bigy

Have seen a lot of rumours around these deals, but does anyone know what the actual state of affairs is? Last year the SPL claimed to have a 5 year deal with Sky / ESPN, but it's now reported that ESPN have an opt out clause. Is this right and do Sky have the same opt out? Also, what's the deal with our games? Charles Green said he wouldn't agree to such a deal again, so was the deal for Sky/ESPN to cover SFL games a 1 year agreement, or is that part of the 5 year Sky deal - if indeed that does exist? It seems strange that the SPL want to rush through reconstruction if they actually do have the security of a 5 year deal, which is why i'd personally doubt it exists (certainly not without an opt out).

I think McCoist's making an arse of things, largely because his backroom team don't have the balls to point out he's making an arse of things. However, he's also being let down badly by some of the 'senior' players. Shiels thinks he's too good or this level and prances about like he's Maradona at his peak playing in a pub league. Templeton thinks he should be playing for Barca, except at Barca they know how to pass a ball and make chances for team mates - Temps plays like he's a one man team. I don't like criticising Jig as he's staunch, but some of his diving and falling over is a disgrace and sets the wrong example. Black's clearly struggling but not sure whether its his attitude or not, and Cribari has been the same. In reality Lee Wallace is the only senior player who's constantly shown his class this season. That's Ally's fault for the signings and not getting the best out of them, but the players also must be held to account. We said last season this opportunity might give Ally the chance to grow, unfortunately it's only highlighted his inadequacies.

Possibly, but do you not think that if we are allowed to move cross border that this timescale will quicken up considerably. The Belgian clubs want it, Dutch look in favour, Scandinaveans would be up for it, Balkans/Turkey are already looking at it, etc. As soon as we are allowed to move cross border it will hasten the process for all these other clubs/countries looking to play cross border, and this could quickly result in us being left stranded in the English lower leagues while everyone else moves to a European set up - whether that's an Atlantic League or full blown European League.

The big risk for me of a move is that it opens the floodgates and we miss the bigger boat. If we can move cross border, then every big team in a small or medium sized country will want the same and will have precedent. This is likely to lead to a European league of some sort, and as a non league or lower league English team will we be in a position to get a seat at that table? I doubt it. We could find ourselves taking 5-7 years at best to get to the Premiership, and in that time European football has moved on. It's a massive risk - but one I think we may need to take.

The big problem is a 16 team league means 6-8 less games a season, and clubs can't afford to lose 3-4 ome gates. That'd be a 20% drop!! An 18 or 20 team league sees too many clubs get a slice of the pie, and the result is a status quo which the fans hate.

Ally seems to worry about the opposition at times rather than our own team, and is fast turning into a tinker man. Our recent good run was based on 4-4-2, with one holding midfielder and two wingers. He changed the wide positions at Annan, and yesterday for whatever reason decided to put 3 in central midfield. It defies logic. As Mike Bassett would say 'we play 4-4 fecking 2'. I just wish we'd stick to that and allow our young players to grow in their positions.

Cheers, another question. Just invested £500 and split it across 3 members. Me ( current member) and 2 new members in my son and dad. In the event that one of us wanted to withdraw, do we each own 1/3 of the £500, or how does that work? I know it's 1 member 1 vote, but how is the actual investment assigned?

So if you invest in Buy Rangers, do you get to attend the football club AGM or not?

Traynor obviously knows a lot about what went on over the last 9 months, both in the media and hopefully at the SPL/SFA. This should leave a lot of people with blood on their hands, but the big question is how will Traynor/Rangers use this information. A head of media, and a PR official, needs to get on with the media and needs to carry weight. If Traynor comes out all guns blazing it could create a bit of a war. What I think is more likely is that we use Traynors info behind the scenes, to put pressure on the SPL/SFA. To basically say 'hey, we know you done this, this and this, and that you knew this, this and this and chose to ignore it, and if you don't play ball with us this is going public'. Either way, it'll be interesting.

http://www.thecoplandroad.org/2012/12/rtc-knocked-back-or-locked-up.html Interesting if true.

Did they not threaten to boycott if we weren't kicked out the SPL? Hypocrites!!?? Surely not!!

Anyone got any idea how long this will take? How long to decide if they can appeal? How long will the appeal run if they can?

Doncaster is a fall guy, pure and simple. Doncaster doesn't set the agenda, he merely is a mouth piece for the SPL who tell him what to say. If they're hanging him out to dry for 'his handling', then in fact they're pointing the finger at those who made the decisions which he had to announce, implement and defend.

