Super Cooper

Spoke to him today on facebook. Presuming it's not some tim on the wind up he actually seems to still follow us and posts on some of the Rangers facebook pages.

 

Thought that was quite random, will see if he wants to join up here!

He is Rangers daft on twitter and meets with numerous fans groups from all over the world regularly. Recently joined in a Rangers kids coaching course in Italy.

I think that is a bit harsh. One of our top players, they spout absolute shite but guys like him should be respected because his like we won't see again.

As a player, a hero, a legend and top top class keeper but i have met him numerous times as a guy and he is what i said. It's actually sad to see.

So am I but I still don't say things like that

Extremely harsh on yourself Steve! I thought you were alright.

Goram on SSN saying Ally is wonderful, been a great success - as the interviewer thinks too (they have no idea the standard we are playing against) and the fans have given him vile abuse

Goram is a jakey drunk, and that is being kind.

I read that Ally was taken into a meeting with Lambias and he basically told McCoist the players they would like to try and move on in the Jan window, and also the list of players out of contract at the end of the season which they would not offer a renewed contract to. Apparently this was what prompted his letter of resignation. No idea of who was on this list, if this was the true story of what happened.

 

If this is the case, then perhaps he feels with the boards lists of demands - that he couldn't take Rangers further and so handed in his notice.

I bet McCulloch was one. Ally would never get rid of him.

I wonder how this will affect the attendance at next home game?

Can't see it doing much if he is still picking the team and in the dugout Ian.

keith jackson @tedermeatballs ·

Was working on this story until midnight last night. There was too much misinformation to be certain of the truth. Not much has changed.

Aye so ye wur Wacko! lol

Remember folks, he's only offered it for now. It remains to be accepted and the timing of his departure confirmed.

 

It may be he leaves at the end of the season.

He's already wasted 4 years, another 1 would set us back even further. He must go now. We have a title to win,.

Delighted with this news. It's now time for us to get this right, we have a battle on our hands to win this title and within the next year will be battling Celtic once again. Get it right Rangers.

The blue one is absolutely stunning.

Is this worse than Aberdeen getting rid of the toaster?

I raised that very point at the RFB meeting and was categorically told that was not the case.

I believe Elfideldo knows exactly what happened, i am sure he told myself, Plgsarmy and Juancornetto the other night.

Something doesn't sit right with me if staff of Rangers Football Club want to party in our current state. The right decision was made imo. We can have all the parties we want when we are top dogs in Scotland again. Until then, it should be heed doon arse up.

If a player is highly regarded by his club, wouldn't he be offered a contract renewal prior to another club showing interest in him?

Did we not forget he was out of contract?

Genuine question STB. Are you willing to pass on the email addresses of said fan board members so that we too can ask questions?

 

You seem to be in the loop STB, can we use you as a conduit to get some real answers?

They are on the official website i am sure, certainly not secret.

That doesn't sound right to me but I'm not looking at lists so I'm not saying you are wrong either.

 

There have historically been obvious reasons why Rangers won't bring through or play as many youngsters as many provincial teams. I was pointing towards a general lack of professionalism at the club over decades allied to not being blessed with an exceptional manager who could recognise the need for change and was strong enough to do it. Part of this was down to the general Scottish/UK attitude to various aspects of the profession.

 

This has always been a big bugbear of mine.

Oh i do agree with you regards us, we are a midden and have neglected our youth for decades but we have still managed somehow to give more kids a chance in the team and send them onto their own level elsewhere in the game.

I don't get the nitpicking regards Dundee Utd and youth development. Over a number of decades Dundee Utd have brought through more decent players than any other team in Scotland.

 

Since 1965, they are one of two Scottish teams to win the League title (outwith OF) and they did so with mainly players they had developed. With the same players, they also got closer to a European Cup Final than I've seen Rangers manage to do in 40+years.

They had some excellent European runs at that time, beating Barca H&A, reaching a UEFA Cup Final and generally punching above their weight due to a well run club with good , effective management.

 

The sad aspect to this is looking at our own situation and indeed past where we have failed to reach our potential due to having a 'wee outlook' for a big club. We missed out on having an exceptional manager who would have grabbed the club and shaken it out of a relative unprofessional slumber.

We have brought through more players than Dundee Utd, international ones into the bargain. Hibs have also brought through far more than Utd. I'd imagine Celtic have too.

They are vastly overrated. As WGS said, After Armstrong who is now 22, their next proper kid is Soutar who is on the fringes only. Their first 11 is dominated by experienced mediocre foreigners.

