ian1964

I imagine it will get a wee airing:whistle:

Lifted from FF To the tune of A wid rather be a D@@@@ie than a tim Id rather fiddle taxes than the kids Oh Id rather fiddle taxes than the kids Oh id rather fiddle taxes than put it up kids jaxes Id rather fiddle taxes than the kids It made me laugh:D

Former Rangers strike star Billy Dodds has backed Maurice Edu to play a pivotal part for the SPL champions when they face Celtic in the first Old Firm game of the season at Ibrox on Sunday. The USA internationalist arguably enjoyed his best outing of the season in the 1-0 victory over Dundee United at Tannadice last Saturday. Although Gers midfield enforcer Lee McCulloch did make a late cameo appearance, his lack of game time after an injury absence would seem to point to Edu continuing to occupy the main defensive berth in the Ibrox boiler-room. Despite Edu having attracted attention from French cracks Auxerre during the transfer window after an uneasy start to the campaign, Doddsy believes the 25-year-old has a key role to play against the Hoops. He said: â??I would say Mo Edu is the prototype modern midfield destroyer. If he is playing in a midfield with more than one creative player around him then he keeps things simple, breaks up the opposition play and slots neat, short passes to the likes of Steven Davis. He is very good at that. â??Where Mauriceâ??s problems arise is when there is maybe more than one defensive midfielder in the team and he has to play a game that he is not comfortable with. â??That is when he has to come up with something creative, as he did during the game at Maribor, when Lee McCulloch also played, and it didnâ??t quite work out for him. â??But this game is at Ibrox and I think Ally McCoist will post a fairly offensive midfield. Steven Naismith maybe on one flank and either Gregg Wylde or Matt McKay on the left-hand side and Davis inside. â??If Coisty does that and Edu plays, it would allow him to get on with doing what he does best. I think he could have a key role to play.â? Dodds added: â??Lee McCulloch is going to be lacking a bit in match sharpness, and Edu has the legs, youth and hunger to combat Celtic in the central areas and break them up. â??If the game was at Celtic Park then maybe the experience of McCulloch would be preferred. Lee has always done an effective job for Rangers in Old Firm matches but, with this one at Ibrox, I think Ally will stick with Edu.â? Given that Sundayâ??s clash is the first Old Firm encounter of the new campaign, many see it as a game that carries extra significance. Indeed, with the financial clouds hanging over the SPL champions and the fact that it is manager McCoistâ??s first Old Firm game in charge, it could be argued the need for a home win is even greater than normal. But Dodds, who starred for Gers between 1999 and 2003, dismisses that suggestion. He said: â??Obviously every one of these games is massively important to everyone involved. On top of that, the winner will occupy pole position in the SPL. â??But you would have to say that if you were going to lose an Old Firm game, the first one of the season would be the one do so. That is because the damage inflicted is not terminal and there is room for recovery. â??Given how tight the cham-pionship race has been in recent seasons, you can very rarely say that of the derby games which come in the second half of the season.â? http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/editor-s-picks/billy-dodds-backs-rangers-enforcer-maurice-edu-to-star-in-derby-clash-1.1123641

The Rangers Supportersâ?? Trust today launched a stinging attack on axed chief executive Martin Bain after his unfair dismissal case against the club saw a judge freeze £480,000 of the clubâ??s money. Bainâ??s legal team were in court in Edinburgh to begin their case after he was removed by new owner Craig Whyte just after he took over the club last May. They claimed Rangersâ?? ongoing financial situation should see the funds â?? half of Bainâ??s near-£1million compensation claim â?? ring-fenced pending the outcome of the hearing. The club are vigorously defending the action and have launched their own counter-claim against Bain for breach of contract, which he denies. Now, after HMRC won a court order to freeze around £2.5m of Rangersâ?? money last month as they slug it out with the Ibrox side over an unpaid tax bill, the club effectively has £3m it cannot lay its hands on pending the verdict on the two cases. And Bainâ??s actions have infuriated the powerful Trust. A spokesman told SportTimes: â??For Martin Bain to have attempted to portray himself as a supporter of the club during his tenure as chief executive and now to be trying to sue for the level of compensation he is, is very, very disappointing. â??This is a man who was paid a massive salary, with wage rises well above inflation year in, year out. Let us not forget that he ran the regime which has left Craig Whyte with the mess he now has to clear up. â??So for him now to be suing the club for the amount he is, combined with someone leaking legal papers on the internet at the weekend, is something that is beyond the pale. â??If Martin Bain truly considers himself a Rangers fan then he should drop his case and walk away.â? The RST has also expressed its sympathy for Whyte overall as he fights fires all over the place. But while the fansâ?? group, which has a membership of over 20,000, is supportive of the new ownerâ??s attempts to get to grips with a debt he inherited from the regime of Sir David Murray, it is also seeking a meeting with him in a bid to obtain further clarity and assurances over the clubâ??s financial opposition. The spokesman added: â??We have a great deal of sympathy for the financial position Craig Whyte inherited from the Sir David Murray regime. He could easily have walked away from the club rather than take it on, given the issues that awaited him. No-one should forget that. â??But we are very keen to have a meting with Mr Whyte and seek clarity and greater assurances on a number of issues. We are at a stage where we need more.â? http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/editor-s-picks/fans-blast-martin-bain-over-court-action-1.1123645

