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PLG's greatest signing. After signing a couple of dud centre halfs, PLG bought Papac to try to shore up a very leaky defence. But it was when Papac moved to left back that he made the position his own and grew into the affections of the fans with consistency, effort, heart and talent. A model pro to boot. All fans, and certainly all Rangers fans, have favourite players and some they dont rate at all. The biggest compliment I can pay Sasa is that I never heard anyone who didnt think we was worthy of wearing our shirt.

Papac was back in Scotland for Kris Boyd’s testimonial at Rugby Park on Saturday.The 38-year-old played in a Rangers Euro XI beaten 6-3 by Boyd’s Killie Heroes.Papac, who was part of the Gers side that reached the 2008 Uefa Cup Final, sees no reason why the current crop can’t continue making their mark in the Europa League.He said: “It’s great to see Rangers in Europe again. I have watched every game on TV and seeing those matches at Ibrox again is terrific.“I am so surprised by it because we have not been in Europe over the past few years and the lads have coped with it really well.“The team has the opportunity to make that next step and the games against Villarreal and Rapid Vienna are very important for them.“In 2008, we didn’t know that we were going to make it to the final. We just played from game to game and grew with every match.“We weren’t the favourites in many of the games and just tried to do our best job in every match. We will see how it goes.“Gerrard is doing great and has made real progress. I am surprised but so happy to see it.“His background as a successful player can help him. He was a great player and won so many trophies. He can certainly bring Rangers some new power.“Will Rangers get back to where they were? Of course. Why not? If you look at history, Rangers have had gaps without trophies in the past as well.“This is one of those times and you must accept this, but I think the future can be special. If Stevie Gerrard stays, I think there will be progress in future.“And it can be soon. I think that is possible.”But Papac, three times a title winner under Walter Smith, is not convinced Rangers are quite ready to give Celtic a serious run for their money this term.He said: “It’s difficult to say as it is too early. The season is long and we will see how this team is playing in February, March or April“That is a very important time and we will see then if they can compete with Celtic for the title.“You need a big squad if you want to compete in the league and in Europe, as well as the Scottish Cup. It is not easy to do it.“Everything is new with Rangers. I think everyone is surprised to see them doing so well, so we will see.”Papac was a serial winner during his six years in Scotland and is now hoping he can play another vital role in helping out Gerrard.The former fans’ favourite admits he is only a phone call away if Gerrard wants any scouting advice on the Balkan market he has already sourced to good effect.Papac said: “If I can help, then I am here. Right now players from Croatia are very interesting for everybody because they did so well in the World Cup.“You can find some good players there and they are not expensive. This is important. It can be a very interesting country in future.“Nikola Katic and Borna Barisic came over and, of course, Eros Grezda signed from Osijek“Scouting and watching players is not my job but in future who knows? I have no job right now and I am waiting.”Papac retired from football with a groin injury when he left Rangers in 2012, but he remains a fully paid-up member of the supporters’ club.He added: “I come back two or three times a year. I watch Rangers games every season.“Last time I was here was back in May when we celebrated ten years since the Uefa Cup Final.scoring drought“I still watched the games when we were in the old Third Division.“This is my club. I will support Rangers to the end of my life.“Every game on TV, anywhere, I will watch the games when I have the chance.“I had a great six years here. The best time of my life was here.“My family also had a great time here and I have great memories that will stay in my heart forever. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-can-follow-2008-heroes-13608863

A great servant to the club who gave 110% in every game would be good to have his like again.?

Some of them do. The Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph are excellent. The Telegraph in general offers some quality insight into current affairs. By quality, I mean writing that often leaves you with an altered opinion or a much clearer understanding and better informed. Most of the rest - I'd agree with you.

