ian1964

Not forgeting Laffertty

You can blame Wenger for the late arrival of Bartley

SIMPLY the best. That's all Kyle Bartley had to say when Spanish superstar Cesc Fabregas asked him what life at Rangers was like. The big defender, who could face Chelsea today, returned to the Emirates after his loan spell at Ibrox and immediately had his skipper desperate to find out about his time in Glasgow. That's when the young Gunner knew he HAD to come back to the city. Bartley said: "As soon as I went back to Arsenal last season there was a World Cup winner asking me about the Old Firm games. "That just proves there are some fantastic games up here and there is a lot of experienced to be gained. "I just told Cesc it was a phenomenal experience and I probably wouldn't experience anything like it again. "I thoroughly enjoyed last season here. Everybody was terrific with me from the fans and the players to the coaching staff. "I just wanted to come back to it." Bartley's time in Glasgow was cut short after picking up a knee injury in Europe. He was fit enough to come back to Ibrox and watch Walter Smith's side clinch three-in-a-row. Now he wants to earn a title medal for himself. He added: "I ruptured my medial ligament but I have been working with the Arsenal fitness coaches throughout the summer and it feels fine now. "The club invited me back up for the title celebrations. It was great to be a part of it and made me even more determined to come back and help them win trophies. "I gave Ally McCoist my word that if I was going on loan then it would be to Rangers. "I felt there was unfinished business because it ended disappointingly. "I only played five SPL games and missed the last ten games due to injury. "I didn't feel I got to show my best so I wanted to come back and prove my worth." Bartley struck up a friendship with on-loan Manchester City winger Vladimir Weiss. The Slovakian wasn't allowed to return as Roberto Mancini didn't think that the SPL was good enough. But Bartley was adamant he didn't need to work hard to convince Arsene Wenger a return to Glasgow was the best option for his career. He revealed: "There was a bit of interest from teams in England but I spoke to Arsene and explained to him that my decision was to go back to Rangers if it was OK with him. "It didn't matter which other English teams were interested. I just wanted to come back to Glasgow. "He left it down to me. I think his main concern was that I'd be playing. "I'd given my word to the manager here I'd come back regardless of the Champions League.This is a club that gets under your skin. I went back to Arsenal and I told the players there were no other fans like Rangers fans." Days before he returned to Scotland, Bartley signed a new deal that secured his future with Arsenal. He added: "I just signed a three-year contract and there was an option for me to stay at Arsenal and try to force my way into the squad. "But I wanted to be playing week in, week out. "The aim would be to maybe get 40-odd games and then go back and have a crack at Arsenal. "A lot of young players go on loan and it can be a good experience. "Just look at Jack Wilshire. He couldn't get a game for Arsenal but after six months at Bolton he was a first team regular and a first choice for England." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3736747/Even-Fab-wanted-to-know-all-about-life-at-Ibrox.html#ixzz1UCltAfGn

