we were out of at half time.

1875er
11-02-2010, 01:29 PM
It amazes me how some football fans see a game. Do you not understand that it is a TEAM game? That different players have different roles within the team, and that they all contribute to the overall balance of it?

Rankin is not supposed to be an attacking left sided midfield player, he is supposed to be one of two central midfield players who protect the defence and cover for the attacking wide players and/or full backs (if you notice McBride does this at the other side for Wotherspoon).

Rankin is essentially a defensive player for Hibs, who is so useful in filling holes and using his mobility precisely because we have a 'flair' player playing wide left - it is his job to produce skill, creativity etc, Rankins job (as with McBride) is primarily to stop us losing, and to give the TEAM the platform to then go and win the game via the skillful players.

Great Post...absolutely spot on.:thumbsup:

flash
11-02-2010, 01:48 PM
The people who don't think Rankin had a good second half last night either have their eyes painted on or he is tucking their woman away.

brog
11-02-2010, 01:54 PM
It amazes me how some football fans see a game. Do you not understand that it is a TEAM game? That different players have different roles within the team, and that they all contribute to the overall balance of it?

Rankin is not supposed to be an attacking left sided midfield player, he is supposed to be one of two central midfield players who protect the defence and cover for the attacking wide players and/or full backs (if you notice McBride does this at the other side for Wotherspoon).

Rankin is essentially a defensive player for Hibs, who is so useful in filling holes and using his mobility precisely because we have a 'flair' player playing wide left - it is his job to produce skill, creativity etc, Rankins job (as with McBride) is primarily to stop us losing, and to give the TEAM the platform to then go and win the game via the skillful players.

Not just that but we ended up playing 3-2-5 last night & the other one of the 2 was LM who had a mare. Rankin was virtually holding the middle of the park on his own. He also brought Ian M into the game latterly, I thought Murray was outstanding in last 20 mins, which really contradicts the Riordan theory.

Nailrod
11-02-2010, 02:07 PM
Originally Posted by Nailrod http://www.hibs.net/message/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.hibs.net/message/showthread.php?p=2349037#post2349037)

He's keeping players like Benji, Zemmama, Galbraith, and now Gow on the bench (all of whom have scored this season). In a situation like last night, where we're struggling desperately to come from behind and have to score, he should be first to be hooked. Instead, he seems to be immune from substitution. We binned our second top scorer, our most threatening attacking defender, and our most solid defensive midfielder, and we kept him on the park.
... and in doing so, rescued a game that we were out of at half time.
I'm sorry. Reading the match reports and the Hibs.net comments I had erroneously formed the view that we lost two goals in a first half in which Rankin did play (not particularly well) and all the other above-mentioned players didn't.

I also thought that when they eventually did come on Gow won the penalty and Benji converted it.

Thanks for putting me right. :rolleyes:

But my post wasn't actually about a single 45 minutes of football in which Rankin might or might not have played a major part in a fight-back. It was about a whole season of football in which he has been an ever-present in the side, and how much he has or hasn't contributed over two dozen games, and whether he has a better claim to be a first-choice than a number of other candidates, and whether when we are struggling to get back into a match there might be better options than keeping him in midfield, knowing that the chances of him actually scoring a goal, or even setting one up for somebody else to score, are vanishingly small.

CropleyWasGod
11-02-2010, 02:10 PM
I'm sorry. Reading the match reports and the Hibs.net comments I had erroneously formed the view that we lost two goals in a first half in which Rankin did play (not particularly well) and all the other above-mentioned players didn't.

I also thought that when they eventually did come on Gow won the penalty
and Benji converted it.

Thanks for putting me right. :rolleyes:

.

It was you who said " we binned so and so etc". I was merely pointing out that after "we" had binned them all, "we" rescued the game.

Liberal Hibby
11-02-2010, 02:41 PM
Ok let's try it the other way round:



Nope. Sorry. That doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

Number_10 had it right. The end product from all Rankin's effort just doesn't justify the game time he gets.

I'm not saying he's rubbish - he's not. The first-time pass he gave to Galbraith against Celtic was terrific. If he'd taken a second touch either Galbraith would have been offside or he would have had to break his stride and the defense would have got back to him.