I'm not very good with the early bevying Gribz,it never seems right drinking at breakfast time and I always feel like a jakey:redface: But I'll suffer it I suppose:grin::cheers:

It may be the beautiful game, but football's finances are looking ugly. Accountants PKF underlined as much today, with their latest take on the game north and south of the border. Its survey found a lot of pessimism, delays in paying tax bills, too much debt, not enough TV income, falling gate takings and a struggle to secure sponsorship. All this while first team squads are shrinking, yet player pay doesn't seem to be adjusting to the harsh realities of the downturn. The survey is based on less than half the Scottish Premier League, so statistically, it has to be treated with a lot of care. But it's in line with much else we've been hearing about football finance. We've been hearing a lot about one club in particular, as Craig Whyte discovers, as the new boss at Ibrox, that he's operating in a goldfish bowl - lots of people staring in, and some of the goldfish, it seems, given to eating their own kind. Possible insolvency A leaked version of the legal submission in an action against Rangers by its former chief executive Martin Bain is firmer evidence - if genuine - of much that has been rumoured. And it includes reference to £49m of tax bill - that's £35m plus penalty - over which Rangers is still battling with HM Revenue and Customs. The story continued yesterday with Craig Whyte gathering sports reporters to reassure them about Rangers' finances, and to tell them that Rangers will still be playing at Ibrox long after they're all dead. It wasn't a claim he was willing to put on camera - a media strategy that makes you wonder what they've got to fear from a lens and a microphone. This wasn't the most reassuring of messages, as reported today. Years of pain and cuts are ahead, and he couldn't make any guarantees about the club's future if it loses the larger of two tax disputes. "I won't let club go bust," was one headline. Don't be so sure, was the view of the Court of Session today. Martin Bain's lawyers successfully argued that the risk of insolvency at Ibrox is sufficiently high and imminent that money should be set aside pending the outcome of his legal action - not the £1.3m he is claiming, but £480,000. That adds to the £2.3m which, it was claimed by Bain's counsel, is already frozen in pursuit of the smaller of HMRC's two tax claims. But what about the £49m bill, if they lose the tax tribunal in November? There's still an expectation at Ibrox that Rangers can win that. "If we don't, let's deal with that then," Whyte is quoted as saying yesterday. "There's no point in speculating about what may or may not happen". Unfortunately for him, that speculation is exactly what many football fans are engaged in. And I've been making some inquiries about the accounting and legal position Rangers is now in. So here are some of those hypotheticals: Leaving aside the tax bills, could Rangers go under? It depends on its main creditor being willing to continue that line of credit. And as its main creditor is Craig Whyte, who took over (or so it seemed) the £18m debt previously held by Lloyds Banking Group, that much looks secure for now. He's talking of "restructuring" the company's finances, but told his newspaper chums: "The club is not going to go under." With that assurance, the club therefore needs revenue to come somewhere close to expenditure. That's become much more difficult without earnings from European competition this season. The player wage bill has risen since Craig Whyte took over in May, we're told. And at least one of its revenue streams - for catering - has been signed away to another company. Could Craig Whyte benefit from collapsing the club? There's some speculation that Craig Whyte could choose to push the club into administration, and as lead creditor, he could expect to buy it back without its other debts. That would break his promise not to let the club go bust, but it could probably be achieved without fans noticing any difference on the pitch. It would require the agreement of creditors, among whom Craig Whyte would be dominant. Such a 