ALLY McCOIST has revealed Rangers are back in talks with former hero Carlos Cuellar despite slapping in a fresh bid for Anderlecht centre-back Roland Juhasz. Rangers boss, Ally McCoist who yesterday welcomed Kyle Bartley back to the club from Arsenal on loan, is eager to get at least one deal done before Monday’s UEFA signing deadline and new offers have been put in for Juhasz and Den Haag winger Wesley Verhoek. Anderlecht are looking for Ã?£4m for Juhasz, who has made a public plea to his Belgian bosses to let him go, while Ã?£2m-rated Dutchman Verhoek is also attracting interest from Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Vitesse Arnhem. McCoist, though, is understood to be interested in bolstering his defence further with Madjid Bougherra having now been sold to Qatari club Lekhwiya for Ã?£1.7m. And he gets the feeling Cuellar is keen to seal an Ibrox return from Aston Villa with a Ã?£2m fee already agreed. He said: “Juhasz has always been very high on my ‘to do’ list and Verhoek is still in the reckoning. Ã?¬ Fresh offers went in for both shortly before the Malmo game in midweek and we await responses from their clubs. Ã?® Ally McCoist “Fresh offers went in for both shortly before the Malmo game in midweek and we await responses from their clubs. “If we are not successful, though, I have a list of targets that would take until the end of August to read never mind anything else. “Carlos is going to see his specialist next week for an update on his knee injury, so we are monitoring that. “I am still very keen to get Carlos, but he’s not immediate because he won’t be able to play for six or seven weeks. His representatives have been speaking to (head of administration) Andrew Dickson.” Hungarian Juhasz is eager to join Rangers and is begging his Anderlecht bosses not to spark a dispute by holding out for too large a fee. He said: “The interest from Rangers is concrete and I want to play in British football. “I do not want a war with Anderlecht, because we have built up great memories together, but I hope the club don’t put things in my way. “I am making this decision for sporting reasons and not for financial ones.” McCoist does have room for defenders in his squad with Bougherra now officially on his way and Kirk Broadfoot threatening to leave should he fail to secure a regular first-team place. McCoist said: “Make no mistake, we are losing one of our best players, but business is business. “If we are to lose him, it is better to do it now and look to bring in others.” Rangers have released German trialist David Odonkor, but will take a second look at Arsenal kid Rhys Murphy. http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/263282/Ally-McCoist-back-in-for-Aston-Villa-defender

GERRY BRAIDEN 5 Aug 2011 SCOTLANDââ?¬â?¢S efforts to tackle bigotry in football have been thrown into further confusion amid an ongoing row between the BBC and Celtic supporters after the broadcaster labelled an Irish rebel anthem ââ?¬Å?sectarianââ?¬Â. After a flood of complaints by Celtic fans about comments by presenters during the Scottish Cup Final in May, the BBC has stuck with its original position that The Boys of the Old Brigade, which celebrates the role of the 1920s IRA in the Irish War of Independence, is sectarian. Andrew Bell, the BBCââ?¬â?¢s complaints director, has claimed the song ââ?¬Å?is a clear expression of the political dimension of the inter-communal divisions of western Scotland and if sung at a football match where it might be expected to give offence to others, can reasonably be described as sectarianââ?¬Â. Mr Bell also claimed the ââ?¬Å?add-onââ?¬Â of references to the post-1970 Provisional IRA ââ?¬Å?transforms the song into something even more clearly sectarian and contemporaryââ?¬Â. But doubt has been cast on the BBCââ?¬â?¢s definition of the phrase, with Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s highest-profile historian referring to a recent court case where the sheriff ruled the IRA was not ââ?¬Å?sectarian in intentââ?¬Â. The case saw charges of sectarian singing against two men chanting support for the IRA dropped. Professor Tom Devine said the definition of sectarianism in the 2003 Criminal Justice Act was fit for purpose, adding that in recent months its meaning had been extended to the point of absurdity. The row comes a week after Strathclyde Police gave assurances to Rangers fans that, as a rule, they would not be arrested if they sang Loyalist anthems The Sash and Build My Gallows as they contained no religious references. Sources have also told The Herald the police are unlikely to arrest Celtic fans for singing Irish rebel songs when subject matter relates to anything pre-1969. The Scottish Government, which has delayed the introduction of its anti-sectarian bill after claims it was being rushed through, has said all songs that are threatening or offensive to a reasonable person or which express or incite religious, racial or other forms of hatred, will be covered by the new offences. However, the definition of sectarianism in the draft legislation is virtually the same as that in the 2003 Act. Mr Devine said: ââ?¬Å?The problem with the debate over the past six months has been the self-limited definition of sectarianism, which now seems to be have been extended and a can of worms opened up. ââ?¬Å?Thereââ?¬â?¢s a definite laxity about when you can define something as sectarian, which leads you into all sorts of curiosities and eccentricities and could be seen by overseas observers as humorous at Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s expense. Is signing the cross sectarian in certain circumstances, having a point of view on Ireland when itââ?¬â?¢s uttered at a football match or unfurling a Union or Ulster flag? ââ?¬Å?Whatever else about the existing legislation it has a degree of clarity and what it needs is enforcement for the sake of Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s reputation.ââ?¬Â Paul Brennan, who runs the influential website Celtic Quick News, added: ââ?¬Å?For me, who has asked for an end to all political singing at football, this [the BBC decision] is an enormous frustration, as it has already fortified the belief among some that objections to their singing is misguided and unjust. ââ?¬Å?Not all definitions of the term imply prejudice, but it is wholly inappropriate to invoke such broad definitions of the word to support a highly prejudicial inference.ââ?¬Â The BBC would not add to the response to the complaint from Mr Bell. http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/bbc-defends-decision-to-call-irish-song-sectarian-1.1115874

