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amms

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  1. amms
    I've written one and put it in the Writers Forum, one question about McCulloch still being suspended. Beyond that it's all yours to do with as you wish. Was it actually meant to be about football by the way?
  2. amms
    I watched a wonderful short film this week, on the effect the reintroduction of wolves has had on Yellowstone National Park in America. Wolves were wiped out in the area 70 years ago but several packs were brought back twenty years ago in the hope they would breed and reestablish them. A highly controversial move, the wolves were closely monitored and the effect they had on Yellowstone was studied during this period. As a large carnivore there was much apprehension about the wolves; would they decimate other species, clear large parts of the park of other mammals, indeed would they endanger man? The actual findings were mind blowing. The wolves mainly hunt deer and prior to the wolves return the deer had enjoyed decades with no natural predator except man. As such, they grazed where they wanted for as long as they wanted, they moved slowly through the landscape and their numbers grew and grew. The reemergence of the wolves changed this. The change wasn’t that large numbers of deer were killed (there aren’t that many wolves and there are tens of thousands of deer) it was that the return of the deer’s natural hunter led to a dramatic change in deer behaviour. Previously the deer grazed where they liked but now they were much more cautious and this was particularly noticeable near rivers. The grazing is good there, but it is open, and the deer were easily hunted. As the deer modified their behaviour and avoided grazing on the lower ground the vegetation changed, grass grew longer, bushes and trees reached maturity instead of being stripped back by hungry deer when small. This led to insects returning which in turn brought birds. The longer grass brought rabbits and the eagles who hunt them. Bears returned to eat the berries that now ripened on the bushes, beavers returned and used the mature trees to make dams. Most astonishingly of all the course of the river changed. Previously it meandered, it flooded regularly and the rain ran off the surrounding land quickly eroding the area. Now the increased vegetation soaked up much of the rainfall and its roots held the soil together. So the river ran deeper and faster, it no longer meanders it flows true. The wolves had indirectly been responsible for changing the course and flow of a river. What must be remembered is that wolves weren’t artificially introduced to the area; rather their absence in the first place was artificial. The ecology of Yellowstone evolved over thousands of years and at the top of the food chain was wolves. This large carnivore was meant to be there, nature had decided that a long time ago, the rest of the park actually depended on it. Its removal caused the damage, not its reintroduction. Every aspect of the park relied on the wolf directly or indirectly. Rangers play Stenhousemuir for the fourth time this season on Saturday. We’ve won our two previous league meetings and our meeting in the cup. Our last match at Ibrox saw us triumph by eight goals, our subsequent meetings have been much closer affairs. This match is being played against the backdrop of continued problems in Scottish football. The removal of Rangers from the top flight has upset the trophic cascade, the natural order of things evolved over more than 100 years is seriously out of kilter. Celtic have no serious rival as such and they are now meandering, their club is selling its best players, their manager speaks openly about being unsettled and their support, as well as showing apathy towards attending matches now fill their time by promoting songs about Irish murder gangs, making ill-thought-out political statements or indulging in good old fashioned hooliganism. The game’s governing bodies now no longer even hold the pretence of parity. They award cup finals and semi finals to grounds months in advance rather than wait to see who’ll contest them. Their decisions regarding cup matches and Inverness have bordered on the corrupt, the ticket allocation for the League Cup final being only the latest example. The side who finished second in the country last season, Motherwell, still managed to make a loss of nearly £200,000. The prize money they should have received was drastically cut half way through the season you see, no surprise there. This happened despite them cutting their player budget the previous close season. Still the league has no sponsor, in the top flight the champions and the side relegated was decided before a ball was kicked