I bought a newspaper yesterday (The Times), it's the first one I've read since I was on a long flight about a fortnight ago. It's actually fantastic. The 'magazine' alone has a fascinating article about triplets in America separated and put up for adoption, an interview with Lenny Kravitz daughter, a bodyguard, a woman who underwent pioneering stem cell treatment on her MS and an interview with Little Mix, that I'm hoping will make me look pretty smart to my 10 year old daughter. I'd recommend it to anyone, it's less than a couple of pounds too. I think we conflate a number of issues when we speak about the demise of newspapers. Firstly the problems with Johnston Group, the company who own the Scotsman, are unfortunately typical for a number of 'media groups'. I do genuinely think this is a bad thing, not so much for titles like The Scotsman or the Yorkshire Post, there are alternatives to them, but for the many, many smaller local titles like the Stornoway Gazette or the Southern Reporter in the Borders also owned by Johnston Group. There's not only still a desire for 'local' news but also need for it. Who will watch the councillors or the police or the land owners without them? Secondly the issues with Johnston Group, for me, are around ownership and expectation. The aforementioned Stornoway Gazette and Southern Reporter simply shouldn't be owned by hedge funds. They should be independently owned, ideally by person or people local to that area. A living can be made from a local 'paper', but it can't deliver the kind of profits demanded by stock market listed PLCs. The ownership model is wrong, not the concept itself. News in the press has been 'out-of-date' since the advent of the radio. Television has been a mainstay of our culture since the 60s, the press reporting yesterday's news has been the case for decades now. The internet has sped up the ability to follow breaking stories and general news, but newspapers were always much more than 'news'. Part of the problem for 'papers' is the change in advertising, which not only create income for papers but also drove sales. Jobs, cars, property, personal ads, local buy and sell, were reasons to buy papers. It's the loss of this that's been the main problem. Added to changing social habits such as fewer people using public transport and fewer people smoking so visiting a newsagent and buying tobacco, a packet of mints and the evening paper. Obviously us all carrying smart phones also takes away the need to buy a 'paper'. The great thing about newspapers for me is their coverage of other topics that I'd simply never read otherwise (Little Mix above for example). The internet in particular creates echo chambers, where too many people are drawn to people with the same views as them. I've basically left two other Rangers messageboards because anyone with a different view was simply shouted down. I watched the evisceration of Forlan's Sister and Gunslinger on a different messageboard with dismay. Their view went against the orthodoxy of the mods and loud voices there, yet even though it was clearly thought out and considered it was dismissed in an aggressive and intolerant way. The fact they were later proved correct is of little consolation. It is to the great credit of Frankie and the other admins on here that they both foster and encourage different views, but let's not pretend that's the norm for the internet. Newspapers have always had political bias. That's been part of their attraction for many readers. Some do occupy the middle ground and have columnists and articles from across the spectrum. Others very clearly nail their colours to a mast. That's fine too, no one makes you buy them. I guess the internet is the same, but on steroids. The coverage of Scottish football, for so long a mainstay of the Scottish press, draws criticism from many of us. But we should be careful about writing off the entire industry because of that. Does anyone think democracy is safer or better today than it was 10 or 20 years ago? Do you think people are better informed, more balanced and able to see different views? Or have we become more entrenched, more tribal, more hung up on identity than on rational experience? I know what I think. Someone needs to pay journalists to carry out the interviews, to follow the leads and to be able to compose prose that enlightens, or moves or angers us. If we lose that the only way is downwards in my opinion.

Always nice to hear about ex players who retain a place for Rangers in their hearts. Papac was ever dependable and seems to be fondly remembered by us all. Hopefully he can do us a (scouting) favour at some point.

I'm not sure that inappropriately touching a woman warrants a prison sentence. I'm not sure this incident warrants a thread on here either. Gascoigne left the club over two decades ago and his troubles are well documented.

As I read that post, Ian, it does not have the scope to investigate children at CBC. They need a separate inquiry. ... "For the purpose of this Inquiry, “Children in Care” includes children in institutional residential care such as ..." ... "The term does not include: children living with their natural families; children living with members of their natural families, children living with adoptive families, children using sports and leisure clubs ..." Unless and until there is an inquiry directly focused on CBC and all of Scottish football there is a possibility of sweeping this under the carpet. The Scottish government should be seen to be prepared to investigate all avenues of inquiry robustly without leaving any area unchecked. No one should have to plead with them, such as Michelle Gray, to do their job properly. The fact that Torbett has just appealed his trial and sentence shows just how far their reprehensible mindset will go to find a way to not accept responsibilty for their evil actions.