Welcome to the gersnet deluded club:cheers::grin:

HA!HA!,mate,everybody has the right to criticise players,managers etc,and I do criticise players,the manager and the team in general,but I have never seen the sense in taking it to a level of booing or slaughtering an individual player,it achieves absolutely nothing. It's a team game,win as a team and lose as a team. Whittaker has been rewarded by the manager and owner by signing him up on a fantastic contract,now whether you,I or anybody else thinks that he is worth it means nothing ,obviously the manager thinks he's worth it.

The guy has talent,no doubt about it.

I'll put my head on the block here,I'm actualy quite satisfied with what CW has done so far.. If you take into consideration what we were like last season,and before,this guy has came in and bought the club,who else would have?. He is a Rangers man,SDM wasn't/i'snt,so all we can do is wait and see.I've no reason to think he will not do a good job for Rangers,he is a Rangers fan. But he is new to this,which he has already admitted to,but at least he is a fan and for that reason I will give him time to learn his job and I'm convincedbhe will take us in the right direction.

Regardless of what anyone thinks the SPL title is our bread and butter,any European involvement is a bonus.

I'ts an awkward one this one,I don't know enough about Erimenko so based on that I would rather see us concentrate on Ness,Hutton and Fleck.

The thing is,you seem to the Holloway has some special coaching talent,when the fact is Adam could not get a game in his favoured position at Rangers where he did at Blackpool. There is no special talent in that. He simply couldn't oust the players who were playing at the time from the first team.

It really does piss me off when I see/hear Rangers fans slaughtering Rangers players,even if the fans doing it think the players deserve it. It's counter productive and does no-one any good. I'm sure he feels he has let down everybody with his actions,but I would hazard a guess that part of the reason he did this was through frustration because of his poor start to the season,kick a man when he's down. You will only ever get the best out of a player when he is confident,if he gets support which he does nearly all the time from the majority of the fans then he will play better,same as every other player. What has happened is gone,move forward.

He has had a very bad start to the season,and he isn't everyones favourite,but he is a Rangers player and I absolutely hate it when I hear Rangers players getting boos from Rangers fans,and it happens. The guy was stupid and he admits his stupidity so for me no-one should be booing him,there is a long season ahead and he will be part of the team so let's get behind him and all the Rangers players and manager.

I know exactly what you meant mate. I still believe Fleck is a talent,and for what it's worth I always thought Adam was a talent and was dissapointed to see him go,so IMO he either gets more game time with Rangers or he'd be better of going elsewhere on loan for a while.

TBH,I'm not sure about him,he might be a good addition to the squad,I don't know,but I'd rather see Hutton & Ness get more game time,even Flaeck!!. I don't know much about him.

He only signed a contract extension not long ago,nobody is saying they want rid of him like Adam,he needs to start playing regular first team football to make the break through,if he is not going to get that at Rangers then it would be better for him and Rangers if he went out on loan until say January so he can continue to develope his career

HA!HA!,you forgot to add this:fish:

I think the good thing about getting him back,apart from the fact he is a good player,is that he wanted to come back,but he also wants to play in the Arsenal first team which can only benefit us as he must perform well with the Rangers for him to achieve his ambition. Win win as far as I can see.

