ian1964

THERE is a significance in the almost panicky intervention by the Murray Group in the problems which surround the way David Murray sold Rangers to Craig Whyte. And there even greater significance in that it was made by an anonymous spokesman and not from the usually publicity hungry former Rangers owner and chairman, David Murray. The Murray Group jumped in after the man Murray nominated to succeed him as Ibrox chairman, old board leader, Alastair Johnston, demanded that the governmentâ??s Insolvency Service Intelligence and Enforcement Directorate launch an official probe into Whyteâ??s buy-out of Murray and takeover of Rangers. The Johnston demand came after allegations that Whyte used the money raised by mortgaging three yearsâ?? worth of Ibrox season tickets to fund the repayment of the £18M debt to Lloyds Banks, believed to have been a condition of Lloyds sanctioning any change of ownership. This is something Whyte strenuously denies. It is something Rangers supporters are becoming increasingly uneasy about, with that unease becoming even more acute when a Sheriff at Glasgow Sheriff Court branded Whyte a wholly unreliable court witness when a judgment in another and totally unrelated case, went against the increasingly beleaguered Ibrox owner. The crux of the matter is where the funds which were in a client account set up by Whyteâ??s London lawyers to prove he was a man of substance, capable of clearing the Rangers debt to Lloyds and funding the running of Rangers, came from. Whyte insists they were transferred from another of his companies. Johnston clearly suspects not. But why this should be a matter of discussion is difficult to understand. After all, the negotiations between Murray and Whyte lasted around six months, plenty of time for David Murray to have conducted exhaustive due diligence of Whyte and his myriad companies. And it was only after Murrayâ??s due diligence was satisfied that he and Lloyds and Whyte all came together to negotiate the transfer of ownership of Rangers from Murray to Whyte for a quid, conditional on Whyte paying off that £18M debt to Lloyds. Even at the eleventh hour the deal was almost blocked when then chairman Alastair Johnston warned against Whyte being the right man to own Rangers, while old board member Paul Murray(no relation) tried to organise a last ditch buy out. Through all of this, David Murray backed Whyte. Now, according to the Murray Groupâ??s spokesman, quoted in the Herald, David Murray is to seek clarification of the financial and security arrangements which the purchaser appears to have put in place. If, after around six months of Murrayâ??s due diligence into the finances of the man he sold Rangers to, Murray now feels the need to seek further clarification, he should break cover and be brave enough to explain himself in person and not hide behind a Murray Group spokesman. Murray has many questions to answer and he may well find that this time his usual bluster wonâ??t work. Just as Lloyds Bank may also soon have some searching questions to answer to. And this time they wonâ??t be able to hide behind the cowardly cloak of customer confidentiality. The full significance of the Murray Groupâ??s seemingly panicky intervention into Alastair Johnstonâ??s call for a government probe into the funding when Whyte bought Rangers from Murray, remains to be revealed.

For some reason I can't edit my post,I was trying to put the link in for the article http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spl/why_tax_case_casts_long_shadow_over_rangers_and_beyond_1_2112897

