ian1964

Plenty of attacking options in that team Zappa

THE start of next seasonââ?¬â?¢s Scottish Premier League may have to be delayed ââ?¬â?? because Olympic football at Hampden could mean a ban on other sporting events in Glasgow during the 2012 Games. It is also feared that lucrative European matches featuring the Old Firm may have to be played outside Glasgow because of the strict Olympic rules. SNP MSP and former Sports Minister Stewart Maxwell has written to the SPL and the British Olympic Association after it emerged that games may have to be postponed or played elsewhere. FREE NEWS UPDATES 24/7...FOLLOW THE SCOTTISH EXPRESS ON TWITTER The Olympic Charter states that no other major sporting events can take place in a city hosting an *Olympic event for the period of the Games. Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s national stadium is to host eight Olympic football matches, meaning no other big games could take place between July 25 and August 12. The SPL season would be in its opening weeks during that period, while the Glasgow giants would be set to face Europeââ?¬â?¢s elite in Champions League and Europa League ties. Ã?¬ The SPL welcomes Mr Maxwellââ?¬â?¢s comments and we will respond to his letter later Ã?® Spokesman for the SPL The Olympic ban will also hit Manchester, Newcastle, Cardiff and London, with some of English footballââ?¬â?¢s top teams affected. It is also feared the cities involved could suffer an economic blow if the ban is imposed, with sell-out crowds at European qualifiers and league clashes replaced by empty stands at Olympic matches. Last month, it emerged that only 500,000 of the 2.2 million available Olympic football tickets had been sold. This year, the SPL started on July 23, while last yearââ?¬â?¢s champions Rangers start their Champions League campaign tonight against Swedish side MalmÃ?¶ FF ââ?¬â?? games scheduled right in the middle of what will be the ban period next year. A by-law in the Olympic Charter states that coverage of the Olympics ââ?¬Å?shall not be impaired in any way by any other event taking place in the host cityââ?¬Â. Mr Maxwell, an MSP for West Scotland, said: ââ?¬Å?Despite this issue being raised several months ago, supporters are still unclear as to what effect Olympic competition will have on their clubs and the British Olympic Association need to clarify immediately what their position is on other sporting events taking place during the period of the 2012 Olympics. ââ?¬Å?I donââ?¬â?¢t think fans from any team will be happy about having to travel to another city to watch their team compete in premier European competition.ââ?¬Â In his letters, Mr Maxwell said: ââ?¬Å?I believe that this matter requires urgent clarification so that the SPL, police and other authorities involved are given sufficient time to plan for what is required. I would therefore urge you to confirm as soon as possible whether or not Scottish teams will be required to postpone any fixtures during the period when Olympic football matches are being played in Glasgow.ââ?¬Â A spokesman for the SPL urged Olympic bosses to discuss any clash with them and said: ââ?¬Å?The SPL welcomes Mr Maxwellââ?¬â?¢s comments and we will respond to his letter later. ââ?¬Å?The start date for the 2012/13 Clydesdale Bank Premier League season will be fixed towards the end of 2011. If the British Olympic Association has any concerns regarding fixture scheduling these should be discussed with the SPL.ââ?¬Â A British Olympic Association spokesman said they could not comment on the issue yesterday. http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/261111/Olympic-rule-could-force-Old-Firm-out-of-Glasgow

RANGERS are poised to launch another move for Dundee United striker David Goodwillie after a rape charge hanging over him since last January was dropped last night. Ibrox bosses will meet today to thrash out a third offer for the prolific hitman, who has been valued at Ã?£2million by the Tannadice club. Manager Ally McCoist remains keen to add the 22-year-old Scotland international, above, to his squad, despite the fact he would be unavailable for Champions League qualifying games because he played in United’s doomed Europa Cup campaign against Polish side Slask Wroclaw. Rangers had cooled their interest while legal decisions were pending and when Cardiff City revealed they were prepared to pay United’s asking price. But with the rape case dropped, and Cardiff opting instead to sign ex-Ibrox star Kenny Miller from Turkish outfit Bursaspor, the Scottish champions are set to increase their most recent Ã?£1m offer for the Young Player of the Year in a final attempt to strike a deal. Rangers sources last night confirmed that a new bid could be tabled within the next 48 hours. But they stressed again they would not be held to ransom and had other signing targets still in the frame. http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/261109/Rangers-David-Goodwillie-bid-No-3

