chilledbear

It's not just the English media, some of the Scottish Mhedia can't help themselves.

We are sadly short in centre midfield, most teams pass around our 2 in the centre of the park. They always have plenty of space, while our players are always man marked when they receive the ball. We had a decent pre-season with a good result against an EPL team, playing with 3 in the centre mid. We have now added another 2 strikers, so except for Europe, we will probably play 4-4-2 in the SPL. So I would say it's not all down to motivation, being overrun in midfield doesn't help.

So they say. Source: Official club text

Wonder how much this would cost us?

Haven't seen this on the Board IAN Maxwell watched his Partick Thistle side taken apart by Rangers yesterday, with trialists Nacer Barazite and Georgie Welcome starring as Beauty and the Beast. The Jags player-coach took charge of the First Division side in a 5-0 closed-door defeat at Murray Park. And he gave the pair rave reviews and insists both could earn deals with the Ibrox club. Rangers also had Dutch winger Etienne Esajas on show but the former Sheffield Wednesday man didn't catch the eye. And Maxwell believes ex-Calais midfielder Salim Kerkar - another trialist who had been recommended by his friend and countryman Ibrox star Madjid Bougherra - could land a deal from Walter Smith. Maxwell was underwhelmed by Honduran striker Welcome's general play but says it's impossible not to be impressed by his scoring instinct - as he bagged a hat-trick. He said: "All his goals were different. For his first he lashed in a shot after brilliant play by Barazite. His second came from a back-post header after a corner and for his third he ran through and finished after outmuscling our young defender before sticking it away. "He certainly doesn't possess a particularly good touch but he's a real handful as he's a big lump of a boy. "He's strong, always tries to back into defenders and get in their faces. He does the ugly part of a striker's play well but there is no finesse about him. "Welcome has all the requirements to be an effective target man as the one thing he showed was an instinct for a goal. "It says it all that he fell well short of standing out - yet here we are still talking about the fact he scored a hat-trick. "It's the kind of situation Kris Boyd found himself in. He'd be given a critical review yet he'd be carrying the match ball away with him at the end." And Maxwell was full of praise for Arsenal's Barazite. He said: "Barazite is a class act. He has a wonderful touch and grace about his play and picks his passes brilliantly. Sensation "But it's his ability to play in the hole and the difficulty we had in picking him up that caught my eye. "He was given a free role and was on the left, the right and the centre and operated in areas where nobody really wants to pick you up. "Defensively he isn't going to work back the park but he has such great feet and he's big and strong. He has a wee bit of everything and was head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch. "He had the trademark poise and elegant touch on the ball and was exactly what I would expect from an Arsenal player. He's a star turn and could be a sensation in Scottish football. "I'm sure Rangers will be pulling out all the stops to get him. He could be a key man for them and a huge influence in a creative role from midfield. "Esajas was quiet and never really managed to get too involved. "But we knew all about Kerkar. He played for Motherwell last week and terrorised us. "At Murray Park he scored but wasn't as effective. He's direct, strong and talented and could be an option for Rangers."

Ally McCoist will have the final say in who is offered new contracts, if not then management aren't working together.

About time an all. :spl:

'Boro on Sky tomorrow night.

Your posts are getting better wabash.:robbo:

And Ally is in Wabashcannonball land

Post on FF Bain is back in Austria, it does say rumour.

That would mean being professional, having a plan, thinking ahead. C'mon Frankie we are Rangers.:robbo:

From the BBC Rapid Vienna say there will be no decision on Wednesday on the future of striker Nikica Jelavic. Rangers had hoped to find out if their bid had been accepted for the Croatian international forward. The 24-year-old scored twice in Tuesday's Europa League 3-0 qualifying win over the Bulgarian side Beroe. A Rapid spokesman told BBC Scotland: "There will be no outcome today as out sporting director will not be back until tomorrow." He added: "This will be discussed at a board meeting tomorrow morning." Rapid Vienna may want to retain the striker until at least the play-off round for the Europa League. Those games are scheduled for 19 & 26 August, which would leave only a few days before the transfer window closed. If Rangers are unable to register Jelavic for their own European campaign, the Scottish champions would turn their attentions elsewhere. MY SPORT: DEBATE Give your reaction to this story Nonetheless, he remains manager Walter Smith's favoured target as he seeks to replace Kris Boyd, although he is also looking at the Honduran Georgie Welcome on trial this week. Jelavic has been with Rapid Vienna for two seasons, having joined them from Belgian club Zulte Waregem. The powerful Bosnian-born forward scored 21 goals last season, three of those coming against Celtic in the Europa League. He scored in the 1-1 draw at Celtic Park last October and bagged a brace in the 3-3 draw in the Austrian capital in December. Meanwhile, any move from Rangers for the South African duo of Katlego Mphela and Bongani Khumalo is understood to be unlikely.