Virtual embargo on SNP comment about Celtic FC paedophilia scandal. SNP cover up over Salmond sexpestery being suppressed by ... SNP. So I think we can expect an imminent condemnation from Nukla of Gascoigne's association with Rangers.

I'd have him back in a heartbeat too. But if he is to play DM then I think I would rather have Ryan Jack in there. That said, Coulibaly is only on loan, and out of form, so if we were to continue with the 4-2-3-1 then Davis beside Jack could be a very good option. However, for me our lack of creativity is more important to address - I am not sure Davis brings the creativity we would need to unlock packed defences. If we could get a proper "10" and also get Davis, we would have done well for ourselves, though we also definitely need an additional striker IMO.

Having read this it mentions only care in residential institution and like,so IMO does not cover the abuse outside of these as in Torbett's case. Again IMO an inquiry is necessary and should be opened at the earliest opportunity,but there again lies Scottish Government cover up.

Cracking interview from an excellent player...

Fair enough. If I'm bored I pick up the FT or telegraph in the airport lounge. I'm generally looking for commentary on finance, economics, impacts of political changes, etc, but in my opinion it's a skin deep assessment. Maybe I'm expecting too much, but there are some great commentators online and I wish they were employed by some of the broadsheets, or at least did some freelance writing for them. Not everything online can be relied upon though. My guilty pleasure is reading the Kerrydale Meltdown (@Kerryfail) and today it's showing their fans going apoplectic because a Scottish referee (Andrew Dallas) is playing number 12 for Rangers in Kris Boyd's testimonial. It's hilarious seeing the venomous tweets. Maybe someone will point out that Dallas is actually one of our own young players.

See if you don't buy or read a newspaper, how do you know what the quality of writing is like? The 'big' papers, the London based broadsheets, a number of the international publications, still contain superb writers and a breadth of topics that can't be matched. The hyper local 'papers' contain news that simply can't be found anywhere else. The quality of writing around Scottish football is generally low and if that's all that interests someone then whether in print, or online, 'newspapers' will generally disappoint. But if you want to know about subjects beyond that then 'newspapers' are still the best source of information, opinion and depth of coverage, I my opinion of course.

I take your point about the teams already in the senior league. Even if I accepted the point about bringing through better youngsters, which I don't, I would still argue that it is a foolish trade off to make. No football fan is really interested in some abstract idea of aggregate, or overall, quality of young players in Scotland. Football fans want to know that when they turn up to watch a match that they can see their team win. If we keep structuring football in favour of big clubs then it will continue to decline as a contest. If it continues to decline as a contest then fans will continue to abandon the game.

There's at least 3 posters on here in the thread and only by selective editing has the camera averse Dragonfly Trumpeter avoided exposure. I always smile when I'm in the Presidents Suite at the Nou Camp!

When I was training the u16's I used to let them do Piggyback fighting in a circle. The had to try and push the other couple out the circle, The kids loved it and didn't realise the energy they were putting in to it.

There most definitely IS a place and a future for quality newspapers. You don't just buy them for "news" but for a deeper insight and understanding of the news, without which we might as well all read the Sun and stop at the headlines. The problem we have is that truly intelligent comment is increasingly difficult to find. Sadly, the Scotsman is no longer a quality newspaper and wouldn't be missed if it was never printed again. If the best you can do is mimic the deliberately skewed opinions of your owners then no one will miss you for long.

Nice piece despite all his sins Coisty was and still is a Rangers Man?

This is essentially just one more entry in a growing catalogue of deniable truths that characterise 21st century Scotland. Truths that everyone understands but few willingly admit because they are as unacceptable as they are deniable 1. That Celtic FC has been a safe harbour for paedophiles for many years. 2. That the criminal goings on at Celtic have been widely known for as many years but swept under a carpet of denial and intimidation. 3. That even in this age of enlightenment there remains a cohesive communal identity in certain parts of Scottish society that is built around common Irish ancestry and shared catholicism, which remains loyal to broad concepts like Irish republicanism and associated anti-British sentiment. 4. That the bond between Celtic FC and the Irish catholic community is profound and long-established. 5. That the SNP has long courted this Irish catholic community and finally wrested it from its previous home at Scottish Labour. 6. That the SNP came to power only after it secured the support of the Irish catholic community and is entirely dependent upon them for its political future. 7. That the SNP will tolerate and suppress exposure of any crime, any shame, at any price, if it protects or bolsters its relationship with the Irish catholic bloc in Scotland. 8. That the SNP and therefore the governance of Scotland is dependant upon, and in thrall to, a bloc of voters whose allegiance is routinely traded in return for cover-ups, partial treatment, financial advantage, even the sympathetic interpretation of legislation.