'pre-pack deal' - the management collapsing the company, while it continues to trade, then buying it back from the administrator minus its debts - has been used repeatedly through this downturn. But there's evidence in recent months that creditors are challenging such deals in court, so it's not clear that Craig Whyte would get the administrator to sell the club back to him. He must be aware the football league rules could punish the club by non-financial means, deducting points. Also, an administrator could take a look at the legal position on the tax tribunal, and decide that it's not worth pursuing - whatever Craig Whyte might think - in which case HMRC becomes the biggest creditor by far. So collapsing the club's finances does not look like an attractive or even a rational option, unless a much bigger bill comes in, which leads to... What happens if Rangers loses its larger tax case? The outstanding sum in dispute from the smaller tax case looks affordable. It's hard to imagine that £1.4m would sink the club. But a bill for £49m is rather different. The leaked legal submission in the Martin Bain case asserts that Craig Whyte has said privately that he would handle a bill up to £15m, but after that, the club would go under. That's not being confirmed, but nor is it being denied in the reported comments from the man who controls 85% of Rangers shares. Questioned by the press, he refused to give a guarantee that the club would survive losing the tribunal. It's worth noting that HMRC is playing tough as creditor, and particularly with football clubs. That's because clubs have long had a habit - not allowable among mere mortal companies - that they can keep trading while technically insolvent. That's not been the case for Rangers, but what it's discovering is the hard-nosed attitude of HMRC towards challenging CVAs, or creditors' voluntary arrangements to let a company go down and then picking up the pieces, minus the tax bill. The tax authority could also have an interest in pursuing its case against Rangers for £49m post-administration, even if it had little chance of recovering that money - if only to set a legal precedent for others who have used offshore financial vehicles to pay employees. Tax crackdown So collapsing the company ahead of a ruling by the tax tribunal would not make the case go away. And if HMRC becomes the largest creditor, having won the tax dispute, then the tax authority is in the driving seat in determining who controls the club when it comes out of administration. The administrator has a legal duty to try to rescue the business as a going concern and to sell it on, seeking compromise between creditors to get the best deal for all of them. Those who fear Rangers would go the way of Gretna should be reassured by that. There is still a lot of value in the club, its ground, its brand and its following, but only if it continues to trade and to play football. Other factors worth noting about HMRC's recent behaviour: it's begun to use a legal power that has been little used for years, which holds directors personally liable for tax, and particularly for national insurance, that's gone unpaid. Could that extend to former directors? Apparently so. Watch out, Sir David Murray. It's also keen to challenge the assertion by football's ruling bodies that football debts, such as player transfer fees, should take priority over all other bills. Unsurprisingly, HMRC begs to differ, seeing itself as first in the queue. One final word of advice from m'learned friends: company administrations are best when they're planned, and the outcome determined in advance. By Douglas faser http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-14907874

Excellent mate,it will blow the wee men away,mind your camera it will be one for the album

These feckin early kick offs,spoils a good day out when you canny meet up for a wee prematch bevvy:mad:

GW corner for us,place will be jumping!!!. I was actually contemplating going through to Glasgow on the Saturday night and staying at an Hotel,a wee night oot in Glesga,and a few prematch beers sound good.

Who's all going on Sunday?. I'll be there,canny fookin wait for this game. :spl::spl::spl:

Over the next three weeks or so the Celtic supporters are going to once again be put to the test; and on different issues; as a support we need to be vigilant and be very careful how we react to certain situations. First test will come this week in Madrid, the problem here will be that Madrid if full of Spanish people; well spotted I hear you say; so let me explain. Madrid as you know is the capital of Spain, and the inhabitants of the city are very proud of that fact; so where is the problem? Hopefully there will not be a problem. Some of our supporters over the years have grown fond of the Basque struggle for independence; similar in some ways to the struggles in Ireland and Palestine; and in support of those struggles some of our supporters like to carry the Basque flag. While we have it in good authority the Celtic supporters will be made most welcome in the city and in the stadium itself; we are informed that the displaying of the Basque flag would not be looked on favourably by the police or security; and they may well try and remove them from the stadium. Test No 2 comes at Snake Mountain on Sunday; once again I hear we may be subjected to a minutes silence for two Rangers supporters who died fifty years ago; and for a former player who has recently passed away (the minutes silence has yet to be confirmed). While I have no problem whatsoever with people paying their respect to those who have gone before us; it seems that every time we play them there is some kind of ceremony taking place; and I donâ??t believe itâ??s all coincidence. The 3rd test and maybe the most serious comes on October 2nd when we go to Little Snake Mountain in Edinburgh; the home of Heart of Midlothian Football Club, there has always been a poisonous atmosphere there, but with the astonishing acquittal of Hearts supporter John Wilson on charges of assaulting Neil Lennon the atmosphere could be even worse. I, along with the Celtic Trust met with Celticâ??s Head of Operations Ronnie Hawthorn to discuss a few issues regarding security. Ronnie will have his pre-match security meeting for Tynecastle next week; I will keep you informed of any developments on that front. Back to Snake Mountain on Sunday; recent incidents would appear to suggest that the police still donâ??t know what they are doing in terms of the new offensive behaviour legislation. I would suggest that if any Celtic supporter feels they are being unfairly dealt with; there are a couple of things you should do. First of all get the number of any member of the police or security you are dealing with; get details of any witnesses; and get video evidence if possible; I suggest these only as a precaution; hopefully it will not be required.

Mad Joe O;Rourke Published on 13-09-2011 12:58 PM 4 Comments Over the next three weeks or so the Celtic supporters are going to once again be put to the test; and on different issues; as a support we need to be vigilant and be very careful how we react to certain situations. First test will come this week in Madrid, the problem here will be that Madrid if full of Spanish people; well spotted I hear you say; so let me explain. Madrid as you know is the capital of Spain, and the inhabitants of the city are very proud of that fact; so where is the problem? Hopefully there will not be a problem. Some of our supporters over the years have grown fond of the Basque struggle for independence; similar in some ways to the struggles in Ireland and Palestine; and in support of those struggles some of our supporters like to carry the Basque flag. While we have it in good authority the Celtic supporters will be made most welcome in the city and in the stadium itself; we are informed that the displaying of the Basque flag would not be looked on favourably by the police or security; and they may well try and remove them from the stadium. Test No 2 comes at Snake Mountain on Sunday; once again I hear we may be subjected to a minutes silence for two Rangers supporters who died fifty years ago; and for a former player who has recently passed away (the minutes silence has yet to be confirmed). While I have no problem whatsoever with people paying their respect to those who have gone before us; it seems that every time we play them there is some kind of ceremony taking place; and I don’t believe it’s all coincidence. The 3rd test and maybe the most serious comes on October 2nd when we go to Little Snake Mountain in Edinburgh; the home of Heart of Midlothian Football Club, there has always been a poisonous atmosphere there, but with the astonishing acquittal of Hearts supporter John Wilson on charges of assaulting Neil Lennon the atmosphere could be even worse. I, along with the Celtic Trust met with Celtic’s Head of Operations Ronnie Hawthorn to discuss a few issues regarding security. Ronnie will have his pre-match security meeting for Tynecastle next week; I will keep you informed of any developments on that front. Back to Snake Mountain on Sunday; recent incidents would appear to suggest that the police still don’t know what they are doing in terms of the new offensive behaviour legislation. I would suggest that if any Celtic supporter feels they are being unfairly dealt with; there are a couple of things you should do. First of all get the number of any member of the police or security you are dealing with; get details of any witnesses; and get video evidence if possible; I suggest these only as a precaution; hopefully it will not be required.

