Frankie

To be fair to Andy - I invited him here from another forum - I found the piece well written and the metaphors very funny. I actually agreed with a fair part of it and while it's tone was perhaps a wee bit confrontational, there's nothing wrong with a bit of emotion when writing. It's not easy to go onto other forums as a newbie and post in such a style and expect to be 'accepted' by regulars. However, we have a good core of posters on here who are more than capable of debating his points and agreeing to disagree when necessary without insult. Andy can do the same and doesn't need me to defend him. That's what makes this wee forum a bit more agreeable than the busier ones out there. Strong opinions are healthy especially when they can be backed up with intelligent, reasoned debate. Even better when there are clear disagreements of opinion which can only be constructive for Gersnet.

Of course it was fine to post it here... This is exactly the kind of robust debate this place needs.

http://www.rangerssupporterstrust.co.uk/rstsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=173&Itemid=1 While the Trust usually ignore the demented ramblings of Gerry McNee, his laughable assertion on Sunday 03/02/08 shows the depths Gerry is willing to plumb. He wrote: "My mole close to that clutch of busybodies, the Rangers Trust, tells me they've been in a bit of a lather in case I found out about their recent attempt at holding a convention. Well bad news chaps - I Have. I'm told it was so packed there wasn't room for one more body in the phone box" 1. The conference was three months ago. 2. It was all over our website, various fans websites and other public forums. 3. Press releases were sent out about it. 4. It was very well attended. 5. Guest speaker Ian Davidson MP was involved in discussions on the day with the RST about our magnificent Charity work in the local community. Quite why Gerry would want to mock people organising Charity events is a matter for his conscience. So, apart from the facts, a terrific scoop from Gerry. We hope we can help him and his mole fill this column by telling him that Alan Hutton has moved from Rangers to Spurs. At the rate at which Gerry and his mole pick up information, this was probably scheduled to appear in his column in May.

http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=592&Itemid=1 Probably McGregor for me... :cheers:

They seemed to react pretty well on Wednesday night IMO. :cheers:

Did you not wish him Happy Birthday for tomorrow...? :fish:

Despite not being my first choice, Walter has done a generally great job so far. We have to be realistic in terms of the market we're operating in and I agree another 9IAR is unlikely. However, domestic success and European consistency should be the aim. I'd like to think Walter will come in, steady the ship and win back the title. Then from that moment on we should be looking tom move forwards under his guidance. 1. Appoint the person to succeed him (maybe already done). 2. Sign the correct players with long term futures (done to an extent) 3. Improve things off the park with the right staff (way off) 4. Get the fans involved (nearly there hopefully) 5. regenerate the club from top to bottom If we can aim to fulfil these points we can regain the dominance of the 90s. However, that takes commitment, vision, ambition and above all money. I'm not sure we've got that.

Between 2 games for me Leeds 1 - 2 Rangers Celtic 0 - 3 Rangers

Aye, it's great to look back at the good old days. Makes it even worse when you think of how things could have been if the money had been spent correctly at the time...

Davis has played constantly for Fulham this season - not always from the start but predominately so. Not sure where you get your facts from? What happens if Boruc, McGeady and McDonald get injured for you? You'd have to rely on Samaras, Hinkel and Hutchinson who ARE actually players who haven't featured much in recent months and who have all played less games this season than Dailly. Fact is despite the loss of Hutton we have more than enough strength in depth and more than enough talent to win the league from Celtic.

I'm not suggesting we should have turned down the bid. I'm just saying we should have went about our business more efficiently. I also conclude by saying we have enough quality anyway and we now need to deliver the title. Welcome to the forums btw...

