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Dick was on Dutch TV just now with two members of his Curaçao coaching team. They talked about Curaçao and how if you were new, you had to sing a song or do a dance. It showed a video of Dick singing Simply the best. When it came back live, Dick had tears running down his face and couldn't speak. When he was asked why he was so emotional, his assistant answered that the song came from Glasgow Rangers, and Dick considers that the best time of his life. He loved the people and his time there.

A huge thanks to @Rousseau for running this so well and keeping everything up to date.

Callum McGregor has also been nominated for the Scottish Football Writers' Association Referee of the Year award.

Everyone is positive about a bright future under our new owners. It would be a massive own goal to go back 7 years and reappoint Gerrard. There's nothing new about that.

I saw the ball hitting the inside of the goal and the big trunk of a Hibs defender pushing it out again with his legs and himself inside the goal from over here. I'd call that conclusive! (BTW, if you say "inconclusive" again, I'll temporarily remove the transfer thread, so chose your words wisely ... )

Simpler solution, no more yahoos.

Is it just a Scottish thing where everything must be either black or white, it can't be both? It's surely entirely understandable for the CEO and board of the club to feel that an enormous banner showing a figure pointing a gun in the general direction of the away support isn't the kind of image they feel represents them, while also thinking it's not literally calling for anyone to be shot and is entirely in keeping with the type 'edgy humour' associated with ultra groups. It's also fair to think the reaction from media and politicians is farcical. Those are not competing ideas. Likewise, you can feel the events of October the 7th in Israel were horrifying, barbaric and carried out by monsters while still feeling that a lot of what is happened since then in Gaza and beyond is also horrific and barbaric. You can utterly condemn Hamas and also believe that many of Israel's subsequent actions are also worthy of condemnation. Again, I don't see why these need to be competing viewpoints. Lastly, it's ok to be unhappy with the current board and senior management at Rangers and also be very wary of the likely new owners. Because you are unhappy currently surely doesn't mean you should welcome any change that comes. Many were very unhappy with Sir David Murray, and so welcomed Craig Whyte without question. There were influential fan groups offering unwavering support for him right up to us going into administration, this support seemed to be based on the fact he wasn't SDM. I'm not saying the 49rs people are Craig Whyte, all I'm saying is you can be wary of their motives and nervous of their aims while still feeling change is required. Again, these shouldn't be competing ideas.

Someone was on the glue when they bought him and then on the skag last summer when they didn't sell him.

Muscat and Rose sound like names from the wine menu

The Gerrard rumours appear to be picking up speed again, in the usual places. Got to say, I'll be disappointed if we bring him back. He left us pretty sharpish last time, failed at Villa, had an uneventful spell in the back of beyond and I think we can do better. I like winning cups too.

Thinking back to 1945. While the world rejoiced at the end of the war, life, like football, found a way to carry on. We lifted the Southern League trophy that year – a small beacon of joy in a world still healing. And as our brave soldiers returned home imagine what the emotions at Ibrox would have been like , a community that had undoubtedly seen loved ones go off to fight. That Southern League win in '45 would have been a moment of shared joy, a small piece of normalcy returning as our heroes, weary but unbroken, started to come home. The same spirit that drove our team to victory on the pitch , fighting for what we hold dear, I often wonder what the atmosphere at Ibrox would have been like? To me, it was more than a noise; it was a lifeline, a sense of coming home. I've been on the pitch after I came back from Afghanistan, and I have to tell you, seeing the Blue Sea rise, especially after losing friends, makes you realise the love and support each Rangers fan gives us is truly speechless. To this day, it is still one of my greatest moments in life. The roar of the crowd shakes the foundations of our stadium. I suppose that's the Rangers family. Just like then, it would have been an overwhelming sense of gratitude, a silent understanding of the battles fought on a far greater field. These were not just heroes on the battlefield; they were our neighbours, our family, fellow supporters who understood the true meaning of fighting for what you believe in. Tomorrow, as we mark VE Day, though it is a day of poignant remembrance for us all, especially for those who fell, as a veteran, I'd like to say thank you for the support. It means the world and would no doubt have meant a lot to those returning home to loved ones and family. WATP.

Should only get one vote, then in the future when someone says 'Always wanted such and such" we can consult the vote and see if they're lying bastards imo.

He's taken my FGS off... The b*st*rd, gaslighting pr*ck!! #BarryOut

My Dad was in the navy for the entire war and Armistice Day and special anniversaries were very hard for him as he remembered those who did not come home. Time, if anything, made it more difficult for him. He was at both Dunkirk and D Day among many other theatres of war. We support Erskine, Poppy Day and Armed Forces charities in his memory.

I find the situation really strange. When the TIFO was unfurled, I thought it was quite strong - the wording especially - but also very funny given the date, the Star Wars association and the banners at the Celtic Park fixture recently. For the club to react like they did is nothing short of farcical. Yes, we need not and should not be defined by other clubs but there was no reason to release any statement with the sort of urgency they showed. Hopefully it's a lesson learned for a few people.

