Frankie

Media speculation (and this thread) suggests a budget of �£5million even under same owner as before. Further comments today in the ET now also infer any players sold will mean further monies for the manager. That could mean a budget of around �£12million which we should be able to replace Bougherra, Wilson and Boyd with.

I maybe was a bit harsh - especially when you factor in Thomson's knee injury - but I just expect a lot more from the player as I always felt he was the best prospect Hibs had ever since he cynically tripped Barry Ferguson and sneered at him when he still had longer hair! �£2million is a lot of money for any Scottish player and most have struggled to justify the fee. Thomson, Whittaker and Naismith are all capable of doing so but the jury remains out on all three for a variety of reasons. Of course they'll point to 2 league titles since they joined but more is required in my view!

Brown is not a better player than Thomson. Both are equally inconsistent have neither has lived up to their fee. I'm just grateful we didn't pay the �£4.2million fee and �£25K p/week wages for Brown.

Yeah, I'd like to see a 4-3-3 next season and it wouldn't surprise me if it happens as Smith will be keen to use a 4-5-1 in Europe once more. Interestingly we played quite well with a 4-5-1 in the second half of the Celtic game last week. With the right personnel and the right tactics, it can work as long as we're not overly defensive. We just need to fill the Caniggia/de Boer/Arveladze/Lovenkrands roles a bit better. Fleck/Naismith/Lafferty/Wylde doesn't quite have the same threat.

Thomson is inconsistent undoubtedly but I'd fancy him to improve next season - preferably with Davis alongside him in midfield.

It isn't often Chinese military treatises can be applied to Scottish football but Tzu's famous 6th century book 'The Art of War' certainly seems to be being read by a variety of people when it comes to a few important issues - be it the political influence vacancies at the Scottish Football Association or those vying for the ownership of Rangers in recent months. Obviously the former is interesting in itself but we'll concentrate on the latter subject for this article. Military strategy then? How can that possibly be relevant to the Rangers ownership debate? Well, the metaphor for this piece is a simple one but a cursory look at each chronicle in 'The Art of War' shows there is arguably a distinct pattern being followed by those involved - be it 'Laying Plans', 'Illusion and Reality' and 'The Use of Intelligence' or any other of the well known chapters in the book. Indeed, one could be forgiven the master of illusion himself Sir David Murray will have a well-thumbed copy in his personal library. All joking aside though there is a serious aspect to this. The future of our club is a subject none of us can laugh about and the ownership battle being waged is one that should concern us all. For the last six months especially, this issue has gained incredible momentum - from front page, heavy gauge headlines; to petty arguments across the online community. The only consistency is that many of the relevant people appear to be inconsistent. The 'preferred' bidder seems to change on a week-by-week basis, excuses are made depending on the individual, characters are blighted if subtle differences are found, misinformation is released to create mischief, different media are used by different parties - all tactics which could be taken from Tzu. Just how do we believe then in this apparent propaganda war? Do we believe the unofficial blog-writer who is uncertain of his information and loyal to his selected website? Do we believe the journalists who have their next wage rise to protect based on 'exclusives'? Do we believe fan representatives who appear closer to one bid than the other? Do we believe the club who need our season ticket money? Do we believe the potential owner trying to save several million pounds via the use of whatever means possible? Is there no-one with a vested interest in all of this? One way not to be on the losing side means perhaps it is best to question all parties - with a vacuum of credible information one of the few facts in this debate. After all no-one seems to know the plans of any of the parties as it stands. Non-Rangers fans like a Duffy or an Ellis may have their money banked off-shore and their business history criticised but are they any worse candidates than the Rangers fans who have their assets in limbo or those who may wish to release private club challenges through endorsed journalists. How can we be certain any of these people are acting on our (or our club's) behalf? Does being a Rangers fan automatically mean they deserve our immediate trust? How can we be sure an outsider understands how important our club is to us all? How can we be expected to answer such vital questions? There is a war going on for our club and every time you or I open a newspaper, read a forum or consult our peers; we're soldiers in it. An easy example of this is where fan groups back protest and wave such banners without even saying why they do so. We even have the ridiculous situation of lone bank shareholders asking valid questions at the front-line of the Lloyds AGM while those 'officers' who criticise hide in their chosen newspaper bunker! Fortunately none of us will be sacrificed for our part but neither should we under-estimate how important we are to the success of any buy out - and, of course, the club's future. To that end, some of us have been consistent in our message to all involved. We demand clarity, we expect leadership and we seek honesty. Without those virtues any of the relevant parties lack the mandate to own our club and assume our interests. Who will be the first to step forward and show they deserve our support? Who will win the war for Rangers?

Nah, there have been rumours about this so it wouldn't surprise me Ian... The all-white third kit this season wasn't very successful so a change of tact is likely.

