04-09-2018, 14:48
Big Gareth is the best central defender I remember in my lifetime at the club, a fantastic professional.
It's no shock that when he was phased out last season that we suffered massively. IMO, the failure to replace him was key to our relegation. But having said that, it's difficult to replace someone who was probably the best header of the ball in the division. Hegazi is tall, but was nowhere near as dominant.
I remember the 2-2 draws at home to Watford and Newcastle. 2-0 up on both occasions and conceding late headed goals from set plays to make it 2-2. I couldn't help thinking that if big Gaz was playing, they would've been wins.
Not only that, but we also lost potency at the other end of the pitch, which was key to Pulis' success. Gareth could not only score goals with his head, but also won lots of balls in the air which caused mayhem in the opposition box. We lost this last season.
Hence we scored less and conceded more.
That said, all good things come to an end and I understand why the club had to phase him out at 38. Realistically, he simply didn't have the flexibility to compete with Premier League strikers on the deck anymore. When he featured against Chelsea for us, it was difficult seeing him have to deal with the likes of Hazard, at his age, and it looked like his timing had gone. I remember watching Northern Ireland against Switzerland in the World Cup playoffs and Seferovic gave him a very tough game - and I knew a couple of years ago, McAuley would've bossed him.
That said, SPL doesn't have the quality of striker that the Premier League and even Championship has, so if he's kept himself fit over the summer I'm sure he will be a revelation. His experience will be massive for Rangers in Europe and it's a really good move for him.
Good luck to a great professional.
It's no shock that when he was phased out last season that we suffered massively. IMO, the failure to replace him was key to our relegation. But having said that, it's difficult to replace someone who was probably the best header of the ball in the division. Hegazi is tall, but was nowhere near as dominant.
I remember the 2-2 draws at home to Watford and Newcastle. 2-0 up on both occasions and conceding late headed goals from set plays to make it 2-2. I couldn't help thinking that if big Gaz was playing, they would've been wins.
Not only that, but we also lost potency at the other end of the pitch, which was key to Pulis' success. Gareth could not only score goals with his head, but also won lots of balls in the air which caused mayhem in the opposition box. We lost this last season.
Hence we scored less and conceded more.
That said, all good things come to an end and I understand why the club had to phase him out at 38. Realistically, he simply didn't have the flexibility to compete with Premier League strikers on the deck anymore. When he featured against Chelsea for us, it was difficult seeing him have to deal with the likes of Hazard, at his age, and it looked like his timing had gone. I remember watching Northern Ireland against Switzerland in the World Cup playoffs and Seferovic gave him a very tough game - and I knew a couple of years ago, McAuley would've bossed him.
That said, SPL doesn't have the quality of striker that the Premier League and even Championship has, so if he's kept himself fit over the summer I'm sure he will be a revelation. His experience will be massive for Rangers in Europe and it's a really good move for him.
Good luck to a great professional.