By ANDREW SMITH Published on Sunday 12 February 2012 03:36 CASH flow issues, a tax tribunal and questions over funding sources have given rise to all manner of conjecture over the future of Rangers under Craig Whyte. Here we look at the three possible outcomes. None of them offers much comfort to followers of the Ibrox club. Scenario 1. Rangers win tax tribunal over the use of employee benefits trusts (EBTs) and manage their cashflow successfully. This is the best possible scenario but would depend on so many elements coming together in Whyte’s favour. In the recently concluded tribunal, which is expected to produce a decision in the next three weeks, HMRC’s case centred on there being documentary evidence the Ibrox club operated their EBTs in a manner that modified the scheme from being about tax avoidance to tax evasion. Instead of EBTs being paid on a discretionary basis, as would prevent them being subject to PAYE or NIC, they are understood to have been written into the regular salaries of players, and officials. That could leave Rangers subject to unpaid taxes of up to £35 million, plus penalties in the region of £14m. However, even before this potential tax bomb has hit, Rangers have appeared to be running into problems with creditors. “It never looks good for a company when they starting delaying to the last minute all transactions and [it] suggests underlying issues with their cost base that might only be resolved by administration,” said one insolvency expert. Those who want to believe Whyte has a cunning plan have suggested his determination to take in money – whether that be from transfers or his controversial securitisation of future season ticket sales – is a sign he is attempting to hunker down and weather the financial storm caused by the need to plug a £10m hole in annual funding of the club. Consequences Even in the unlikely event administration could be staved off, Whyte would still require to embark on a painful period of cost-cutting that would inevitably diminish Rangers’ on-field competitiveness. Scenario 2. Rangers lose tax tribunal but are ordered to pay only around £15m and enter administration. Ibrox sources, perhaps thinking wishfully, have been saying privately that the amount they may need to pay back to HMRC might be closer to £15m than £49m. “These tribunals take so long because there are such complexities about how the rules were, or should have been, interpreted on such schemes,” said the insolvency expert. “There won’t necessarily be a blanket decision that says all Rangers EBTs were ‘bad’, or alternatively that Rangers didn’t underpay any taxes. They could well win on some points and lose on others, so how much the final sum due might be could vary greatly. And the matter of calculating penalties is notoriously difficult.” Whyte has talked about the need for Rangers to start afresh. Even a lesser tax bill would require him to stem the club’s haemorrhaging of money because even £15m is a sum that could trigger administration. The Ibrox hierarchy is said to have been preparing for that eventuality for some time. “Administration allows you to freeze your liabilities and gives you a time period to take stock and work out how you move forward,” the insolvency expert said. In his takeover, Whyte essentially bought Rangers’ £18m debt from Lloyds and parked it in his company, then called Wavetower but now The Rangers FC Group Ltd. By doing so, he secured himself the position of preferred creditor status in the event of bankruptcy. That can only be a chip to play if supportive creditors cover 75 per cent of Rangers’ liabilities. To come out of administration to satisfy the football authorities, a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) would have to be obtained. That is when creditors agree to take a pence-in-the-pound portion of what they are owed. HMRC has a policy to vote against CVAs, so debts owed to those who would vote for a CVA would have to be three times what HMRC were owed. This becomes complicated by the £24m owed to Ticketus, which Whyte says has been underwritten by another of his companies. “It is impossible to know how all this could pan out for Rangers but exiting administration could be the real difficulty for them,” the insolvency expert said. Consequences As well as cuts even more savage than those outlined in the first case, Rangers would automatically be docked ten points from the Scottish Premier League. It is unlikely they could meet the SFA licensing criteria and so they could not compete in Europe next year. Scenario 3. Rangers lose the tax tribunal and face a bill in the region of £49m and go down the pre-pack administration route. If HMRC becomes Rangers’ main creditor to the tune of £49m, the club as we know it are frankly stuffed. The only end game then would be their liquidation. They can, though, strike pre-emptively. Before liquidation becomes reality Whyte can effectively agree to transfer all assets – players, stadium and training ground – from Rangers FC to The Rangers FC Group Ltd and form a ‘new-co’ or phoenix company. Creditors can whistle. “I see this as the most likely outcome,” said the insolvency expert. “It is perfectly legal, but brutal and so often the poor tax payers are the losers. However, thousands of companies carry out pre-pack administrations each year.” Consequence Cataclysmic for the entire Scottish game, potentially. It would be unprecedented for a football club in Scotland to take the new-co path. It is expected Rangers would do it quickly if they thought they were out of the league race, negating the impact of a ten-point penalty. Assets can be transferred in a matter of days and if Rangers made the move this season, the insolvency expert says it would present the SPL with a major headache. “Rangers could risk doing the pre-pack without knowing for sure the SPL would allow them to transfer their league share from the ‘old’ Rangers to the ‘new’ Rangers. They could risk it because if the league didn’t, the whole season would be destroyed, with all results involving Rangers having to be wiped or become 3-0 defeats and TV and sponsors deals having to be recalculated. It would be a nightmare, and to know just how much the SPL would want to avoid it, look at their efforts to keep Gretna going to the final day of the season four years ago,” said the insolvency expert. It is a decision for the six-strong SPL board “on which basis the transfer of a league share” is allowed. Even if there are no set rules governing a new-co, by rights a new Rangers should apply for SFA and SFL membership and join the Third Division. Yet there is an inter-dependency among SPL clubs, and a reliance on the four Old Firm games per season believed to be worth 30 per cent of central revenues. It is so great that the SPL board would be unlikely to destabilise the league by preventing the new Rangers taking the place of the current club. However, to prevent other SPL clubs following this Whyte blueprint, sanctions beyond the ten-point penalty would have to be placed on the phoenix company. It has been suggested that Celtic would press for the new Rangers to be docked 15 points for the next three seasons. That probably would still allow the Ibrox club to claim second place. Therefore, other clubs would demand central monies being distributed more evenly. In addition, the new Rangers would be prevented from playing European football for three years by UEFA, which has strict rules on new-cos, to stop clubs benefiting from the ‘financial doping’ that has become a crusade for president Michel Platini. “It couldn’t be just a ten-point penalty for a new-co because if Rangers lose the tax case it will amount to them playing players they couldn’t afford and costing Celtic titles and other clubs television money,” the insolvency expert said. “Yet even ten points for the first season and 15 points for the three following seasons is unlikely to stop other clubs looking to clean up their balance sheets, and maybe that is no bad thing.” Hearts, for one, could follow suit, and who knows beyond that.