http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=590&Itemid=1 The morning after the night before, eh? Iââ?¬â?¢m sure Iââ?¬â?¢m not the only football fan nursing the equivalent of a hangover this morning as the hype of January transfer window closes for another season. Internet forum server issues, ridiculous radio-phone rumours and around-the-clock satellite sports news excitement ââ?¬â?? coupled together they make for quite a cocktail of commotion and emotion. Hence the hangover this morning; especially when our team havenââ?¬â?¢t been as pro-active as weââ?¬â?¢d all like. Despite my article of Tuesday morning warning all Rangers fans of the unlikelihood of substantial investment in the wake of the Alan Hutton transfer, movement occurred nonetheless and it seems we werenââ?¬â?¢t far off securing the services of Italian striker Andrea Caracciolo from Sampdoria while we did manage to sign the Fulham and Northern Ireland midfielder Steven Davis on loan from the Premiership. Davis is actually a decent signing and although Iââ?¬â?¢m not personally a huge fan of loan deals, he will provide the kind of genuine back-up and depth required for Barry Ferguson and Brahim Hemdani as Kevin Thomson sits out for another two months. Obviously the Ã?£4million deal for Caracciolo was the most exciting rumour of the day and every Rangers fan waited with baited breath as we heard Walter Smith and Martin Bain were in Italy. Unfortunately (or as it may have turned out ââ?¬â?? fortunately) the huge striker chose to stay in his homeland and drop a division to Serie B to play with his former club Brescia. Itââ?¬â?¢s ironic that in the week one Rangers player leaves to realise his ambitions what seems to be our main transfer target lacks the same aspirations in his career to move to the UK ââ?¬â?? instead blaming a lack of self-confidence and the weather for his decision. Hardly the mental and professional discipline you want to hear from a player you want to spend the total of around Ã?£7million on! A lucky escape then perhaps? Unfortunately what this debacle does highlight is the further incompetence of our Chief Executive. Martin Bain quite simply is not up to the job. I bear the man no ill-will and in his Rangers career (over 10 years now) heââ?¬â?¢s done some good work in the face of constant criticism and financial downsizing while being the stereotypical lamb to the slaughter while his boss relaxes in France. A well paid ââ?¬Ë?yes-manââ?¬â?¢ nonetheless though and the way weââ?¬â?¢ve conducted our business this January (and in the past) shows just how out of his depth he is. To avoid any confusion Iââ?¬â?¢m not criticising the club about not spending the ~Ã?£10million from the Hutton/Cousin deals per se. As I wrote the other day, not spending it is understandable to a degree and Iââ?¬â?¢d much rather we were prudent and efficient in our dealings. However, if there was around Ã?£5million to spend, surely the old adage of not keeping all your eggs in one basket applies here? Weââ?¬â?¢re told that the club have scouted Caracciolo for months, yet we leave it to the absolute last minute to try and negotiate our way through the confusing world of the Italian transfer system ââ?¬â?? three clubs involved directly, other clubs interested, translators required and agents hovering with their claws as sharp as ever. Yet, ex-catalogue model Bain is deemed to have the tactical nous to navigate his way through such a tough deal ââ?¬â?? all in a few hours!? I certainly donââ?¬â?¢t pretend to be some sort of finance guru or transfer expert but time was never going to be on our side so instead of wasting time taking last minute flights to Genoa, we should have moved onto our next target. We do have one Ewan Chester, donââ?¬â?¢t we? Or was Willie McLies too busy hawking wee Broon again to furnish us with his usual brand of short-term client information? Certainly Martin Smithers and his merry band of under-achieving assistants are not justifying their inflated wages while the rest of us pay for the privilege of watching them let us down time after time. But, and this is the crux of the article, all the above does not mean we have a convenient get-out clause for not winning the league (or the other competitions weââ?¬â?¢re in). Yes, we should have strengthened while Celtic have done so (to a degree) but we still have more than enough talent at Ibrox to compete on all fronts. Losing Alan Hutton is a big blow and Daniel Cousin (if he does actually leave ââ?¬â?? more crazy dealings by our staff given the obvious FIFA rulings) is a similar loss. However, we have deputies more than capable of taking their place. Steven Whittaker has shown he has the game to develop into a fine player while a fit Darcheville and a determined Boyd would keep out most strikers out of many teams anyway. Christian Dailly and Neil Alexander may not be the most glamorous of signings either but both will provide competition for places and much-needed experience as we proceed towards our goals. As such, despite all the valid criticism aimed at the likes of Bain and despite all the obvious disappointment of not capturing another player or two, itââ?¬â?¢s vital we keep our eyes on the prize. A four point lead is a good one and should be able to defend this over the coming months with the existing squad. Three Old Firm games in two months will be the ultimate decider but we have nothing to fear in that regard either. So, confidence should remain, support for the players and manager should remain and no excuses will be accepted. The SPL is attainable and nothing less will suffice.

We should have more than enough to win the league... Just about to write an article on it...

Fifa have granted an extension due to exceptional circumstances and will hold a special meeting on Monday (or the following one) to hear submissions from the EPL and the SPL. A decision will be made after this point and if the original ruling is overturned, the transfer will be allowed to proceed.

Very common in Italy. Obviously we would have signed the player fully though as foreign teams can't co-own players.

Burke and Adam are certainly not the sharpest tools in the box...

Wasn't going to be that much. But the more I think about the more I'm glad we never got him. One must question his ambition if he'd rather play in Serie B.

Disappointing that we lost out on the Italian and frustrating that we didn't seem to have a second choice player lined up in case of problems. Eggs. Basket. The Davis signing seems a decent one (even if the name confused us all earlier today) but whether or not it's enough remains to be seen.

No, we'd have to buy both stakes...

Bain and Smith are in Italy... :box:

If you don't count the Xmas period, then that maybe true...

I think Alexander is a good signing... Good competition for places with the goalies.

We've got a great hamster... \o/

On Clyde apparently...

Simon Davis > In (loan from Fulham)