ian1964

Agreed,although i'm not slagging him off as he is a good player

Another poor performance from him yesterday,this guy really needs to start playing much better to convince this bear that he has what is required,hasn't really done anything for me since he's been here,apart from the odd game here and there,must do better

Game was crying out for Fergie today,on todays performance from our midfield BF should have no problem going straight back into the team

Alexander looked so comfortable today,deserves to keep his place

He is going to have an interesting time today at Killie v Scum

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article4794938.ece

No doubt Timmy will be fuming at this

Just some more accurate journalism !!!!!!!!!

When Glasgow Rangers fans sang the lyrics 'from Ireland they came, brought us nothing but trouble and shame' at an Old Firm derby, they never thought it would cause so much trouble. But the song, which goes on 'well the Famine is over, why don't they go home?' angered one fan so much he put in a complaint that led Irish diplomats to raise the concerns with the Scottish government. Now anti-censorship campaigners have stepped into the row, claiming this weekend that any attempt to curb the fans from singing the lyrics would be a 'dangerous' assault on freedom of speech. It is the Rangers fans' right, they say, to insult the Irish over the Great Famine if they choose. Index on Censorship's Irish-born spokesperson, Padraig Reidy, said he was concerned about the state intervening. 'Considering we all know that there have been nasty, offensive songs at Old Firm games for years, making it into a national issue seems absurd and dangerous. It's trying to set a legal limit on speech that isn't incitement to violence. Rangers and Celtic have an agreement between themselves to sing what they want,' he said. Reidy said that, while the song about the Famine is undoubtedly offensive, behaviour should be controlled by the two clubs rather than the state. 'It's different to anti-discrimination laws, which are a very good thing, but seeking to outlaw any kind of insulting or offensive speech/songs does become very problematic, because someone will always take offence,' he added. A complaint was made after Rangers' victory over Celtic last month. Irish diplomats raised concerns with the Scottish government over chanting by a section of the Rangers support at the Old Firm match. Rangers FC said it has asked its fans to refrain from singing the song. The controversial song refers to the Irish famine that killed an estimated one million people in the 1840s. Tens of thousands of Irish people emigrated to Scotland's central belt to find work. Four decades later these emigrants and their descendants helped to create Glasgow Celtic in 1888. Rangers Football Club has approached Strathclyde Police for guidance, a spokesman for the club said, adding fans had been actively discouraged from singing the song at games. A spokesman for the Scottish Executive said the government in Edinburgh was working with both Glasgow clubs to lower sectarian tensions. Meanwhile Northern Ireland's Sports Minister has rejected an invitation to Celtic Park. Democratic Unionist MP Gregory Campbell had been invited to a Celtic home game by the club's chairman and former Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid after Campbell and his wife were subjected to sectarian abuse by Celtic fans on a ferry between Scotland and Northern Ireland. Campbell wrote to Dr Reid last week calling for Celtic to take more robust action against fans who sing pro-IRA songs at away games. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/sep/21/rangers.celtic1

Craig,i'm not saying it is right if he walks straight back into the team,what I am saying is the players are all professional football players and will play when they are asked to play,how many players were upset when Cousin started against Celtic ?,but WS got the result and team selection spot on !!!,that's what counts.

I have to agree with this post,no-one can deny BF is quality and should benefit playing with quality,and I also think too many people are reading WS wrong here.I can't help thinking there is too many fans that don't want F back in the team..........and IMO that is wrong,he is quality and he will improve our team,so much so that I still think on his game he is better than Mendes,but what I want to see is them playing together, which can only improve our team

Gribz, the Hemdani one is a strange one,he is turning out to be the old one season foreigner,shame really as he has quality,but I can't help thinking he doesn't want to play here,but then why didn't he move ?........crazy but I do think we have seen the last of him and he will move in January

I actually can't wait for BF to start playing again,I really think we are going to see the BF of old when he plays along side Mendes ,if so then we will have the best midfield we have had since the days of Gio,Albertz etc;

BF is a class player,who has had a bad couple of seasons by his standard,do you guys not think he will get back to his best with more class around him ?, I do. If I was the manager i'd be looking to play my best players every week,that's your job as a manager,wether other people think the players you play are your best players doesn't really matter,a manager picks his team to win,WS obviously feels BF will improve Rangers chances of winning,so do I. Should he go straight back into the team ?,if you think he is one of your best players yes,but what does that actually mean ?,will he play when he is not fit ?,or not ready ?, I doubt it. If he comes back playing to the standard he is capable of then I don't think anyone will be arguing about if he should be playing or not

by Lindsay Herron WALTER SMITH revealed today that even although he has a wealth of talent in his midfield area Barry Ferguson wll walk straight back into the side when he is fit. Ferguson is perhaps less than a month away from coming back in to lead the side and Smith will have no hesitation in putting him in. The dilemma, of course, will be who to leave out when Ferguson is fit given the way Steve Davis, Pedro Mendes, Kevin Thomson et al have been playing. Ferguson had ankle surgery in July and is now working intensely with the Murray Park medical team with a view to being ready after the next international break. Smith said: "Barry is the captain and when he comes back he will play - simple as that. It's just a case of when. "He had a terrific season for us last season but there was a lot of pressure on him become much of the onus was on him. "This season we have a capability to divide that onus among different players so that will be good for all concerned. "We will be delighted to have him back, even if it causes us a problem in terms of selection."