IN APPORTIONING blame for Rangers' damaging exit from the Champions League, it is perhaps too easy to adopt a scattergun approach. From the pitch, to the technical area and all the way up to the directors' box, there would have been no shortage of targets for the ire of Rangers fans had they been at the Swedbank Stadium on Wednesday night. Uefa's one-match ban on their travelling support meant Rangers were spared an initial close-quarters inquisition for their implosive performance in drawing 1-1 against Malmo and slumping out of the elite club tournament 2-1 on aggregate in the third qualifying round. The debate will rage on as to whether Rangers would have avoided such a costly fate had new owner Craig Whyte achieved greater success in the transfer market or whether new manager Ally McCoist could have prepared his team more effectively for the tie against the unseeded and unremarkable Swedish title holders. But while Whyte and McCoist unquestionably still have it all to prove in their fledgling roles, it is harsh in the extreme to hold them accountable for the folly perpetrated by two others on Wednesday. No-one could begin to legislate for the inane actions of Steven Whittaker and Madjid Bougherra in getting themselves sent off and leaving their team-mates with just too much to do to turn the tie around. Irrespective of how many new players the Whyte regime has so far managed to recruit, it is clear that the existing group available to McCoist should have been more than capable of comfortably defeating Malmo. It was equally apparent on Wednesday that the damage done in the 1-0 first leg defeat at Ibrox was far from irreparable, leaving the ludicrous indiscipline of Whittaker and Bougherra all the more galling for McCoist. Remarkably, Bougherra left the stadium protesting his innocence, despite a forearm smash on Malmo substitute Dardan Rexhepi which saw the home player carried off on a stretcher and left Rangers reduced to nine men for the final 24 minutes. While Bougherra was in denial, however, Whittaker at least earned some credit yesterday by accepting responsibility for his petulant show of dissent in the 18th minute when he threw the ball at Malmo winger Jimmy Durmaz. "I'm gutted with what happened," said Whittaker. "I don't usually react to things like that, but for some reason I did this time. I just got caught up in the game, caught up in the moment. "We were all determined to get the right result. But I let everyone down. Their guy kicked me off the ball and I threw it at him, which I shouldn't have done. The referee obviously saw what happened and took the decision to send me off which was disappointing. "I felt he could have booked me and got on with it, but he clearly saw it differently and thought I deserved to go. To be fair, straight after I'd done it I knew I shouldn't have done it. "Right from that exact moment I was filled with regret, wishing I could turn the clock back ten seconds. But you can't do that, can you, so I just had to deal with it. The guy played it inside and went to challenge for the ball. When the boy came close to me I managed to brush him aside and we ended up in the ground. "As he fell, he kicked out at me, but I reacted in the wrong way - that's the bottom line. As I walked off I was pretty devastated and gutted for the boys. I was leaving them on the pitch with so much to do. "They did brilliantly to get the lead with ten men after that and I thought for a while they were going to win it. I watched the rest of the first half from the dressing room, got myself changed and saw the second half from the stand. But it just wasn't to be. It wasn't nice sitting there. "The other boys just told me to keep my head up after the game. There are plenty of other games this season and we'll try to put things right. "I'll bounce back from this, we all will, even though going out of the Champions League is far from ideal. We responded and won the league after we went out to Kaunas three years ago so hopefully we can do the same again." Rangers will pay a heavy price for the red mist which engulfed them on Wednesday. Whittaker and Bougherra incur automatic one-match suspensions and possibly further bans if Uefa deem their offences as serious misconduct. In Bougherra's case, that may prove irrelevant if he completes his proposed �£1.7?million transfer to Qatari side Lekhwiya. Sasa Papac will also miss the first leg of Rangers' Europa League play-off tie later this month as a result of being booked in both legs against Malmo. With captain David Weir and recent signing Dorin Goian both recovering from hamstring injuries, it leaves McCoist with major defensive problems for the tie. The Uefa signing deadline for the play-off tie is next Monday, although clubs can again add one 'wild card' by 11pm on the eve of the first leg which is scheduled for 18 August. Rangers could also be in line for a fine from Uefa for having more than five players booked in one match. They incurred six yellow cards from Russian referee Vladislav Bezborodov on Wednesday, in addition to the straight reds shown to Whittaker and Bougherra. For the moment, those two players are the men who must carry the can for the calamity visited upon Rangers in Malmo. But if the club's fortunes in the transfer market and on the pitch do not show a rapid upturn, then there will be scant mitigation available for Whyte and McCoist. http://sport.scotsman.com/theoldfirm/Steven-Whittaker-39filled-with-regret39.6813227.jp?articlepage=1

