26th of foot

Non, non, Charlie est un homme de Normandie. Il boit et se mange calvados parce qu'il est le chocolat.

I am sitting on a wharf, waiting to board a ferry to Martha's Vineyard, and folks are casting glances as I continue to chuckle over today's Sellik news. An official club communication to an entire section of the Main Stand at ra Stydome, reminding them of necessary ablutions. Apparently, body odour is impacting on the match day experience. It confirms what we all know, they are mhanky barstewards. Then there's a twitter storm at Abergreen receiving another penalty last evening; apparently, the refs and the SFA are determined to stop five in a row! Further, some are awakening to the possibility that Ronnie might be a dud. I am sure my fellow Gersnetters share my concern for the safety and welfare of those "heavy handed Dutch police" tomorrow evening?

Ah, I am filled with immense well being at the mental imagery of Black in a coracle, paddle in hand, on a railway line, with an express hurtling towards him.

Back in the day, football magazines would occasionally need a filler and the Shrewsbury Town story would be pulled out the drawer. Shrewsbury's ground, Gay Meadow sits on a bend on the River Servern and has endured a frugal existence. They employed a chap in a coracle on a peppercorn fee to retrieve every ball cleared into the river. Maybe Dearest Ian has been given a wicker meshed flotation and a paddle, I would bet on it?

I watched the game via a link to Rangers TV and agree the production is pretty poor. However, to watch Rangers live whilst seated on a Cape Cod deck is a wonderment. Listening to Tom Miller giving shout-outs to service lads watching live in Afghanistan, Cyprus, and Belize is incredible. My professional days ended 20 years past, and the lengths I would go to, to access the World Service in Oman, Borneo, Hong Kong, ....... etc to find out the Rangers result! Anyways, the game itself; I thought we lacked both tempo and intensity. We appeared quite narrow too, but that might have been Livi funneling our penetration into central areas. They doubled up on both flanks when we were in possession. It might be we will get the wee bit extra space and width away from home, as there is more of an expectation from a home crowd to see their favourites go forward?

The support your local team mantra is most associated with Cosgrove, years of spouting such pysh on BBC Radio Scotland. The continuous drone of lament about the number of Rangers Supporters buses leaving Perth every week, harmonises with the gleeful reporting of only 11 Bears trapping for the Perth True Blues AGM. Fair enough, if you believe Big Stu' to be a man of principle? Last year, his beloved St Johnstone won the Scottish Cup, he is pictured cavorting around with his then 3 year old son. Lovely, his son is fully decked in Saints favours; however Big Stu lives in the East End of Glasgow, has done for two decades. His son should support his local team, ra Sellik!

I am sure Ally will be advised by some PR firm, and I hope they have advised him to donate those penny shares gifted as part of Green's drive to sell season tickets, to a supporters' group. It would be a start.

Currently, I am in the States, New England area for a month. I have traveled all over the country these last 25 years and the thing that is most startling is the number of football(soccer) pitches evident, even in the smallest of towns. Further, you see mid-20s to mid-30s guys walking around with soccer tops, Bayern Munich appears to be a firm favourite in both Maine and Rhode Island. Another piece of anecdotal evidence is most Sports Bars have one screen showing the game, and both my hotels have had a soccer channel on the room TV. It's growing.

Invest in a pair of flip-flops?

Dearest Graham remains a mentalist. I blame the cheese, these days ra Bhoy in Corduroy is the Laird of Dunlop. Currently, Graham aspires to consume the moon.

Enjoyed that. Reference Scott7's contribution; allow me to mention witnessing our 10-2 victory over Raith in '68.

It's truly wonderful that Tom acknowledges our shafting, I wonder when Tom will shine a light into the dark corner of all those administering the royal shafting? The club had been dealing from a continuous position of weakness for a decade, the maelstrom of allegations reference, "financial doping" being practiced, "industrial scales" became a strategy that overwhelmed. It became the accepted wisdom, the Rangers Tax Case Blog drove the agenda for 2-3 years. Spence, Spiers, Cosgrove, Delahunt, ...... et al worshiped at the altar and parroted the scripture. They legitimised the RTCB by ensuring it received the 'Orwell Prize' for revealing Rangers owed £200million. When the RTCB disappeared into the ether overnight, in light of the first ruling on the case; the usual suspects were seamless in screaming for CONTRITION. We MUST accept our guilt, even though we had been found Not Guilty. Recently, I heard Cosgrove chide a regular contributor to his BBC Scotland show; making reinforcing comforting remarks about face painters, florists, and newsagents, "och, ye're no still going on about that, we've moved on". Big Stu' knows they participated in a blood lust, he hopes it's in the past and there it will remain. As Rangers supporters, we must ensure Big Stu' and his ilk are reminded of discomfort; take that contrition and work it up their collective jacksies.

