ian1964

Cheers Jonny, just with the deadline today and me posting this a couple of weeks ago I've not had any response

Can anybody tell me if you get a letter of confirmation when you post your renewal form to Ibrox ?. I normally renew when I'm through at Ibrox, but this time I posted it for some reason

Ferguson won't be playing in this game

WALTER SMITH insists that Rangers wonââ?¬â?¢t crumble and gift Celtic nine-in-a-row glory. The Ibrox boss hit out after Gers legend Richard Gough confessed to his fear that the Hoops stand on the brink of history. Former Light Blues skipper Gough reckons losing the SPL crown to Celts could spark a catastrophic collapse at Ibrox. But, on the eve of tomorrowââ?¬â?¢s vital Old Firm clash at Ibrox, Smith claimed Gough is WRONG. He said: ââ?¬Å?I can never remember thinking winning four-in-a-row would mean going on to win nine-in-a-row. ââ?¬Å?Itââ?¬â?¢s difficult enough to win one. Youââ?¬â?¢d have to win four, then win four again and then start on the ninth. ââ?¬Å?It is always difficult to find that level of consistency. ââ?¬Å?You donââ?¬â?¢t go from four to nine in five minutes. ââ?¬Å?I donââ?¬â?¢t think anybody here ever thought of doing nine in the midst of two, three or four-in-a-row. ââ?¬Å?Itââ?¬â?¢s a good theory but there is a lot of assumption in there.ââ?¬Â Smith is focused on four games rather than four titles as the championship race enters the final furlong. Victory would thrust Gers two points clear of the Hoops but even if that happens, Smith reckons the tussle will go to the wire. He said: ââ?¬Å?The Old Firm game tends to dominate everyoneââ?¬â?¢s thoughts, but it would show a disregard to the other teams we still have to play if we said this was a ââ?¬Ë?must winââ?¬â?¢ match. ââ?¬Å?We canââ?¬â?¢t run away from the fact that itââ?¬â?¢s going to be a vitally important match for both teams in the quest to win a championship. ââ?¬Å?But I donââ?¬â?¢t think we can disregard the others teams. The three remaining matches we have will be extremely tough. ââ?¬Å?But, if you have thoughts of winning the championship, then youââ?¬â?¢d want to win this game. ââ?¬Å?I find it difficult to separate one Old Firm game from another. You always have that bit of tension and nervousness before all the derby games. ââ?¬Å?It is the same every season and the intensity increases as the season goes on. ââ?¬Å?If you are asking me if this one is any more important than any other, Iââ?¬â?¢d have to say no. ââ?¬Å?But it IS a vitally important game for both clubs.ââ?¬Â Smith insisted heââ?¬â?¢s NOT worried by Tom Murphyââ?¬â?¢s appointment as a linesman tomorrow. He clashed with Murphy after a draw at Motherwell earlier this season, but Smith said: ââ?¬Å?Yes, it is an interesting decision, but I have no problem with him officiating the game. None at all. ââ?¬Å?I said what I said after the Motherwell game. He has since officiated other games for us so I donââ?¬â?¢t have any problem with him officiating this one.ââ?¬Â But the Gers gaffer IS annoyed that Gers must play two games in less than 70 hours next week. They face Hibs on Wednesday night and Aberdeen on Saturday lunchtime while Celts have FIVE DAYS between their games. Advertisement SunSport first revealed Gers were unhappy with the timings back on April 21 and Smith confirmed: ââ?¬Å?I felt it was unfair of them to ask us to play two games within two days when it was not necessary, especially after what happened to us last season. ââ?¬Å?That aspect of the split is an unfair one from our point of view and we have expressed our concern.ââ?¬Â Smith threw open the gates of Murray Park to allow Gough, now 47, to train with the first-team yesterday. He said: ââ?¬Å?Richard is the same as before ââ?¬â? fit but hopeless. But, seriously, he is in good nick and it was good to see him.ââ?¬Â Gough was joined by another ex-Gers captain, Barry Ferguson, for a full session. Fergie was returning from his calf injury but wonââ?¬â?¢t be considered for the crucial lunchtime clash with SPL leaders Celts. And Gers are also sweating over crocked left-back Sasa Papac as he battles knee ligament problems. Smith said: ââ?¬Å?We have a doubt over Sasa for Saturday. ââ?¬Å?He has strained ligaments on the outside of a knee. ââ?¬Å?It is causing him a problem, especially when he turns. ââ?¬Å?We are keen to have him and there is still a possibility we will have him. ââ?¬Å?But if he misses Saturday, he will be fit for the next week. ââ?¬Å?Barry is progressing but needs a few more daysââ?¬â?¢ training before he is up to match fitness. ââ?¬Å?I would hope that would be in the next few days. ââ?¬Å?Hopefully once Barry comes back that will be him fit and he would be fit for us in the remaining games of the season.ââ?¬Â Meanwhile, Kirk Broadfoot hopes to find a cure for his foot problem after visiting a specialist yesterday. Smith said: ââ?¬Å?Kirk is seeing a specialist in London. Heââ?¬â?¢s had a bit of trouble with his foot and hopefully he can find a solution to the problem. ââ?¬Å?He is now pain-free, except when he kicks a ball, which is a problem for a footballer!ââ?¬Â http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/article2417724.ece

