Tannochsidebear

Kris Boyd. I couldn't remember him having a good game against us, hadn't even noticed him. He did score a couple of close range goals in his last game for Killie against us and I thought that he perhaps could be a decent poacher but we could probably get better elsewhere. How wrong I was. The goal machine is the best value signing at �£400K since McCoist.

Congratulations Boydy, a fantastic achievement under the most extreme pressure of always being told you are crap from a section of your own fans, and trying to be sold by your chairman. I have said for a while now, given his age and desire, he could get close to Coisty's records if he stay at Ibrox for the rest of his career.

I agree with Edu as MOTM, and generally agree with most of the player ratings. Perhaps a tad harsh on Weir and Smith and certainly far too generous on Dailly, who was shocking all day and only deserved perhaps 2/10. And that is because he was part of a defensive clean sheet and for putting his shirt on correctly!

How can they possibly moan about a fixture that does not involve them? Do they have 19 home and away fixtures? - YES Do Rangers? - YES Do they have to play a side 3 times away from home? - NO Do Rangers? - YES Do they get their last game, probably a title decider, at home? - YES Do Rangers? - NO The main 3 questions that bothers most fans are the ones above. In each occassion, they get a favourable answer. They must be really worried!

At least you got the MOTM spot on this time Cammy Spot on as well with most of the ratings IMO. It seems we are in the minority when it comes to Davis though. Perhaps a wee bit generous to Miller who despite running directly at them, missed his two chances, especially the first one that he should have scored. I wouldn't have given him 7 for a 20 appearance, but then I struggled to give him 7 last time at Easter Road!!

I know exactly what you mean Cammy. My main hope that I am clinging on to is that when Murray finally goes, the new owners have basically a sleeping giant again, and that by backing us and fighting back against the scummy mhedia lies and non-stories, that will transform itself into a far more positive feeling around the club, which in turn will lead to more positive signings, performances, everything. That in turn will have the feelings of you and me and our fellow bears on a much more positive slant, resulting in better atmospheres at the games, which in turn leads to better perfromances from the players. You can see how easily it can all change, it is a shame our current owner gave up caring a knighthood ago.

I am fussed about it. There is no way I want Dailly risked again. We got away with it against a poor Motherwell side who never attacked his flank at all. Better opposition will slaughter him. Whittaker has to come back to RB, with Papac back in at left back. I agree that Smith did really well last week and deserves another go at LM. Apparantly Smith played at LM for the reserves in midweek against sheepy and played really well then too, scoring a penalty as well. Dont think he has any chance of getting the ball off Boydy if we manage to get one on sunday though.

I do indeed remember his performance at Easter Road the last time, as it was the last really good performance we have had from him. Still it was only 7 months ago!! I suppose another one is due, and I will gladly take it when it comes along, and the sooner the better.

You are missing a big point on what it means to be a Rangers supporter, and what Rangers Football Club is all about as well. We are brought up on success. On great players. On entertaining football. On the right attitude. On being a Ranger. We therefore love to see our current team play with the same style, flair, ability and passion of previous teams. Unfortunately we have reached a time and a place where our club is being run into the ground. We are being downsized. We are being taught how to accept second best. We are being derided and abused from all quarters. We are being quietened. In times such as these it is even more important that we remain vigilant, supportive, and carry our team through these dark ages to ensure that the club we come out of the post-Murray era is still one worthy of our traditions as set out above. There are fans of other clubs who cannot even begin to realise why we moan so much, why we demand so much, why we hurt so much when coming only second. That is why they follow other clubs. Let the others come after us, we welcome the chase.

It is very easy to say that all we have to do is win our last 6 games and we become Champions, but you have been watching the same Ranges side as me this season!! Any slight advantage we can get must be seized upon. I am already thinking we will probably drop points at Tannadice and Tynecastle if we have to go there. At Fir Park I would be confident of getting a result, and I am confident of winning our other two home games apart from the OF game. The phscological edge of winnning the last OF game has been proven a few times in recent years to be minimal. We all remember the scum winning at Ibrox to go 5 points clear with 4 games left before helicopter sunday, and we rejoiced ourselves as we clinched 10 in a row at the piggery, only to blow it at Pittodrie later. I would bet against either of these two poor sides winning their last 6 games to win the title, so it will come down to who can lose fewest points. That is why the other fixtures both us and them have to play are going to be hugely important, and why the make up of the split will play a huge part in deciding if it is 4IAR for the scum, or the return of our trophy back to its rightful place.

