CammyF

You can actually do both Cammy F

I heard talked about yesterday as possible signings were : 1/ Shaun Maloney and 2/ Darren Fletcher Heard that we have bid �£1M for Maloney and that we are looking at taking Fletcher on loan for a season (he turned down the chance of moving to Birmingham yesterday). Cammy F

A question - why shout eff tee pee at Ibrox at all? Surely if you have a disliking for the pontiff or care to publically state this dislike, surely this would be better shouted outside a chapel or somewhere the pope can actually hear your dislike of him or his teachings? Can't see the pope tuning into Radio Clyde for live commentry of the Rangers - so can't see how your public display of anti-popiness is going to get through to him... Cammy F

Why stop at Walter - what about the man who appoints Walter and who is draining the very life from the Club? Only one man responsible for the state that we are currently in and it isn't Walter Smith. David Murray is an estute man, he always has someone else in place who will become the latest fall guy. Walter Smith was the man to stable the ship after PLG but he was never going to be the man to lead us long term. I would bet my house that David Murray doesn't know who'll replace Walter Smith. We will NEVER improve until SDM is removed from Ibrox. Cammy F

Yip, from the very bottom to the very top, very few people currently employed at Rangers come anywhere close to matching the expectations set down by Mr Struth. Controversial statement - neither to a growing section of our fan-base (for varying reasons that do not belong in this thread). Cammy F

We MUST win the league and get to the CL group stages - failure to do so should mean heads roll. Cammy F

At the risk of repeating myself, if you do a search on threads on this board, and the older versions (if that is possible), I believe I have written over half a dopzen articles pleading with Rangers to sort out the 'scouting system'. As stated previously in the above articles, we are in a position to start this and from a position of strength. Why not get players like Brian Laudrup, Jorg Albertz, Amo, Claudio Reyna, Cannagia, Ray Wilkins, Arthur Numan etc - who are all repsected professionals in their home countries, running RANGERS youth academies in their homelands and scouting for us? These ex-players (or others like them) could not only run these academies unearthing the best talent the countries have to offer, but they could and would act as ambassadors (sp) for our club the world over. All that is required is a little foresight from the people running our club - unfortunately for us, they are hell bent on ruining rather than running our club. Cammy F

Excellent article Gribz and IMO, its plain facts. We have spent close to �£9M on players who have yet to show that they can enhance the team (never mind squad) and the management team have spent on positions that didn't need adressed. We have now got 6 strikers (none who look like to score at the moment) and 4 defensive midfield players. We still require 2 full backs, a centre-half, a creative, free scoring midfield player and a wide player. I can't understand WS spending over �£3M on Lafferty then playing wide-left - where he looks like a fish out of water (ditto Miller and AV). It appears that the lack of creative midfield players is forcing WS to play players out of position and that leads to terrible performances. WS MUST explain his reasoning for not addressing the glaring deficancies in bhis squad whilst squandering the little transfer funds he had on positions that we were well covered in. The cold harsh facts are that is we continue in this vien of 'form' our season will be over by September and there is little or no evidence that we are going to improve. We are devoid of insperation, of creativity, of leadership and of genuinely talented footballers at the moment. As for board level and going backwards, I've been trying to get Rangers fans to see this for just under a decade. We have a custodian who has no long term plans (never mind ambition) for Rangers and is happy sitting creaming of the money and lining his own pockets. For some the reason the vast majority of fans can't see this and think of 'anti-murryites' (for a lack of a better phrase) like myslef as 'non-supporters' (or worse). A club like ours deserves a board who match and strive to achieve our ambitions. Who invest in the club, who ensure that we are the best both on and off the pitch. A board who would have the vision to spread the Rangers family to all corners of the world, who would deal with the zealot like demonisation (sp) of the Rangers fans in the press etc. At the present we have a board who still can't tell us season ticket holders what away allocation we have for this season (as they are trying to cream 5% from all away games) and who can't ensure that a fan who has bought a ticket for a European game can get entry into the ground for kick-off. I heard yesterday that some fans didn't get into Ibrox on Wednesday until after half-time. And guess who the club are blaming, yip the fans. All in all, Rangers are a mess - they have been a mess for over 7 years now, but for some reason the vast majority of fans can't, or refuse to see this. Until we get rid of the charlatan that is SDM, we'll continue this agonising slide and fall from grace. We are the only ones that can change it, but few seem willing - it's time for blood letting, its time for action - who's up for it? Cammy F - Simply Depressed Loyal RSC

Setting up something like this takes forward thinking board members with long term ambition for the club - does that sound like something messers SDM and Suntan Bain would get involved in? Cammy F