Dado Prso wants Rangers to land Croatian countryman Nikica Jelavic ââ?¬â?? as he is custom-made for the SPL. The former fansââ?¬â?¢ hero knows all about Walter Smithââ?¬â?¢s pursuit of the Rapid Vienna frontman, who has pleaded with his club to sell him to the Ibrox side. "I think he would be a very good signing for Rangers because he is a very good player," Prso said. "He is a powerful player and a strong player, he is not afraid to challenge defenders when the ball is in the air. "He has a good mentality and you have to be like that to perform well and be success-ful in Scottish football." Rangers are believed to have offered Ã?£2million ââ?¬â?? with a further Ã?£1m in add-ons ââ?¬â?? for the 24-year-old but that has been rejected by Rapid. However, they are set to increase that bid to have a final go at landing the hitman. And Jelavic has made it clear that he wants to follow in Prsoââ?¬â?¢s footsteps and play in Scotland. He said: "I was informed about Rangersââ?¬â?¢ interest in me and I really want to go. Rapid are a great side and I have enjoyed my time here, but I have paid them back well with goals and I deserve the chance to go. "It has always been my dream to play in Britain and Rangers are a big club with tradition. I would love to play there." Jelavic will lead the Rapid attack at home in a Europa League qualifier tomorrow against Bulgarian side Beroe. If Rapid lose the tie, poised at 1-1 from the first leg, Jelavic could still play for Gers in the Champions League group stages. If the Austrians win, and also triumph in the final knockout round where they wonââ?¬â?¢t be seeded, he would be cup-tied for the Champions League, but it appears Rangers are pressing on regardless with the deal. Meantime, Georgie Welcome today began his trial with the champions ââ?¬â?? and claimed he is capable of being a 25 goals-a-season striker. The 25-year-old Honduran will seal a Ã?£500,000 switch from Motagua if he impresses. Welcome said: "I have other options, but all I want to do is come here and score goals." Rangers have also been linked with possible loan deals for Manchester United kids Joshua King and Rodrigo Possebon after scout Sandy Jardine watched them play against St Johnstone last weekend. And they are expected to sign 18-year-old Norwegian defender Krister Wemberg after he impressed during a trial period. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/dado-prso-make-nikica-jelavic-a-rangers-player-now-1.1045515

Hopefully just paper talk. Everton boss David Moyes is lining up a swoop for Northern Ireland star, Steven Davis � but Cesc Fabregas holds the key to the move. The Rangers midfielder, who was voted the Scottish Premier League Player of the Year last season, could be on his way out of Ibrox. Arsene Wenger is fighting tooth and nail to keep skipper, Fabregas, at the Emirates but Barcelona are determined to get their man. Should the Spain World Cup winner return to the Nou Camp, Wenger would launch a raid on Everton for South African Steven Pienaar. And to complete the transfer merry-go-round, Davis has been ear-marked by the Toffees as the man to full the void if Pienaar quits for North London Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/premiership/rangers-fear-steven-davis-is-off-to-premier-league-14895531.html#ixzz0vSlt35ub

Braga put the ball out because of an injury, timmy tried to score from the throw-in.

If the money is not going to be spent on enhancing the squad, I would be happy enough if it meant the debt would be reduced. But I would like assurances this is actually happening. Does anyone have the figures to show the Debt reducing, in the period since we last paid for a player.

To cap it all, they were booed off the park for bad sportsmanship.

I think the defence plays too deep sometimes, to compensate for his lack of pace. But as a captain, he has that bit of class off the field, something the likes of BF didn't have [ no criticism of BF on the field]

