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Whenever I hear anyone say 'you're not the same club' I smile as I realise they've no grasp of what supporting a football club is all about. Football is about emotion, not logic, it's about memories and incredible highs and moments you'll never forget your entire life. It's also about players who help create those emotions and memories. Ray Wilkins should be a footnote in Rangers history and in our memories, but he's not and that's why football isn't about company records, balance sheets and HMRC. He was well passed his prime when he joined, he was a diminutive, balding Londoner, and at that time not an obvious Rangers cult hero. Yet in only two seasons he was able to capture the imagination of everyone who watched him. His range of passing, his ability to find space and his superb work rate, even at that stage of his career, immediately endeared him to our support in a way some players who stay at the club for twice as long never achieve. It wasn't just 'that goal' either, although it helped. It was the simple fact that that he was a talented footballer who entertained and made watching Rangers a pleasure. Remember, whilst the 'revolution' might have been going for a couple of seasons by then most of us had still endured seasons of Dougie Bell and Kenny Black before that, watching someone like Wilkins was still a revelation. What also became clear was Wilkins was a gentleman off the park too. Patient with supporters and polite with the media he made friends and won admirers. Ray Wilkins is one of the reasons that football is magical. In only two years he became one of our most popular players, he received a standing ovation in his last match, even Scotsport did a feature on him. That wasn't meant to happen, he was only supposed to be a bit of cover, some experience around the club to help young Durrant and Ferguson(s) develop. Yet he went on to become a player inducted into our hall of fame. After only two seasons. Can you imagine a player today doing that. I never met Ray Wilkins yet his untimely passing upsets me far more than it should. A wee bit of the magic slipped away, but most of it will stay with me forever.

Wilkins last game for Rangers

One of the new theories of personality is that it is a fluid entity. The days of strictly adhering to Eysenck, Allport and even Freud theorising over dimensions and trait theory being solidified within subjects are being challenged. We adapt and change our personality to evolve within the environment that we face. This environment changes frequently on a daily basis from family to work to friends and even those we like and dislike. Therefore, our personality is required to be a fluid entity as we act out our roles within society’s daily requirements. I don’t know about anyone else but with all the emotion that we have been feeling these last six years and more recently, I have forgotten who I am anyway? The journey we have been on has had more twist and turns and more ups and down that any amount of personalities can adapt to? As a support, we have been continually adapting to a new environment with various expectations and social constraints placed upon us. We only have to look at the highlighting of unsavoury incidents involving a few foolish supporters, versus the widespread lack of acknowledgment of sectarian abuse directed at our players from numerous sources, for evidence of the challenges we face. At the recent Ibrox old firm encounter there was again a child at the front of collateral damage as flash bomb devices were thrown down onto our fans. Our supporters have not only faced challenges on the park but off it to from a society that has many questions to answer? It is to their eternal credit our supporters evolve with the challenges we face and I’m sure we will continue to do so, both on and off the park. It seems disrespectful to continue further without mentioning the sad passing of Ray Wilkins in hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest a few days ago. At 61 he was still involved in the media and there has been universal sadness at the loss of such a fantastic footballer and genuinely friendly human being. I remember sitting in the front row of what is now the rear of the Sandy Jardine stand when Butch scored “that goal” in the 1988 5-1 old firm demolition job. It’s as clear as yesterday as I was 13 years old and as the ball was cleared I remember thinking “don’t hit it” as I expected it to go high into the Broamloan Stand. However, Wilkins had other ideas and the rest is now history to be fondly remembered forever. I’m sure after playing for many other clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester United and AC Milan there will be countless fans around the world sad at his passing. He will always be a Ranger and may he rest peacefully wherever he is. On to matters on the pitch and we host Neil McCann’s Dundee at Ibrox this Saturday with a 3pm kick off. Our recent performances have been mainly awful. We played well for parts of the Old firm game but I felt the turning point was their second goal and perhaps the late miss from Alfie? It seems that since then the side have lost much of their confidence and self-belief. The performance versus Kilmarnock was abysmal and the first half versus Motherwell was the icing on the cake after the inner city tour we had on the bus down to Motherwell. Alves and Martin are causing a collective hysteria among the support as they are not suited together in such a critical position. However, we are lost for options although hopefully we may have Ross McCrorie available this week? Even if not 100% fit I would have him in beside a coin toss for Martin/Alves? Graham Dorrans was a mystery inclusion as I would have thought Jason holt may have been better for that particular game. Then again perhaps Murty has the semi in mind and wants to give him game time. Our midfield is lightweight and this is compounded by the lack of contribution from Josh Windass. Murty has for the most part played a 4-2-3-1 thus shaping his team round Windass. He has had a very poor return for the faith he has shown in him. I guess it’s unfair to pick out each player individually as with the exception of Docherty none of them have shown any desire or commitment over the last few weeks. This game on Saturday would be the ideal time to show some steel and regain some momentum before the semi-final the following Sunday. Being unsure of McCrorie’s fitness is a problem but should he be fit I would start with Wes-John-Alves-McCrorie-Tav, A two of Docherty and Dorrans with a three of Candeias-Cummings-Murphy and Morelos up front. I feel dropping Windass and replacing him with Cummings to play off the left is justified. He done this to great effect in the Falkirk match. Its unthinkable that we could lose again at Ibrox with such an important match the following Sunday. We have one point in nine over the last three games and now dropped to third with the real possibility of dropping again to fourth should we not improve? Having said all that I’m hopeful that the side will use the following weeks Hampden occasion as motivation to spur them on and gain a victory. Predicting a score is always difficult but a 2-0 would be ideal for everyone’s blood pressure. Many of the side have not called upon their own various personalities and have been too happy to accept their fate. They all have fantastic ability but need to believe again that they can express themselves freely and continue to evolve as a team. I’m hoping Saturday gets us in a good place to form the challenge of the forthcoming Sunday. If the team could follow the lead of the support then we would be half way there. C’mon eh bears!