Sep 19 2008 By Keith Jackson AIDEN McGEADY'S stormy relationship with Celtic manager Gordon Strachan could be heading for crisis point after the winger was singled out in the wake of last month's Old Firm defeat. Record Sport understands the latest rift between the pair was behind Strachan's decision to bench the winger for Sunday's emphatic win at Motherwell and the Champions League clash with Aalborg. The rift began when strict disciplinarian Strachan barred McGeady from a first-team debriefing in the aftermath of that 4-2 derby defeat. Strachan called the rest of his squad into a room inside the club's Lennoxtown HQ to pore over a video nasty of the match and analyse exactly where Scotland's champions had gone wrong as Rangers romped to victory. But McGeady - last season's SPFA Player of the Year - was told not to bother taking part. Instead, he was instructed to go for lunch on his own at the training ground canteen. Strachan has been growing increasingly concerned with McGeady's form since the start of the season and is determined to get the player refocused on playing the kind of football which wowed supporters last season. But sources close to the player insist McGeady is so furious at the snub he may even be considering his future in the knowledge he would have no shortage of suitors in the January transfer window, including the likes of Newcastle, Spurs and possibly even Manchester United. And Strachan's last two team selections have done little to lighten McGeady's mood. The Republic of Ireland international has shared a roller-coaster relationship with his boss ever since Strachan took over from Martin O'Neill three years ago. This time last season McGeady stormed up the tunnel in a bad mood after being substituted in a league match at Parkhead. Strachan did not take kindly to what he viewed as a public show of petulance and was quick to lay down the law. The pair called a truce and the player enjoyed his most productive season yet in Celtic's top team, helping the club to a third successive league crown and being honoured by his fellow professionals as the country's top talent - proving Strachan's actions right. But McGeady's form has slumped since the start of the new campaign and his involvement in a couple of latenight flash-points in Glasgow city centre did little to impress Strachan. With Shunsuke Nakamura hoping to return to Japan in January, Strachan sees McGeady as his long-term guiding light but is determined to make the player concentrate totally on his game.

Seems things are just getting worse !!! http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1701343.ece

SPAIN has become the latest country to be caught up in an Old Firm storm ââ?¬â? this time over death threats to Rangers star Nacho Novo. Diplomats with the Spanish Consul General in Edinburgh last night confirmed they have launched their own probe into the sick stunt by internet bigots. Assault ... Celt Lennon Assault ... Celt Lennon It comes just days after Irish officials contacted the Scottish Government over Gers fans taunting Celtic rivals with the controversial Famine Song. Last night Spanish consular spokesman Federico Palomera said: ââ?¬Å?We have made it known to the relevant authorities.ââ?¬Â They are acting on complaints they received against yobs who posted Spaniard Novoââ?¬â?¢s home address on a Hoops supportersââ?¬â?¢ website. The posting on the popular Huddleboard followed suggestions on some internet chatrooms that Rangers players should be seen as targets for attack. It came amid the backlash to an assualt on Celtic coach Neil Lennon in Glasgowââ?¬â?¢s West End, just hours after his sideââ?¬â?¢s 4-2 defeat in the last Old Firm match. Furious Ibrox security chiefs contacted Strathclyde Police bosses, demanding an investigation into the Novo web threat. They also ordered security staff to patrol outside the 29-year-oldââ?¬â?¢s Glasgow home amid fears for the footballer and his family. Yesterday a source revealed: ââ?¬Å?It appears the Consul General was contacted after they felt the authorities were failing to act on the Novo situation. ââ?¬Å?Not only did Novo have his address posted on a website, rival fans also sing a song which features lyrics praying he will be murdered in his sleep.ââ?¬Â The Ibrox ace has been targeted by opposing fans since turning down a move to Celtic to join Rangers from Dundee in 2004. Months later, he complained to cops after thugs sprayed ââ?¬Å?Novo RIPââ?¬Â near his home after an Old Firm victory against the Hoops. Bile Earlier this week, The Scottish Sun told how Irish diplomats raised concerns over Rangers fans chanting a song about the 19th century potato famine. Last night, the Rangers Supporters Trust welcomed the Novo probe. Spokesman Stephen Smith said: ââ?¬Å?This move is a logical response to a dishonest campaign motivated by sectarian bile and a sick desire to score points regardless of the truth.ââ?¬Â Rangers declined to comment on the matter.

Now the Spanish Consul are involved http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/article1702847.ece#

BD.............you are correct............these afternoon sessions can get one confused !!!,apologies, i'm off to bed

I think you mentioned we would have gone through before me

TBH i'm not sure what the protest will achieve ?,i'm a great believer in give someone enough rope and they will hang themselves,I would appreciate more fight back from Rangers FC as a club,but at some point people will see through the Celtic fans agenda,good luck all the same.

You are entitled to your opinion mate,just like the rest of us,however why go on about something that is in the past ?.The bottom line is we never qualified for the CL,get over it.I seem to remember a lot of fans giving WS pelters for his team selection prior to the OF game..................but we ripped the scum up for arse paper,yet we still here from these guys how bad a manager WS is,which is open to debate,but my point is why criticise the manager on a thread about our finances ?, the players that played against Kaunus should have been good enough to win the game.............they didn't win,we never qualified,we lost out on money,so let's look forward to winning the SPL and get the cash we need

If ma granny had baws

So if Mendes was in the team against Kaunus we would've went through ?