RANGERS chairman Craig Whyte has defended his transfer market dealings since taking charge of the club, insisting the criticism levelled at him in the wake of their Champions League elimination is "completely unjustified". Whyte has come under fire for the failure to sign more players ahead of the third qualifying round tie against unseeded Swedish side Malmo which Rangers lost 2-1 on aggregate to drop into the Europa League play-offs. Since buying Rangers three months ago, Whyte has overseen the recruitment of just three new players with Juan Manuel Ortiz, Lee Wallace and Dorin Goian arriving at Ibrox for a combined outlay of around �£2.5 million. With Madjid Bougherra poised to make a �£1.7 million move to Qatari champions Lekhiwaya and Rangers in line to receive an �£850,000 sell-on windfall from Charlie Adam's �£8.5 million move from Blackpool to Liverpool, Rangers will effectively recoup what they have spent on transfers so far. Rangers have failed with bids for a series of other players, most notably David Goodwillie who completed his �£2.8 million move from Dundee United to Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday. Whyte says Rangers offered more up front for the Scotland striker but claims United simply did not want to sell him to another Scottish club. The Rangers owner has promised to add more players to manager Ally McCoist's squad before the transfer window closes on 31 August and believes his dealings compare favourably with those at the club during the same period last year. "Look, we are speaking here on 4 August," said Whyte. "What had Rangers signed this time last season? Nothing. They signed James Beattie on something like 13 August and they signed Nikica Jelavic on around 20 August. We've had an earlier start to the season this year, but Rangers have done much, much more this time than in any season before. So I think the criticism is completely unjustified. "We are all working really hard to make this work. That is the bottom line. "We've got offers in for players. Sometimes you get them and sometimes you don't. With David Goodwillie, for example, we offered more than Blackburn offered, but Dundee United didn't want to sell to us. That is their prerogative. "I think the Dundee United people will tell you the same thing, that we offered more up front money than Blackburn. They said they might get more in extras from Blackburn, but basically, Dundee United didn't want to sell to another Scottish club. That is the bottom line. There is nothing sinister in it. I don't know why people make a thing out of it. There is nothing sinister in it at all. "We've got offers in for quite a few players at the moment. We have also still got the spine of the side that won the championship last season. I've done what I said I would do. I've extended players' contracts. We have so far signed three new players. We have got five or six other players who we have re-signed, which is just as important. I've delivered everything that I said I would deliver. That is the message I want to get across, and I will continue to do that. We will absolutely have a strong squad in place by the end of August, of course we will. "Ally and I sat together on the plane home and had a positive discussion about our signing plans. I fully understand the fans' frustration at the transfer speculation we have seen in recent weeks but the reason we lost in the Champions League is not due to a lack of signings. Ally himself has said publicly that we are a good side that only recently won the league championship." Rangers now miss out on income of around �£15 million which participation in the group stage of the Champions League would have delivered. Whyte, speaking on the team's return from Malmo where they finished with nine men on the pitch following the dismissals of Steven Whittaker and Bougherra in the 1-1 second leg draw, appeared determined to remain upbeat. "It was unfortunate but we are looking forward," he added. "Of course it is frustrating to go out of the Champions League. It's frustrating for all Rangers fans. I'm a Rangers fan myself and I know how it feels. "I thought the team played well in Malmo, I thought they played their guts out. There were a couple of unfortunate decisions, and it was unfortunate that we got a couple of players sent off, but we played well. "I think Rangers were the better team, I think everyone saw that." http://sport.scotsman.com/football/Craig-Whyte-comes-out-fighting.6813237.jp?articlepage=1