and the standard of play and player continues to drop. Without its largest animal the competition is reduced, the drive is lost and the revenue that follows it dries up. All of these things are interconnected, remove something from the natural order of things and it takes a long time to recover, if it ever does. Stenhousemuir go into this match with a new manager, former Scottish international and feted wunderkind Scott Booth. Although the current Scotland under 17 coach doesn’t take up his post for a few more weeks we can expect his new players to be eager to prove their worth to him. So motivation shouldn’t be an issue for stand-in coach Brown Ferguson’s side. Stenhousemuir are in a bad run of form with no victories this year, only their early season good results afford them the relative safety of sixth place. Rangers go into the match without Moshni who remains suspended. Cribari did well against Ayr and should retain his place although I expect McCulloch to return to the defence and Foster to drop out. Beyond that the side should pick itself, MacLeod should come into contention if fit again but I expect Bell, Law, Wallace, Black, Daly, Faure, Templeton and Aird to start. I don’t expect a repeat of the early season 8-0 but half that wouldn’t raise an eyebrow particularly if we score early. Stenhousemuir have both suffered and benefited from being in the same league as Rangers. Having the largest carnivore in the country close by drastically reduces the likelihood of promotion for every other club in our division, but it does offer them other tangible benefits. Our presence is artificial though, man made and it is upsetting the natural order of things. The trophic cascade refers to interconnectivity, how removing something from the top of the food chain has consequences all the way down that chain, how these changes can’t all be foreseen or managed and it is vital that chain isn’t allowed to be tampered with artificially. Recent meetings aimed at securing a voice for Rangers supporters in our boardroom should be welcomed, not only by all Rangers fans but also by all football fans. Whatever your feelings towards our club, we are all connected and interdependent, it’s in everyone’s interests that we’re back where we belong believe it or not. The only thing that should prevent that happening is our side not being good enough. Financial stability and accountability are vital, not just for our sake but for every club in the country. Nobody should fear the return of the wolf, its return should be welcomed by all.
  3. amms
    I'll do it if you're stuck.
  4. amms
    Jackson said this on Radio Scotland on Thursday night too. I've no idea if he has inside information or is simply putting two and two together and guessing that payday is the next large expenditure we've got. To be realistic for a moment we've certainly not heard of any new investment and I can't help but feel we would have if some had been agreed. That being said it could well be getting worked on in the background. Either way it would be foolish for us to assume all in the garden is now rosy. Wallace didn't ask the players if they'd consider a paycut for no reason, likewise the dogs weren't turned on Ally and then called off again because they caught a rerun of Question of Sport and remembered what a great ambassador for the club he is. Stuff is going on, positions are being taken and money is being sought. For us vigilance remains essential.
  5. amms
    Aw, c'mon, I looked at that page and my eyes are bleeding now! Yes, they are literally a treble, but they aren't the treble, and we devalue those past achievements if we try and rank this alongside them.
  6. amms
    You're so right, what a cross. Even more amazingly Mikhailichenko actually tackled a guy to set up the second too! Marseille marking for both our goals was shocking though, had that game gone on for five minutes more we'd have beaten them, I've rarely seen a top team chuck it like they did that night.
  7. amms
    I don't know, I think Keevins has a point. The term 'treble' when used in Scottish football means winning the top league, the Scottish Cup and League cup. I mean if we did win three trophies this season would we be happy having them added to our current record 'treble' haul? I wouldn't. I'd celebrate the victories, particularly the Scottish Cup which really would be an achievement, but in all seriousness the Ramsden's Cup and whatever the division we're in just now title is called should be gimmes. Yes approach them professionally, yes do everything to win them, but let's keep them in perspective. Keevins main point about Celtic is spot on too. They've had a really poor season, if this downward trajectory they are on continues things might be quite interesting when we return.