So Miller is fit enough to go straight back into the team, despite not playing since the Holland game and being out through injury, while Ferguson and McGregor can only make the bench because they have not played since the Holland game?? Hopefully Smith can refrain from playing his 2nd most favourite player against Hibs, and continue with the Boyd/Velicka partnership that looked decent enough last week, remembering that Hibs rearguard are all big physical players that Boyd and Velicka should be better suited to playing against. If Miller can come on in the second half when Velicka starts to tire, and make an impact, he can push for a start in the semi, but no way should he walk straight back into the team, given his recent form before the injury has been absolutely awful.

If that picture is accurate, then hopefully that means McCulloch is months away from a game as well!!

It seems a million miles away that a match featuring 7th place Motherwell and 10th place St Mirren could have a major impact on the 2008-09 SPL title race, but that is just what it could end up becoming. The fact that Motherwell need to beat St Mirren to have any chance of reaching the top 6, and therefore ensure further matches against the top sides and a push for a European place should really have no impact on a title race between Rangers and their city rivals. However should Motherwell, as expected, win tomorrow lunchtime's live match, it will put all the pressure on Hibs to get the win they will need to retain 6th place in this last set of fixtures before the league is carved up. It is not as if Hibs should need any more motivation to beat Rangers at home, as they themselves need the points in their push for a European slot even if Motherwell lose, but it would then become their last chance to make the top 6, to make Europe, and to prevent the remaining 5 games becoming meaningless, with dwindling crowds and little motivation. From our point of view of course, it means so much more. If motherwell draw tomorrow, Hibs are guaranteed 6th place if they avoid a 4 goal defeat, and a repeat of helicopter sunday could easily be foreseen if we are a couple of goals up after 75 minutes. The other major consideration of tomorrow's result is of course the implications the 6th place team will have on the post-split fixtures, due to be announced after our game on Sunday. If Motherwell make 6th place, it means in all probability that our remaining away fixtures will be at Dundee United and Motherwell, whilst our rivals will have to travel to Ibrox, Tynecastle and Pittodrie. If Hibs make it, it looks more likely that we will have to go to Tynecastle instead of Fir Park, while the scum go to Easter Road instead of Tynecastle. On paper, a trip to Tynecastle is the hardest fixture left for both sides outside the Old Firm game, and there is no doubt the away fixtures against the top 6 have been very difficult for both sides this season. It could be to our advantage if Hibs make the top 6, but for that to happen and it not affect our title challenge by dropping points to them on Sunday, it has to come from the failure of Motherwell to win their final pre-split match at home to St Mirren tomorrow. Normally, a match between these two would not interest me one bit, but I, like many bears I am sure, will have more than a passing interest in this match tomorrow, and will be hoping that former Rangers player Gus McPherson can do his old team a favour against former scum player and still a supporter (dont forget his disgusting team selections and pro-scum comments post-split last season) Mark McGhee. Altogether now, oh when the Saints.........

We knew this was coming, didnt we now. Didn't bother reading it, I can guess what it says.

Dont torture yourself Cammy. You know fine well that the Rangers is a drug you just cant give up. You will instinctively know when it is the right time to give up going to the football. At the moment it is clear you still love it, despite the poor offerings on show in recent years. It is times like these that make the good times all the more enjoyable. If you have not suffered the bad times, the good times are not as good. Get that renewal away, you know it makes sense (well actually it makes no sense at all) and perhaps, just perhaps, the good times are not too far away.

Hibs 0 Rangers 3 (Boyd 2, Mendes) Rangers finally hit top gear and put out a message to their repugnant rivals with a scintilating display in the capital that seen them go top after Sheepy's surprise 5-1 victory at the glitterdome yesterday. The scum are now apopleptic after the SPL decided that to even things up for last season, Rangers would have all 5 games post-split at home, and that Brines, Conroy, Thomson and Smith would all not be considered to referee their remaining fixtures. Aye OK then, another scrappy 1-0 win to keep us 1 point behind the filth.

Interesting stuff. I think Motherwell will pip Hibs to 6th, and that they will send the ****s to Fir Park rather than Tynecastle. As a direct result, our third home game will come against Motherwell and not Hearts. Today's outburst by Timmy makes absolutely no sense on its own merits, and has been done only to put pressure in the mhedia on the SPL when they have to announce the fixtures on Sunday/Monday. Timmy always gets his way with a little imtimidation thrown in for good measure, and this time will be no different. We should be coming out with a clear statement before this weekend stating that it was only due to timmy's bad behaviour 10 years ago that meant we could no longer have the final OF game either a title decider or on a bank holiday weekend. And that we expect a much fairer and even-handed post-split scenario than last season. Will we release this said statement, not a chance. We wont even moan about it officially when it is announced and the scum's odds for the title have been cut again without a further ball being kicked. That would tell you how fair the fixtures have been carved up again.

So you mean to say that having Coisty, Durranty, McDowall around the place is making the players have attitudes to training and diet that generally let themselves down? Instead of offering coaching roles to any player that hangs around long enough at the end of their careers, I would prefer we bring in quality coaches, dieticians, and fitness experts to ensure the players are given every chance to be the best possible professionals they can be. If the players dont wish to implement these attitudes, they should be sold. Although I am not sure we would have enough players left to make up a team!

Given that he has only been out two weeks, if he is back in full training, it can only mean he is ready for selection. If he is taking full part in the fitness and training games, I doubt he will need any length of time to get back into the team. It is not as if he has been out for months and will have lost sharpness.

It looked to me as if he was already going down before the contact, but if McLean was stupid enough to make contact with a player already going down, then tough luck sunshine. I have not seen it again on tv though, but everyone around me thought it was worthy of at least 9.5

I had a sneaky feeling Velicka would come into the side against Motherwell and it has nothing to do with the upcoming scum game. I just thought that he was getting his turn to partner Boyd. In the last 3 games Naismith and Novo had had their chance and both have failed to look impressive at all. With Miller and Lafferty both out injured, and Fleck not being given the chance at Striker, I thought Velicka would be given his chance to grab a place. I thought Velicka did quite well, better than Novo or Naismith had recently, and he should retain his place for Sunday unless Lafferty can have a good week in training and look fully fit. He wont want to risk him if not fully fit and lose him for the rest of the season.

If that is your honest opinion Cammy, then fair enough. It's wrong, but at least it's honest :devil: I thought SW had a decent game, but he cannot play left sided as when he gets to the bye line he has to cut back as he has no left foot worthy of note. He also misplaced several simple passes. I like him as a player but I want him to get a consistent run of games at right back to get him some form and consistency, and show us that he can be Hutton's replacement after all. He has all the game going forward, but needs to improve defensively, but we were still saying that about Hutton when we sold him! For an all round proper strikers performance and goals, the MOTM was one of the easiest this season IMO to award. I am sure Boyd would have got it in most papers today, ( i dont buy them!) and he was singled out by both managers as the difference between the sides. 4 goals in the last 3 games is a timely return to form for Boyd after a barren run and some really lazy and poor performances and I believe the transfer stuff in Jan really affected him. I hope he has set himself yesterday's performance as the benchmark for future performances, as on that form he can lead us to the title. Wasn't having a pop at you directly Cammy, I generally agree with most of your stuff, and no offence meant. You're still wrong about MOTM though

It had been widely predicted that the first post split game would be the OF game, but I was concerned that that date would coincide with both the 10th anniversary of the day timmy completely lost it against us, and a holiday weekend, which the police have stated they would prefer to avoid. It makes sense therefore that the OF game be the 2nd game post split. Still not going to be a title decider and will be Sunday 1230pm.

I was beginning to think I was at a different game, after some strange comments on Smith and Whittaker's performances. Smith had a solid performance, giving balance to the midfield and worked hard in both directions. Whittaker had one absolutely fantastic run and was unlucky not to score with it, but that aside looked out of position (because he was!!) and not quite sure of himself. And for anyone not giving Boyd MOTM when he was clearly miles ahead of anyone else is just stubborn refusal to give credit where it is due, because they dont like him. I wish he would play like that more often, of course, but on yesterday's form he could win us the title, if Walter has the bottle to play him.

I should add that Rangers groups, the Rangers Supporters Association and the Rangers Assembly have each bought a four figure sum worth of tickets for this draw, with any winnings going back into youth development.