Another fine article from Andy_Steel - enjoy! http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=269:walter-and-me-in-the-garden&catid=1:articles&Itemid=67 A beautiful, sunny weekend saw me stride confidently toward the garden, planting out some vegetables (I know it's too early, but needs must sometimes) tidying up the last of the daffodils, exhorting my raspeberries on with words of encouragement, and scowling at my gooseberry bush, which refuses to die despite my best efforts. Anyone who has ever 'enjoyed' a gooseberry crumble or tried to prune the spiky plant in question will understand my hatred for it. Another chore was the pruning of my honeysuckle, which was wildly out of control. Luckily, with this sort of Lonerica, one can hack it quite brutally and the plant will recover in 18-24 months or so, producing a fine new growth and flowering shortly thereafter. As I stood there, lopping shears and secateurs in hand, my recurring obsession with seeing life in terms of football kicked in once again. How like Walter Smith I am, I mused, as I cut back here, trim there, and await the new shoots that I can enjoy in years to come. But will Walter, or his successor should that be the case, be able to cut back hard and recover? That's plainly an unanswerable question. Only the coaching staff of our reserve and youth teams will know if we have a crop of players similar to Manchester United's all those years ago. Even they can hardly give a definitive reply! But we all know well enough that the pruning will happen. A question we can answer is, how do we deal with it? Listening to the radio this week, a theme which has cropped up often has been the impending exodus, mostly to England, of the best of Scottish football this summer. Reynolds, McArthur and so on are expected to head to the Championship while their predecessors, Adam, Dorrans and the like, aim for the Premiership. And the adjective which has been used to describe this is usually 'sad'. Apart from the fact that the resumption of this trade - for so long the lifeblood of our teams - will provide a welcome source of income, and exposure for our players, we have to view it as an opportunity. As the older, better players move on, they leave a gap which needs filled; and for once, for the first time in a long time, they will not be replaced by European players of no great ability, other than that of drawing a handsome salary. It will be Scots players who get the nod; players who know what the fans want, since they were fans only a few months ago. Not all of them will make the grade, I suppose, indeed most of them will end up doing the rounds of the lower leagues here and in England, while some will drop out of football altogether. At Rangers, we can at least hope that some of our young replacements will be of a standard that gives them a fighting chance of succeeding. John Fleck, Jamie Ness, Greg Wylde - I'm no expert on Rangers beyond the first team and so offer no comment on the strengths and weaknesses of these and others lads. But I'm willing to give them a chance to shine, to grow and to blossom into the superstars we all hope for. Maybe, when I'm looking at my honeysuckle in the summer of 2012, admiring it's star shaped flower and enjoying the sweet scent, I might think of the players who have delivered title 55 to Rangers, and remember when they first emerged into the first team. And no doubt if they have, they too will be contemplating a move to sunnier climes, and the internet fan will be thinking about who is coming through next. In the garden of Rangers everything is not always rosy; how can it be? But I console myself with the thought that the soil is fertile, there are plenty of willing helpers, and that so long as that remains true there will be seeds waiting to be sown. We may see a brutal summer, but it may lead to a bright future after all.

Welcome to the forums mate... Nah it's not purple - just a poor reproduction of a poor photo. Rangers also release fake 'new' strips to confused those who produce unofficial items abroad.

Don't worry mate - I'll change your username if he does go...

Can't see Thomson swapping the Champions League for the Championship any time soon...

Does that mean you favour a Royal pardon for SDM then...?

It isn't just the Scottish press...

Like I say it would have been the Assembly. I'd imagine they will release an agreed minute asap - probably today. Feel free to ask on their forum or email them (or your own preferred representative who would have also been present) to find out more. http://www.thebluenose.co.uk/

Interesting that the Record are suggesting this but as always no quotes or concrete information to lay our hats on. Just more bellweathers to muddy the waters...

Am I the only one who remembers all the inaccurate personal abuse about some Rangers fans when a similar article (but with more facts) was written by Boss about Graham Duffy? Caution about any prospective owner is certainly warranted but I'm confused at the inconsistency shown by some in this regard.

I did mate - just replied now - apologies for the delay but I'm snowed under at the moment!

It would have been the Rangers Assembly... I'd expect them to publish an update on their site asap.

Ellis has informally said he will make an offer in 3-4 weeks so I assume that is when we'll see his letter of intent.

Where is that from?

I really like those actually.... They don't look like 'final' designs though - the sponsor doesn't sit correctly.

Park won't be able to match the alleged Ellis offer... Seems to me the King/Park consortium are again stalling for time as opposed to being late contenders.

Novo must stay... He's not the best player in the world but he brings experience, pace, creativity and goals to the team. I can't see how we could replace that in a cheaper sense.

Murphy = cheat

Same thing happened last year (or perhaps the year before) and it wasn't too bad IIRC. Great planning though!