  8. amms
    Another cracker, Ian Durrant, probably my favourite ever Rangers player. In the 2-2 draw with them at Ibrox when Butcher, Woods and McAvennie were sent off we played most the game with Derek Ferguson playing centre half, Roberts in goal and Ian Durrant playing right back, right midfield and right wing. In the last minute of a match we've played most of with nine men he picks the ball up in his own half, out sprints the Celtic defence and midfield, twice, puts in two dangerous crosses the first of which becomes a one-two with McCoist, the second eventually falls to King Richard and, well you know the rest. He ends up on their by-line at the end of this move, his stamina and desire is only matched by his ability. Enjoy from about 8.05 mins, and watch the Celtic keeper's reaction when Gough scores, priceless. [video=youtube_share;jG4MWUsvKFI]
  9. amms
    Great counter attack again, Naismith wasn't put under any pressure which is strange considering the occasion and the numerical advantage, but he held it up and the cross was pinpoint. Still, Miller had a lot to do and must take the most credit. [video=youtube_share;qnYU0WzmhxY]
  10. amms
    Actually that was a stunning first time cross and what a counter attack. Good call. It's at 2.30. [video=youtube_share;Ndai-x2F1GM]
  11. amms
    Not the best goal, the best cross ever by a Rangers player. It's such a vital part of football and yet a difficult and hugely underrated skill. Here's some off the top of my head. Neil McCann in the last minute of the Scottish Cup Final. Facing two Celtic players he finds a gap between them, the perfect spot between the large Celtic keeper who'd already flapped coming off his line and the behemoth centre halves Celtic employed in those days. The height of the cross made it hard to clear for giants. It benefits from its perfect sense of timing too. (Watch from 8.36 for the cross, watch all of it to just remember how good it all felt). [video=youtube_share;MfRwwY3kWkA] . We rightly rave about the header, towering, majestic, triumphant, but watch the cross. From on the touchline, 25 yards out, with a defender close by, with only one Rangers player in the box to aim for who is surrounded by some of the best defenders this countries produced. Oh, and he's falling over too. Genius. Brian Laudrup could get a thread of his own, , two players turned inside out and the chip straight onto the forward's head. Easy. Aye, so it is! So what has been the best cross ever?
  12. amms
    There's a very good obituary of Ian Redford in this months When Saturday Comes. Is the mag widely available?
  13. amms
    Maybe he's heard Dino's is closing down and he fancies managing it.
  14. amms
    'Where are you going tonight dear?' 'Eh, I'm meeting a crowd of strangers from the internet for a meal' I've met Andy Steel before, he's actually a 15 year old with a dedicated interest in manga comics. I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of you are too. I'm only going if Blue Moon and Blue Mazza go that way my wife will just think i'm having an affair instead of thinking I'm gay. Anyway, yeah, I'll probably show face, if I'm allowed.
  15. amms
    Yes, I was aware I might not find much of an audience on this one. As an aside I thought 'drinking the Kool-Aid' was a description of someone who followed and agreed unquestioningly. As I'm the only person I know who thinks this way you need to find another metaphor. :-) It was the incident in Ashton Lane I had in mind. Good point about the rape analogy. I'll try and muster my thoughts tonight if I've time.
  16. amms
    Seriously? Lennon mimicked holding a machine gun whilst walking round a full Parkhead, I've never heard that before. I'm really surprised that wasn't reported widely.
  17. amms
    I think you are right Barca, I'm very unlikely to get a satisfactory answer because I'm not sure there is one. We allow our normal standards of decency to be suspended when it comes to football, we partake or excuse behaviour we'd never do normally and we're so blinkered we can't see properly. At least I am. But I realised recently as I tried to explain to my wife why Lennon attracted so much trouble that I actually couldn't.
  18. amms
    How much of what he's accused off is actual and how much is apocryphal? Having a go at referees is surely day one at manager school. Deflect from the players and the performance when they're bad and increase the pressure on refs to give you the 50/50 calls. Don't we all want our managers to do that? Graeme Souness spent plenty of time in the stand, was frequently in trouble with refs and the SFA and indeed cited the SFA and the League as his main reason for leaving Rangers, and was capable of genuine acts of thuggery on the pitch. But I never thought he was a thug off it, quite the opposite in fact. Was Jim McLean a thug or Alex Ferguson, what about Terry Butcher? Lennon's fellow countryman, Kenny Sheils, no longer gives interviews on what he claims are medical grounds because he kept falling foul of referees and the SFA. I don't now Zappa, I'm not sure Lennon is that much worse than dozens of other managers to be fair.