All I was trying to say, I think , is that we are a weak team and he is a thug,the same as Broon,so them losing a bit of dig should/could help us

Come to think of it, Whittakers defending is not that great

Without trying to sound like I'm sticking up for Dailly here, I agree McGeady is way over rated and I don't think Dailly would be that bad against him tbh, I think he would just sit and defend rather than trying to race up the wing and leaving space for McGeady to exploit and if he did that I wouldn't be too worried about him facing McGeady,IMO

I hope the fans destroy Borat again as happened against Northern Ireland [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q30RTLpEao&feature=related]YouTube - NORTHERN IRELAND V POLAND 28/03/09[/ame]

Will McGeady up against Dailly be that much worse than McGeady up against Broadfoot ?

Whittaker LB, Dailly RB

Maybe WS will just drop Stevie Smith to LB ?, and leave Whittaker @ RB ?, which would then leave the LM position to..........Lafferty,McCulloch,Fleck,Novo ?????

RANGERS' stars of the future will be looking to enjoy Old Firm success when they take on rivals Celtic in the Glasgow Cup final at Broadwood Stadium on May 11. The Light Blues beat Queens Park 5-0 to reach this year's final and will be hoping to get their name back on the famous trophy after losing out to the young Celts in 2008. Glasgow CupJim Sinclair will be in charge of the under-17 side on the night along with coach Alan Kernaghan and the club's youth supremo is looking for his teenage stars to put on a good show. Sinclair said: "The final will give our fans a chance to come along and see our talented young players in action. "Old Firm fixtures at any level always create a bit of excitement and our boys will be desperate to get their hands on the trophy after losing to Celtic last year. "It should be a terrific game and hopefully supporters will come along to Broadwood to support the team as they don't always get the opportunity to play in front of reasonable crowds. "It's a big occasion not only because it is game between Rangers and Celtic but because it's the final of a competition that has been in Scottish football for a long time. "Like Celtic we will be looking to get our hands on the trophy and I am sure our players will be up for the challenge." Glasgow's senior clubs Clyde, Partick Thistle, Queens Park, Rangers and Celtic have competed for the Cup on an annual basis since 1887 although there have been periods in history when the competition was put on hold. Up until 1986 it was effectively deemed a first-team tournament with clubs putting out full strength starting elevens and massive crowds attending the games. In the 20s and 30s it was not unusual for 90,000 fans to turn out for Old Firm clashes. broadwood stadium home of clyde And as recently as 1986 a crowd of 40,000 saw Rangers take the trophy with a 3-2 final win over Celtic courtesy of an Ally McCoist hat-trick. This gave Graeme Souness his first trophy only days after he was announced as the new Rangers manager. glasgow cup 2_160The Ibrox club retained the trophy the following season but the Cup was abandoned in 1988 and relaunched as a youth competition in 2008. Rangers have lifted the tournament on 44 occasions, more than any other Scottish club, but Sinclair hopes his young under-17 team can once again bring the trophy back to Ibrox. He added: "At this moment we have young boys at under-17 level who play in games that are titled non-competitive so the Glasgow Cup is a great vehicle for their education. "A few of our under-17 players including Darren Cole, Kal Naismith and Gordon Dick, to name just a few, have pushed up in to our under-19 team regularly this season and they will have benefited from that. "In last year's final we also saw boys such as Danny Wilson and Jamie Ness involved and this they have now been on the bench for the first-team. "So the Glasgow Cup is a good chance for fans to see the players coming through the ranks in action and the final against Celtic is one we are all looking forward to." The final will kick-off at 7.30pm at Broadwood on May 11. Tickets are priced at �£5 for adults, children under 16/OAPs admitted free of charge.