That's the thing here,CW believes he will win according to his advisors.Now I know that doesn't mean too much except that he believes he will win

Sion reclaims Europa League place Swiss football club FC Sion claims it has been reinstated in the Europa League after winning a provisional decision from a civil court in Uefa’s home canton. Sion says the judges’ interim measure in canton Vaud, where European football’s governing body is based, means it can replace Scottish club Celtic and face Atletico Madrid on Thursday in Spain. The civil ruling was announced while Uefa’s appeal panel was in session hearing Sion challenge its exclusion for fielding ineligible players in a playoff victory against Celtic. Sion lawyers went to civil courts after losing verdicts at world football’s governing body Fifa, Uefa, the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the Swiss supreme court. Sion broke Fifa transfer rules in 2008 by luring goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary to walk out on Egyptian club Al-Ahly. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/sport/Sion_reclaims_Europa_League_place_.html?cid=31126962

It would be better if the whole of Ibrox sung this for 90 mintues

@STVGrantGrant Russell Unless the UEFA Appeals body elect to refer Sion case back to Control and Disciplinary Body, their decision today, when it is made, is final

A Swiss court has said UEFA should reinstate FC Sion in the Europa League, just two days before the opening match of the competition, according to reports in Switzerland. UEFA are currently hearing an appeal from the club to give them their place back in the competition, having expelled Sion last week and named Celtic in Group I. But as deliberations continue in Nyon, Le Matin states a local court in Vaud has granted Sion an order which the Swiss club say will lead to them travelling to Spain to play Atletico Madrid on Thursday. Sion congratulated the decision of the Swiss court on their official Twitter feed, remarking simply: "Madrid, Sion is coming". A three-man delegation from Sion is currently at UEFA's headquarters arguing their case to be reinstated in the Europa League, with the hearing having started at 9am UK time. http://sport.stv.tv/football/scottish-premier/celtic/270057-swiss-court-ruling-but-uefa-appeal-decision-still-pending/

A Swiss court has said UEFA should reinstate FC Sion in the Europa League, just two days before the opening match of the competition. UEFA are currently hearing an appeal from the club to give them their place back in the competition, having been expelled last week. Celtic were given their spot in Group I and they are currently due to travel to face Atletico Madrid on Thursday, but the court ruling casts doubt over which team will participate in that fixture. http://sport.stv.tv/football/scottish-premier/celtic/270057-swiss-court-ruling-but-uefa-appeal-decision-still-pending/

WHYTE ASSURES RANGERS FANS Craig Whyte has assured Rangers fans that the club's future is safe in his hands. Concerns over the club's solvency were raised in the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Friday by Glasgow law firm Levy and McRae, who took action to secure payment of a £35,000 bill. Rangers later hit out at comments made during the hearing in a statement which described the concerns as "unfounded, unwarranted and nothing more than scaremongering tactics." The Ibrox club then condemned a "whispering campaign" after legal papers apparently relating to former chief executive Martin Bain's claim against the club for unfair dismissal were leaked "illegally". The Scottish champions are also involved in two separate cases with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, both relating to payments made before Whyte took over as owner from Sir David Murray in May. The club have not paid a £2.8million tax bill which first emerged in April relating to payments made to staff from 1999 to 2003, but they are believed to be disputing a fine that goes with it. And an on-going tax tribunal, which could reportedly could cost the club up to £49million, will resume in November. Whyte moved to ease any fears that Light Blues' supporters may have with regards their club's future. "Rangers will always be there and playing at Ibrox," he told Press Association Sport. "They will be there long after I'm dead and buried. "The press we have received over the last week has been horrendous but we are in a better position than we were a year ago. "Lloyds debt has been paid off and we are in control of our own destiny. "We accept that there are challenges ahead. "There are other issues but everyone is aware of them and we are working our way through them but as I say, the club is in a better position than we were a year ago." Referring to the leaked document which caused such a stir over the weekend, Whyte said that Bain has a "cheek" pursuing his claim. "There was a lot of stuff in the document which was opinion and which we don't agree with," he said. "Every Rangers fan will see it for what it is. "It could not be taken as partial and some of it is absolute drivel and ludicrous. "The most ludicrous thing of all is that Martin Bain is looking for £1.3million from the club. He has a cheek." Bain was unavailable for comment. http://www.sportinglife.com/football/scottishpremier/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/11/09/12/SOCCER_Rangers_Whyte.html