RANGERS had a �£1 million bid for David Goodwillie rejected last night, only hours after it emerged that a rape charge against the striker has been dropped. The Ibrox side made a �£1 million-plus offer to United last month but that was rejected by chairman Stephen Thompson, and last night they tabled a similar offer which was also immediately booted out by the Tannadice club. United had agreed in principle with Cardiff City to transfer Goodwillie to the Championship but while deliberations continued over the charges the player faced, the Welsh club looked elsewhere, with Kenny Miller and Robert Earnshaw signing on for Malky Mackay's side recently. Blackpool have been long-time admirers of the 22-year-old Scotland international and remain firmly in the hunt, with chairman Karl Oyston maintaining regular contact with United for the past six weeks. Oyston has asked to be kept abreast of all developments and the windfall received by the Championship side following their relegation from the Premiership could see them double Rangers' offer - and pay up front. With Goodwillie now free of the threat of court action, United expect to move him on quickly. It also emerged last night that Goodwillie is back in the plans of national team manager Craig Levein after the Crown Office said there was insufficient evidence in law for the case against the player to proceed. "One of the reasons he hasn't been involved until now is because of the charge hanging over him," Levein told the BBC. "Now that has been dropped, on merit I think he's as good a young striker as there is in Scotland and certainly he'll be one I'll be thinking about." Rangers had more luck elsewhere in the transfer market yesterday, when Dorin Goian signed a three-year contract at Ibrox but the Romanian international defender is unlikely to be able to make his debut for the club in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie against Malmo at Ibrox this evening. While Rangers were able to register Goian in their squad with Uefa ahead of last night's 11pm deadline for the tie, he cannot play for them until he receives a work permit from the UK Border Agency. Goian, who has moved to Rangers from Italian club Palermo for a fee in the region of �£500,000, does not meet the criteria necessary to have his work permit application automatically approved. Injury has prevented the 30-year-old former Steaua Bucharest player from appearing in the required 75 per cent of his country's full international matches over the past two years. Goian's work permit will almost certainly be issued in the event of an appeal from Rangers but the process is unlikely to be concluded in time for tonight's game. Next Wednesday's second leg in Malmo is a more realistic target for a player Rangers manager Ally McCoist was delighted to make his third signing of the summer after Spanish winger Juan Manuel Ortiz and Scotland left-back Lee Wallace. "Dorin will be a big asset for our squad," said McCoist. "He is very strong and aggressive. He wins his headers and tackles. Importantly for me, he has played at a very good level. Some might say the Italian league is the best in Europe in terms of the standards of defenders. "He has Champions League experience as well so that helps. I hope he gets the chance to sample more of that here. You would hope that the factors of where he has played, his own experience and so on means he ticks a few boxes and it becomes less of a gamble. I have not seen him live personally, but a couple of the staff have done so and I have looked at a number of matches on DVD." McCoist insists the capture of Goian does not end his interest in other defensive targets, including former Rangers player Carlos Cuellar, or make him willing to sell Madjid Bougherra. Rangers have turned down a bid, reportedly in excess of �£2 million, from Qatari champions Lekhwiya for Bougherra, who is in the final year of his contract at Ibrox. "I am still looking to bring in more defenders," said McCoist. "No deal is dead. Cuellar is certainly not a dead deal for us. I would rule nobody out. We have knocked back the bid from Qatar for Bougherra and I don't want him to go anywhere. Madjid is one of our stronger players. "I have had a couple of discussions with Madjid. I know his views on his situation, he knows my views. Most importantly, we both know the importance of the next couple of weeks or next month at our club. That's the most important thing. If he signed an extension to his contract then obviously that would be my ideal situation. But obviously there are other factors come into it. Does he want to sign another contract? Does he want to go? All these sorts of things. He hasn't said anything to me (about not wanting to play for Rangers). "You hope obviously that players turn up for their work and I don't see any reason why that shouldn't be the case with Madjid. "I have discussed it with him and I would rather those discussions between Madjid and I remained private." McCoist also made it clear that his quest to increase his central defensive options should not automatically be seen as an indication that 41-year-old David Weir, who returns from suspension to face Malmo tonight, will be less involved this season. "Time will tell," said McCoist, "but nobody thought Davie would play more than 50 games for Rangers last season. "When we got turned over at Celtic Park in February, they were writing his obituaries as a Rangers player but he came back and was out of this world for us. "The way he finished the season would indicate he is far from finished. In fact, I'm looking forward to seeing Davie pull on a Rangers jersey again." http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Rangers-fail-with-fresh-David.6807637.jp?articlepage=1