He is all I like to see in a Rangers Captain. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/rangers/david-weir-unperturbed-by-celtic-s-financial-advantage-over-rangers-1.1043873 David Weir, the Rangers captain, is unfazed by the clubââ?¬â?¢s financial strictures that threaten to hand Old Firm rivals Celtic an advantage in the race to secure the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title this season. Facing the reality that they just donââ?¬â?¢t have the money to spend in the transfer market, the defending champions appear to have an uphill battle to make it three titles in a row, especially in the wake of Celticââ?¬â?¢s Ã?£10m transfer outlay. Celtic, under new manager Neil Lennon, have embarked on a spending spree aimed at winning back the SPL crown. Lennon, who predicted ââ?¬Å?bedlamââ?¬Â in his transfer dealings when Celtic returned from their pre-season tour of North America, has already signed Charlie Mulgrew, Cha Du-Ri, Joe Ledley, Daryl Murphy and Efrain Juarez, while Gary Hooper was in Glasgow yesterday for signing talks. In contrast, Rangers have not made a major signing for almost two years and manager Walter Smith has admitted that the club might be lucky to sign even a couple of players by the closure of the transfer window at the end of August. ââ?¬Ë?ââ?¬â?¢We have only got a small group of players because of the financial position of the club; we have had to sell a few,ââ?¬Â Smith said. ââ?¬Å?Hopefully, between now and the end of the close season, we will add a couple of players to that squad. But, so far, we have had no luck in that department.ââ?¬Â We have players who have gone the distance, who have won championships. They know what it means to play for Rangers David Weir, Rangers captain Even though Rangers are thousands of miles away in Sydney, Weir exuded confidence and a typical veteranââ?¬â?¢s calm. He remains upbeat and says the club can more than match Celtic because of the vast experience in the ranks. ââ?¬Å?We have to make do as best we can with what we have at the moment,ââ?¬Â Weir said yesterday. ââ?¬Å?You have to play with what you have got at the end of day. We have the experience at the club to cope with the situation. We have players who have gone the distance, who have won championships. They know what it means to play for Rangers. ââ?¬Å?We will just keep doing what we are doing and not worry about anyone else. As long as we can improve, I will be happy.ââ?¬Â Weir remains confident about Rangersââ?¬â?¢ prospects for the new season. ââ?¬Å?We all know the financial position at the club is tough, but we still have got a good base of players,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?Our aim is always to try and win the league and do much better in the Champions League.ââ?¬Â Weir says he is far from jealous of Celticââ?¬â?¢s spending spree. Firing a volley ahead of the new season, he suggested Celtic need to spend to catch up to where Rangers are. ââ?¬Å?No, Iââ?¬â?¢m not jealous [of Celtic]; they have got to go out and buy players because we have won the league in each of the last two seasons and they have to catch up to us,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?It is going to be a great season and we are all looking forward to the chance of defending our title.ââ?¬Â Weir said the four-team tournament in Sydney was the perfect preparation for the new season, despite suggestions that travelling such a long distance could seriously affect the clubââ?¬â?¢s championship prospects. He believes it will be a benefit to fitness ahead of the new seasonââ?¬â?¢s kick-off, although he said it was also important to win the tournament because that is what is expected of Rangers. After beating Blackburn Rovers 2-1 in the opening match on Sunday, Smithââ?¬â?¢s men play Sydney FC, the Australian champions, tomorrow. Weir anticipates a tough test even though Sydney lost 5-3 to AEK Athens in their opening match. ââ?¬Å?We want to win all three games because, historically, that is what Rangers are all about,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?That will never change. That is the nature of the cub. I only saw a little of the Sydney v AEK Athens game on television. I donââ?¬â?¢t know much about them but I am sure we will watch a video and get enough information. ââ?¬Å?I think youââ?¬â?¢ll see an even better performance from us against Sydney,ââ?¬Â he added. ââ?¬Å?We will have had more time to get over the travel and will be more used to the conditions. The weather is good here, certainly a lot better than our winter and that helps, as well.ââ?¬Â Smith admitted he is unlikely to make any changes to the side that beat Blackburn. Vitezslav Lavicka, Sydney FCââ?¬â?¢s Czech coach, was full of praise for Rangers. ââ?¬Å?They were very good against Blackburn,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?I was impressed, because they played some excellent football and they had not been in the country long. ââ?¬Å?We cannot afford to make the sort of defensive mistakes we made against AEK. As you saw, European teams will punish you for that. ââ?¬Å?Rangers have the players to make us pay for mistakes such as that, so we will have to play up to our best

That was my first thought, who can we be still paying for?

"But I would temper that by saying that if the fans show patience and continue to buy season tickets - and if we can manage to bring the right three players over the line before the end of the transfer window - then it will give us a much better chance than we would appear to have at the moment." If If If If..............Millions of �£�£�£�£s Supporters have spent on ST etc. The least they deserve is the whole truth.

Smith will not be getting the money from the Thomson and Wilson transfers. Doubtful he has the �£5m to spend on new players. In fact it would be nice to know where the fees from Wilson and Thomson are going.

Phone Willie McKay see who is still available......if it isn't someone who played against us, we have no idea.

How many have we taken to Oz?