Or 'There May Be Trouble Ahead....' Cammy F

The cynic in me thinks that if we sign this lad from Cardiff then King Carlos *may* be sold to compensate �£ wise if we don't reach the CL Group stages. Cammy F - Downsizing Rangers Style 2008-2009

Fleck and Furman can't be any less creative than the players currenly masquerading as midfield playmakers. And Fleck could justs be the link required from midfield to forwards. As the old addage states, if they're good enough then they're old enough. Cammy F

Only to be wasted by the moronic element that can't stop themselves from adding the ef***ee ditty during this song. Cammy F

... always a Ranger - hat doffed to Gordon Ramsey - excellent segment on Rangers, Ibrox and Murray park on tonights F Word Cammy F

Frankie, I believe that we are short in the following areas : One x left back one x right back one x long term experienced centre-half to partner CC one x creative midfield player one x wide player These players are 'missing' to a mixture of long term injuries and us not having cover in certain areas (full backs as an example). We simply can't go another season playing centre-halfs as full backs. Cammy F

Mad? No, although some would agree with your assessment of my mental well being. Won't argue that McGregor is the best keeper we have, but from what I have seen in pre-season, he doesn't look fit. We only get one shot at the CL so we must go with our best 11 on the night. Cammy F

With the start of the new season galloping over the horizon, the title of this article should actually read, Read! We Better Be. We have a very tough start to the season both in the CL and the SPL. Kaunas arrive at Ibrox on Wednesday evening and present themselves as the first hurdle in our race to reach the Champions League group stages. They will be a very tough proposition and weââ?¬â?¢ll need to be at our best to overcome the Lithuanian champions over two legs. The fixture list and injury curse could have been kinder to us as we enter the season without the injured Barry Ferguson and are without Carlos and Beasley for the first leg on Wednesday. Worryingly, there is a doubt over Kevin Thompson for Wednesday so we are VERY short of options for the central midfield role that is essential to our chances. Lee McCulloch is also a doubt but the official website states that both ââ?¬Ë?shouldââ?¬â?¢ be ready for the game. Looking beyond the CL qualifier (if we dare), we have a very hard start to the SPL race with only one home game in the opening four and with visits to Falkirk, Abergreen and Celtc ââ?¬â?? the SPL couldnââ?¬â?¢t have given us a harder opening if they had tried. Reflecting on the abysmal end to last season and the scarce additions to the squad, it is hard to find any evidence that points to us being a decent shape for the obstacles we face in the next 4-5 weeks. We are at least 5 players short in my opinion especially in the full back and creative midfield positions. It doesnââ?¬â?¢t look like these glaring gaps are going to be addressed or filled prior to the start of the season and weââ?¬â?¢ll just have to go with what resources we currently have starting on Wednesday. Even given WS splashing all of his apparent transfer budget on strikers, it is hard to see him deviating from his preferred 4-5-1 formation or his ultra-cautious approach especially in European ties. Given this, it looks like the tried and tested formation and personnel on Wednesday and I believe the team will line up as follows : McGregor Whittikar Daily Weir Papac Novo Hendami Thompson Adam McCulloch And pick one from the numerous strikers WS has at his disposal (if pushed, I think heââ?¬â?¢ll plump for Cousin). Personally, I wouldnââ?¬â?¢t play McGregor in goal as he has looked rusty in pre-season and doesnââ?¬â?¢t look back to his best. I can also see WS playing Broadfoot alongside Weir, pushing Daily into midfield and dropping Adam to the bench. I would play Lafferty out wide left as we are at home and have to take an (large) advantage to Lithuanian. So my starting 11 would be : Alexander SW Daily Weir Papac Novo Hendami Thommo Adam Lafferty And again, pick one of the many strikers to play the lone front man ââ?¬â?? if pushed, Iââ?¬â?¢d also go for Cousin with JCD a close 2nd. All in all, it will be a nail-biting start to the season and the opening fixtures will go along way in deciding how successful (or otherwise) season 2008 ââ?¬â?? 2009 will be. Winning the league is a MUST, nothing can detract from this fact ââ?¬â?? we simply canââ?¬â?¢t let them win the league again. So are we ready? Well only time, results and performances will tell. We have to hit the ground running. Cammy F

As always my heart says yes but my head is saying NO. We are 5 players short at the moment and doesn't look like we'll be signing anyone of note. Our squad is no better than it was last season - last season squad wasn't good enough to win the SPL title so I'd say this seasons squad will fall short as well - hope I'm wrong tho. Cammy F

Entering the last year of his contract in Germany - I'd take him back next summer on a Bosman or it a cut price (say circa �£500K) in the January transfer window. Better than most we currently have and looking for a return to Scotland. Cammy F