Jig was superb today and regardless of what some fans think about him he did step up and play

DANIEL COUSIN won't make his debut at Dunfermline today — after Rangers failed in a last-gasp move to have him available for the trip to East End Park. • Gers pulled out all the stops to rush the deal through even though Cousin won't arrive in Scotland until this From Back Page morning. But Cousin's registration details hadn't arrived at the SFA at close of business last night. The deal is all but done — the only hold-up is the paperwork confirming his release from his club in Gabon, FC Sapins. Cousin is now set to make his second debut for Ally McCoist's side against Kilmarnock at Ibrox next Saturday. Meanwhile, Guinean ace Pascal Feindouno could be the next free agent to arrive at Gers after he was recommended to McCoist by three different agents. The 30-year-old midfielder, who had trials with Celtic last year, is without a club after leaving Swiss side Sion. They were deducted 36 points for fielding ineligible players and he decided to quit. Feindouno scored twice in Sion's 3-1 Europa League win over Celtic last August, but is now on the lookout for a move after turning out for his country in the African Cup of Nations. He played in all three of Guinea's games as they were eliminated at the group stage. Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/4123158/Rangers-news-Daniel-Cousin-wont-make-his-debut-at-Dunfermline-after-Rangers-failed-in-a-last-gasp-move-to-have-him-available.html#ixzz1m4Gfd2o1