A disappointing response on the banner. They should have the balls to not say anything on it.

As we continue to document the board's many failures and play down their occasional successes, I wonder if someone might show me which other European leagues the club with the second highest budget finishes above the club with the biggest budget on a regular basis? For me this is the big elephant that everyone seems to ignore while criticising the club. In Germany Bayern were champions 9 out of the last 10 seasons. In France PSG have won 8 of the last 10. In Spain Athletico have won 1 title, the remaining 9 shared by Real and Barca. In Holland PSV have 4 titles, Ajax 3 and Feyonoord 2 (no title awarded in 2020). In Sweden Malmo have won 7 title since 2014. You get the picture. The disparity in finance makes a massive difference in modern football, in almost every league in Europe. Celtic have spent more on transfers than Rangers every season this decade. Frankie made the interesting point over the page that Celtic have dethroned Rangers as the most successful club on the pitch and the establishment club off it. Fair enough, but the dethroning of the club as the 'establishment club' didn't take place under this board, that happened a number of years ago. The club with the second highest budget finished second.

Why not? Nothing bad has ever come out of Austria.

Must get my name on the season ticket waiting list so I can demand to be taken off it if SG gets the job.

A post from a FF administrator in orange font saying it's Gerrard. 🫤 That usually means it's 100% certain. If so, I'm totally underwhelmed and the excitement of new owners has quickly dissipated.

He ran our wage bill up sky high and didn't want to sell players when the time is right. I don't think he is a fit for where the club wants to go unless he changes.

I don't think any of them thought he was 'the answer', merely a body to tide us over until the end of the season.

Just sent my last sixty five pound to Rangers. This kind of dedication is not for everyone though. Not everyone is a real Rangers supporter.

Season finished last September didn't it..... 👀

I would also like to thank you and all the men and women who fought in the war and indeed other wars. My uncle lost his leg in the war and lived in Erskine hospital estate for years. Living in Holland and Germany for 45 years, I used to love the stories of my wife's family of how they worked for the resistance. Sneaking out at night to gain information, bring food to people in hiding It wasn't only soldiers who risked their lives, without resistance information it would have been more difficult.

Should the SPFL not be asking other clubs too about their supporters banners?

I hope not. He's a relic from the past whose achievements were all bought with a big chequebook.

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Apologising for us when this lot do that 🖕🏻 Fuck right off man

Was it Warnock who brought the banner?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Are we blaming the board for the loss to Malmo? Should they have taken the club further into debt to appease Gerrard and perhaps stopped him leaving? Did many think GvB was terrible choice of replacement at the time? I do hear people say we should have sold Morelos and Kent when they were at their peak. Again, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Had we sold them there would be posters on here criticising the board's lack of ambition, being only interested in money. I feel there's a lack of realism around much of the criticism the board get. I mean the OP suggests you "could pick any half a dozen fans from the crowd and they would formulate and action a better plan to run the club" which is a nice soundbite but is also total and utter bollocks. It's such a ludicrously naive statement. That so many can't look at the people on our board, at their past achievements, at the ability so many of them clearly have, at the time and money they've poured into the club and realise that actually, if they weren't able to achieve everything we all wanted, that maybe, just maybe, it's a much harder job to do than most of us seem to think it is bewilders me. The simplicity so many approach this with is staggering. This board leave the club in a much better place than they found it, they should be thanked for that.

I can talk about Holland. Their game is a community thing. Grandads are playing walking football, The sons are playing senior football and the grandkids are in the youth set up. Depending on the area, every age group has multiple teams. They have perfect grass pitches to play on. They get their money through contribution of all the players paying a monthly subscription and also most clubs have a canteen where beer and wine is allowed to be served. That brings in a fortune. I have said on here and on other websites, that it is a scandal that a team like Renfrew Juniors don't have a club/system that everyone in Renfrew can play football. If they had senior and youth teams, even indoor football all paying contributions then look at what money they could have

A snippet of an Athletic article from February: A director of football does far more than just manage transfers, even if some fans still mistake them for heads of recruitment. Thelwell oversees the medical and sports science departments, the academy and women’s teams and data/analytics. Three years in, his fingerprints are evident across all of them. Jack Nayler, formerly of Chelsea and Real Madrid, was appointed head of sports science in September 2022. Gareth Prosser, Thelwell’s former colleague at Wolverhampton Wanderers, became academy director and Carl Darlington, previously of the Welsh FA, joined as head of coaching. Former player James Vaughan initially returned in the new role of loan pathways manager and now also heads up academy recruitment. There have been promotions for the highly-rated Dan Purdy, now head of recruitment, Charlie Reeves (head of insights) and Matty Hawkes (head of first-team analysis). Data has been moved to the start of the recruitment process, while Reeves produces game reports to be presented to managers and coaching staff. Under Thelwell and Vaughan, Everton’s loan strategy has been revamped, with the focus shifting from winning youth matches to player development. Loans are used for different purposes — to give players the necessary exposure to secure a deal elsewhere and help Everton recoup some money, or to help a potential future first-team player like Harrison Armstrong, who moved to Derby County last week, take the final leap into the senior set-up. Deals contain penalty clauses if a certain threshold of games is not reached. Everton sold Tom Cannon and Ellis Simms for a combined £15m in the summer of 2023 after successful loans in the Championship. Also factoring in the departures of Ishe Samuels-Smith to Chelsea and Gordon to Newcastle, they have made around £70m from academy graduates in Thelwell’s time at the club. They would not have wanted to lose all of those players, but PSR and the financial situation dictated that they had to make difficult decisions. After consultation with staff across all levels, Thelwell, Prosser and Darlington have produced a ‘game model’ to be implemented by every Everton side, with the aim of improving the pathway to the first team. There is a feeling strides have been taken, but an acceptance stocks will need to be replenished at academy level too if Everton are to compete again. It is a familiar picture across the board. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6134154/2025/02/14/kevin-thelwell-everton-future-transfers/

