ian1964

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

ANDREW LITTLE will get another chance to impress national coach Nigel Worthington again tonight when Northern Ireland face Scotland at Broadwood in a 'B' international. It's yet another big night for the level headed youngster who has seen his career take a giant leap forward in the past two months. Andrew LittleThe 19 year-old was a regular for Tommy Wilson's Reserves when he when he made his international debut on March 28, going on as a late substitute for David Healy in the country's World Cup qualifying win over Poland at Windsor Park. It was a proud moment for the Enniskillen-born player who had, at that point, yet to make a first-team appearance at club level. This all changed on April 25 when he capped an unforgettable period of his life by replacing Kris Boyd with nine minutes remaining of the 3-0 Scottish Cup semi-final win over St. Mirren at Hampden. Little admits that he had to pinch himself after recent events but he now has his sights set fulfilling his undoubted potential, starting tonight in Cumbernauld against his Gers teammates Andy Webster and Steven Naismith. He said: "Hopefully I will play in the game against Scotland and then in June there will be a senior Northern Ireland squad announced, I would like to be in that also. "But the last couple of months have been crazy; if you had told me six weeks ago that I had made my full Northern Ireland and Rangers debuts I would have thought you were drunk. Andrew Little replaces Kris Boyd in the League Cup semi-final 2009 "To do both recently was brilliant and I am very proud to have been given that chance. "The night before the Scottish Cup semi-final I was on the phone to my mum and she was all for coming over when she found out I was on the bench. "I told her she shouldn't make the trip because it would be sods law that she would travel and I would not play. "So all my family were watching the game at home and it was a very special moment for them to see me making my Rangers debut at Hampden. "When Danny (Wilson) and I were warming up we both knew there was a chance one of us might go on. "I was constantly looking over at the bench to see if my name would be called and Danny was the same. Andrew Little"Being a forward I thought that might give me a slightly better chance and the fact Boydy had already scored his 100th goal also helped my cause a bit. "But it was a great to get a game and the fact the game was sitting at 3-0 meant there was not any pressure on me." Replacing Boyd was a dream scenario for Andrew who admits that training with the club's prolific striker on a regular basis has been hugely beneficial to his development. He said: "There is no better player in the business when it comes to finishing than Boydy. "It's frightening to think that he is the fastest Rangers player to hit 100 goals for 50 years. "Learning from him is brilliant and every day in training you see how he does it although a lot of what he does is natural. We also have Ally and he did pretty well also! "As a striker you can only learn from people like Kris and to replace him in the final was pretty special. "There was obviously a massive cheer when he came off and I kind of hoped it was for me going on! "But Kris is someone I look up to a lot and to make my debut coming on for him made it all the more special."

RICHARD GOUGH insists the destination of the SPL title will not be decided if there is a winner in Saturday's crucial Old Firm derby. He knows that if there is an outright winner it will give them a massive boost in their pursuit of the crown. A win for Rangers would give them a two point lead with three games to while a Celtic victory would take them four clear. However, former Ibrox skipper Gough knows from his own experience that strange things can happen. Gough, back in Scotland to promote Setanta's coverage of Saturday's match along with former Celt Derek Whyte, was trying to lead Rangers to 10 in a row in 1998 when he was stopped in his tracks. And four years ago Celtic won the final Old Firm derby of the season and looked odds on but lost two of their final four matches, famously crashing at Fir Park on the final day which allowed Rangers to win the flag. Goigh said: "If one team wins the game it will put them in a very strong position but that is not to say the League would be done and dusted. "Looking back I remember the 1997/98 season when with about four games to go we beat Celtic and Jonas Thern scored a great goal and we thought we were on our way, "But we lost at home to Kilmarnock and dropped other points and it didn't happen for us. "So it doesn't necessarily mean it's wrapped up if either team wins on Saturday but they would put themselves in a great position."

Rangers 2 - Boyd, Davis MOPES 0 Fook me I'm excited already.....it's going to be a long wait for Saturday