CELTIC supporters have once again caused outrage in Edinburgh after their latest visit to Tynecastle. For there are reports of the Hearts ball boys and girls having to be rushed to safety, away from their positions in front of the stand housing Celtic supporters, after being targeted by a hail of missiles. Last season one ball boy was smacked on the head by a coin thrown by Celtic fans and needed hospital treatment for a brain injury. Now I understand various groups of Hearts supporters now plan to approach Edinburgh and Borders Police to demand an answer as to why there was not a stronger and more visible police presence among the Celtic supporters this week, given what happened last season. Hearts will also come under fire from their own supporters for the lack of a stronger and more proactive presence of stewards in the stand taken over by the IRA singing and chanting Celtic supporters. It is also believed that a ten-year-old schoolboy was struck by a coin. The primary schoolboy was in the area of the Wheatfield stand within missile throwing range of Celtic supporters in the away stand and was felled when things turned ugly at half time. There are fears among Heart of Midlothian supporters that their club and Edinburgh and Borders Police backed off as they feared a backlash from Celtic following an outcry from Parkhead supporters against police officers who attempted to control the Celtic supporters who were on the brink of rioting at Tynecastle last season. Television and newspapers made an attack on Celtic manager Neil Lennon by one deranged Hearts nut, who was promptly arrested, almost their only focus, all but ignoring the mayhem which went on in the stand occupied by Celtic zealots. But the media did give huge prominence to wild and totally unsubstantiated claims by Celtic supporters of heavy handed policing and stewarding. It is a tactic which seems to be working for Celtic fans as it appears to have put police on the back foot, with the stand where Celtic fans gather at Tynecastle becoming a virtual no-go area for the police. As well as ball boys and girls having to be removed from in front of Celticâ??s IRA chanting supporters for their own safety as missiles rained down on them and the injury to one primary schoolboy in the Wheatfield Stand, hit by a missile, there was also considerable damage to a number of the seats in the stand where Celtic supporters congregated. Following the knife attack on a Celtic supporter in the Celtic stand at Inverness and the Inverness steward who was spat on by a drunk Celtic fan before the match, there is now a real fear that the extreme element of IRA supporting zealots among travelling Celtic fans have scared off decent Celtic supporters from following their club. And that can only be bad news for all other Scottish Premier League clubs and their supporters, who must now brace themselves for trouble when the IRA zealots arrive in town brandishing Celtic colours and flying the Tricolour of the Republic of Ireland. http://leggoland2.blogspot.com/

If Cousin helps us retain our title then no,if we don't win it then yes:)

Rangers win race to sign Daniel Cousin as veteran striker snubs move to Championship DANIEL COUSIN'S agent last night insisted he has clinched a deal to take the striker back to Rangers. Adviser Willie McKay confirmed to Record Sport the 35-year-old will arrive in Scotland today via Germany to sign. The breakthrough agreement came just hours after Mackay had broadcast live on two teatime radio shows to savage Rangers chiefs over the negotiations. Cousin's agent revealed Birmingham were attempting to hijack the move to the SPL with a £20,000-a-week bid - FOUR times more than the £5000 at one time on offer at Ibrox. But McKay said: "I've just spoken with Craig Whyte and we have reached agreement on Daniel's wages. "Rangers are prepared to pay him £7500 a week. That is a lot less than stood to make at Birmingham but money was not the key issue. "I've agreed to take no fee to make this happen. "Daniel wants it, Ally McCoist wants it, so we've all had to do our bit to push this deal over the line. "Daniel is scheduled to be at Murray Park on Friday afternoon to rejoin the club." The deal, until the end of the season, looks to have been done after a farcical day of behind-the-scenes negotiations when McKay claimed the Cousin offer had been slashed back by Rangers operations executive Ali Russell to £5000 a week. McKay joked the SPL champs were having difficulties arranging Cousin's travel because no budget airlines fly out of Gabon. McKay rubbed further salt in Rangers' wounds by suggesting the reason he was still waiting for a return call from Whyte was because the new chairman's mobile phone had run out of credit. He said: "The lad is happy to come back but they have offered him 25 per cent of the last contract he was on at Rangers and that is £5000 a week. "There are further difficulties. EasyJet and Ryanair don't fly to Gabon. Ally is doing his very best to get him but I feel sorry for Ally. "I am just waiting for Craig Whyte to give me a call. Ali Russell phoned me and said Craig Whyte had said it was £7500. They offered £7500 then came back and offered £5000 a week. It's only 10 weeks and you know what he did to Celtic in the last game he played at Parkhead. "Daniel can get himself £20,000 a week at Birmingham but Rangers on his CV for a last contract sounded quite good to him." McKay's astonishing outburst came just hours after McCoist admitted he was desperate to land Cousin in time for tomorrow's SPL clash at Dunfermline. Record Sport revealed exclusively on Wednesday that McCoist had opened talks with the Gabon striker in the hope of landing him as a free agent - three years after he left Ibrox for Hull in a £3million deal. McCoist expected Cousin to catch a flight to Paris late last night then jump on a flight to Scotland but although the player's bags were packed the deal threatened to stall over personal terms. Former Rangers chief scout Ewan Chester was trying to lure Cousin to Birmingham instead. McCoist said: "We need strength up front and Daniel can do a job because he's strong and powerful. "He's older now but I watched his performances in the African Nations Cup and from what I saw he would definitely do a job for us. "If he's here on time and fit, Daniel will be in the reckoning for the game at East End Park. "If I was him I'd be looking at this move in a positive way. It's a great opportunity to get back to a big club and score goals that'll help Rangers maintain a serious title challenge" http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2012/02/10/rangers-win-race-to-sign-daniel-cousin-as-veteran-striker-snubs-move-to-championship-86908-23742881/