" We would also remind members that any use of Club 1872 funds to help finance safe standing will be subject to a member vote." It shouldn't be voted on imo. C1872 cash shouldn't be used for stuff like this. Either the club pay for it or UB and those using the facility should meet the cost.

i selected 2020; it's a vision thing.

If things had been done properly back in 2012 instead of flyboys and pocket fillers and a decent coach we could have been hoisting a flag this season but we all know what went down , I still get angry when I see the chances missed back in 2012 when we should have been brining in the best of youth with a few experienced players to build a good team instead we brought in some stiffs , some dumplings and some pension fund builders ,if we could only have got it done in a proper style we could be looking forward to some decent pay days from European football instead of living hand to mouth .

After an intense period of testing, panic, technical embarrassment and, eventually, excitement, we're delighted to announce the launch of our new Gersnet Podcast. Each week our eager pool of presenters and guests will review all the relevant Rangers news, as well as offering up their analysis of that week's matches. Usually we'll be recording every Sunday evening for a release on the Tuesday or Wednesday. Now and again we'll also be looking to record some special shows along with some extra guests. For our launch broadcast, Colin Armstrong @Govan Rear Bear , Ross Bennett @rfb1872 and myself look back at the draw with Motherwell whilst also discussing OTT stewarding and a lack of choice for Rangers fans watching/listening to games. We're still currently awaiting propagation (and approval) from some platforms but we're hopeful the podcasts will be available very soon across several providers. At the moment you can subscribe to the pod via the following platforms (remember to download their app from the App Store and/or Google Play) if you want to listen/download on your mobile devices. If you encounter any problems, then please email us for help. Acast: https://www.acast.com/gersnet iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/gersnet-podcast/id1367486387 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjonaQVRhZNv1jN4SSz8bsw Castbox: https://castbox.fm/channel/fa2e801c39a9dfac69c6f7f28316b4be1be2b863 Google Play: https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&apn=com.google.android.music&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Im6tu7hdfmuul2pe7jsi2ohslr4?t%3DGersnet_Podcast%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16 Spotify: Submitted for review TuneIn: https://tunein.com/podcasts/Football/Gersnet-Podcast-p1117723/ Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=180590&refid=stpr Podbean: Coming soon As it stands our list of presenters and guests are as follows - including their Twitter and Gersnet Forum handles so you can 'debate' their opinions. Colin Armstrong (Govan_Rear_Bear / @moonman1873) Ross Bennett (rfb1872 / @RossBenn1) Stewart Franklin (Frankie / @GersnetOnline) David Fraser (Soulsonic5791 ) David Tomlinson (Pete / @GersnetPete) We've also had a wide range of other people express an interest in appearing so you be sure of a varied line-up and topic list over the coming weeks and months. A special thanks goes to our talented sound guru @Big Jaws who has been a huge help in getting this off the ground and he'll be doing the dirty editing work each week. Anyway, I think that's enough information for one post so please have a listen of the pod and post your feedback on the forum and/or get in touch via social media or email.