But that sort of thing just doesn't happen often enough. Right now we have a first-choice attacking midfielder who hasn't scored for nearly thirty matches, hardly ever gets a shot on target, almost never gets into a goalscoring position inside the opposition box, and has maybe three assists this season.

He's keeping players like Benji, Zemmama, Galbraith, and now Gow on the bench (all of whom have scored this season). In a situation like last night, where we're struggling desperately to come from behind and have to score, he should be first to be hooked. Instead, he seems to be immune from substitution. We binned our second top scorer, our most threatening attacking defender, and our most solid defensive midfielder, and we kept him on the park.

You take my point too literally. I just find it interesting that some on here forgive Riordan's poor performance by blaming others, but wouldn't dream of blaming Riordan for not supporting the others less talented and less lazy than himself.

ahibby
11-02-2010, 02:48 PM
What about Rankins effort in the 1st half where he ballooned it almost into the upper tier of the South after Stokes or Deek had laid him off!?

The first half for me was a non event for all Hibs midfielders and forwards too for that matter. Even Nish put the ball well over the bar from six yards. I was surprised that it wasn't Zemama for Rankin at first, but then I thought oh well you know there is a very good chance that McBride would get a second card due to either us pushing up as much as we did or the numpty ref, or even because McBride is still carrying an injury. However, because of his second half performance I was glad Rankin stayed on, that's all.

Sergio sledge
11-02-2010, 02:58 PM
Ok let's try it the other way round:



Nope. Sorry. That doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

Number_10 had it right. The end product from all Rankin's effort just doesn't justify the game time he gets.

I'm not saying he's rubbish - he's not. The first-time pass he gave to Galbraith against Celtic was terrific. If he'd taken a second touch either Galbraith would have been offside or he would have had to break his stride and the defense would have got back to him.

But that sort of thing just doesn't happen often enough. Right now we have a first-choice attacking midfielder who hasn't scored for nearly thirty matches, hardly ever gets a shot on target, almost never gets into a goalscoring position inside the opposition box, and has maybe three assists this season.

He's keeping players like Benji, Zemmama, Galbraith, and now Gow on the bench (all of whom have scored this season). In a situation like last night, where we're struggling desperately to come from behind and have to score, he should be first to be hooked. Instead, he seems to be immune from substitution. We binned our second top scorer, our most threatening attacking defender, and our most solid defensive midfielder, and we kept him on the park.

Which is more than Zemmama and Miller. Rankin has never been a prolific scorer from midfield in his career, usually good for 2-3 goals per season, so I fail to see how he can be expected all of a sudden to be this free scoring midfielder. He's third in assists for Hibs this season, and was third last season too.

I see Rankin not as an out and out attacking midfielder, and not as an out and out defensive player, he's part of a central 2 (Rankin and Miller) who have to attack and defend in equal measure, with McBride sitting behind them for more protection. If he was to be replaced with Zemmama or Gow, we would get more on the attacking side, and less on the defensive side, which would leave us very light in midfield at the start of a game. Cregg is probably a very similar player, but he had his chance, and Rankin is keeping him out the team. The same goes for Stevenson, although he's not had much of a chance.

He's a bog standard SPL midfielder, who obviously does the job that the manager wants him to do, either he would lose his place. He didn't start the season in the team, but has won his place and kept his place, and the team are doing well, so I'll trust Yogi's judgement on this one personally. Perhaps we will get a better player in in the summer, but right now Yogi thinks he's the best we have for the role he's been given, so I'm happy with that.

Penrith Hibee
11-02-2010, 08:09 PM
Not a Rankin fan or critic, but a Hibs fan and I played the game as well. So here goes. He had a superb second half, MOM easily just in front of Stokes and Murray. Not a bad first half either in the context of the game.

He will never be a favourite but I despair at the negativity about certain players no matter what they do. Rankin, Nish, Hogg, etc....all suffer from not being a blue eyed boy ala Deeks.

Please give credit where it's due and get off their backs. They will play a lot better with support than the booing and slagging off.

Now if Rankin had stood on the left touchline all night and kicked the ball aimlessly over his shoulder as he couldn't beat a man then I would criticise him constructively. Now then Deeks...............