Frankie

Ascender: I agree with that. Many fans, including myself, have advocated our club using an Ajax model so we can develop young players and sell them on (at the right time for us) to keep the club competitive. As such, selling players will happen - even key players. However, like you say, if this is being done, the board should be open about it and we should be doing much more to ensure any transfers result in the minimum disruption to the team. That is not happening so everyone - from CC, SDM, MB and WS - deserves criticism.

And, for the record, Dailly and Weir should not be playing for Rangers except in absolute emergencies.

Mate: Nobody can say for sure until the finances are released - should be in the next 14 days. However, I think it's a safe bet that we didn't make as much money as many people said we did last season (in terms of real profit). Give or take a few million, I'd make the following empirical conclusions: 1. The �£10million Hutton money paid for the transfers of last summer. 2. The profit from the Euro runs paid for the transfers so far this summer. That leaves us still around �£15million in debt - possibly a bit lower. Obviously if we had qualified for the CL Group Stage, that figure would have again helped us break even for next summer. Without European football we'll be making a substantial loss. As such, an asset was always going to leave. Especially since we've been unable to move on ANY fringe players (Cousin, JCD, Hemdani, Boyd etc) for any cash. Now, the chairman is now on record saying any monies brought in for CC would be invested back into the team. I'm puzzled how he intends to do this without plunging the club further into debt. I can't answer that until the end of this month.

I'd be requesting my money back...

Cuellar was our best player and the rock around which the team should have been built for this season. He's now gone and while Bougherra may be a decent replacement, he'll take time to bed in and his partner alongside him won't be of the highest quality. The ONLY way the CC transfer will benefit us is if we sign another defender and another quality creative player. Loovens I'd accept. Davis at a push as well. That still leaves one more player after them IMO.

That's been the problem for nigh on 3 years mate.... No-one has the personal funds to do it and no bank will be interested in under-writing any investment as they all have share-issues and huge losses of their own.

Call me cynical but I'm more of the opinion that Murray would have gave the same sob story to Cuellar as he did Hutton about the club needing the money and forcing them to leave against their better judgement. Unless the money is invested wisely over the next few days then Sir David Murray may just find this is one dodgy deal too many.

All exchange rate sites suggest no more than around �£7.8million...

Craig: Cuellar wanted to leave - at least that's what Rangers are saying. As soon as that 2nd goal went in against Kaunas it was just a matter of who he'd move to. Loovens will arrive soonest I'd imagine. The rest MUST go on a creative midfield player.

Obviously the Maloney rumours remain strong.

http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,5~1363791,00.html He's all but gone.

http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~1363790,00.html Minimum fee release clause triggered...

I hope you are right. I also hope we've not spent over the odds for the player.

I really like it actually... Simple, unfussy and true to our colours.

Even more reason to bring in another midfielder immediately.

PL executive chairman Lex Gold last night signalled the start of the richest title contest in Scottish football history - with a �£15million winner takes all prize up for grabs. The vast boost in income for the new season's champions underlines just how vital it has become for Walter Smith's Rangers to end Celtic's bid for four-in-in-row after suffering the financial nightmare of that shock defeat to FBK Kaunas this week. Whoever ends up on top next May will gain automatic access to the 2009-10 Champions League group stage through a UEFA revamp aimed at allowing more champions from middle-ranking nations a guaranteed place. The SPL runners-up will, though, be plunged back into the uncertainty of two qualifying rounds. A place in the group stage would be worth about �£12m in total to either of the Old Firm, with the champions banking another �£3m from their share of improved SPL revenues. The top flight begins its 10th-anniversary season tomorrow and Gold believes the rewards awaiting show the progress made over the decade since splitting from the SFL. 'Will it be the richest prize yet for next season's champions? That's true and it's part of the progress we have made in moving from 26th to 10th in UEFA's co-efficient ranking of leagues,' said Gold. 'It can only make the league contest more exciting. For a nation of five million people, we are doing very well. 'We have to work hard to support this position but we'll be there for at least the next couple of years. The changes to the Champions League benefit our champions. As for the second- place team, it's not as awkward as it might have been. The way it was going could have meant playing teams from England, Spain and the like. 'Qualification is still tough, but not as difficult as it might have been under the original proposal from (UEFA president) Michel Platini.'

http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,5~1360971,00.html We will be wearing our new strip...

The whole ticket thing is a joke. Bain made out as if we did this to ensure the fans got a good deal. They quite clearly are not. Embarrassing.

Well said mate... We're all entitled to criticise but that should not temper our support at games.

Agreed. The result is in the past now. It's how we react to the result and it's implications that are now important. Far too many mistakes were made to reach this position and it's about time the people responsible for these addressed them to ensure they don't happen again. Unfortunately, I sincerely doubt we have the people in the key positions to facilitate them. Even worse, there seem little or no suitable alternatives to these people considering the status quo.

Nope, I don't there are any timposters on here... Neither should we be calling other users morons even if we may disagree with their thoughts. Instead of that, take on their opinion and try and change it....

An excellent article...

I may not entirely agree with the wording of the poll choices but I think Smith should do the honourable thing and resign.

It's the Assembly AGM mate - topic title changed...

Any new manager would need to work with the incompetent players that Smith has signed. Perhaps this person could get more out of the team - especially in an attacking sense - but it would certainly be a difficult job with little or no money provided to do it. Between a rock and a hard place doesn't quite describe this.