bmck

great analysis frankie. its clear sdm cant be arsed. he has no ambition other than maintaining a dubios status quo. you think it would have dawned on him that a team competing in europe (which is, i think, easier now in the initial rounds due to the vast overbalance of money going to the most popular leagues) will be infinitely more sellable than one with a disgruntled and alienated support.

ascender, we're not in a dire financial position anymore. we're running with a very manageable debt. we can't go back to silly spending but as calscot's kept saying most companies are willing to spend a little to get a return if necessary. the thing is that murray just doesn't want to. he's looking to sell and every penny counts.

forgot about that moron. the most confused political statement i've ever seen. he should be sent to either school or a decent psychomologist (not that i think there's such a thing) rather than jail, i think.

i dont think there's any chance at all of him signing for us now. he's taking advice for that willie mackay character remember.

i'd take him if it wasn't for his subversive dressing room temperament.

so much for the mediawatch column. so much.

aye, but in every way burley's good booth is insufferably poor.

will the rst make a comment on the boyd / macgregor incident?

i cant believe that about boyd / macgregor - my immediate reaction is that they should be sold, impractical as it is.

i'd take our team in that scenario, certainly.

that'd be a bit cheeky!

gribz, are you related to sebo, and did boyd insult your maw? its the only way i can understand you on this point. sebo DID look exciting, but to say he's been more exciting than your top scorer, who broke the deadlock against a vitally important Celtic game, scored an uber-goal earlier in the season and generally just scored at will seems unreasonable. dont get me wrong, he isn't traditionally 'exciting' in terms of running at players etc, and if its just in this sense you mean then you really have to ask yourself whether you want excitement or goals. over the course of a season i think you've got to go for goals.

to be honest i think this is nonsense. he played one decent game this season - the first one. and he's had a fair few opportunities. adam's took his chances when he's had them and fired in more goals the jvh ffs. he may be more technically gifted, but doubt he grafts as hard and has as decent a cross/free-kick. you become a better footballer by what you do - and adam has scored important goals this season in important matches.

what a coup! gordon smith is a man of boundless taste and integrity - and not just because he asked to have his picture taken with me at the rst dinner.

thanks lads. perhaps if there are things like the scotsport incident you could mention them in this thread and i'll try and include it in the report?

man, if there were an award for gersnet's most helpful user i would vote you. and given that there is, i'll vote you or someone else.

well i think i'll just go and cry. or, get a drink of water. i'm not sure which.

aye, i think it would be worthwhile for forum members to leave some comments there to encourage integration between the main section and here. should hopefully encourage some dialogue and hopefully a few new posters!

i think this is hands down the winner. yes you did see it right - it was one of those flicks, not just a chip.

the column, edited and updated, is now on the site.

like frankie said. i'd be happy to see this, but seems a bit far fetched.

great post juffrey. i dont think he's a great football player but he keeps proving me wrong. time to get behind him.

yeah, i dont think i'd have time to do it more than that now that i think about it. it will, if nothing else, be, like you say, a decent record of trends in papers and writers.

Lads, the following is a new column I'm thinking of starting - the idea is basically just to keep an eye on the media and summarise the different approaches to their reporting of the news to try and get a more balanced picture. I'm undecided how worthwhile it is, so I'd welcome your thoughts for improvement or indeed if its just a waste of time: Mediawatch ââ?¬â?? the signing of Darcheville Introduction to the column for first time readers In this regular column Iââ?¬â?¢m going to cast a skeptical eye over our friends in the media. Itââ?¬â?¢s a poor manââ?¬â?¢s attempt to de-sensationalise newspaper jargon to get at the news underneath. Iââ?¬â?¢m certainly not free from bias ââ?¬â?? to paraphrase Wordsworth Iââ?¬â?¢m a ââ?¬Å?[Rangers] man writing for [Rangers] menââ?¬Â ââ?¬â?? but Iââ?¬â?¢m going to do my best to be free from the tendency towards sensationalism and spin we so often encounter when we have the misfortune of reading the papers, and try my best to be a suitable antidote for those tired of reading the same old nonsense in them. Where theyââ?¬â?¢re good, I shall even praise them! Daily Record Thereââ?¬â?¢s nothing quite like the signing of a new player to whip the tabloids into a frenzy. None moreso than the Daily Record. Every single hint of a fact that points to the playerââ?¬â?¢s tendency towards Ronaldo-esque greatness is not only highlighted, but made the central point of the article. Iââ?¬â?¢ll save you the hyperbole, the main points of the article are as follows: ââ?¬Â¢ Rangers handled the affair well, according to the Bordeaux president ââ?¬Â¢ Darcheville is a 2-3 million rated player, according to the Bordeaux president ââ?¬Â¢ The Bordeaux president only offered him a one year deal ââ?¬Â¢ Weââ?¬â?¢ve signed him on a two year contract ââ?¬â?? this fact, and the lure of playing in a foreign league in front of large audiences, he says persuaded him These facts are joined together with the usual references to who he turned down, both in the past (Liverpool) and in the present (Monaco/Bordeaux) to increase our sense of having captured someone important. The fact that he has only netted 37 goals in 5 seasons is played down by explaining Walter Smith is after his for his rocket-like pace and subtle touch ala Prso, which Walter rather more understatedly explained by saying: ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢ve been to France a few times to see him and there is no doubt in my mind we are getting a quality player capable of doing a great job for us.ââ?¬Â But these are small points. Despite there being evidence of the usual signs of hyperbole the largest part of the article is made up of quotes, and the Daily Record is generally at its best when sticking to things people having actually said. You can read the article here: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/tm_headline=gers-have-got-a--pound-3m-hitman-for-free%26method=full%26objectid=19076077%26siteid=66633-name_page.html The Herald Darryl Broadfoot paints a slightly different picture of the signing, as you would expect from a broadsheet. He sets the focus on the fact that this is the third time weââ?¬â?¢ve attempted to sign Darcheville. Perhaps in an attempt to palliate the sense of sensation in the tabloids, his main points are largely concentrate on his, according to Darryl, negative history. The main points being: ââ?¬Â¢ Previous attempts to sign him broke down at the negotiation stage (note Darryl is unwilling, like the Record, to claim that it was because we didnââ?¬â?¢t have enough money, even if it is the case) ââ?¬Â¢ He used to be fat ââ?¬â?? earning unfavourable comparisons to Ronaldo in France ââ?¬Â¢ He didnââ?¬â?¢t do too well at Rennes ââ?¬Â¢ Or at Forrest ââ?¬â?? the manager branding him a waster ââ?¬Â¢ His next manager, at Lorient, also considered him selfish and wasteful ââ?¬Â¢ The manager after that liked him. He scored 25 goals in two seasons. ââ?¬Â¢ He then moved to Bordeaux from whom we signed him: the support apparently never liked him because he stated his intention to make tons of money So, we see a perhaps intentionally bleaker side of Darcheville in the Herald ââ?¬â?? and though I tend not to like the trend in broadsheets to see pessimism as essentially the same thing as ââ?¬Ë?high browââ?¬â?¢ journalism, it provides good foil for the happy clappy image presented in the Record. You can read the article here: http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines/display.var.1387462.0.0.php Conclusion All in all thereââ?¬â?¢s not too much to complain about today, and I hope this summary, and the contrast between the two approaches, has been in some way beneficial towards an understanding of our new signing. The following video is some of Darchevilleââ?¬â?¢s finer moments: