maineflyer

I felt so proud of our magnificant support today as they effectively stuck two fingers up at the willingly offended and cast off all false guilt by singing TBB, WDYGH and NPOR until the roof shook. To hear TBB like that again made the hair on the back of my neck stand up - you could sense the orcs were totally taken aback by it too. I just thought "we're back".

Post of the month.

Perhaps Walter read it and changed his mind.

He's on loan from Orsenal

The conceit of these politicians - secular and religious - knows no bounds. They can't let any opportunity pass to convince us they are justified in continually interfering in all aspects of our lives. As illustrated by the following article this morning..... Don't you just wish they'd all just fuck off forever. Page last updated at 02:12 CET, Sunday, 20 March 2011 Churches back Old Firm clash call Celtic and Rangers will meet at the Co-operative Insurance cup final following an ill-tempered clash last month. First Minister Alex Salmond issued a plea for a final of which "all of Scotland can be proud". The Catholic Church and Church of Scotland said there was no excuse for violence, abuse and bigotry connected to football matches. In a joint statement, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland's General Assembly, The Right Reverend John Christie, and Cardinal Keith O'Brien, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, described football as an "enormous force for good in society". They said it brought the young and old, Scots and people from across the globe together in a "shared passion for our national game". "We understand fully that sometimes this passion spills over and can cause serious problems, some of which are felt far from the football grounds," the statement added. "Of course, this is something we stand together against - there is never an excuse for violence, abuse and bigotry, however that connects to football matches." "Consequently, we would wish to give every possible encouragement to those involved in the process of ensuring that our major football matches are always forces for good and do not disgrace the good name of Scotland." Mr Salmond said police had made "crystal clear" to players and staff where their responsibilities lie in the run-up to the final at Hampden Park in Glasgow. He said: "However that responsibility extends to every fan at the match and watching on television. "The result of a game of football is never an excuse for unacceptable or illegal behaviour, whether that be violence or bigotry. "Neither is the misuse of alcohol, which fuels such behaviour." He added: "These things shall not be tolerated in modern Scotland."

Sometimes I think we over-complicate football, substituting analysis for common sense. Players who demonstrate skill and character will always contribute more to the success of a team than those who don't, regardless of age or experience. If a 19 year old doesn't know how to use those attributes in a team context then the youth coaches have already failed him and should be replaced. Gregg Wylde showed on Thursday that he has skills and desire well above that displayed by many more established players. That's all we should take from what we saw. Forget assumptions about his age, early burnout, inherent inconsistency, and the rest. The fact is he showed more of what we need than anyone else - if you don't then think he should be a first pick then on what basis are we ever going to pick a winning team? The whole problem with football is it believes it's own press far too much. Even experienced people like WS have lost touch with and confidence in the evidence of his own eyes. In the process he has become mired in uncertainty and a debilitating need to play safe.it's a common problem wirh management in industry and this is the real reason he needs to go as soon as possible. It's not a commentary on his past achievements or his passion for Rangers, it's because like many before him he has lost his ability to live on the edge. Wylde has what it takes, Ness and Hutton have what it takes. Young Nartley has what we need. I believe Kirk Broadfoot has it too, and Naismith. Papac doesn't, Whittaker and Edu are miles short of it, Weir has lost it, Lafferty can't find it. We must stop listening to so-called experts and trust our eyes. Gregg Wylde should be encouraged and played because right now he represents the only small hope we have.

I think the "somehow" gave it away.

I don't know if McCoist actually said any of that, or how much what he did say has been spun n antocation of an old firm game, but it's starting to look suspiciously like a Rangers manager trying to communicate with the supporters. Scary.

You mean we can't afford that as well as the total unpredictability of our experienced players.

Haven't dreaded an old firm game so much in many years. If it's a repeat of the last three then it's gonna be hard to find anything funny for a while. Hope springs eternal though.

Hallelujah:D Couldn't have been much of a joke since no bugger looked twice at it.:sad:

Depends what you believe Rangers should be, on and off the park. Personally, I don't think we should be mediocre and I can't support mediocrity. How about you?

Guilty of thinking I could be optimistic about Walter's tactical intentions? Appalling.