RANGERS are set to launch another swoop for David Goodwillie after re-opening talks with Dundee United last night. SunSport can reveal Gers contacted Tannadice chairman Stephen Thompson just minutes after the striker's rape charge was officially dropped. Goodwillie could be Ally McCoist's next signing after the capture of Dorin Goian yesterday. United want �£2million for the 22-year-old hitman with Thompson determined to hold out for that amount. He saw Gers pay �£1.5m to Hearts for Lee Wallace and believes his biggest asset is worth more. SunSport understands Gers reopened negotiations at a down payment of �£1m plus �£400,000 in add-ons. United will NOT accept those terms but it's expected McCoist will sanction a higher offer. Goodwillie has huge potential having scored 17 goals last term. McCoist plans to play him alongside Nikica Jelavic in a new-look frontline. Cardiff City and Blackpool are also still interested with United desperate to rake in as much money as possible for a player who signed a new three-year deal before the end of last season. Gers, meanwhile, completed the signing of Romanian stopper Goian from Palermo on a three-year deal. But they were still to secure a work permit last night and it is highly unlikely he'll face Malmo tonight. Goian said: "I am glad to be here. I am joining a very big club and I want to win lots of trophies here." McCoist insists Goian's arrival does NOT mean Madjid Bougherra will leave. The Ibrox boss knocked back a �£2.7m bid for the Algerian from mega-rich Qatari outfit Lekhwiya and he said: "I don't want Madjid to go anywhere." McCoist still hopes to sign another centre-half with Carlos Cuellar and Anderlecht's Ronald Juhasz still on his radar. Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3714751/Goian-in-now-for-Goodie.html#ixzz1TA3qTuc7

Aye,I think it's Milan & an Irish select team

Aye I know,I was just meaning it's a chance to catch up with the BHEASTS:)

Former football referee chief Hugh Dallas has settled with the Scottish Football Association after he was sacked for allegedly sending a joke email about the Pope and child abuse. Mr Dallas was planning to sue the SFA for unfair dismissal at an employment tribunal in Glasgow this week. The hearing was expected to last five days, but tribunal officials confirmed on Monday that an agreement had been made between the two parties. The referee, 53, first challenged his sacking in November last year and his appeal was heard the following month by SFA president George Peat and human resources expert Viv Coady. Both parties agreed with chief executive Stewart Regan's decision to sack him. The row was sparked after it was claimed Dallas sent an offensive email which made a joke at the Catholic priests' child abuse scandal. The email was said to have been sent from the SFA account belonging to Dallas and included an image attachment of a school crossing sign with an adult holding a child's hand and the word "caution". Underneath the road sign were words "The Pope is coming', making reference to the Pope's arrival for a state visit in Scotland. The email was sent in September - the same day Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Scotland as part of his UK tour. At the time angry Catholic Church officials demanded that Dallas resign from his position as head of the referee development. The SFA immediately launched an investigation which resulted in four other staff members being sacked over the email scandal. Three of those people have now been given their jobs back. On Monday, Mr Dallas' lawyer Ms Caroline Carr released a statement on his behalf. It stated: "Hugh Dallas can confirm that the issue has now been resolved to both parties' satisfaction using ACAS conciliation. "Hugh Dallas will continue to support, encourage and promote association football in Scotland and the Scottish referee movement. He has no further comment to make." A spokesman from the SFA added: "It's been resolved to each parties' satisfaction and we have no further comment to make." http://news.stv.tv/scotland/west-central/263691-hugh-dallas-agrees-out-of-court-settlement-with-sfa-over-pope-email-scandal/