I believe he can do a job for us,if he is up for it then he might be the spark we are looking for to get back on a winning run,also his temperment needs to be right. Daniel Cousin Tribute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43528lPKRM0

DANIEL COUSIN is set to be catapulted straight into an SPL title fight with Rangers when he jets into Scotland tomorrow. And the striker has told Ally McCoist that he is capable of scoring the goals to land the Ibrox side the title. The 35-year-old Gabon captain will touch down in Edinburgh and sign a short-term deal ahead of the SPL meeting with Dunfermline just 24 hours later. “I won the league with Rangers and it would be a dream to do it again,” said Cousin. “I know things are difficult at the club right now. But I believe I could help Ally and the rest of the players retain the title. “I have been playing well and feel in good shape. I scored goals in Scotland before and I can again. “My goal against Celtic in my final game for Rangers is something I will always remember. “I now want to continue from where I left off. I played under a great manager in Walter Smith and it was a memorable experience. Now Ally is the coach and I’d love to play for him. When I was deciding whether or not to leave Rangers, Ally told me I should stay. That shows he likes me as a player so hopefully I can help him out now." According to the player’s agent, Willie McKay, Cousin wishes he had not left Rangers in the first place. And the hit man – currently a free agent – had no hesitation in taking up the challenge when offered the chance earlier this week. Cousin will board a flight tonight from his homeland and expects to be introduced to his new team-mates in time for the weekend game at East End Park. "Ally has asked him to help with the cause and Daniel is delighted to do so," said McKay. "Rangers are a massive club. He never wanted to leave, but the club received a good offer that was too good to turn down. "There were other offers on the table for Daniel but, as soon as he spoke to Ally, he wanted to go back to Rangers. "Daniel was the top man in the Old Firm games during his first stint and there is no reason why he can’t do that again." Having lost Nikica Jelavic to Everton, McCoist regards the experienced Cousin as an ideal replacement and a permanent deal could be in the offing if the striker impresses this term. McCoist told Blues News: "We definitely, definitely need to strengthen, if we can, in the forward area. "There are one or two we have been looking at and, if we get the opportunity to bring them in, then I will." Meanwhile, Rangers have been accused of trying to wriggle out of paying £240,000 for Mervan Celik, after suggestions Swedish side GAIS failed to offer the player a contract extension 60 days before his deal expired. However, the club have denied this is the case and the player himself has confirmed that. "Rangers took a chance that we would not have a receipt to prove we offered him a contract," said GAIS sports director Mats Persson. "It feels like a desperate attempt to avoid paying." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/daniel-cousin-in-frame-for-an-instant-rangers-return-1.1147201