No offence intended BH but I'm not sure it's useful or strictly ethical to promote news like this if the underlying intention is to use it to suggest an increasing likelihood of a deal being concluded. There is no basis for correlating a rumour of Ellis traveling to Glasgow and a sale of Murray's shares. Rangers fans have had nothing but years of tripe and false dawns, presented by every Walter Mitty courting self-importance - and that includes so-called supporter organizations of which you have previously been part. It's increasingly difficult therefore to accept more of the same. I've no problem with news being presented by anyone who has it. It's the inference or direct connection being drawn between that news and a prospective outcome that seems both unhelpful and misleading. I think we need to be more circumspect in what has unfortunately become a hugely frustrating issue for all of us. We shouldn't accept irresponsible manipulation by the media in order to sell newspapers and, equally, we shouldn't draw conclusions without evidence and then present it to fans who have already been treated with disrespect for way too long. I know before posting this that it wasn't your intention to mislead and I hope you will accept these views in the helpful spirit they are offered.

Agreed, it was Gregg Wylde, who also let a small ray of sunshine into the perpetual gloom of Walter Smith's defensive winter.

I'm confident Walter won't let Rangers down in what will be his last cup final. I believe he will implement radical measures to ensure Rangers are not embarrassed by Celtic's passing game again. Walter will definitely avoid the debilitating five across the middle in favor of a more conventional four in midfield. This will allow Walter to play six at the back in a brave attempt to thwart the scourge of attacking football being perpetrated by maverick elements at Parkhead. God bless you Walter, guardian of the beautiful game.

Welcome. .

Well said!

Fair enough MB but you can probably see where I'm coming from. Every snot phoning a radio station has to qualify himself by saying he's a ST holder, we've all heard it often enough, as if only those credentials allow him to speak with the authority of a true supporter. It's by no means only Rangers either but it is a complete tosh when you really think about it. Season tickets had some practical purpose when pay as you go tickets were hard to acquire but I know people who have regularly attended on the basis of pay as you go for years, preferring the choice of spending their money according to the willingness of the club to treat them with respect (shop a fan) or run the club properly. However, it's not just a matter of principle with respcet to the owner or directors. Season tickets have added to the decline in atmosphere almost as much as the volume of the tannoy music (that must contravene some HSE regulations) by preventing football being a shared enjoyment in the way almost every other activity can be. For this reason I completely support your call for rover tickets, which should be standard for at least 30% of the stadium. But do you see anyone putting the customer first in this regard? Not a chance as long as we appear to be so easily satisfied - something usually confirmed in a commercial transaction by paying your money. Paying everything in advance usually sends the signal you don't give a monkeys about the quality of the product being served up, just that you can be sure to get it.

Oh really. Super.

And your evidence is what exactly?

Now you may own the site, and a very good site it is, but you really mustn't assume every post is directed at you. It wasn't and didn't consider a thing you said in the OP. That's you told.:smile:

"I have this paper, signed by Mr Hitler........

What a strange and dangerous notion, that a season ticket is the badge of office for a Rangers supporter. A sort of "here's my credentials, without this ST I'm not the real thing". Of course this is hardly new but it is something peculiar to the Murray era, where we have been persuaded to re-invent the values and priorities that stood us in such good stead in previous times. I hear so many howling in defence of their precious season tickets, as if mortified they might be thought less of if they didn't uphold this new symbolism of the old loyal and true. How did we create the most successful club in the land without this army of certified foot soldiers? When did we decide we had to wield a season ticket like a diploma to prove our worth? Doesn't it strike anyone as strange how the more we declined, the more we clung to Murray's definition of the nouveau bear, the more we stopped questioning where the club was going and the more we were pissed upon. I find it hard to understand how such committed supporters could be so easily misled and could stand in such cheap compliance, ST securely in pocket for another year, and be so proud of the wool over their eyes. Mugs.

I agree it's the first significant signal that there just might be some prospect of Murray selling. It's just difficult to raise any hopes after the bullshit we've had to wade through these last few years. It'll be one hell of a party if Murray does sell though ....... time enough then to take a look at Whyte and form opinions.