I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach...

I will be very disappointed if Gerrard is our next manager because it is likely the new owners will be party to this decision and in my eyes it would put them in a poor light. This is purely a personal view.

Clement had to go but we were never bringing in anyone suitable, for the long term, at that stage. It was a stop gap, that's all, so there's no point dwelling on it.

Clear goal.

What’s the point of a thread with nobody else on it?

An Avengers team of 'Rangers men' like Barry, Dodds, McCann, McGregor would p*ss this leag-- Oh.

I'll just close the poll, then...

Credit to the FAB for putting the points forward to the board, covering most of the main points. The response from the club is verging on pathetic. They still haven't stated what was wrong with the display other than in the most general of terms. To try and put the blame onto the police who "seized the banner at half time" (the photos show it was seized the following day) which nobody knew about is crazy. It's the board's statement that caused the front page headlines and to try and shift the blame is cowardly. they then contradict themselves by saying that we have to protect the identity and traditions that define us, whereas they have done the exact opposite. Patrick Stewart has done a huge amount of damage to himself with the support. I'm not sure he will survive long term. Politically he may benefited from saying that we may have been hasty in issuing the statement but to double down has completely lost any support he had from a large section of the support, and that's not good for anyone.

What's particularly disappointing is none of the 2019 Alkas Cup winning side have made the step up to our first team. There were boys in that side that really looked like they could make it, yet none of them have. Nathan Young-Coombes is currently without a club. Kai Kennedy was named player of the tournament, he plays for Queen Of The South now, Aaron Lyall at Morton, Ciaran Dickson is in prison, captain Kyle McClelland was released by Rangers and played for Coleraine this season. Adam Devine is still with us but for how much longer, and Lewis Budinauckas but as he can't get into the Thistle team on loan currently, I'm not confident he's displacing Kelly or Butland anytime soon. Alex Lowry was the one who probably had the best opportunity but he's currently not troubling the Wycombe Wanderers first team very often. It's not too much to think that at least a couple of those players could have become decent squad players by now at least. You wonder if winning that tournament, and the adulation and expectation that followed it, was the worst thing that could happen to them. If Birmingham want to keep our players I can't imagine we'll be making that difficult for them.

There's a sensory/autistic box at Ibrox. Can inquire about needing special access. https://www.rangers.co.uk/disability-matters-/7DxZjynrP9gtHQuZ77IFx7 Anyways...

I don't think that hating Jews, because they are Jews, puts them on the right side of anything, far less history.

Undefeated against the forces of Mordor, but I'm looking forward to seeing a proper head coach in place.

The guy with the sellik tap is Marc O'Rose. Marathe, Steinsson, and sundry others were at Elland Road, last night. Interestingly, so was Daniel Farke. Just, em, sayin', like.

We know what's going to happen. If the team is competing for the league, winning games we're expected to win and giving Celtic a challenge then the majority of fans will be happy. If we're 10 points behind them by November, our new players haven't bedded in and we've just dropped points at home to Falkirk then the pitch forks will be out. It'll be the manager who gets it first, but eventually Thelwell will come under fire and finally the board if nothing changes. Sacking a manager every autumn keeps the fans from outright revolt. A decent percentage of fans couldn't care less who owns the club and who runs the club, if we're winning the league. Look at the SDM years if you think I'm exaggerating. If we're finishing the league as Champions then our new owners could strip the oak panelling from the Main Stand and sell it for fire wood and many in our support would turn up and help them shift it. We're being sold to total strangers, people with no connection or affection for our club, people who's motives we can only guess at, and I'd say the majority of our support are welcoming them with open arms and a decent number are actively cheerleading them. There's little sense of nervousness, no worry or concern from an awful lot of people. Those who do have concerns are told they're happy settling for second and have no ambition. Like most of us I saw our club teeter on the very edge of oblivion not that long ago. It amazes me how many of our support are happy to gamble it all again. It was interesting learning about Athletic Bilbao again recently. A club with an identity, with a purpose, who know exactly who they are.