CELTIC supporters now seem to have taken to fighting among themselves over the Green Brigadeâ??s anthems of hate. And police in Inverness are following a line of enquiry that this is what led to a Celtic supporter being slashed in the face with a knife in the away stand when Celtic were there for a Scottish Cup tie last Saturday. One police theory is believed to be that the victim took exception to the bellowing of IRA songs and chants by the large and loud Celtic support which invaded the Highland capital. Certainly the early kick off did not stop Celtic supporters turning up at the stadium, drunk. In fact one drunk was refused entry and then had to be dealt with by the courts after he spat on the Inverness Caley Thistle steward who barred his way. And there was also the full repertoire of songs and chants in support for the IRA terrorist murders, especially prominent, the Boys of the Old Brigade which paints an utterly false heroic picture of an IRA flying column which went on an ethnic cleansing pogrom in the Free State in the early 1920s. But the incidents in Inverness were just the latest from a Celtic support which seems to believe it can get away with anything. Strathclyde police are still looking for the two Celtic fans who attacked a youth on a train after he remonstrated with them over their IRA singing. This may well turn out to be another outbreak of the civil war which may have led to the Celtic supporter being attacked in the Celtic stand at Inverness. For there are Celtic supporters out there who want the IRA terror songs to stop shaming he club. They are a growing band and they have started speaking out against the IRA men, particularly at away games when the anthems of hate are at their loudest. This is what some believe led to the knife attack in the Celtic stand at Inverness. And perhaps that was what lay behind the strange statement from the head man in the Official Celtic Supportersâ?? Association, Joe Oâ??Rourke, ahead of Celticâ??s trip to play Hearts at Tynecastle last night. Oâ??Rourke claimed that he had information that non Celtic fans had got their hands on tickets for the Celtic stand and were planning to sing IRA songs to get Celtic into trouble and also provoke a disturbance. It was interesting to note that this unprecedented statement came from Oâ??Rourke and not from Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell and that it was made a few days after a Celtic supporter had been attacked in the Celtic stand at Inverness. As it was, those away supporters got a clear view of a ball which crossed the Celtic goal line, but which did not result in a goal being awarded to Hearts. Thatâ??s the second time that has happened this season, the first was when Rangers were denied a clear goal during the Old Firm game at Parkhead just before New Year. Just imagine the outcry â?? not to mention the potential for trouble among the IRA supporters â?? had that happened the other way around. But according to Joe Oâ??Rourke, any trouble would have all been caused, not by some IRA flying column in the Celtic stand, but by anti Celtic fifth columnists. Maybe he will now try to claim they are the same one who caused the violence in Inverness and belted out all the IRA anthems in Inverness and Edinburgh. â?¦â?¦..ANDâ?¦â?¦ MY highlighting of Diarmid Oâ??Hara, the man who rules the Reporting Scotland roost, has certainly put the cat among the pigeons. And seen a number of low level operators in a number of BBC offices north and south of Hadrianâ??s Wall, pass on more information about him. A number of people have commented on my use of nhis childrens' names. This is something I considered long and hard. However, Diarmid O'Hara was willing to name them in a piece he wrote for the Scotsman, therefore it was their father who put their names in the public domain in a national newspaper read by over 100,000 people. It was also noticeable that Diarmid Oâ??Haraâ??s favourite holiday retreat, the Isle of Barra, figured so prominently on Reporting Scotland last night, on the very day when I mentioned his love of it. There will be more on the extremely powerful and highly influential Diarmid Oâ??Hara soon. HERE! SOON! http://leggoland2.blogspot.com/

The SFA then confirmed they have been asked by the SPL champions to contact their African counterparts for the paperwork which proves Cousin’s contract with local minnow FC Sapins expired before the end of the January transfer window. However, last night head of registrations Sandy Bryson was still waiting on word back from Gabon’s FA to clarify whether or not Cousin is indeed a free agent and able to rejoin his old club nearly four years after signing for Hull City in a £3million deal. Cousin’s camp, meanwhile, are adamant their man is free to make the move after coming out of a temporary deal with Sapins which was only set up in the first place in order to give him game time ahead of the African Nations Cup. And despite the red-tape delay they remain hopeful Cousin could be back in Scotland in time to make a second Rangers debut in this weekend’s SPL clash at Dunfermline. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2012/02/09/rangers-face-anxious-wait-for-clearance-in-their-bid-to-resign-striker-daniel-cousin-86908-23741502/

