Frankie

That link is probably what our 'scouts' based their conclusions on...

@ bmck Not a bad signing for nowt IMO. We need experience up front and he brings that. Good start.

http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,5~1022824,00.html?

I prefer pleasantly plump.... :box:

You're welcome... You're round as well...

The qualifiers are always tricky no matter the team. The pressure on us will be huge as I doubt SDM will release much funds until qualification is secured.

I'm the same. I thought Rae was a useful signing but his injury really buggered up any chance of his being a success. All the best Gav.

Absolutely spot on. But actions peak louder than words. We have achieve a much higher level of consistency if we've to challenge domestically.

Andrea Caracciolo's agent is Andrea D'Amico who was big AMo's agent. He's 6'4" so is probably a direct replacement for Prso. Was tipped for big things when he was younger but the potential hasn't really materialised. Might be worth the risk depending on the fee.

http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=405&Itemid=1 As we did last week with the players, itââ?¬â?¢s now the turn of the staff to receive their end of season report cards. From Paul Le Guen to David Murray ââ?¬â?? all notable staff will be appraised. Today, weââ?¬â?¢ll begin with the managers and then weââ?¬â?¢ll move upstairs. So, make a cup of tea, open the Kit-Kats and let us know whether or not you disagree with Gersnetââ?¬â?¢s assessments. * Paul Le Guen It may seem a little strange analysing a manager who is no longer here but PLGââ?¬â?¢s effect on our season is still pretty obvious so itââ?¬â?¢s worth discussing. Initially, the Frenchman arrived in a blaze of publicity with an instant burden of expectation placed on his shoulders by the Rangers support. Itââ?¬â?¢s difficult to put a finger on exactly what went wrong but I guess itââ?¬â?¢s down to a number of factors. Firstly, although PLGââ?¬â?¢s success record was second to none, it appears his man management skills werenââ?¬â?¢t quite as refined. We all know about the various alleged fall outs with Barry Ferguson (and a few other players) but I think the main problem the manager had wasnââ?¬â?¢t with anyone else but with his own discipline. I think right from the outset, Le Guen felt that wouldnââ?¬â?¢t have too much trouble in Scotland. He didnââ?¬â?¢t do his research properly and his signings (although restricted in terms of affordability) were arguably too raw to make the instant impressions required. This, along with his far too stubborn attitude and his alleged failure to settle into the British way of life, means that perhaps the biggest personality clash was with himself. Secondly, and most obviously, the results and performances just were just not happening. A bright (and arguably unlucky) start wasnââ?¬â?¢t developed properly and the teamââ?¬â?¢s morale and confidence was built on a house of cards. One could sense footballing improvement over time but the least setback and we were right back to square one. Notwithstanding our excellent European displays, our form was far too patchy and PLGââ?¬â?¢s obdurate attitude to tactics and his incapability to fix our most basic faults eventually led to his departure. Not intending to improve the central defence in January was the last straw for the chairman. Thus, the PLG era came to a quick ââ?¬â?? and arguably premature ââ?¬â?? conclusion. It certainly didnââ?¬â?¢t pan out as many of us hoped and the disappointment is still seen from a large part of the Rangers support as we speak. Would we eventually have improved under Le Guen? Would we have finished in second place? Would the player relationships have improved? Would Barry Ferguson still be captain? Would any new signings have fixed our obvious problems? Would we be able to mount a SPL challenge next season? These types of questions are still impossible to answer if PLG was still in charge. Meanwhile, the very fact Walter Smith has answered them positively means it was the right decision to appoint him. There are obviously positives to retain from the previous managerââ?¬â?¢s spell in charge. The re-emergence of Alan Hutton is not down to Walter Smith as many people argue but down to the fact that Le Guen persevered with the right back through the bad results and performances. The same goes for the likes of Charlie Adam and Kris Boyd who despite never really being outstanding have played an important part in this season. The recall of Nacho Novo bringing hard work and spirit just when we needed it and placing more responsibility on Brahim Hemdani also yielded some long term rewards. Moreover, the much criticised 4-2-3-1 formation which PLG couldnââ?¬â?¢t get to work consistently has now been the spine that Smith has used to secure second place. For these benefits, we should be big enough to appreciate the contribution Paul Le Guen had in them. To conclude, its obvious PLGââ?¬â?¢s tenure was a failure. However, I think there are enough glimpses of a French hand to suggest itââ?¬â?¢s not as clear a failure as some would have you believe. Score ââ?¬â?? 4 * Walter Smith I think the best way to approach Smithââ?¬â?¢s 5 months in charge is to immediately answer the questions above. Iââ?¬â?¢m not sure any Rangers fan was as excited as they were about PLG regarding Smithââ?¬â?¢s arrival. The appointment smacked of the usual David Murray short-termism and many thought it was a backwards step. However, it has proven to be the right one. The saying may be familiarity breeds contempt but in Smithââ?¬â?¢s case (backed up with his Scottish management team) it was a case of familiarity breeding assurance. Immediately, Smith set about his work in the most straightforward manner. He brought in two experienced centre-halves to fix our obvious defensive frailties whilst retaining a conservative attitude to tactics. The appointment of Ally McCoist would have helped alleviate the dressing-room tension and Kenny McDowall being snatched from Celtic showed Smith wouldnââ?¬â?¢t be denied in what he wanted. As such, although improvement wasnââ?¬â?¢t huge, it was evident and morale lifted quickly. David Weir was an inspiration at the back, Barry Ferguson was back playing to his full capabilities in midfield and results (although not always performances) were coming in. Also, of vital important was an away Old Firm win in early March which showed the management team hadnââ?¬â?¢t lost any of their blessings when it came to these fixtures. Clinching second spot at the weekend with another convincing win over our arch rivals showed that the appointment was definitely the right one. Being undefeated domestically since Smithââ?¬â?¢s arrival was an impressive turn around. Yes, second place shouldnââ?¬â?¢t be deemed acceptable but in this seasonââ?¬â?¢s context it was imperative. Now, the fans can look forward to next season with a smile rather than a frown. However, the smile may not be as big as weââ?¬â?¢d all like. Paul Le Guen had brought some excellent European tactical nous and Smith has already shown signs of weakness at this level. We all know from Smithââ?¬â?¢s previous years that the European arena isnââ?¬â?¢t the best part of his CV so doubts will linger about his suitability in that regard. In addition to that negative, the last few years have seen a few younger players break into the first team. Steven Smith, Alan Hutton and Chris Burke have all contributed to a fair degree so it will be interesting to see if Smith intends to explore the potential of some of the younger players such as Lennon, Shinnie and Furman. If he can do that, deliver domestic success and achieve the holy grail of European level consistency and respectability, this could be an even more successful period in charge for Walter Smith. Obviously, thatââ?¬â?¢s easier said than done and heââ?¬â?¢ll need the funds to do so but he certainly wonââ?¬â?¢t have the same kind of cash that he did in the 1990s. Can he take this second place and improve upon it? The jury still remains out but appointing Smith has shown it wonââ?¬â?¢t be any less risky than employing the so-called cream of managerial talent. Score ââ?¬â?? 7.5