116 years ago today: Hundreds injured and 25 dead in the first Ibrox disaster One of Britain's worst football ground tragedies is often forgotten. Today, we look back on the horror that struck Ibrox stadium 116 years ago. BY KIRSTY MCKENZIE 21:00, 4 APR 2018 April 1902: A section of the terracing which collapsed at Ibrox Park football ground in Glasgow, killing 25 people and injuring 517, during the Scotland v England match. The tragedy led to a shift from wooden terracing to earthen embankments at football grounds. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) It was the afternoon of the British Home Championship match between Scotland and England, Saturday, April 5, 1902. Like all matches against the Auld Enemy, the atmosphere was electric. The stadium swelled with the bodies, chants and laughter of 68,000 football fans, each paying shilling entrance fee. The Scotland v England clash, the most prestigious international in the football calendar, had brought in the stadium's largest crowd to date. More than three thousand supporters travelled from Aberdeen alone and hundreds more made the journey the outskirts of Glasgow and beyond. Before that fateful day, Ibrox's 80,000 capacity had never been more than half full. The match was a tense one. Ten minutes in it looked like Scotland was set to score the first goal. The opportunity came to nothing, but reports at the time suggested that it may have been a contributory factor to the horror that would soon unfold. The Scotsman reported how the crowd pushed forward, down the terracing, as the Scots came close to scoring. The open spaces soon become filled with supporters, pressing up from the packed stairway. According to the paper, ‘an extraordinary congestion’ took place, which put an unbearable pressure on the flooring. Then, 51 minutes in, disaster struck. The start joists of the newly built West Tribune Stand began gave away and a giant hole opened up on the terracing, sending hundreds of supporters plunging towards the ground. A tangled mass of fans dropped 45 feet, tumbling through the broken boards towards the wood, steel and concrete below. For many, it proved a fatal drop. The scale of the horror was immeasurable. One father went to the Western Infirmary in the hope of finding his 25-year-old son, William Robertson and was quickly ushered to the mortuary. He was arranging the funeral when his son arrived home at Bainsford, Falkirk. Despite all this, the match continued, the teams battling it out for a 1-1 draw. Those in charge that day feared a riot would erupt if the game was abandoned and were concerned that the swelling crowds would prevent the injured from being rescued. The match was later declared void. The match was replayed at Villa Park a month later, finishing 2-2. The proceeds, £1000, went to the Ibrox Disaster Relief Funds. The final death toll was recorded as 26 with a further 587 injured. Though the horror of 1902 has faded into the cracks of time, with many unaware of the true scale of the tragedy that unfolded that day, the first Ibrox disaster reinforced the belief that the design of football grounds had to be improved. It also marks the beginning of the stadium's century of horror. Disaster was to hit Ibrox four more times over the next 70 years. On September 16, 1961, two people were killed at an Old Firm game when a wooden barrier gave way on Stairway 13. It was replaced with an iron barrier. Then, in September 1967 eight were injured in another incident. On January 2, 1969 – again on Strairway 13 at another Old Firm game – 24 were injured. None of the incidents could compare with the scale of the 1971 disaster in what proved to beBritain’s deadliest stadium disaster until Hillsborough

