andy steel

Quite an eye opener to read that the Police leave minor issues like crowd control and public safety to the stewards, while piling in to eradicate such vital topics like singing in Kilmarnock. Hats off!

"shite....he's fuckin shite!"

Oh btw, did anyone see Lafferty having his shirt lifted, if you'll pardon the expression, right in front of the linesman? What a hoot.

MacDonald was putting the elbow in a fair bit until Weir REALLY sorted him out - but I'm not complaining about either. It was a wee striker using some mean tactics to get ahead of his marker, and then an experienced pro spotting it and putting an end to it. Classic OF football. I quite enjoyed it.

Being honest, that lot should be made to cover up their acne-ridden, dentally-challenged, cranially-deficient, cross-eyed coupons as a matter of public decency.

I have to disagree with that statement on the OO: I object to their doings on the grounds of manners, that's hardly sectarian. But this writer sounds like a product of the Scottish Media Factory we can proud of. I live for the day when we have some actual writers, rather than vapid, characterless attention seekers, using imaginary oppression from a Scottish football club to explain their insecurities and failings. I may have a long wait, I fear.

This is what you get with privatisation! Provotisation, I call it! Keep the Beeb public funded!!! If the Daily Mail was nationalised, they'd never have printed this schiesse.

There isn't the slightest question about it in my mind. Every penny spent will be recouped many times over in the next 15 years, until we have to re-invest and build again, lest we be left behind by the ever improving world of sports science. At the moment we have a manager who, unfortunately, knows us all too well. While you have 25,000 calling for the young players to be given a chance, you have another 25,000 who will crucify them at a moment's notice. Smith has the responsibility to decide whether player A or player B has the mental toughness (some might say, uncharitably, the mental thickness) to cope with the lack of support he'll get from us - and you can rest assured, it will happen! This is more than just a throwaway decision, like you or I can make when having a pint and talking football. This is a decision that impacts on the team, the club, and a young man's entire career prospects. I trust Walter to make the right decision, and if he is resisting playing some young players at the moment I believe there is a good reason for it. The questioning of Murray Park is a favourite theme of cretins like Traynor, who convieniently ignore McGregor, Hutton, Smith, Wilson, Ness, Adam, Fleck, Little, Shinnie, Burke, and so on. Not world beaters I agree - but is the measure of success for Murray Park to be the ability to produce world class players? That's setting the bar too high for me. A steady stream of players, some of whom will make it and some of whom won't, but can be sold for some amount - like Adam, like Burke - or who can be cashed in on when times are tough - like Hutton - seems reasonable to me. Murray Park is worth it's weight in gold to me.

He would get slated for it, that's why. In all honesty he'd be better doing his talking on the pitch, but Moloch must be fed.

He can hardly come out and say "We've been pish, but I think we'll get it right against Seville", can he?

I was thinking of our team at the start of this season, thinking we looked strong, fast, creative and with some potential for the future. Three weeks later, I'm looking at the same team and thinking this is a team that achieved all it could last season, and that this year is going to mean more rebuilding (yes, again). And what that makes me think is, does Smith want to rebuild another team? It also makes me think, once again, that I know nothing about football! But regarding the more important points, where do we go from here? Does Smith stick with the players who have shown little fight or energy so far; does he bring in players like Fleck or Wilson; does he have the stomach to do it all over again; do we look to McCoist for the future, or start the search for a new manager now? Hard to believe that so many negative questions can be rolling around, when I was so sure we were on our way!!

Well I didn't think we'd signed Beckham, so I wasn't expecting all that much from his dead balls; I can recall two or three final balls in the 1st half which were a whisker away from being perfection, one for Naismith and one for Miller, plus a cross for Naismith's knockdown to Mendes. He kept the ball better than any of the other players and although at times this meant he ran up a few blind alleys I can live with that. Naismith was fantastic I agree - but I was blown away by Rothen tonight.

You are the commentator. Here are the rules. The other side, when passing the ball around at halfway, are 'patient in the build up.' Rangers are 'going nowhere'. The other side, if they lose possession, have 'broken down.' Rangers have given it away too easily. The other side, when missing chances, are 'utterly dominant.' Rangers won't get many chances like this! They MUST take them! Rangers, should they lose an early goal, are more or less defeated. The other side, though, must be watched warily for 90 minutes. Add you own! Paranoid I know, but that was torture....except that they all had to come on at the end, after having us dead and buried some 10 minutes in, and praise a cracking performance.