Rangers v Falkirk Saturday 30 May. Hampden Park, kick-off 3pm Rangers has been allocated 24,890 tickets for the Homecoming Scottish Cup Final. Season ticket holders who have signed up to the continuous credit card payment scheme for semi finals and finals will automatically receive a ticket for this match and payment will be taken from Tuesday 12 May. Season ticket holders on the scheme who selected family section will be allocated tickets in the family section. Remaining tickets will go on sale to season ticket holders only from Thursday 14 May from the sales channels listed below. Season ticket holders may purchase one ticket per season ticket up to a maximum of four season tickets per transaction, subject to availability. Please note that tickets are extremely limited and will be sold on a first come first served basis to season ticket holders only. In the event that Rangers is allocated additional tickets from the SFA, sales details for this additional allocation will be communicated via rangers.co.uk and where supplied and appropriate, by email. We would strongly recommend that season ticket holders arrange to have their tickets sent by Special Delivery or alternatively uplift their tickets from Rangers Ticket Centre. The deadline for season ticket holders who have not already arranged to receive tickets by Special Delivery but who would like to do so is Wednesday 20 May. Those season ticket holders wishing to uplift their tickets should also do so by this date. Please call 0871 702 1972 (option 4 then 9) to speak to one of our customer service advisors for further information on postal or uplift options. Tickets are priced at Ã?£28* for the West Stand and Ã?£35* for the North and South Stands. Family section tickets are priced at Ã?£24* for adults and Ã?£10* for kids (under 16’s) in the family section. SALES CHANNELS - rangers.co.uk*^ - Ticket hotline 0871 702 1972^ - Rangers Ticket Centre^ *Family section tickets cannot be purchased online and only one ticket can be purchased online per visit. Rangers number and surname required per ticket purchased.^Tickets are subject to availability and booking fees apply.

The good thing this time is that we have good options on the bench with the likes of Miller,Novo,Lafferty............

Aye, but it keeps the MOPE,CHIMPS happy, or they might go on a window breaking spree and bunjee jumping without the ropes

Alexander Whittaker Bougherra Weir Papac Davis Edu Mendes Smith Velicka Boyd SA, you pushed me into this selection, to be fair the team has been winning so don't tamper with it IMO

I'm still deliberating my team...............hopefully I'll get it posted before Saturday

The team I put forward is the team I think oor Watty will play,not the team I would want

Aye..........I'll sleep easy after that useless piece of information

I wonder what surprise oor Watty has up his sleeve for this game? Me thinks he will play: --------Alexander Whittaker-Bougherra-Weir-Papac ----Davis-Edu-Mendes-Lafferty --------Boyd-Miller

A second-half double from Steven Lennon and a further strike from John Fleck have given the Reserves a sensational 3-2 win over Inverness Caley Thistle in their final league game of the season. John FleckTommy Wilson's side looked dead and buried when Adam Rooney put the Highland Jags 2-0 up in the 49th minute. But three goals in the space of six minutes put the Light Blues back in front and they held on to their lead to secure all three points. With an average age of just 18 this afternoon's game was always going to be a big test for Rangers and they were to suffer a blow on 28 minutes when Rooney linked with teammate Garry Wood before curling the ball beyond Graeme Smith. The visitors fought back desperately in search of an equaliser before half-time but Ryan Esson was in inspired form between the Caley posts. Rooney then doubled his team's advantage after the break when he fired the ball home after Iain Vigurs had supplied a cross from the left. Steven Lennon, Rangers Despite their youth the Rangers players battled back brilliantly and they were given a glimmer of hope on 59 minutes when Steven Lennon pulled one back after scrambling home a rebound from a Jamie Ness header. Only 60 seconds and they received a further boost when Pavels Mihadjuks blocked a John Fleck free-kick with his hand and the referee immediately pointed to the spot. Lennon stepped up and the striker confidently sent the keeper the wrong way to put his team level. With Caley stunned John Fleck was to take full advantage by bagging what proved to be the winner in the 64th minute. Lennon, Archie Campbell and substitute Chris Craig linked well in midfield before releasing Fleck who curled a delightful shot around the helpless Esson. It was a great way for the club's second string to end the season and has given them hope of finishing second in the SPL table. ICT: Esson, Gathuessi, Mihadjuks, Finnis, Shinnie, Z. Sutherland (Leslie 70), Duncan, Morrison, Vigurs, Rooney, Wood (S. Sutherland) RANGERS: Smith, Durie, Scott, Perry, Wylde, Stirling (Craig 45), Ness, Fleck, Aaron, Campbell (Forbes 75), Lennon

Same as me mate

Agreed Craig, I am not saying he should play, I'm arguing against the pure hatred shown towards him, and this is the main reason some fans don't want him back in the team, for me he is still our best midfield player even though he has not reached his previous form, and then you get '' we've won 6 games without him '', can't argue with that, but for me one player doesn't win or loose you games, it's quite pathetic IMO

If you have the stomach to visit, http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/8111649/66/, you'll get the answer to the question of their reaction

Get your hard hat on and take cover................

I think he will, if Walter does split them up, it will be Velicka that gets dropped IMO, as he does even less than Boyd, in fact Boyd has assisted 3/4 of Velickas goals

Referee: Craig Thomson Assistants: Francis Andrews and Tom Murphy - v Celtic v Hibs Referee: Eddie Smith Assistants: Martin Cryans and Gary Cheyne