And go back to the top of the League:smile:

GIVEN that Sweden has one of the most developed welfare states in the world and prides itself on its socialists principles, it is perhaps not surprising that success on the football front has been shared fairly equally in recent years as well. There have been nine different champions of the Allsvenskan, the Swedish top division, in the past 12 years. At the start of each season there is no outright favourite, no team widely tipped to walk away with it. Not since IFK Gothenburg won four titles in a row in the 1990s has a team dominated the championship. Now itââ?¬â?¢s accessible to all ââ?¬â?? a bit like their fabled health and education systems. With little discernible difference between the top half-dozen clubs, anyone willing to stick their neck out and declare one to be superior to the rest could surely expect to attract a degree of criticism and calls to explain themselves. And so it was a year ago when Offside, the respected Swedish football magazine, declared Malmo FF the greatest Swedish club of all time. Malmo, the magazine felt, had the lot: the most victories in both the league championship and the Swedish cup, success in Europe, including an appearance in the 1979 European Cup final, a loyal fanbase, and a tradition of producing young players, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Malmo born and raised. The backlash was fairly ferocious, especially from peeved Gothenburg fans, but Offside stuck to their guns. Granted, there was undoubtedly a touch of sentiment attached to the decision, given the article coincided with Malmoââ?¬â?¢s centenary celebrations, but even now there are no regrets. ââ?¬Å?That article attracted a lot of controversy throughout Sweden and there were a lot of angry Gothenburg supporters,ââ?¬Â Henrik Ysten, editor of Offside, told Herald Sport. ââ?¬Å?They told us we had made a wrong decision. One of our writers is fond of statistics and he explored a lot of different areas, including success on the pitch, each clubââ?¬â?¢s economic state, supporter base, traditions and other things. When we added everything up, Malmo came out on top.ââ?¬Â There is a feeling among their rivals, however, that Malmo is a club clinging to its once proud past, with talk of 1979 and Zlatan a convenient smokescreen to hide recent shortcomings. Last yearââ?¬â?¢s title win was their first in six years, while, surprisingly, they have not won the Swedish Cup since 1989. ââ?¬Å?Itââ?¬â?¢s true, Malmo have been one of the biggest disappointments year after year this century,ââ?¬Â Ysten confirmed. ââ?¬Å?There has been a lot of criticism of their coaches and players in recent times, and the organisation was also blamed, too, for sacking some coaches too quickly. ââ?¬Å?Before they won the championship last year it was not a good time to be a Malmo player. The supporters were really mad at them and there is no doubt the team underachieved for many of those seasons. It was a rough time for them and they failed in many respects.ââ?¬Â Malmo is the third biggest city in Sweden, behind Stockholm and Gothenburg, with a population of around 600,000. As the only top-flight club in the area, Malmo FF command near universal backing from a zealous fanbase. Ysten paints a picture of a club not afraid to indulge in nostalgia, something that makes them fairly unique in Sweden. Like Celticââ?¬â?¢s famous Lisbon Lions, every member of Malmoââ?¬â?¢s European Cup final squad hailed from the surrounding Scania province and many of them are still employed at the club in a number of different roles. ââ?¬Å?In Malmo they are proud of their history and they speak about it a lot,ââ?¬Â explained Ysten. ââ?¬Å?That makes them different from other Swedish clubs as the rest donââ?¬â?¢t really cling on to their past or mention their heroic achievements too often. Last year, in the first game in their new stadium, Malmo asked all the members of the team that reached the European Cup final to be there and Bo Larsson, who is still seen as a big Malmo hero, arrived with the match-ball to start the first game. That shows how much tradition means to them.ââ?¬Â The sale of Ibrahimovic to Ajax for Ã?£7m in 2001 inadvertently brought the Malmo conveyor belt of young talent temporarily shuddering to a halt. Cash-rich for the first time in a while, the management team elected to ignore their youth department and instead invested heavily in the transfer market, buying an abundance of players from their Swedish rivals. It proved to be a short-lived policy. Money gone, the Malmo hierarchy returned to rearing their own and last yearââ?¬â?¢s championship success was achieved with one of the youngest teams in the league. ââ?¬Å?Malmo have a proud history of producing young players who go on to play for the Swedish national team,ââ?¬Â said Ysten. ââ?¬Å?Last year they won the league with a lot of players around 20 years of age.ââ?¬Â Rangers will discover tomorrow night just how good this current Malmo team is when they meet in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier at Ibrox. Interest in Sweden will be high, although there is scant pressure on Malmo to succeed. ââ?¬Å?There is little expectation on Swedish teams when they go into Europe these days,ââ?¬Â added Ysten. ââ?¬Å?Over the past 10 years or so they have shown themselves to be too small for Europe. Nobody expects Malmo to go through against Glasgow Rangers, but the hope is always there.ââ?¬Â http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/rangers/malmo-s-return-to-rearing-their-own-talent-pays-off-1.1113759