In principle, I am against capital punishment. I believe the statute book continues to carry the death penalty for Treachery, and Raising Fire in the Cinque Ports. I saw Charles Green walking around Hythe and Dover with a five gallon drum of petrol and several boxes of Swan Vestas. Do I have a witness? Hypocrite Loyal RSC.

Deepest, darkest Lanarkshire is aflame with rumour(okay several auld codgers in a couple of Bookies), Ian Black is undergoing a medical at Fir Park. What are the odds?

I suspect we will have to endure police interviews, reports to the PF, charges, trials, convictions, and sentences? Fcuk that, let's move straight to assembling a firing squad. ........ with a magazine of thirty silver bullets ............. LOAD ......

Given Chris McLaughlin's re-establishment of Journalistic privileges,I wonder if Tom English will rescind his self imposed boycott of Ibrox? I hope NOT.

The piece originates from Martin Williams at ra Herald.

Driving home last evening and Radio Snyde's Superscoreboard was being presented by the latest 'objective Host of ra Show', Gerry McCulloch. He was keen to talk about all things Rangers, apparently his team lost out on a Champions League jackpot earlier in the week. Thus, Gidion Zelalem's debut was the subject of choice for the necessary interference. Big DJ compared the Arsenal youngster to Graeme Souness, and Gerry sought objectivity by asking current 'friend of the show', Mark Burchill, "had you ever heard of him"? The Livingston manager's response was informative, he had heard the name being praised by the American coaches at youth level. However, his level of articulation may have raised an eyebrow, "the Americans are really enthused, he is their new big white hope". Gerry might want to readdress this once he bothers to view the highlights from Airdrie?

ES Clydebank.

I think we have unfinished business with Dundee United. Arabs at Ibrox, and let both Thommo and Spency sit where they like.

It's not over until the team lines are fully scrutinised. In saying that, ra Yahoos must be PIG sick.

Depending upon your preference, it was either Daniel Defoe or Benjamin Franklin who proclaimed on the certainty of death and taxes. We know night follows day, Hearts are a model club, and Aidan Smith spits venom after his beloved Hibs are spanked by Rangers. It's almost 48 hours since the Bears administered further punishment and Aidan has penned ................................ ? Only four weeks past, a 2-6 reversal at Easter Road received the usual rambling pysh treatment, the old Fettesian opined, "an over glamourised pre-season friendly". Aidan has displayed 25 years of confusing behaviour, an anti-establishment, former Sellik supporter, public school boy. His hatred of all things Rangers has been his one consistent trait. I am concerned for his mental welfare, I hope he is not reduced to hugging his Alma Mater's straw boater whilst attending a self help group? Perhaps, Aidan is utilising his time better these days? Penning articles urging Rod to demand Peter helps out further, Big Liam is unbalanced with that Big Heid, only Anthony Stokes brings the necessary weaponry and firepower. He will hit the net more times than he hit an Elvis impersonator. We need the certainty of Aidan's bile.

Bobby Graham was a helluva player. He arrived at Motherwell at 27, from Shankly's Liverpool. I was playing Junior football at the time and 'Well decided to farm out Graham to Lanark United for several games to hone match sharpness. I played directly against him at Moor Park, he gave me a chasing, easily the best player I ever played against.

'Swanky'? There's a word that provokes emotion. It's mid 60s on a Sunday morning. Before Kirk, and the Sunday Post is opened to reveal the latest adventures of the Broons and Oor Wullie. Regularly, one or other of the Glebe Street residents' culmination is a slap up meal at a "swanky establishment". Yep, our new right back is hereby known as, 'the swankster' or just, 'swanky'.

A quarter-final home tie against the cup holders, I'm pumped!