Yeah, I agree with a lot of that mate. Hemdani is a class act and the way he's went about his Rangers career after early setbacks should make him a good role model for the younger players.

It's not been politicial at all. It's about playing a game for the thousands of fans in NI who spend the time and expense to travel to Ibrox every other week. A game against Chelsea is no less likely to throw up criticism than a match against Linfield.

Eh? How has he provoked you? Personal disagreements happen on forums and we all usually deal with them without insulting each other. I don't think del insulted you there and if you can't deal with him pointing out your provoking post then I don't see what admin can't do about it. As usual, I'd rather these issues were kept private. I've asked BOTH of you to stop the nonsense.

Now, now ladies... Let's keep it nice. FJ you said you didn't give a fluck how people would react. Doesn't look like it. del: if you think someone is trying to bait other users, keep it private.

Our metatags have all possible RFC/forum related search strings.

The new site is 3rd on the list when 'Gersnet' is used as the search string: http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=gersnet&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Yep, it would be good to get the forum a bit busier and hopefully all the other work will help in that regard. At the tail end of last year we have some good numbers but lost them after the domain name stuff. We've just got to keep making the place worth visiting to get them back.

Despite our well-documented domain name problems of the New Year, Gersnet Online continues to re-establish itself within the online Scottish football community. We are absolutely delighted with our progress so far and we'd like to thank all our visitors for their support over the last few months. Here's why we're proving so popular: First of all our interesting and objective online analysis of many issues that concern every Rangers fan has proven to be our biggest success. Since returning to the extremely popular NewsNow Rangers feed, almost every article we've written has reached the top 5 Rangers stories read by NewsNow users. Indeed, in many cases, we have topped the lists outdoing many of the broadsheets and tabloid newspapers who also post their releases daily. With no annoying adverts and the kind of balanced coverage many Scottish fans are looking for, it's refreshing that a voluntary fansite can out perform the high-profile journalists who struggle to match our NewsNow results. Our new articles comment system has also proven very successful. Unfortunately, due to misuse, you may find some comments moderated before they appear but we aim to turn around submissions very quickly to ensure they are published as soon as possible. It's always interesting to hear your feedback whenever we write. Unlike the major newspapers, all are authors are on hand to answer your thoughts on our articles. To that end, our friendly forum can often be another excellent way of putting across your point. All are welcome and although we may not be as busy as other forums on the net, you can be sure your contribution will be greatly appreciated. There is always plenty to talk about and we have a wide range of sub-forums to accommodate every subject! In addition to the forum, despite being in it's infancy our Rangers Archive section of the site is already proving very popular. It's a one stop source of info for all Rangers fans and we aim to keep it as up to date as possible. Finally and most importantly, we're always looking for contributors to every part of our site. Thus, if you think you'd like to write articles for release under the Gersnet banner or if you'd like to take part in the archive section, we'd be delighted to hear from you. Contact us via the pm function on the forum. If you have any comments or ideas on how we can improve the site please let us know. Your support is greatly appreciated. We Are The People! :cheers:

Nothing wrong with playing a game in NI for our cousins over the water...