MADJID BOUGHERRA could be on his way out of Rangers in a shock Ã?£2.6million switch to Qatari champions Lekhwiya Sports Club. Ibrox transfer supremo Andrew Dickson met with the defender’s representatives last night and a deal is expected to be concluded before today’s European deadline. Express Sport broke the story of Ally McCoist’s interest in Goian last week and now the Rangers boss is hopeful the transfer will be pushed through to allow him to play him in the Champions League qualifier against Malmo. Goian, 30, has been offered a three-year-deal and is expected to fly into Scotland to seal his deal and for his medical over the next 24 hours. The experienced Palermo defender, who has also starred for Steaua Bucharest, became McCoist’s top target after Aston Villa defender Carlo Cuellar turned down a move to Ibrox over wages. Rangers are also expected to up their bid for St Johnstone midfielder Murray Davidson to around Ã?£300,000- after they had an initial Ã?£150,000 deal knocked back. Dundee United striker David Goodwillie remains on the radar, as does Anderlecht defender Roland Juhasz. Rangers have already agreed a pre-contract with Alejandro Bedoya from Orebro and could conclude that deal before the close of the window, while Motherwell’s Scotland under-21 starlet Jamie Murphy is also on their list of possible targets. http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/260855/Madjid-Bougherra-heads-for-Rangers-exit

Anything to get the BHEASTS top of the table it seems

Maybe to replace Boogie?

http://www.scotprem.com/content/default.asp?page=home_statistics Should Motherwell not be top on goal difference??

The Rangers and the club champion of Qatar 2011, Lekhwiya Sports Club, have agreed to the transfer of Algerian defender Madjid Bougherra. He should join his new team after the preliminary round of the Champions League the past. The Algerian daily, Competition , reveals that the Algerian international Madjid Bougherra , will sign the club of Qatar Sports Club Lekhwiya led by Djamel Belmadi and champion of Qatar title. The transfer was made ​​for 3 million euros and Algerian international touch an annual salary of 1.7 million euros. The arrival of Bougherra will be formalized in a few weeks. The leaders of the Rangers, despite the fact that they have completed the transfer, asked the player to stay and participate in the double confrontation against the Swedes in MalmÃ?¶ on behalf of the third and final preliminary round of the Champions League, (one July 26, return August 2). For now, the newspaper said, the player refuses the situation for fear of injury. Anyway, Qatar continues to play the Eldorado for Algerian international. Madjid Bougherra is the third member of Fennecs to join Mercato since the opening of the country that will host the World Cup in 2022, after Mourad Meghni (Umm Sallal) and Karim Ziani (Al Jaish). Nadir Belhadj is already playing at Al Saad as Boualem Khoukha to Al Arabi. Another Algerian player is also in contact with Qatar, Hassan Yebda. http://www.parolesdefoot.com/afrique-et-can-2012/19388/bougherra-rejoint-belmadi-a-lekhwiya-sports-club/