If this had been any other club I would NEVER have touched it CRAIG WHYTE describes himself as a turnaround expert. Had he been buying any football club other than Rangers that's exactly what he'd have done. Turned around... and walked the other way. Whyte, 40, is now four months into his Ibrox reign and knows things are not looking good. The government insists tax doesn't have to be taxing. But try telling that to Rangers fans all around the world terrified over the club's future. Whyte feels their pain, insisting he's one of them. He knew dark days lay ahead when he was in discussions to buy the club from Sir David Murray. The situation looked so bleak he's now admitted he would have never have gone ahead with the deal for any other business. Whyte told SunSport: "I'm going to have some tough decisions to make in the weeks and months ahead. "But the fact is I bought control of the club because I'm a Rangers fan and I want the best for it. "I know there are some really tough days ahead. "But then I knew at the time of the takeover that the tax bill was a potential problem. "I decided to plough on anyway. "I did that because I'm a Rangers fan. "To be honest, had I put the sensible business head on I probably wouldn't have done it. But I felt I could essentially save the club. "Let's face it, this is a turnaround deal which is what I do, albeit this one is very different from previous deals I've been involved in because I'm in the public spotlight all the time now. But it's no different from the fundamental issues which need to be addressed. "The truth is, had it just been any other business — or any other football club for that matter — I wouldn't have touched it. Definitely not. "The tax issue is a big issue. There are a lot of historic issues here which need to be dealt with. A lot of deals done in the past several years which are not great for the club — but we're stuck with them. Basically there is a mess to sort out. "I get people calling me up every day asking if we're going out of business. I've heard we're never going to play another match and things like that. It's all absolute nonsense." Half the problem is that many people believe it's all smoke and mirrors with Whyte. A man without substance. That he's taken charge of Rangers purely and simply as a money-making exercise — because he doesn't have any. Other than him printing off his own bank statement and showing it to the world, hard facts are hard to come by where his personal wealth is concerned. But for what it's worth Whyte insists he DOES have the cash to take Rangers where their supporters want to go. Leaning back on his chair in the manager's office at Ibrox, shaking his head, he added: "It's all a bit absurd. "How could I be sitting here if I didn't have the money? It's just ridiculous. Maybe I'm not Roman Abramovich but I never said I was. "I have never claimed to have that kind of wealth. Some of the comments flying around are just crazy. "To be honest I don't read most of the c*** which is online in particular. "But last week, when I was subject to constant criticism, it's not pleasant. Listen, I cannot complain about that because I put myself in this position. "I knew this was going to be a high profile role so I can't complain about it." What cannot be pinned on Whyte is the financial mess Rangers currently finds itself in. That's down to the previous regime, on Sir David Murray's watch. Was there mismanagement during that time? Whyte nods his head and insists that there was. He added: "Yes, I think that's fair comment. I can see reasons why certain things were done. Things were done to bring in more money quickly. "But the club is paying the price of that now. "Have I been shocked by what I've found. Yes, there have been some shocking things which have been uncovered. Absolutely, yes." With Ally McCoist as manager Whyte insists they are in good hands arguably where it matters most — on the pitch. He added: "I have a great relationship with Ally. We talk all the time and get on really well together. "Generally we agree on everything that needs to be done. "What people see in public with Ally is pretty much what you get from him behind closed doors. "He's a Rangers legend and I enjoy sitting with him after a game with a glass of wine. We talk about all sorts of things. "The closer you get to someone the more you get to know them and find out more there is to know. But we have a great relationship. "We're sitting at the top of the league at the moment. We'll see how Sunday goes but the manager and his team are confident of getting a good result. "But I think we've got a team more than good enough to win the SPL." Despite the troubles Rangers face Whyte is convinced the storm clouds will soon disperse. For the time being he's trying to focus on Rangers' next match — which just happens to be Sunday's Old Firm crunch with Celtic. He added: "I'm looking forward to the game but then who wouldn't enjoy it? "Maybe you should come back and see me afterwards, at the end of the match, and ask if I have enjoyed it. "But hopefully I'll be saying the same thing. "What I've found is that you can't enjoy the games in the same way as you did as a fan. You can never really relax and enjoy it. "I'm looking forward to Sunday. It's obviously the biggest game of the season domestically. And I plan to enjoy every minute of it." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3810811/Gers-supremo-on-turmoil-at-Ibrox.html#ixzz1XoT14hPH