DANIEL COUSIN has told Ally McCoist he'll score the goals to win Rangers the SPL. The Gabon striker has held talks with the Ibrox boss over a shock return to the club. Striker Cousin, 35, is available on a free and insists he's NOT simply holding out for a big pay day. His agent, Willie Mackay, is ready to broker a deal with Craig Whyte in the next 24 hours. It's understood Cousin will jet into Scotland tomorrow morning for signing talks on a contract until the end of the season. Last night Cousin told SunSport: "I'm excited about the possibility of returning to Rangers. "It's a special club for me and I hope we can reach an agreement in the next few days. "The moment my agent called me to say there was interest I told him I wanted to make it happen. "I won the league there before and it would be a dream to do it again. "I know things are difficult at the club right now. "But I believe I could help Ally and the rest of the players retain the title. "I have been playing well and feel in good shape. I scored goals in Scotland before and I can again. "My goal against Celtic in my final game for Rangers is something I will always remember. "I now want to continue from where I left off." Cousin has been on Africa Cup of Nations duty with co-hosts Gabon, reaching the quarter-finals. But he's now without a club after quitting FC Sapins in his homeland. Qatar outfit Lekhwiya — who lured Madjid Bougherra from Gers last summer — have made him a big-money offer with clubs in Dubai also interested. But Cousin insisted: "I could sign for other clubs for more money but that's not important to me at this stage of my career. "I enjoyed my time in Scotland and it would be good for me to return. "I played under a great manager in Walter Smith and it was a memorable experience. "Now Ally is the coach and I'd love to play for him. When I was deciding whether or not to leave Rangers Ally told me I should stay. "That shows he likes me as a player so hopefully I can help him out now." Meanwhile, Namibian full-back Miguel Hamutenya will have to wait until next season for a move to Ibrox after red tape dashed his hopes of playing this campaign. The 19-year-old, who impressed McCoist during a recent trial, hasn't received international clearance from the Namibian FA. He has joined Maltese First Division side Luxol St Andrews on a short-term deal until May while that issue is resolved. Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/4118244/I-can-win-Coisty-the-title.html#ixzz1ls5uByz2

Over now though

Hearts goal dissallowed,BEASTS go up and score,ah well game over

What's the chances of a wee favour from the jam tarts tonight? Mon the Hertz

The Football Association can confirm that Fabio Capello has today resigned as England Manager. This follows a meeting involving FA Chairman David Bernstein, FA General Secretary Alex Horne and Fabio Capello at Wembley Stadium. The discussions focused on The FA Boardâ??s decision to remove the England team captaincy from John Terry, and Fabio Capelloâ??s response through an Italian broadcast interview. In a meeting for over an hour, Fabioâ??s resignation was accepted and he will leave the post of England Manager with immediate effect. David Bernstein said: â??I would like to stress that during todayâ??s meeting and throughout his time as England Manager, Fabio has conducted himself in an extremely professional manner. We have accepted Fabioâ??s resignation, agreeing this is the right decision. We would like to thank Fabio for his work with the England team and wish him every success in the future.â? A media conference with David Bernstein and the Club England Management team will take place at Wembley on Thursday at 12 noon. The FA will not be making any further comment until the media conference. http://www.thefa.com/England/News/2012/080212.aspx

Of course we can win the league,it's a tough ask,but then again when is it ever easy. I believe we have enough quality to win it,but the players need to get their fingers oot their arses,and if Lafferty can hit the ground running and stay fit.

The BHEASTS will probably snap him up now:D

To be honest I actualy think he could still do a job for us in the SPL,we desperately need a striker in so why not?