RANGERS are on the verge of landing Palermo defender Dorin Goian. It's understood an Ã?£800,000 deal between the clubs is all but agreed and personal terms now only need to be ironed out for the giant Romanian stopper. The Ibrox hierarchy were working furiously on the transfer last night after watching Gers draw 1-1 against Hearts in their SPL opener. And they hope to overcome one or two obstacles by tomorrow morning. Gaffer Ally McCoist is praying a deal can be concluded as he is desperate to bring in at least one more stopper. McCoist was disappointed to drop two points in his first SPL game as boss and doesn't want any more setbacks before Tuesday's Champions League tie against Malmo. He is allowed to add one more player to his squad for that first-leg qualifier and Goian is the man he wants. McCoist said: "Talks are ongoing and I believe one or two phone calls have taken place. We need players and I hope to get Goian in. "We are able to add one more for the Malmo game and hope to be in a position to do that." McCoist also wants to land Carlos Cuellar from Aston Villa but may be thwarted in his bid to get Kyle Bartley back on loan from Arsenal. It's understood Gunners gaffer Arsene Wenger would prefer the player to go elsewhere to continue his footballing education - and that could lead to him ending up at Bolton. Wenger wants to sign Gary Cahill and Reebok boss Owen Coyle may get Bartley as part of the deal. McCoist said: "I'm not ruling any player out at the moment. We are chasing a number of targets." Reports in Belgium claim Anderlecht have rejected a Ã?£1.4m bid from Rangers for stopper Roland Juhasz. PSV Eindhoven are also said to be interested in the 28-year-old Hungarian and Gers would have to up their offer to have any chance of landing the defender . The champions unfurled the SPL flag yesterday but Hearts star David Obua ruined the party with af irst-half opener. Stevie Naismith levelled after the break but there was to be no winning start for McCoist. The Rangers boss said: "We were disappointing in the first half, although you have to give Hearts credit. "We spoke to the players at half-time and made one or two adjustments. "Steve Davis mov ing inside worked well. "We might have just nicked it but it might have also been an injustice had we won the game." Opposite number Jim Jefferies was full of praise for his side and said: "I said to the players at half-time that was as good a display as I've seen here from an away team. We were really good. "There was every chance for us to be three ahead by half-time. This was a good result and performance but I'm not going to make any predictions. Let's see after eight or nine games." Andy Webster limped off with a groin injury after just eight minutes and David Templeton was subbed with concussion. Jefferies hopes Templeton will be fit for Thursday's Europa League clash away to Hungarian side Paksi but Webster is doubtful. Jeff said: "David had double vision and it was a blow to lose him. Andy said he was fine before the game but picked up an injury." http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2011/07/24/rangers-putting-final-touches-to-deal-for-palermo-stopper-dorin-goian-86908-23293625/ “@Fourth_Official: Hearing Rangers have had a 600k bid accepted for Dorin Goian #RFC”

Lifted from FF Dorin Goian (Sunday mail) Rangers all but agree 800k deal just personal terms now. No pic or link in work

Looking forward to it,whenever I get there. I just don't understand booing,it's counter productive,especially after only the first game of the season.

I was just about to ask that Craig. Were they good??

Unbelievable!!!!

Reading elsewhere about the Rangers fans booing the players at HT & FT???,WTF!!!

This link? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-14251800

Fire it back to him

Care to expand on this mate?,I've just logged on and overseas

It must be really terrible for you following Rangers. Never seen the game,or heard it,but drawing the first game of the season is hardly a disaster,especialy against Hertz.Upwards and onwards I say.