"we want to hear from Rangers supporters". Since the turn of the year, it has become a constant refrain from Tam Cowan. I suspect those inside the PQ gang hut have realised they no longer speak to or for the Rangers support? Of course, it's important that they are seen to have some communication, the BBC are the biggest broadcasters in the world. They have tried VoxPops with Bears, introduced guests with the most tenuous Rangers links, and regularly claim that some regulars on their shows are Rangers supporters, when they are clearly not ie Wullie Miller. The BBC charter promises to broadcast to all, it's a pledge to license fee payers. The bait laid by Tam Cowan was the ridiculous red card awarded to Daniel Candeias. He wanted to hear Rangers supporters' views? The means is social media, e-mails, tweets, facebook,.... etc. The show's Producer decides what is broadcast. There is no telephone communication anymore because it's a loss of control, and well how many Beeb Scotland Producers are still willing to call up, pretending to be Bears? Anyways, a few contributions were read out, a Bear claiming inside knowledge, and a couple of St Mirren fans; but hey, they have satisfied the license demands by claiming to want to hear from Rangers supporters. It also fails on a more important level. These last four weeks, the name Kenny McIntyre has featured. He is reckoned to be the last Rangers supporting staffer involved with football at PQ. DrStu' has attempted to paint a target on his back on a couple of occasions. We know DrStu' is attracted by purity, and loves the idea of a cleansing. It's all very rational to his mindset, Rangers supporters, "are H-u-ns and typical orange wankers". To be fair to DrStu', he doesn't want to hear from Rangers supporters. On Saturday, Cowan re-introduced his favourite comedy sketch idea, he advocated the BBC Scotland 1979 Ricki Fulton/Gerard Kelly skit of Rangers supposedly signing their first high profile catholic. They pulled it from discussion two weeks back because they heard from Rangers supporters, the sketch was based on a false memory. Tam did not want to hear that Rangers had signed dozens of catholics in their first fifty years, "aye from you Kenny"; he re-framed the sketch as Rangers signing their first prominent catholic. Really, it's all small potatoes because the bait was not intended for Rangers supporters, it was an attempt to draw out Jim Traynor. DrStu' suspected Jim had penned Rangers statement on the St Mirren match and was particularly interested in comments reference Willie Collum which included, "underlying issues". The PQ speculation was sectarianism is at play. The second half of the show had a guest that supported the underlying issue with Collum is his habit of running thirty yards with the red card already in hand ie not taking enough time to arrive at the correct decision. What is it with PQ and their constant need/desire to attack a former colleague? It has become a most unedifying habit. Perhaps, some transparency from Beeb Scotland is required, they want to speak to Jim Traynor. On Sunday, the A Team was assembled in Livingston. Big Dick, Liam McLeod, Wullie Miller, Pat Bonner, and Scott McDonald spun a nil-nil draw into a really good game. The pitch took pelters, ra Sellik's exertions against Champions League level opposition on Thursday night was to the fore, and Dolly Menga MUST be cited by the Compliance Officer. At quarter to three, Rob McLean read out both teams and substitutes involved in the three O'Clock kick-off at Ibrox. The show finished at 3 O'Clock, another Dandy Don, Jeff Webster took over to talk Rugby until Five O'Clock. Rob McLean remained on the PQ naughty step to cover events at Ibrox. There was a few goal updates, and a half-time report; it was hilarious listening as Rob tripped his way through, seriously attempting to avoid mentioning he was watching RTV in the studio. Even Jeff Webster could be heard laughing in the background. BBC Scotland's five O'Clock news and sports headlines told us all where they are at, we received a match report from Livingston, all the English football results, and the newscaster offered, "you can read the match report from Ibrox on BBC Scotland's website". Seven goals from the good guys was just too much of a choker. "we want to hear from Rangers supporters"?