der Berliner

Is IMHO the only true information here. Since Brunt has now been sidelined for 10 weeks, WBA will increase the offer to United and him as they see fit.

... some cynical voice whispers: "Maybe they should try training techinque and creativity instead of preparing them to a life against hammer-throwers? A life that is not exactly there any longer in the SPL. At least not as much as in decades gone bye.

More important to note that he, Davis and Whittaker will miss the game, so we'll have chances for McKay, Bedoya, and Fleck in midfield. Bocanegra for captain!

Di Santo ... 10 games for Wigan, 4 goals, 1 assist McArthur ... 2 games, 1 assist ... I for one would not go for EPL players.

Dunno, keeping Fleck would be more a back-up of Naismith, McCulloch, Bendiksen and Co., rather than a striker's substitute. Fleck is an attacking midfielder who can actually hit a good and telling pass, fire in some decent corners and free-kicks. He sure is no potent or lethal striker, so I would doubt and hope that he ain't Lafferty's back up. That would be - talking strictly youngsters here - Hemmings. On a sidenote, Kyle Hutton should return now from his rather successful spell at Partick and he, while deployed in midfield by us, was actually a striker at first. IMHO we still need a decent target man*, decent for the SPL this season, decent for someone like Aluko and Healy to feed of. *Or rather two.

Rumours versus the manager on the official site - regarding Jelavic. I think I know whom to believe here (re the game today), even though it may well be that Jela's for the off anyway.

That was not exactly my point here. We are chasing British & Scottish talent for at time ridiculous amounts. My point is that most of these British teams we are paying HAVE to field their youngsters, because they generally lack money to buy "quality". Most of these youngsters become your average every-day SPL player, with a season or two in England's lower leagues. Yet some, even at low key clubs like Livingston, Hamilton or the like, show talent enough to be snapped up by English teams and are playing EPL stuff now. What I would hope and assume is that Rangers select their young players because of ability and thus I assume that we have some talent in the youth and reserve set up. We hardly ever use them regularly (as other teams have to) though and thus they are being kept in "cotton wool" till the age of 20 to 22 ere being send away for peanuts or nothing. Sure the "expectation levels" are a burden, but they get that ingrained from day one at Ibrox (or know it anyway) and you do expect that fielding the odd youngster or two every now and then, surrounded by experience galore, will soon tell us whether these are good enough for a first team slot ... should our experienced campaigners fail to deliver. Hutton and Ness stepped onto the plate, Fleck was perhaps thrown in a touch too early. But of the rest you hardly hear whisper when it comes to first team selection, just the usual "could make it soon" stuff.

That said, Bendiksen has been with us for 4 years and hardyl got a look in (at his age and despite the injuries). It does tell something about the way we fail to use and blood our youngsters, but that is something we had to experience for these last 20odd years. Maybe we failed to learn quickly enough here when the money dried up and we kept on playing "veterans" (out of position) or "utility players". It worked for long spells and it may work still, but talent is not developed in the reserves, but on the field of play. Else, a Steven Davis would not have played 90odd games for Aston Villa ... being just 22! So the argument about pressure on young shoulders loses some of its bite.

BBC A lot of if and but and maybe involved. Would be surprised if Bendiksen jumps ship, after been given a few games recently to prove himself (after his injury-absence) which he did. Then again, if you have that Edulloch & Davis brick wall in front of you ... Novo ... would be a in-squad morale boosting thing for the next 6 months. Age, IMHO, is no argument these days. We still need more free scoring strikers and a creative midfielder.

Snatched from FF (via a Honduran Paper): "We are close to signing Hondurans Jerry Bengtson and Jorge Claros soonish, as reports from over there* and Canada indicate**. Bengtson is 24 and has scored 24 in 36 games this season and has 8 in 20 for Honduras. *roughly translated story: . **FF guy

On a sidenote, as I saw him train yesterday, Andrew Little also played right back a few times. McMillan and Cole are the inexperienced youngsters, Ortiz a more experienced replacement. My cynical self says that Whittaker's injury came at a right time for him, for he's been abyssmal at times as RB and any decent offer (Fulham was supposedly interested) would have seen him go. As it is, we'll be stuck with an underperfroming "top earner" on a long contract at least till the summer ...

There's a "funny rumour" over at FF that we've actually cancelled yesterday's training because there were signing talks with Kris Boyd and Ryan Stevenson ... and before you jump on me, it was essentially just that, a "funny rumour". Anyway, Jela's our price asset and we will not risk him should a real offer has been made by now. You know, the silly season is officially open in 9 to 10 hours, depending on where you are.

What is sectarianism anyway?

Why would he tell the media? On a sidenote, we need more than one or two, unless these are smashing people.

Reading on here sometimes gives you the feeling that you're in a thread of that "Rangers Tax Case" site. A lot of ifs and buts and maybes, and in general the tone is negative, not objective. It seems that the results have now been audited (FF), which may or may not point towards a possible deal with HMRC. On a sidenote, I still do not get why LBG should have semi-shifted their Rangers-debt to a new Whyte-debt to get out of the picture, only for Whyte telling us that he will waive this debt should we win the case (in one way or another). For that would mean that he waives a debt still owed to LBG? At least according to what I read above ...

Of course, if someone throws silly money our way (and we hope no-one has watched Jela too closely these last few weeks, I dare say), we have to look at option. And with options I mean people who will do a job for us in the SPL. It is fair to ask for quality and look to the future, but our immediate future is SPL football and we need people seeking a challenge and who are willing to prove themselves at a club like ours. Be that at the Nou Camp, or New St. Mirren Park on a soggy and rainswept Wednesday night. And you only get one Jelavic every 5 years or so, I'm afraid. McKay wants out ... or so the headline claims, which is somewhat in the opposite to the recent interview. And finally ... ... sayest the Scottish Sun

A bit of late silly season stuff ... WBA appear to have signed Scott Allan from Dundee United, while Ally is looking at Francesco Sandaza should Jelavic move on in January.

Why would LBG do that? They gain nothing from Whyte or this new Rangers Football Group thing, especially if Whyte does indeed waive the debt ... as he has promised to the world? Well, you may claim this is a bluff for he knew all along that we/he will lose the HMRC case, but ain't there a lot of negative thinking and assumptions involved here?

Just out of interest ... a question I always wanted to ask the Whyte-critics ... where does he got the 18odd million from to buy Rangers out of their Lloyds debts? I mean, someone cannot just whip-up a company and take on someone elses debt on the basis of "nothing". Lloyds sure received their money, didn't they?

... early January, methinks.

Australian footballers are usually fitter and more technically gifted than your average Scottish player. While people will deride their qualification opponents, Australia still ranks 25odd places above Scotland in the world rankings for a reason. To train a bit of tactical awareness and technical ability aside from turning up against essentially the same people each and every day should bear some fruits.

Maybe we should spend a few hours with McKay doing some training at MP?

Bar Whittaker, I wouldn't sell anyone of our defenders or goalkeepers ...

Care to expand why this would negate the need for a tribunal? Isn't the latter exactly what is "holding" the HMRC cases "up" these days?

Disgraceful .. yes. But we sure deserve better from one of our veterans, not least last night. And IMHO they had enough wake-up calls already these last two months.