Any of these clowns out injured is good,personally I think I'd rather he was out as he is capable of bullying our players so I do think this will help us, Loovens is shite

STEPHEN McMANUS is OUT of the Old Firm title crunch at Ibrox. And he will know within the next 48 hours if his campaign is OVER. SunSport can reveal the crocked Celtic captain is in Leeds to get a definitive verdict on his damaged knee. It is likely to lead to the 26-year-old going under the knife and being sidelined until pre-season at the earliest. Glenn Loovens will get the nod to start against Rangers, who are just a point behind four-in-a-row chasing Celtic, with only four games to play. McManus was forced off after 50 minutes of the 3-1 win at Aberdeen. It�s believed the stopper has been training and playing through the pain of ankle and knee problems for a month. The Scotland ace had to come off at half-time against Hearts on April 11 after struggling with his damaged ankle. It earned him a rebuke from manager Gordon Strachan and a demand for more honesty about his fitness. Strach then revealed after the victory over the Dons that McManus had made his vulnerable knee worse by over-compensating. It had been hoped a two-week break before Aberdeen, including a trip to La Manga, would be the key for recovery. But it made little difference. Scotland boss George Burley will also be anxious to hear the injury bulletin on the big defender. The next World Cup qualifier is in Norway on August 12 � and McManus is one of Burley�s first picks. http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/article2416101.ece

There is only one Goalie, Goram easy

Barca through then

Scotland turned in an encouraging display to earn a B international victory at a rain-lashed Broadwood. Rangers defender Andy Webster opened the scoring on 47 minutes, slamming the ball home after his header had been blocked by keeper Jonathan Tuffy. Scotland's David Marshall made saves to deny Andy Little and Oliver Norwood. The lively George Boyd then smacked in a wonderful strike from 20 yards and set up Leigh Griffiths to slip home the third goal with five minutes left.

Don't think it matters how many goals Boyd scores, there are still some fans who just don't appreciate what he has done, and won't until he has gone...........hope you're right though

Mmmmmmmmmmm, is he gonna play or is it a bluff ?

KYLE LAFFERTY is expecting a tough match when Celtic come calling on Saturday, but the Northern Ireland man is desperate to play his part in what he describes as the biggest game of the season. Kyle Lafferty celebrates scoring against HeartsThe 21-year-old returned to the top team as a substitute against Hearts last weekend and is now battling for a place in Walter Smith's starting eleven for this weekend's title showdown. Lafferty has yet to come out of an Old Firm meeting on the winning side, having missed the 4-2 victory in August, but he says the squad have been unlucky in recent matches with their rivals. He said: "It's going to be a hard game because Celtic are a good team but I think if we go about it in the right manner we'll be ok. "We have to have the heart for this game because it's one of the biggest of the season. Top spot is up for grabs and everybody is looking forward to it. "I think in most of the games this season we have had our fair share of the ball and have caused them some problems. "But in games like this one a team can go out and play like that and not get the win. That can happen and then maybe you don't play at your best but nick one. Kyle Lafferty"It can come down to which team has more heart and more determination, so it should be an interesting one." The young forward has fared well personally in his Old Firm battles, having been handed a lone striker's role at Parkhead and made life difficult for Andreas Hinkel in the League Cup final. Now he his hoping to leave the collective disappointment of that game behind him - by hitting the net against Celtic and firing Rangers toward the SPL title. He added: "No disrespect to the cup, but I think it's obvious that everyone wants to win the league title so I think this one is massive - by far the biggest game of the season for us. Kyle Lafferty celebrates his goal against Hearts"There's a lot at stake but whoever loses won't be finished for the season. After the Old Firm game there are three very tough games for both sides so there could be a few twists still to come in the league. "Personally I've just enjoyed being out there. Everyone wants to play against the best teams and Celtic are one of the best in the league and as a young player I just want to experience that again. "It was good to play up front too and it was a real boost that the gaffer gave me that role and showed he had confidence in me to play that position. "If I get the same chance again I just have to give it my all and hopefully come out on the winning side this time. "Hopefully I can get myself back in there and get the goals that will win us the title."