by Lindsay Herron RANGERS have clinched a deal to bring Kyle Bartley back to Ibrox - and he could face Chelsea on Saturday. The official site can reveal that Arsenal have agreed to let the young defender join Rangers on loan for the season and he will arrive at Murray Park tomorrow. Bartley, of course, had a loan spell with the Light Blues last season when he arrived in the January window and played an important role in the early months of the year, He scored a vital goal at New St Mirren Park when Rangers were struggling with injuries and he also played in the Europa League. Unfortunately he suffered a knee injury against PSV Eindhoven which put him out for the rest of the campaign. However, he fully recovered and took part in Arsenal's pre-season campaign. Ally McCoist made no secret that he was keen to land his man and now the 20-year-old centre back is returning to Ibrox. There is still some paperwork to tie up but all things being equal Bartley will be involved against Chelsea on Saturday. Some good news at last

Clubs qualified via league finishing position Team and Coefficent Sevilla FC (ESP) 93.465 AS Roma (ITA) 85.110 Tottenham Hotspur FC (ENG) 78.157 PSV Eindhoven (NED) 74.025 Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR) 68.319 SC Braga(POR) 62.319 FC Schalke 04 (GER)[CW]* 61.887 FC Spartak Moskva (RUS) 51.941 Paris Saint-Germain FC (FRA) 51.735 RSC Anderlecht (BEL) 42.400 Celtic FC (SCO)[CW] 39.528 Beşiktaş JK (TUR) [CW] 37.010 FC Metalist Kharkiv (UKR) 34.276 AEK Athens FC (GRE)[CW] 30.833 FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU) [CW] 29.164 Athletic Club (ESP) 24.465 S.S. Lazio (ITA) 23.110 FC Lokomotiv Moskva (RUS) 18.441 Birmingham City FC (ENG) 17.157 FC Rapid Bucureşti (ROU) 16.164 Hannover 96 (GER) 13.887 FC Sochaux-MontbÃ?©liard (FRA) 12.735 FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (UKR) 12.276 PFC CSKA Sofia (BUL) [CW] 10.575 FC Sion (SUI) [CW] 9.480 FC NordsjÃ?¦lland (DEN) [CW] 7.110 Clubs eliminated from the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round Team and Coefficent FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) 60.776 Panathinaikos FC (GRE) 57.833 Rangers FC (SCO) 56.028 R. Standard de LiÃ?¨ge (BEL) 32.400 Rosenborg BK (NOR) 19.375 FK Partizan (SRB) 15.850 Trabzonspor AŞ (TUR) 12.010 FC Vaslui (ROU) 10.164 PFC Litex Lovech (BUL) 8.575 Ã? K Slovan Bratislava (SVK) 5.899 NK Maribor (SVN) 4.224 HJK Helsinki (FIN) 3.793 FK Ekranas (LTU) 3.541 FC Zestafoni (GEO) 2.891 Shamrock Rovers FC (IRL) 2.741 Clubs qualified via the UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds Team and Coefficent Club AtlÃ?©tico de Madrid (ESP) 70.465 AZ Alkmaar (NED) 43.025 Fulham FC (ENG) 40.157 Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (ISR) 36.400 Club Brugge KV (BEL) 31.400 AC Sparta Praha (CZE) 30.170 FC Dinamo Bucureşti (ROU) 22.164 FC Salzburg (AUT) 22.140 PAOK FC (GRE) 17.333 Stoke City FC (ENG) 17.157 Stade Rennais FC (FRA) 16.735 FK Austria Wien (AUT) 16.640 BSC Young Boys (SUI) 14.980 CD Nacional (POR) 14.319 Bursaspor (TUR) 12.010 VitÃ?³ria SC (POR) 11.319 Helsingborgs IF (SWE) 10.825 FC Karpaty Lviv (UKR) 10.776 FC Vorskla Poltava (UKR) 10.276 FK Crvena zvezda (SRB) 9.350 FC Alania Vladikavkaz (RUS) 8.941 Heart of Midlothian FC (SCO) 7.528 Olympiacos Volou FC (GRE) 6.833 AC Omonia (CYP) 6.124 Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR) 5.900 Legia Warszawa (POL) 5.183 CS Gaz Metan Mediaş (ROU) 5.164 FC Thun (SUI) 4.980 SV Ried (AUT) 4.140 FK Rabotnicki (MKD) 4.041 Aalesunds FK (NOR) 3.875 AEK Larnaca FC (CYP) 3.624 FC Spartak Trnava (SVK) 3.399 FC Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO) 3.391 WKS Śląsk Wrocław (POL) 3.183 http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/newsid=1656289.html

