JFK-1

You have to think that Wales who will now play Hungary or Belgium in the last 8 have a credible chance of grinding out a result to make the last 4. What sort of odds would the bookies have given you for that pre tournament.

KENNY MILLER reckons Rangers will pull off their biggest signing of the summer if boss Mark Warburton pens a new Ibrox deal. The Englishman has held talks with Light Blues chiefs over a fresh contract after leading his side to the Championship title, Petrofac Training Cup and Scottish Cup final last term. Warburton is just twelve months into the three-year-deal he agreed when he and David Weir took over at Ibrox last summer and Managing Director Stewart Robertson insisted this week that he is ‘relaxed’ over the situation. Rangers have completed seven deals in preparation for a shot at the Premiership title next season but Miller believes Warburton would top the lot if he was to put pen-to-paper on a new contract in the coming weeks. He said: “I can’t speak highly enough of the job the manager has done. For me, if he can extend his contract then it would be the biggest signing of the season for us. “Joey Barton - fantastic signing. A huge signing. But these guys are coming to Rangers off the back of the manager being here because of his influence when he’s met them. “Of course, this football club is a huge attraction. I’ve said many times it doesn’t need to sell itself. “But it takes someone with the manager’s vision and appetite to go and do what he’s done and it’s crucial for me that we keep him.” The arrival of the likes of Barton and Niko Kranjcar are a statement of intent from Rangers as they gear up for their top flight return next term. Warburton believes Rangers must be ‘highly competitive’ in the coming months but many Gers fans are confident of what lies ahead as they bid to stop Celtic clinching a sixth successive Premiership crown. The Light Blue legions have already snapped up more than 37,000 season tickets ahead of the big kick-off and Miller knows Warburton’s side have to live up to the expectations at Ibrox. He said: “The manager has been quoted a lot saying second is nothing in Scotland when you’re Rangers. “The business he’s done and is still trying to do shows what his aims are this season and that message is fed down to the dressing room so we as players know the expectations and demands. “We’ve got a fantastic opportunity ahead of us and we’re assembling a really good squad on the back of a good season. “We had the base of a good squad and with key additions in terms of youth, experience and hunger it looks like exciting times are ahead this season.” http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/rangers/14579705.Kenny_Miller__Mark_Warburton_would_be_the_signing_of_the_summer_if_he_pens_a_new_Rangers_deal/?ref=eb#comments-anchor

Strongly agree, let's take a look at last seasons top 6 as a comparison. 1 Celtic 2 Aberdeen 3 Heart of Midlothian 4 St Johnstone 5 Motherwell 6 Ross County This squad the manager is constructing is capable of no more than edging out Ross County? I think not.

They don't like reality in the crazy bubble. I was banned from a Hibs site after the semi and all I did was perfectly civilly point out that there could be consequences for the pitch invasion. And a further illustration of how far detached from any sense of sanity there is in Scottish football. This is a comment made on the same forum that banned me after the Cummings dunking incident. Can you believe it? Assault and vandalism at the national stadium with the world looking on is just exuberance but being pushed in a pool which is a daily occurence in the holiday season needs high level political intervention and is beyond the pale.

Our priority right now is the league. If all is looking good by the end of the year and Euro participation looking likely then would be a better time to spend anything that may be in the kitty in preparation for Europe. It also gives us time to see how the team works as a unit and then be better able to decide what to spend and where.

Where else in the world would assault pull a lesser sentence than singing an archaic party tune. It's bizarre.

Montage of McGovern's magnificent saves against Germany http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36605912

Unlike some who wanted to see large sums of money being spent i'm happy with the way business has been conducted for such a small outlay. Given that the bookies when we clinched promotion had us at odds of 8/1 for the league which has now fallen to 3/1 it would appear that they and I feel this team can mount a credible challenge. And another reason i'm happy with it is that if there is any money in the kitty I prefer to see how things work out with this team the rest of this year then have something in reserve for the January window when we will have a better idea of how the land lies so to speak. The manager hasn't let us down yet and I trust his judgement on this.

I feel the insanity is becoming more intense if anything because for one thing the Scottish cup defeat was in many ways the most humiliating old firm defeat they have ever suffered. Yes it came down to a virtual coin toss which penalties are but they were totally outplayed after a lot of waffle from Sutton etc. about it going to be 4 or 5 nil. That display set alarm bells ringing in the crazy bubble. Could they come back and win the league in their first year back? Which would expose our wins while they were gone as almost meaningless? That's the latest terror to creep into their crazy bubble and if we hit the ground running in the same manner we did last season while they stutter then heaven forbid lose the first derby at home the insanity will hit a critical mass. And we also have the sight of Brown being wound up by Barton to an extent that if he then struggles against Barton in their first meeting he may be a red card liability which is comical since It's Joey and not Brown who was thought to be the greatest risk of that. The nearer the kick off comes the more I sense trepidation from their support while ours can't wait for it to begin.

I think Kenny Dalglish no less gave one applicable answer when asked why. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/celtic-legend-kenny-dalglish-always-5049663#BZqGArYZm3hqauKJ.97

Obsessive: of the nature of an obsession. "people dogged by obsessive jealousy" synonyms: compulsive, obsessional, fanatic, fanatical, neurotic, excessive, overkeen, besetting, tormenting, inescapable, pathological

I would guess they made him an offer long before now and he declined so it's out of their hands. All they can do now is burn Jean-Marc Bosman in effigy.