By Andrew Dickson THE leading scorer of Rangers goals in Old Firm games, it was in the derbies against Celtic that Ally McCoist made his name as a Light Blues legend. Now he feels Kris Boyd is ready to follow in his footsteps as the prolific striker looks to fire the Ibrox outfit to a win against their biggest rivals this weekend. Ally McCoist and Kris Boyd in trainingThis season has been the former Kilmarnock man's best since he made the short move from Rugby Park in January 2006. Having taken his tally for the club into three figures when he notched his 100th Gers goal against St Mirren last month, he now stands on 30 for the campaign. It's a good return from the prolific striker and while many have come to expect that sort of thing from him, there's still a lot of satisfaction to be taken from what he has done. Boyd has undoubtedly become a more rounded player in recent months, progressing from the lazy, immobile forward many looked upon him as previously. Now showing more intelligence and a greater work ethic, he is one of the most valuable members of Walter Smith's squad. One of the criticisms that still hang over Boyd's head is his lack of goals against Celtic. In 18 career appearances against them, he has just one to his credit. The second anniversary of that sole counter was yesterday and it goes without saying that he's keen to end the drought on Saturday. Ally McCoist talks to Kris Boyd in trainingThere's nobody better for Boyd to learn from than McCoist, someone who struck competitively on 27 occasions against the Parkhead side for Rangers over 15 years. Smith's deputy has heard all of the theories on the Ibrox number nine and knows he's one of those players people either love or hate. But the one thing he insists nobody can dispute is his ability to score - and McCoist is convinced Boyd's got what it takes to see off Celtic. "Kris is a man with a lot of confidence at the moment and his total against Celtic is just a statistic," he said. "We all know Boydy can score against anybody. "He has scored at international level and in European competitions as well as in domestic games so there's no doubting what he can do. "I really hope this is a game that is set up for him. When you look at strikers and some of the things that are written in stars for them, I hope this is one of them. "Kris has a terrific season and it was a wonderful achievement for him to reach 100 goals for the club recently. Ally McCoist shouts orders to Kris Boyd during a game"So early in his Rangers career, I hope it's the first hundred of many and you never know what could happen. I certainly wish him luck with that. "People earn their luck and if Boydy were to get the winner this weekend against Celtic, nobody would be more pleased about it than me. I include Kris in that. " Boyd has been in a situation similar to this one before and back in December, he was given his chance to shine in the derby at Ibrox. Going into the game, he had 18 goals in as many matches under his belt including hat-tricks against Inverness and Hamilton. But when his opportunity to strike against Celtic came, Artur Boruc saved his shot just after half-time and Scott McDonald's effort later ensured the visitors won 1-0. This time Boyd has six goals from his last six appearances and he's one of the most in-form players in the country. While he didn't make the most of his opportunity just over four months ago, McCoist thinks he can this time and added: "This could be a second chance for him in that respect. Kris Boyd"Back in December, Barry Ferguson played a good ball through to Kris and, after he took a touch, the keeper saved his shot. That happens. "He would have been disappointed to miss that chance but that's got nothing to do with the situation we're in now. "Kris needed to get his head up and move on at the end of last year and he did that. He has scored some great goals between then and now. "He's obviously forgotten about that miss, just as we have. There's no use in looking back at it because it doesn't make any difference now. "If Kris has a chance to score on Sunday, I'd definitely have my money on him to do it because one thing he won't be worrying about is chances he's missed in games gone by."

I suppose we should not be depending on a 39 year old, a younger CB is what we need, still think he has been steady all season

I sort of agree, but to be fair I think he has been our most consistent player all season and maybe could/should have won the POTY, IMO

by Lindsay Herron RICHARD GOUGH has insisted that Davie Weir should stay at Rangers for another year - because he is such a steadying influence. Weir will be be 39 on Sunday but Gough, who played to the same age as Davie's defensive partner at Everton, reckons age is no barrier. David WeirThe 9 in a row skipper feels Weir can still be a key man and he hopes a deal can be struck. Gough, back in Scotland to promote Setanta's coverage of Saturday's Old Firm game, said: "The last two or three weeks have been unsettling for the club and I think Davie Weir has been a steadying influence. "I am going up to Murray Park tomorrow to see the lads so I will have a chat with him then. "I would love to see him do another season if he feels capable of doing so. "I finished with Everton when I was 39 but I felt I could have played for another year. I stopped for family reasons. "I suppose only he and Walter Smith can decide if he will stay but I hope it happens. "I think he has really helped Bougherra settle in - much in the same way - I hope - that I helped Davie 10 years ago at Everton. "Davie is a settling influence on any player because he is calm and he reads the game very well."

We are due a win against these clarty MOPES