Youtube Link taken from TBO website - quite interesting, Rangers fans belting out FOS - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uPMZRMFb1Hc&feature=related Some brilliant footage from pre-kick off - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4VGylDaB7cI&feature=related Cammy F

Great post Frankie, but I don't see what there is to be positive about. We haven't stregthend our team, in fact, it has been weakend due to (yet more) injuries. We are set to go into this season with no recognised full backs (another season of 4 centre halfs in our back four), no creative midfield player, no genuine width (due to injuries) and no link player from midfield to forward. In fact, we have very little option in midfield. We have a chairman who has shown that he has no ambition left, we have fallin behind our rivals on and off the pitch and don't look like overtaking them any time soon. Once again, even with an extra �£40M income, we are signing players who are no better than we currently have. Sure, when I am at Ibrox (and elsewhere) watching Rangers, I'll get behind them like I always do - I'll play my part, but already its looking like one long hard season ahead. The first 4 games will make our break our season. We need change on and off the field but I can't see that happening either. Cammy F - In a Fcuked off frame of mind Loyal RSC

Strip away the semantics (sp) for how our last two titles, and Celtc's last season were won (or lost, depending on your opinion), winning 2 of the last 5 or 6 titles is a shocking statistic. Cammy F

Come on Jon - don't think expecting Rangers to win the SPL title from the position we were in can be equated to 'anti-Gers'. We handed the title to Celtc its as simple as that. Are you happy to settle for 2nd best in a two horse race? Apart from 2 last day title successes, we'd be staring down Celtc going for 7 in a row - thats a terrible thought. Cammy F

As I instigated this discussion, let me clear a few things up from my original post. Getting to the UEFA Cup Final was a wonderful achievement and we totally deserved to be there. We played to our strenghts and it's up to the opposition to break us down. In fact, I would say that the away leg against Sporting rates as one of the best European performances that I have witnessed Rangers achieveing (as Did Lyon away in the CL). Domestically, we ran out of steam - we did all the hard work early on in the season that blew it big style. In fear of repeating myself, 2nd best isn't good enough for The Rangers. Too many fans have fallen into The Mints downsizing of ambitions. IMO The Rangers should be winning the SPL title more seasons that not and should still be able to make an impact in Europe - that shouldn't be mutually exclusive. Great debate BTW Cammy F

Now that the dust has well and truly settled on last season and we are hurtling towards the new season, it is time to look retrospectively on how well, or badly our success rates in regards to our ââ?¬Ë?quadrupleââ?¬â?¢ expectations. If you say it fast enough, winning both domestic trophies, taking the SPL title to the wire and getting to the UEFA Cup final, you could actually believe that last season was a success. I may be cynical, but I would rate last season as a failure. Whilst we won our first trophies in 3 seasons, we capitulated in the SPL run-in and handed the title to Celtc. We can point to the ridiculous schedule we had to endure and we can reflect on many dubious refereeing decisions, but the bottom line is, we were streets ahead in the title race and we let our leas slip and our form towards the ends of the season was horrendous. Getting to our first European Final in 36 years was the highlight of the season. We played (and defeated) some very decent teams in the CL and UEFA Cup and nothing should detract from the marvellous achievement of getting to Manchester. I believe that we were very unlucky to come up against a team managed by former boss Dick Advocaat. He would have installed a ââ?¬Ë?donââ?¬â?¢t underestimate Rangersââ?¬â?¢ mentality in St Petersburg and in reality, when they scored the opening goal, we all could have gone home. The team faded drastically after that and sitting at Fir park the following Sunday watching Rangers limp to a 1-1 draw, I think it was then that it finally sunk in that we had lost the UEFA Cup and the SPL title. So, me being an old cynic, I fear that we have another long hard season ahead of us. Unless WS pulls some cracking transfers out the bag, we havenââ?¬â?¢t improved one position in our team from last season. We are still short of a right and left back, a centre to partner King Carlos, a creative midfield player and a ââ?¬Ë?linkââ?¬â?¢ between the midfield and forwards. We now also require a player (or players) to replace our injured captain, Barry Ferguson. His injury is a massive blow and our whole season will hinge on our resolve in his absence. We donââ?¬â?¢t have anyone (currently) in our squad who can replace Barry Ferguson and I fear for our chances without him. We arenââ?¬â?¢t a one-man team and for all his faults, Ferguson gives us a ââ?¬Ë?leaderââ?¬â?¢ and he can be inspirational at times. To ensure that we donââ?¬â?¢t let ââ?¬Ë?themââ?¬â?¢ get their 4th successive title, all the above positions need to be addressed and strengthened. Not winning the title for a 3rd consecutive season was both heart-breaking and gut-wrenching, not winning it this season is not only unthinkable, but it simply canââ?¬â?¢t be allowed to happen. Cammy F