So to be clear on the SPL's logic on EBTs. Rangers have been found innocent and SPL want to 'investigate', Celtic pled guilty and SPL say no case to answer. I'm still trying to get my head round this one.

BBC Chris saying it's delayed till next year. Absolute joke.

Doncaster I feel slightly sorry for. He's a figurehead for the SPL and his role is pretty much that of a puppet. Regan on the other hand should have been kicked out a long time ago. He's vindictive and clearly working to an agenda which isn't in the interests of Scottish football. He's also being heavily protected by Darryl Broadfoot just now, and seems to escape the widespread criticism which is due from our 'impartial' media.

At least we now know who'll be the next judge on a SFA/SPL panel against us.

Credit to Davidson for raising the issue of HMRC leaks, but presenter was clearly trying to shut him up!!

Davidson talking mince. Morally wrong!!??

The Ernst & Young lad is fairly milking this.

Can the old company and new company be merged then?

I'm assuming it's something to do with Queens Park at Hampden, but who knows.

You're right, he's only 27, I thought he was older. But either way, he isn't producing and is keeping younger players out the team. If it does take us 3 years to get back Black will be 30 and nearing the end of his career, in that same time we have 3 or 4 players coming through who will still be in their early 20s but will have experience and could do a great job going forward. For me it's a no brainer who should be first choice.

The bottom line is that winning or losing wouldn't matter if we were playing with style and purpose, and giving young talent from Auchenhowie more of a chance. But we aren't. We play with an immobile, over the hill, target man with no pace or flair (be it McCulloch or Kyle), and most of the time leave them isolated with no player within 30 yards. We play a player in the twilight of his career in midfield (Black), often at the expense of young up and coming talent in Hutton, McKay, Aird, Naismith, et al, and then when we do give these young players a chance we sub them and move the immobile striker back into their position. We play a 30+ centre half in Emilson ahead of young players in Hegarty or Cole or any other young player we have, and Emilson hasn't proven to be any better than the young players mentioned. Tactically we play with no width, while our entire team appear to want to take 2 or 3 touches too many before releasing the ball. Then, when things go wrong, we swap one immobile target man for another, inevitably take off one of the young players who've played well, and leave the 30+ year olds on the park to play at a pedestrian pace and with no urgency. Anyone who can't see that is blind, and anyone who tolerates Ally tolerating this guff week in week out doesn't have the best interests of Rangers at heart. Ally is a legend, and we all want him to succeed, but time and time again he comes up well short as a manager, and he isn't showing any glimpses of improvement.

Ally has it all wrong. Against Queens Park we played without a right midfielder, and last night without a left midfielder. We leave a static McCulloch up top on his own, and then when we're 2-0 down we swap McCulloch for Kyle, McKay for Shiels, and then McCulloch for Hutton. So basically switch players around without actually making any tactical change. It's absolutely pathetic. Okay, we don't have the best players in the world right now, and we have had some injuries. But McCoist is showing far too much loyalty to experienced players even when they're not turning it on. McKay has been our best and most exciting player this year, but has spent the last month or so on the bench. I'd go back to 4-4-2. I'd play McCulloch at centre half with either Perry or Emilson as we need some strength in there. I don't mind who plays right back as they're all much of the same, but in midfield i'd get rid of Black and play Hutton and McLeod. Let the two of them grow and develop a partnership, and if they have the odd bad game the fans will forgive because of their age - but we can't forgive the dross coming from experienced players. I'd play two from McKay, Aird and Templeton down the wings, and then Shiels and Little up front with Hemmings and Sandaza challenging when they get back fit. More pace, more movement, more energy. I've no idea what Ally's watching, but he rarely makes an unenforced tactical change, even though his tactics to start with are poor. Another moan, but we put on Kyle last night which is fair enough, we were chasing the game, but why leave a 'big lump' whose strength is in the air and knocking balls down on his own with no player within 30 yards of him. What was the point? McCulloch was the same, he's not the best on the ground so the support striker has to get close. But....if we're going to play them the strength is in the air, and last night we had at least 6 free kicks 40 yards out and pushed men up, only to take the free kick short and proceed to lose the ball. We missed at least 6 chances to utilise our strength and put balls in the box. Yes, that is the players on the pitch, but the management are letting it happen. At the very least Ally needs to punt his backroom team and get people in to support who are going to tell him some home truths.