  19. amms
    I'm not sure it's well known but it might be true, I've not heard it before though. I don't know though, I'm not aware of him expressing any political views publicly that would attract the lunatic fringe. Indeed I'd have thought his playing for Northern Ireland 40 times would have put the more radical republicans off.
  20. amms
    I agree that being a Celtic supporter and ex player helped him get the managers job but I can't help but feel his having played under O'Neill was the biggest factor in him getting the role permanently. Plenty managers like a drink, ours included, but I have been surprised at where Lennon chose to go for a drink, in the past at least. But from memory he's only had one incident when he was out for a drink and that was the time in Ashton Lane. Now I was surprised he chose to rise to whatever was said to him but he was drinking in an Irish bar in an up market part of the city, I'd have thought that was fairly 'safe' to be fair. How much of what's happened to him would you say he was actually responsible for?
  21. amms
    Are you suggesting Lennon was signed for non-footballing reasons and then made manager for the same reasons? I'm not sure I can buy into that mate. He was perhaps a cheaper option when made manager but he's done a lot better than I ever thought he would do. He was a very effective player and a vital cog in an excellent side. Even if you are right does any of that justify verbal and physical attacks on a football manager though?
  22. amms
    That's interesting, you feel Lennon is partly responsible for encouraging their lunatic fringe, maybe you're right. So what is it you feel he represents? Is that guy really a good friend of Lennon?
  23. amms
    In what way is he a thug? You mean on the pitch or in 'real life'?
  24. amms
    Not really no. I can't think of anyone off the top of my head who has attracted what he has.
  25. amms
    I've stayed out of this thread because I think I'm a little out of step regarding Neil Lennon. Let me start by saying that when he was a player I really, really didn't like him. It was Peter Grant levels of dislike I felt, indeed probably more so at times. I've tried to rationalise why I felt that way and I'm fairly certain it has nothing to do with his religion or place of birth. I might be deluding myself but I don't think I am. Some players just have that ability to wind you up, something about them raises the hackles. The fact Lennon was at Celtic and a fairly successful Celtic at that probably amplified that dislike. Where I struggle is with the reaction to incidents with Lennon. 'We' should unequivocally condemn physical threats and attacks on him, as we should when they happen to anybody really. It concerns me that too often Rangers supporters look to explain that 'he brings it on himself' rather than say 'nobody should be physically attacked because they're a footballer/manager'. The truth is Lennon has experienced far, far worse than anyone associated with Scottish football has ever before. That's very embarrassing. Lennon doesn't create unemployment, he hasn't sent young men to their deaths in foreign fields for oil or influence, he's not closed your local school/hospital/community centre and he's never promised to improve your life or standard of living and then failed to deliver it. I worry sometimes we're in danger of losing sight of who Lennon is. He's not a politician, he's not a soldier and he's not stood for office. Because if he was you could provide a context and an argument that 'he brings it on himself. The horrible truth is Lennon could have been killed whilst living and working in Glasgow simply because of the job he does. That's not hyperbole that's a fact. At some point I think those of us in our support who aren't mental cases need to be a little more vocal in condemning those who perpetrate 'attacks' on Lennon and less vocal in explaining why 'he brings it on himself', because I don't believe he does. This latest incident didn't involve Rangers supporters so condemning it shouldn't be hard, yet it seems it still is. Our less than steadfast condemnation allows the Angela Haggertys of this world to perpetuate her own wildly skewed world views despite no evidence to the back them up. Some of what Lennon has experienced was sectarian but most wasn't, most was simply thuggishness, we should be able to condemn that without thinking about it. The manager of Celtic should be able to talk about football, should be able to have a drink in the city, should be able to watch other sides play in the main stand without fear of physical abuse far less actual physical attack. I still dislike Lennon but I think he has a point in terms of asking why he attracts this venom and why it is sometimes explained as being his own fault. I'm afraid that's a little like blaming a rape victim for wearing a short skirt.
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