He turned 22 this year - which to be fair is not old.

 

I admit though if you go through their first team the only other player (except Telfer) who is young and looks promising is John Souttar (18).

At 22 he could have potentially 6 years already of first team football under his belt. At 22 he is well into his career. Only 5 more years and he will hit his peak.

Well, their line-ups regularly does feature the likes of Alexander, Oztürk, Gomis, Wilson, El Hassnaoui, Pallardo, Buaben, and Sow too. They had to use their youngsters out of necessity and Neilsson managed to get a decent enough mix at this moment and time. Credit where it is due, likewise, we shouldn't get over the top here either. They are playing the same teams that we do and much like it is with us, you would expect that our youngsters and young players should hold their head against these teams - if given the chance.

We don't know if they can because they don't get a chance. One of two who does, Aird, is out of his depth at this level.

Hearts have on average every week, a least 50% of their team home grown from their own academy. That is fantastic at any level at any club.

We can learn so much from them.

i think the lad is right. dundee utd have little to boast of.

 

do they have anyone produced that's a scotland regular?

Dundee Utd? Hmm, i'm not sure, not off the top of my head. I don't kn ow where this Barca Babes stuff comes from with Utd. Armstrong was their best in the last 5 to 10 years maybe and he is now in his mid 20s, still there and nowhere near the Scotland set up.

Livingston have had a few crackers, Dorrans, Snodgrass and McNulty.

Killie produced 2 of the best strikers ever to play in Scotland in the last 15 years as well in Boyd and Naismith.

Nah, I didn't know Kevin but it was Kenny and Graeme who signed me. The former I couldn't stand, the latter was a gentleman.

 

Malpas did help coach the younger teams at the time as did Davie Bowman. Unfortunately, it was when the latter didn't turn up to Edinburgh training sessions, I had to help as the eldest player there. I also didn't like Sturrock and Hegarty who were the first team coaching team at the time bit I did get on well with Jim McLean who was still the manager when I was there.

Graeme was my coach, i think he was also Scotland Under 15s manager at the time and a Religious Education teacher at Holy Cross in Hamilton. I think that was it's name. He drove a big white Passatt. Kenny was a hard man, very hard to please. I remember running a mock at the Nike tournament and hearing my team mate big Jim Paterson tell Mr Liveston how good i was. Graeme was always amazed at how hard i could hit the ball despite being built like the side of a fiver at the time.

I liked Luggy, i recall going to a few games with him. As a kid i thought i was teen royalty! I will tell you a cracker about Jim McLean, i was standing behind the big dutch goalie they had at the time in the canteen up at Tannadice and Jim walked in, stood staring at me for a second and then said to me, "you look like a wee proddy". Haha I will never forget it. I just laughed and said "aye, am ur". Lol. He patted me on the head and walked away. We had some cracking teams at that period. I played with some decent players, a couple of whom played for Rangers and represented Scotland as well.

Haha - most probably!

 

I signed 'S' Form in 1991 and was there for 18 months or so before being told (by phone) I was being released because I wouldn't leave Hutchison Vale (in Edinburgh) to play for Utd's then-youth team Helenvale (in Lanarkshire) and/or leave education to sign full-time. All for expenses or £35 a week for an 6-8 year contract.

 

In early 1993, I was then dropped from the Scotland national under 16 squad because I wouldn't attend a January coaching session in Dingwall during my Higher prelims.

 

In general, not many people associated with Scottish youth football can claim the moral highground when it comes to developing youngsters. Hopefully things have changed in the intervening twenty years but I certainly wasn't putting my future in the hands of sharks. I think I made the right decision thankfully...

Did you play with Kevin Byers? He was a few years above me but we still all trained together at Crownpoint and the Gussy.

You were a few years before me. I was at their school of excellence between 94-96. Though my decision to leave was slightly different. They actually encouraged me to stay on at school, or rather told me to, which was something i simply couldn't do.

You would have known Kenny Cameron and Graeme Liveston, also Maurice Malpas was just getting into the coaching at the time.

I was at Utd in the early 90s and had to help take the training in Edinburgh. I was 15 and a goalkeeper.

 

Generally the Utd system has had a lot of praise but it was far from perfect and usually West-coast/Glasgow centric. Elements of it were very good and others far from perfect and several first team players tried to dissuade me from signing 'S' Form.

 

Add in the 3+3 and 4+4 year £35 per week contracts at that time then Utd can't claim the moral highground here.

I didn't recognise you at the dinner but we may in fact know each other.

To suggest the management may not know the age of players is just daft.