We have to slash £7m off wages CRAIG WHYTE last night vowed to drastically reduce Rangers' crippling wage bill. The Ibrox owner wants to slice up to £7million from annual salary costs within the next two years. Rangers paid out around £16m-a-year to players before Whyte took over. That figure has increased to around £21M after bumper new deals were dished out to the likes of Allan McGregor, Steven Davis and Steven Whittaker. But Whyte insists those days are now OVER as Gers look to their kids like Gregg Wylde. He said: "There is a culmination of factors in reducing costs and bringing in more income and we are looking at other commercial opportunities. "But the wage bill certainly has to come down to around £14m or £15m. "Our costs are significantly more than the income here.That has to be dealt with, we have to have a reality check. "We have got to get to the stage where we at least break even and live within our means. We are very far from being there at the moment. "We have a situation where we are geared up to be in the Champions League every season, that's our cost base. "As we know, it is much, much harder to get there now. We have qualifying rounds to get through, we didn't manage to do that this season. "We know what happened there, we got knocked out by Malmo, whose wage bill I think is £4.3m a year, and by Maribor, who have a wage bill of £1.3m. "One of our players probably gets paid more than that. "The fact both managed to beat us over two legs, says to me there is something badly wrong with Scottish football. "To me, we have to be focusing on our grass roots, our youth system to bring players through instead of paying for expensive foreign players. "The good thing is that we have got a load of very good young players coming through now. "Guys like Gregg Wylde and Jamie Ness and so on have made it into the first team and I'm very confident about the future. "I think that's where investment has got to go in the future. "There seems to be this attitude that we should throw money at things, that we should go and spend £5m or £10m on transfers every season. "I think the days of doing that in Scottish football are now gone. "Investment is required at grass roots level and on players who maybe won't get into the first team immediately but can be brought on. "An investment is exactly that. You bring a young player into the team, he can play with us for two or three seasons and then we can sell him on at a profit. "That's what we have got to look at. That's the future for all of us in Scottish football." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3810779/We-have-to-slash-7m-off-wages.html#ixzz1XoRT0Lz6

CRAIG WHYTE last night hit back at Peter Lawwell for his Nikica Jelavic jibe â?? insisting that the Celtic chief lacked DIGNITY. Lawwell took a swipe at Rangers last week after Ibrox sources claimed they'd rejected a whopping £9million for hitman Jela. Lawwell joked: "Last night we got a £29m offer for Gary Hooper, from an unknown agent, from an unknown club, from another universe." Ally McCoist refused to respond to the comments. Gers chairman Whyte bristled when asked about it â?? and insisted Lawwell was out of order. He said: "I like to think I would be more dignified than to make jokes about what's happening on the other side of town and maybe they should be too." In an exclusive SunSport interview Whyte insists the bid to land Jelavic was never a goer â?? as Gers wouldn't have had time to sign a replacement. Whyte added: "It was the timing of it which was bad. Had a bid come in earlier in the transfer window â?? allowing us time to go and bring a replacement in â?? then it might have been a different decision. "The fact it came so late, on the last day when there was no chance of bringing someone else in, made it a non-starter. "It's not an area where the manager has lots of players. "That's why it would have been impossible to do it. Clearly if we get high bids in for players we'll look at them. "If we've got a business decision to make then we'll make it. "The reaction to the Jelavic bid showed me we can't do anything right in some people's eyes. Even something positive â?? like us keeping one of our best players â?? was turned into a negative. All we can do is get on with running the club and make the decisions we need to make. "Maybe then we'll be judged in the long term. "There will be some short term decisions which will be difficult, but over the long term I believe we'll come out stronger." Gers are facing a whopping tax bill which could run to £50m â?? and Whyte has confessed he could be forced to sell his biggest stars in January. He said: "It's not the case we will necessarily need to but we might make that decision. "I'm certainly not going to rule that out." Whyte was hit with criticism for failing to help gaffer McCoist in the transfer market. He admits that he DID make mistakes during the summer window. He added: "Part of the problem was I didn't get in here until May. "Had things happened quicker we might have been able to put more in place. "Mistakes were made. By January, and certainly next July and August, we'll be much more organised in what we're doing." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3810937/Whyte-fury-at-Lawwell-jibe.html#ixzz1XoQgkHVk

GMS on FF has posted he wasn't banned!!!!!

A minutes silence is traditional,it is not done to make anyone look bad,therefore I would hope there is a minutes silence held out of respect to a former player and his family

I would expect a minutes silence.Why should we not?.