The midfield in particular is shaping up to be formidable and i'm hoping that can solve a big problem we encountered in many matches once the rest began packing their box. We were totally dominant so many times but struggled to break down those packed defences. I'm hoping this midfield will go a long way to solving that and we may see an avalanche of goals like we did early on last season. Add to that the recent defensive signings sealing things up at the back and this could be a truly potent side. The opposition still haven't made any counter moves but whatever Rogers does now I feel we will be better prepared than they will for a flying start.

I think he forgot to tell Warburton.

I doubt he will be staying with them as the article claims he might. Why would he let it go down to the wire like this if he had any intentions of staying with them? And if Accies think they can "can match any offers from Scottish Premiership rivals" they must have brought an Abramovich on to the board and secretly raised their ground capacity by tens of thousands.

McGovern attracts English interest Northern Ireland goalkeeper Michael McGovern's agent says Premier League clubs in England have expressed interest in the 31-year-old. Hamilton Academical's McGovern, soon to be out of contract, impressed in the 1-0 loss to Germany at Euro 2016. "He's a very modest and humble lad, we're delighted he's been able to perform to this level on this stage," Andrew Evans told BBC Scotland. "The phones have been a little bit busier over the last 12 hours." McGovern will decide his future when his contract at New Douglas Park expires at the end of June. Evans added that English Championship and Scottish Premiership clubs, as well as teams from other leagues in Europe, also have an interest. "On a domestic, Anglo-Scottish level it doesn't necessarily change too much," said Evans. "It reinforces certain clubs' belief in Michael as a good quality goalkeeper. "But it has opened opportunities on a European level. It has opened the door to a number of clubs in Europe that without this exposure of Euro 2016 may not have come to the fore. "His performances in the whole tournament have been excellent. Last night was a barrage of attacks against the Northern Ireland goal and one in which he was able to showcase his ability with some magnificent saves." Enniskillen-born McGovern started his senior career with Celtic and, after loan spells with Stranraer and St Johnstone, joined Dundee United. However, it was not until he moved to Ross County in 2009 that he became a first-team regular. McGovern subsequently moved to Falkirk and then Hamilton. Staying put not off the table The option of him staying at New Douglas Park has not been ruled out. "Michael has really enjoyed his time there and he has a good relationship with the management and ownership at the club," said Evans. "So I wouldn't say that's out of consideration at all." Hamilton chairman Les Gray is confident his club can match any offers from Scottish Premiership rivals. "We'll be trying as hard as we can to keep him," Gray told BBC Scotland. "If there isn't a move for Michael that is attractive for him to move away [from Scotland], then I think Hamilton Accies could be pushing the boat out as far as we can to match what anyone in Scotland could offer. "We have a great relationship with Michael and we'll be the first people he speaks to if he decides to move on because he's an honourable guy. "I've watched all of Michael's games and I was delighted for him. His performance was fantastic - everyone was talking about him and rightly so. "It's tinged with a wee bit of disappointment that he'll probably get his big move on the back of it, but that's what Hamilton Accies are all about - it's a platform for players to do well and progress into the next stage." http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36599134

Who cares what the record says, Barton certainly doesn't, he knows exactly what it is. A simple bitch slapping of a low IQ grunt not in his league either intelectually or otherwise. And for us it's a comical spectacle that will have the grunt foaming at the mouth by the time the first match against them comes around.

That's not an immediate problem since no one in Scotland does. If it's top quality it's going to the EPL and you could probably count on little more than one hand how many teams outside the EPL could compete with them for the best at their peak. At this point we're competing with Celtic, possibly Aberdeen and possible thorn in the side Hearts to win this league. We can certainly beat Aberdeen and Hearts in the signing stakes and Celtic are no financial giant either. Plus we already played them off the park with a team not as strong as the one now under construction. Keep in mind what the manger achieved last season with a hastily assembled virtually patchwork team and think what he can do with this new well planned constructed side who will have a full pre-season together. We can seriously take this league in the first year back if we can hit the ground running as we did last season and I believe we can indeed do that. Aside from a carefully crafted side that's been in the planning probably most of the year we have this new league cup format to tinker with the team and get up to speed for the real action on league day one. That's all I care about regarding the league cup, getting the team up to full match fitness and prepardeness though giving Motherwell a hiding would be greatly appreciated.

What would the odds have been on Wales or Northern Ireland making the last 8 as one of them will now? I'm guessing you could have bet the same amount of money on both and still come out winning a tidy sum no matter which makes it now.

He's really messing with his head big time.

What a match. Portugal equalise AGAIN to go 3-3 then Hungary hit the post to almost go 4-3

Regarding Curtis Nelson I asked for an opinion of him on an Argyle forum and got this reply.

I would be delighted if Rangers could emulate Wales and Northern Ireland by reaching the knockout stages of the champions league. That would be a highly profitable season.

This might actually be a bad thing for Ashley. Puma are a multi national, nothing but the profit line means anything to them so they're hardly going to be happy at the bottom line being damaged by the activities of a sociopath who holds mindless grudges. They and others may want to reconsider their dealings with such a personality. They may feel obliged to say something to him along the lines of forget this personal spat with Dave King. Sort it out or we can't deal with you. Business is business it's about proifit not personal grudges.

Consider this Cammy Bell example. Who is holding who to ransom if he says he wants to honour his contract but the club tell him we don't want you around and if you stay you wont get a game at any level. They tell him another club is interested but his wages will be halved. He is holding the club to ransom if he asks for that lost money to be made up? Asking for money he is contractually owed is "demanding"? Am I holding a company I work for to ransom if I ask to be payed money they contractually owe me because they asked me to leave before the contract is up? Should they just keep him hanging around paying him a full wage? Damaging his career and paying out more than they would if they let him go and make up his wages? That suits anybody?