I just saw Ferguson's statement about Ray Wilkins passing away (on SSN). He stated that Wilkins played for some of the biggest clubs in the world and mentioned PSG and Chelsea ...but not Rangers. I didn't want to put this in the Wilkins' thread because it's a moan about Ferguson (and that thread should be all about Ray Wilkins). How can a supposed Rangers fan, from Govan, miss Rangers off the list of clubs Wilkins played for? Alex Ferguson has just given me another reason to dislike him.

Ferguson is a turncoat, moneygrabbing arse. Imagine having the gall to come out and perform like a monkey at Celtic’s centenary cringefest?

It Should be voted on IMO - UB and others who wish the safe standing area are more than likely contributors to C1872 just like the rest of us who contribute. Hopefully the outcome of the vote, however, is that C1872 will NOT be providing any C1872 funds for the project. My personal belief is that if this is seen as worthwhile in terms of creating atmosphere, better game day experience then the Club and/or those who wish the safe standing area should pay for it. If there are any excess C1872 funds (surely with an upcoming share issue they should be keeping ALL their powder dry, aside from the funds that are being contributed specifically for "projects") then I would much prefer that they be used to upgrade the disabled facilities - something which will soon be a NECESSITY, whereas safe standing is a "want, not a need".

Very sad news today. Ray Wilkins was an excellent player for us for the 2 years he was with us 1987-89. RIP

I have the same mic as Frankie and indeed sat about a yard away from the mic but I read yesterday the distance should be 6-24 inches. My brother-in-laws would say to me: Read the f**king manual.

I haven't listened to it all yet but great effort, guys. The only constructive comment I'd make was that Frankie's voice sounded less clear/quieter than the other two, perhaps due to quality of line/signal or being further away from the mic? Well done to everyone involved for getting this off the ground, especially Pete, whose idea this was.

Sad,sad news a genuine class player we were lucky enough to have for a while R.I.P.

Thanks for the reply SS ! I don't think it's a matter of being for or against the board. It's more a case of making a judgement on what they have done and how likely it is that they can start to make bettter decisions and of coure, have the means available to be able to do so. I thought the apparent strategy behind the MW appointment was fine and in the short term, brought a rapid improvement and a successful season. However, prior to the end of that season, both football management and the Chairman carelessly scattered the seeds of inevitable failure. What came thereafter, set us on another inevitable road to another costly failure. I take from that, that we didn't learn many lessons, repeated certain mistakes and have a habit of making things as difficult as possible for ourselves on various fronts. Having finance available would be a huge positive but it doesn't mean success unless it is spent and invested wisely.

A gentleman and a top bloke. It was an honour to have him at our club. The ovation that he got in his last game at Ibrox says it all. He'll always be remembered by Bears for "that goal". Perhaps the real starting point for NIAR. Sleep well, Ray, and thanks for being blue.

Fair enough Buster. In my short time on here I'd like to think that people would recognise that I'm pretty wary of the board. I don't feel as though they've done a particularly good job for a number of reasons. They have however, made some decisions which I broadly support in principle. What I was trying to imply, without blowing the gaff on the sensitive information that I have, is that the board have tried a couple of strategies which haven't borne any fruit other than getting promoted out of the First Division. Gift-wrapping a Scottish Cup for the Trainspotters and winning the Challenge Cup don't count in my book. Cheaper options if you will and evidence therein has proved to them that an alternative strategy is required to be successful on the pitch in the short term. Yes, undoubtedly, the transfer market dealings have been patchy at best and financials involved in first team environment recruitment have been problematic. That said, I wholeheartedly agree that the board's activities should be scrutinised but my understanding is that this 'bordering on biscuit tin mindset' could be about to change fairly dramatically in reasonably short order and that would give me grounds, as a skeptic, of being cautiously optimistic. Until something happens though, I'll reserve judgement; hence the reason why I've been a bit cryptic.