Explained: eligibility of 'cup-tied' players in UEFA competitions. Players can play for more than one club in Europe in any given season, but only if their old side fail to make it into a competition proper. With Champions League and Europa League qualifying games starting at a time that most managers are still putting together their squads, many clubs will be poring over UEFAââ?¬â?¢s rule books to see if their transfer targets will be free to play in European competition. Worried supporters have watched on as names linked with a move to their side have played in European competition, potentially ruling the target out of playing in Europe for them or, worse, a deal collapsing as a result. However, UEFA regulations however can clear a player to play for two clubs in Europe in any given season, based upon an exception which applies to participation in the qualifying rounds. Rule 18.07 states that if a player features in the first, second or third qualifying rounds of either the Champions League or Europa League, he can play for another club in either competition from the group stages onwards, provided his former employers do not reach the group stages themselves. If a player is involved in any of the aforementioned qualifying rounds for a side which then goes on to play in the group stages of either UEFA competition, he is not eligible to play for another club in Europe in that season. There is a common misconception regarding rule 18.19, which states that from the knockout stages, a player cannot be registered to play for another club if he has already played in the same competition that season, or if his previous side remain in that competition. However, this rule does not mean that a player would be able to play in the group stages for his new club, and then find suddenly himself ineligible to play in the knockout stages. Provided a playerââ?¬â?¢s former side were eliminated prior to the group stages, and the player was then registered to play in the groups of either competition for his new club, he is free to continue playing in the knockout rounds of either the Champions League or Europa League. Current example Player A features for Club A in a Europa League second qualifying round tie. Player A has been linked with a possible move to Club B, who are participating in the qualifying stages of the Champions League. If Player A is subequently sold to Club B, he would not be able to play in the qualifying rounds of either the Champions League or Europa League. However, provided Club A do not reach the group stages of the Europa League, Player A could be registered to play for Club B in the group stage of the Champions League or Europa League, as per rule 18.07 of the regulations of the two competitions for 2011/12. Under the same set of circumstances, Player A would also be free to play in the knockout stages of either the Champions League or Europa League, provided he had previously been registered for the group stages with Club B. If Club A were to reach the group stages of the Europa League, Player A would not be able to play for Club B in European competition in the 2011/12 season. Past example Rangers faced similar circumstances when they signed Nikica Jelavic from Rapid Vienna at the start of the 2010/11 season, with the striker having turned out for the Austrians in the Europa League qualifying rounds. However, as Rapid went on to qualify for the group stages of the Europa League, Jelavic became ineligible for the group stages of the Champions League. Jelavic would have been clear to play in the knockout rounds of the Champions League but, as Rangers dropped into the Europa League, he was unable to play for the same reason. http://sport.stv.tv/football/scottish-premier/rangers/263283-explained-eligibility-of-cup-tied-players-in-uefa-competitions/ Explained: UK work permit rules for footballers. Any player from outside the EEA needs a work permit to come to the UK but the rules on how to get one are often misinterpreted. The regulations in place for a footballer applying for a work permit to move to a UK club remain frequently misunderstood and misinterpreted. Various outlets, officials and supporters have quoted varied rules from the past, many of which remain relevant but have moved on from the assumed requirements for a footballer to be given the necessary immigration status. Previously, a club would apply direct to the Home Office for a work permit, with the well-known requirement being that a player had to have played 75 per cent of his nationââ?¬â?