I honestly didn't see that. That's pretty astonishing, even by Scottish standards. If I were forced to pick a tim as PotY from last season, I would have gone for McGeady or MacDonald. Even Brown. I would guess Caldwell would have been about 9th or 10th on my list.

At last! After years of signing pensioners, crocks and has-beens who never-were, Rangers seem to have captured a talented, big match player, one with a point to prove and actual fire burning in his boots: Jerome Rothen. I doubt many were bowled over by his debut at Fir Park. But for a player used to the Parc De Prince, the Stade Gerland, and the cauldron of OM's Stade Velodrome, Motherwell's <cough> trim and tidy PauperDome could hardly have set his juices a-flowing, while the sight of his teammates huffing and puffing their way to a 0-0 draw would hardly have inspired. What a difference tonight! The workrate of Sebo crossed with Nacho, but fortunately with the ability of neither, you could see that this is the stage he will excel at. That brings with it the other side of the coin - that he won't be much cop when we travel to Rugby Park on a Tuesday night in January - but if he can keep us in Europe beyond Christmas, or even (whisper it) help us sneak into the last 16, won't that be a price worth paying? I hope Walter Smith is brave enough, and flexible enough, to accomodate this cultured midfielder. Playing him through the wind and rain will bring little reward; those days are for Novo, or Fleck. If Rothen is let off the leash when the occassion demands it, I think we'll see the best of him - and that can only be a good thing for Rangers. There is the downside. That is that Rothen is hardly trying his best on a Champions League night to impress us, or to show that he can cut in in Scotland. I'm quite sure he believes he should be playing at a 'bigger' club than Rangers, and sees us as a means to an end. Well, that's fine, too, I suppose. It's just how it is, and if he can push Rangers forward while he's here, so be it. So while you're here, Jerome, more power to your left boot!

As one who doesn't read the papers other than occassionally in the canteen, I'm a bit stunned to hear anyone considers Caldwell a footballer, let alone a cavalier libero. Is this serious?

He said after the game he didn't say much to them, as he thought they had steadied the ship and were beginning to get it together. I must say I was impressed by the attempts to pass the ball and only sometimes go long - a fair tactic with Miller at the other end. Really good.

That was more or less the perfect European away game for me: we get rumped for the opening period by a superior side (be honest), work hard to even things out, and get due reward - and as one or two have said, almost sneak a win. I agree with all the praise for the players, but I want to make a special mention for Walter. He gets pelters from so many for knowing nothing, not being able to change things, and so on. Well done the auld yin!

It must be tempting, what with the signing drought that we are in, for newspapers to overdo it a bit when anyone is linked with anyone. It's a lot harder to see why STV, who should want to push their no doubt dismal highlights programme, would want to alienate their audience. Outright denseness and fudicity would appear to be front runners atm.