Particular voices, tones or accents are something you get used to. They soon tend to fade into the background as the 'judgement' centres more on what is actually said. Personally, I think your input will become a sensible base for other podcasters to bounce off.

Okay guy's any offers for the Celtic cup semi-final. I will take the first game of the play-offs.

I'd already checked the restricted settings Frankie, cheers. Seems Google/You Tube have decided overnight that they don't like the browser on one of my devices. One by one the channels that I use have become scrambled to such an extent that they look unrecognisable - very frustrating. However, the dedicated app doesn't display any issues...yet. Bassas. Yet another example of why I chucked in a career in IT.

Aye, I will do Dundee Stress is easing off a bit again. Later on today or tomorrow ok Pete?

That was a very decent podcast considering it was the first. Thought Frankie had a voice for doing 'Late Call' aka Rikki Fulton, but brought a lot of plain common sense points (just as he posts IMO) Colin was an excellent 'anchor' and Ross was a fairly high pitched source of intelligent comment

I'd hardly call that a strong base for optimism. Our transfer business in the past couple of years has been very poor and the January window just gone, whilst being better was mainly about players who will be going back to their parent clubs in the summer. If you are implying that our directors have only just realised that 'you get what you pay for' opposed to actually allocating what scarce resources were available very badly, then what level of gumption is in the boardroom ? In other words, they know fine well that 'you get what you pay for' but finances and managerial/player choice have been problems. The main base issue for me is who the manager will be. If it were to be a 'Head Coach' working under Mark Allen, then we'd better get ready to use a larger wall for the manager portraits because Ibrox under current pressures is not a place that young coaches will be allowed to thrive.

The points total/league position is objective. Opinions about improvement are subjective. Are we really getting anywhere?

Stick yer Sherlock deerstalker on Gonzo79 and you'll get the answer. Oh, and remind me not to drink what Unicorn's having....coz judging by the poll it might be a goblet of chilled curare.

I think it is great to have another Rangers podcast, you can't have enough of listening to Rangers fans talking about Rangers, great stuff. It would be good if you could get guests on like Greg Marshall, Club 1872 where a lot of the issues discussed could be directed towards them.

Loads of excellent feedback so far online which is really appreciated. Delighted to say that we've also now been approved by Stitcher as well so we have a wide range of apps and platforms for people to use.

I've downloaded the Acast app and look forward to listening to it.

Seeing the launch of the Gersnet Podcast like...

I'm extremely pessimistic at the moment, but that is coloured by recent results. A month ago I was optimistic as we were doing well. When you take an objective view, I think we're getting there. I thought it would take a good 5 years after promotion, and since then we've progressed, but not enough; I had hoped to really give them a go this year (which was my thinking when we got promoted), but we're not there yet. Warburton got us 3rd. Pedro improved us, and then it went to the dogs. Murty improved us a tad again, but we're still inconsistent. To be honest, I think Mark Allen has done the most to improve us; his recruitment was excellent, ellevating the quality of the squad, and allowing Murty to improve us that little bit. We've gone from being nowhere near Aberdeen, to getting close, to damn well expecting to be above them by a good 5-10 points -- that latter has not materialised but I would argue that's where this squad should be. I think we're behind a bit now, from where I thought we'd be. There has been progress, but it's not enough, and it's been in drips and drabs; too many steps forward then two steps back. We really need a decent appointment.

Taller than Klos and Goram.

If you can’t applaud that goal, you’re not a football fan.

I'll gie ye auld yin. ye'll get a batter'n wae ma walk'n stick when I see yeh.

Sounded great guys. You guy's have set the bar high. I am now so glad that I could help in pushing this through. It is not just a fantastic thing for the Gersnet but also for the Rangers support as a whole, as it offers another platform to listen about Rangers from Rangers supporters. Great work.

Imagine applauding an opposition goal at any match. Football has lost its soul.

Foderingham is hit and miss. Too many long range shots go in and he is prone to mistakes.