¢s competitive games within the last two years to qualify. Now, the relevant governing body must endorse any work permit application by a club before it is submitted to the Home Office, cutting down on the number of requests made directly to Government which are unlikely to succeed first time. Who needs a work permit? Any player who is over 16 years old and is not from the European Economic Area, which covers 32 countries aside from the UK requires a work permit to play for a British club. A Commonwealth citizen with at least one grandparent who was born in the UK does not need to apply through the points based system. Such players will still require a work permit but go through a different process. How to get a work permit When a club signs a player who requires a work permit, they agree to sponsor the player to be in the UK, meaning they will provide the funds for his time in the country. A certificate of sponsorship is then produced by the club, which is then submitted to the relevant FA for them to consider an endorsement. The Scottish FAââ?¬â?¢s rules on work permit endorsements follow the same guidelines as previously outlined by the Home Office. For the SFA to give their approval, the player in question must have played 75 per cent of his nationââ?¬â?¢s competitive games ââ?¬â?? excluding friendlies ââ?¬â?? in the two years prior to the date of application. Furthermore, the country the player is coming from must be in the top 70 of Fifaââ?¬â?¢s rankings. Failure to meet these requirements results in an automatic rejection of any application for an SFA endorsement for a work permit certificate of sponsorship. As of June 28, 2011, it costs an applicant Ã?£550 to apply by post for a work permit in the UK, or Ã?£850 in person to process the application on the same day. There is a reduction in cost for nationals from Croatia, Turkey or FYR Macedonia, with the same applications costing Ã?£495 and Ã?£765 respectively. The appeals process If an application is rejected, a club can then appeal to the governing body. An appeals panel will ultimately weigh up whether or not the player is, in their view, an internationally established player and whether another professional within the UK could not perform a similar role. The panel must also be satisfied the applicant is a player who is going to make a contribution to the development of the game at the highest level of Scottish football. It must also be proven that the player is of a sufficient standard to improve the game. That appeals panel typically sits within three to five working days of an appeal submission and is made up of football experts, made up typically of former professionals. Officials from the league, the FA and the playerââ?¬â?¢s union also sit on the panel to argue the case for the player being granted an endorsement. In Scotland, experts who have sat on the decision panel previously include former player-turned-pundit Pat Nevin, one-time Motherwell boss Willie McLean ââ?¬â?? brother of Tommy and Jim ââ?¬â?? and former Hibernian and Liverpool midfielder Peter Cormack. Status of immigration The length of time a player can remain in the UK as a player depends on his grasp of the English language. There are two immigration statuses available to a player applying for a work permit: tier two and tier five. Under tier two, a player can remain in the UK for an initial three years, with the possibility for an extension for a further two years. To qualify, the player must accrue 70 immigration points under the Home Officeââ?¬â?¢s system. 50 are given for getting an FA endorsement, with 10 more given for being able to prove sufficient funding to remain in the country. The final 10 are awarded on the basis of the playerââ?¬â?¢s English. If the applicant comes from a predominantly English-speaking country, or has a degree from a course which was taught in English, the 10 points are subsequently awarded. Additionally, a player can sit an approved English language test upon their arrival in the UK to obtain tier two status. Failing that, a player can apply for tier five status. Again, a certificate of sponsorship and proof of sponsorship is required but a visa is only valid for one year. However, the player can then sit an English language test within that year and apply to switch to tier two status. The current Home Office financial criteria for a player to come to the UK outlines he must be continuously funded during his time in the country and has had at least Ã?£800 in his bank account for 90 consecutive days prior to the point of moving. The process simplified A football association will typically endorse a certificate of sponsorship for a player if he has played 75 per cent of competitive games for a FIFA ranked top 70 nation over the past two years. Under no circumstances will an FA endorse a certificate of sponsorship on the first attempt if the criteria is not met. A club may then appeal if the first application is rejected. An appeals panel will then convene to establish whether, in their view, the player's transfer would be of benefit to the game in the relevant country. If they are in favour, the football association will then endorse the certificate, which then contributes the biggest part to the Home Office's criteria. http://sport.stv.tv/football/scottish-premier/rangers/193378-explained-uk-work-permit-rules-for-footballers/ Maybe Admin can make this a sticky for future reference?

EULQ R3 L2: FT Hearts 4-1 Paks