Check the guy's name mate...

They have to improve as they are now selling their EPL packages. HD will be part of that I'm sure.

I think the Guardian have their match report online. The rest may take another hour or 2 mate.

I guess it wasnââ?¬â?¢t any surprise when we all read Spiersââ?¬â?¢ first ââ?¬Ë?Timesââ?¬â?¢ article today. This column warned Scottish football fans that Spiers wouldnââ?¬â?¢t have the discipline to refrain from his usual inaccurate and biased ramblings. He didnââ?¬â?¢t disappoint. The usual signs of an unhinged mentality were all there. The usual lies were there. The usual flawed, self-opinionated rhetoric was as frustrating as it always is. The usual lack of impartiality was evident. Was there anything different from his Herald days? Not in the slightest and, my goodness, it was tedious. A paint-by-numbers course in broadsheet journalism. Why ââ?¬Ë?The Timesââ?¬â?¢ thought this appointment was a good idea Iââ?¬â?¢ll never know? Their editors are probably asking the same question tonight. As such, what happened at Ibrox today made this particular bearââ?¬â?¢s smile even larger than normal after an Old Firm win. Once again, Spiersââ?¬â?¢ favourite ââ?¬Ë?remarkable human beingââ?¬â?¢ lost the plot. Gesture after gesture to the fans, physical assaults on Rangers players, cautions from referees eventually frustrated with his awful attitude and most importantly another average performance in terms of football. Remarkable indeed! Importantly, we must make something clear here right away. Lennon was not, WAS NOT, subject to any sectarian chanting today. Despite certain failed sports-writers lies about why Lennon is hated ââ?¬â?? apparently itââ?¬â?¢s because he represents Northern Irish Catholicism (not very well considering his affairs, bastard child and bigotry!) - Lennon showed exactly why he is hated. Because heââ?¬â?¢s a childish and provocative clown who canââ?¬â?¢t take defeat and is unsporting in the way he carries out his work. End of. Thatââ?¬â?¢s why every Scottish football fan hates him and thatââ?¬â?¢s why Irish catholic players of the past have never had the same treatment. Of course that doesnââ?¬â?¢t fit the agenda of the Rangers haters in the media and elsewhere but itââ?¬â?¢s the simple truth. Spiers will of course be happy that the fond send-off he requested for Lennon was evident. Chants of ââ?¬Ë?Lennon must stayââ?¬â?¢ must have made Spiers smile. I wonder if Spiers was as embarrassed as the rest of us at his typical antics. That takes us nicely to Artur Boruc ââ?¬â?? the big Polish goalie also fond of the odd wind up and gesture. After the game he approached the Celtic end, cuddled Lennon and grabbed a ââ?¬Ë?Championsââ?¬â?¢ flag from the away support. Asking Lennon to take said banner, even Lennon appreciated this foolhardy attempt at provocation of the home fans and ignored his team-mate. Boruc ââ?¬â?? never one to use his brain ââ?¬â?? then proceeded to make his way up to the tunnel area waving the flag like he usually flaps his hand at Kris Boyd shots. Fortunately, like Lennonââ?¬â?¢s various gestures today, the Rangers support cringed at the desperate and passÃ?© effort to be controversial and largely ignored this fool Apparently, Strathclyde Police are investigating the incident and will speak to the player. Iââ?¬â?¢m sure Celtic and their fans will have their excuses ready but once again at an Old Firm match a Celtic player acts like the very idiots that the likes of Lennon, Spiers and McNee regulary ask to be removed from our stadia. As such, it will be extremely interesting to read the papers over the next few days. Considering the complete absence of ANY discriminatory songs from the home support (I donââ?¬â?¢t think I heard the Celtic fans sing before you ask) and considering the fantastic banter emanating round the stadium, where will the critics aim their usual bile? Will it be at Neil Lennon? Maybe Artur Boruc will be roundly berated? Considering their previous, surely, they canââ?¬â?¢t ignore these yobs again? I think we all know the answer to that one.

Aye, I voted Barry. Thought he was magnificent today but to be honest anyone could have got it. Quite simply Alan Hutton is the best player in Scotland right now - but Fergie shaded him today IMO.

Rangers 2 - 0 Celtic: Player Ratings and MoM Poll http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1