:devil:

I don't know how he will perform,if he signs?,as you could never tell when he was here first time round.By all accounts he had a decent tournament with Gabon,we are desperate for some power up front and he can provide this,if he's in the mood?.I'm not sure if this will work,but then again he might just do a job for the rest of the season?.

I think that is exactly what we are unfortunately

@STVGrant Grant Russell Confirmation from the @Scottish_FA that, if Daniel Cousin was to sign for Rangers, he would be banned for 1 SPL game due to outstanding ban. 9 minutes ago via TweetDeck

HIGH level BBC bosses based in London are starting to express their concern as to the way their colleagues at BBC Scotland are treating Rangers. I can reveal that the recent run of stories slanted against Rangers by the Diarmid Oâ??Hara led staff at BBC Scotlandâ??s Reporting Scotland flagship programme has been brought to the attention of BBC management at a senior level in London. A number of senior level Scots at the BBC in London have been keeping tabs on the way they believe the Reporting Scotland editor Diarmid Oâ??Hara sets what appears to many to be an anti Rangers agenda. This is particularly true about the way Diarmid Oâ??Hara seems to indulge BBC Scotlandâ?? investigative reporter, Mark Daly. This includes sending Daly on an expensive licence fee payers funded junket to Monte Carlo for the sole purpose of being filmed, standing in front of the harbour there delivering a piece to camera relating to their probe into Ibrox owner Craig Whyte. But concern about what some in London regard as what looks to many like a vendetta against Rangers by Diarmid Oâ??Hara and his Reporting Scotland, were further triggered by the way their most recent attack on Whyte and Rangers was handled. The item made the lead story on Reporting Scotland was then touched on again at the start of the sports news slot in the programme. Then, on Newsnight Scotland, the Mark Daly report which had been aired on Reporting Scotland was repeated again, this time with a background of sinister sounding music. There then followed a studio bound interview of Mark Daly, conducted by anchor Glen Campbell, which revealed nothing new and appeared as simply a device to extend the item. I know of at least one London based Scot who has a senior management post who has been watching events at BBC Scotland closely and who, after speaking to another experienced expat, has now compiled his own report, featuring not only the Mark Daly reports, but also the many times and ways which reporter Chris McLaughlin handles stories concerning Rangers. The most recent was when he clearly displayed on camera the name â??Hunskelperâ? on the Twitter responses he was using to crank up his story. Hun is a word which no less an authority that the assistant chief constable of Strathclyde, Campbell Corrigan, has outlawed as sectarian. However, according to my high ranking London based BBC source, the man who pulls all the strings on Reporting Scotland and who has to be pandered to, is the man at the top, the editor of Reporting Scotland and all other BBC television news bulletins, Diarmid Oâ??Hara. And he is a man who little is known of. In fact, it is not even known if he is Scottish or comes from elsewhere in the UK. Diarmid Oâ??Hara has, as far as I can see, has only broken cover once. That was when he wrote a piece in the Scotsman whining about a dreadful journey back from a family holiday on Barra. In the piece Diarmid Oâ??Hara told us that he is married, though not his wifeâ??s name. He did tell us that he has three children, who he was happy to name in the Scotsman as Cormac, Sinead and Patrick, as they also had to endure a nightmare trip back from Barra. However, unlike many in the broadcasting industry, and that includes those who pull the strings, but do not appear on screen, Diarmid Oâ??Hara is curiously reticent and is not to be found on Twitter or Facebook. He is a man who prefers to lurk in the shadows and do his work almost anonymously. And his work is deciding what stories are carried by Reporting Scotland, how they are treated and how often they are repeated. Which in the case of anything which shows Rangers in a bad light means over and over and over again. Even on another programme! It now remains to be seen if the men at the top of the BBC in London will deem the situation in their Scottish outpost as worthy of their attention. http://leggoland2.blogspot.com/