I wrote this for RM after the game in London, but I don't think they used it. They don't love me anymore!! Anyway, it seems apt. As Scotsmen, we are in the lucky position of receinving both the National (read English) newspapers, with their comprehensive coverage of the Premiership, and our very own wee Scottish papers, with their comprehensive coverage of the Old Firm, Rangers and Celtic. While the English papers, no doubt, have secret agenda, the sheer number of teams supported and staff employed mean that a wider range of petty jealousies and childish vendettas are on offer to the discerning reader; here in the damp north, there's only one rivalry that matters. And this rather boring state of affairs has had a direct impact on Arsenal this week, an attack they probably weren't expecting as they prepared for the trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United. In Scotland, when I were a lad, the Rangers received the favourable coverage; in recent years (say about the last decade) it's been Celtic. And while it would be easy to dismiss my grievances at this as the moaning of a Rangers man, it's nevertheless true that years of pliant, backscratching, fawning media coverage has created a spoilt monster, which lives in Glasgow's East End. Hence Eduardo's vilification this week. There are a few compelling reasons why, distasteful though it was, Eduardo's best punishment should be in the court of public contempt. Firstly, every team does it, Rangers most certainly included. If there's a side out there who can prove me wrong I'll be delighted, but the TV coverage in recent years has shown professionals of every team and ability, quite willing to hit the deck with aplomb. Secondly, the offended club in this instance is something of a standing joke in Scotland for fielding players with weak ankles, prone to collapse beneath them for no apparent reason. Thirdly, the comprehensive thrashing handed out by an Arsenal team that rarely got out of second gear makes it faintly ridiculous and smacks of sour grapes. But here's the thing. Celtic, and their fans, and their fans in the media, are convinced they are the moral standard bearers for a new generation of football, and must never be crossed. A haggis eating Obi Wan Kenobi, they exist on the dull, arid fringes of British football, stalked by Sandmen in blue shirts but always there at the vital moment to ride to the rescue. They genuinely believe in Obi's dictum: if you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine! And why shouldn't they? They've been led to believe it, after all, by many people who should have known better. That club was joined this week by Michel Platini and the SFA boss, Gordon Smith. Platini, never slow to score a point against a high profile club, the Bob Crow of UEFA. Smith's own motives are likely to be as much personal as moral: he spends much time in the corridors of UEFA complaining about this issue, with one eye to the future as a UEFA executive. His own ambitions are his business and I'm not criticising; but imagine the surprise of Arsene Wenger when what is, after all, a weekly occurence becomes something of a galaxy-wide witch-hunt, and he finds himself cast as Darth Vader. Arsene should rest easy. Although Eduardo may be slapped on the wrist, an appeal ought to remedy that, since neither UEFA, FIFA, the FA or Sky/ITV/BBC will countenance having the stars out suspended - won't somebody think of the viewing figures??? - and the furore will die down. He, and Arsenal, should reserve their sympathy for those of us who have to live with this stuff on a weekly basis. I thank you!

But then, keyhole surgery is not new - McCoist himself was the beneficiary as long ago as the early 90s, if memory serves me correct, I have to say, I think we fucked up big time during the 90s and early years of this decade regarding the medical side of things.

Does anyone know of the people behind said website? I only ask because in the world of messageboards, there's around a dozen people I know of (cyber-know, at any rate) who would be able and willing to do a professional, high standard job for The Club - anything 'official' must be squeaky clean, after all - and I wonder if they have been approached. Making the most of what would be totally committed workers would have seemed sensible to me.

Accusing the Ibrox medical team of incompetence is certainly a big accusation to level. I remember years ago claiming that we were merely the victims of the aggressive, big game mentality that other teams brought when playing us, and that explained our longer injury list. Others claimed it was training methods to blame. It just got to the point, around Alex McLeish's time in charge, when I thought 'hang on...this is going on for decades now, there's something seriously amiss here.' Obviously I have no proof whatsoever, or any medical knowledge beyond the rude words in the dictionary. But if we're going to let mere ignorance become a bar to posting...

I'm saying nothing about KT in case I jinx him! He's too important for us NOT to have him back...and btw, how does a team with Thomson and Edu holding, Davis and Naismith driving forward, to a front line with Boyd and Miller in it sound?

Who saw Stevie Naismith against Holland on Wednesday? Who knew Mark Hateley had been reborn in the frame of our diminutive attacker? Watching the Rangers man win every - I don't think that's an exaggeration - ball in the air, while also driving forward (admittedly with more passion than technique at times, but that was surely understandable) and fearlessly having a go whenever possible, you couldn't help but think of the Rangers players of the past who were also out with severe injury, like Naismith, but who failed to return with such panache. Perhaps it's the fact of his youth; but then Ian Durrant was young when crippled at Pittodrie, and he was the never the same man. Can we dare to hope that at last, at long, long last, Rangers have medical staff onsite and use consultants who are capable? Maybe it's a bit nasty to point the finger at the doctors, but we've had so many players with so many problems who have either struggled back to a fraction of their previous abilities or been lonst altogether. Scott Nisbet, Jonas Thern, Christian Nerlinger, Alan McLaren...name your own. Fair enough, some of these players had conditions which would have entailed retirement come what may, but it's been a bugbear of mine for many years, watching players return from serious injury at other clubs apparently much the same as they were previously, while our players clumped over to Ross Hall one after the other, like some pained Orange walk. I hope the return of Stevie Naismith, from career threatening injury to international footballer, heralds a new dawn for our players. If so, it's not before time.