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http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/19/scottish-cup-success-would-mean-rangers-have-had-a-better-season-than-celtic-4642294/ Thoughts?

http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/rfc-politics/320-dundee-united-are-out-of-control

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/scottish-labour-pledge-scrap-snps-3262872 Not a surprise...

GORDON DURIE reckons Charlie Telfer could be the next Rangers kid to make the grade in the first team if he keeps setting such high standards in the under-20 team. The 18-year-old scored the winner with his sixth goal of the season yesterday as the Light Blues beat Inverness 2-1 in Dingwall. Although Telfer is typically a ball-playing box-to-box midfielder, the bumpy surface at the Highland Football Academy made it difficult for him to operate the way he usually does. Strong winds only added to the task yet he stood out once again with an energetic show which meant he thoroughly deserved his strike when it came. Everyone on the youth staff at Murray Park has taken a real lift from the impact Calum Gallagher has made over the last few days. As well as scoring as a substitute against Dunfermline at the weekend, striker Gallagher set up Fraser Aird’s opener in Monday’s Scottish Cup replay win over Albion Rovers. Manager Ally McCoist has promised he’ll give Durie’s youngsters a chance in his own side with the League One title now secured. And Durie is in no doubt he can make the same kind of impression as Gallagher has if he gets an opportunity to shine. He said: “It was a tricky game for the wee man against Inverness. Charlie likes to get the ball down and play but the conditions weren’t really conducive to that. “He has been great for us though. Calum has gone in and taken his chance in the last couple of games and the boys have all seen that. “The gaffer has said he would give the boys a chance and he has stuck to that as he’s given Calum a chance. “If Charlie keeps giving us performances like that and getting goals the way he has been, hopefully he’ll get his chance as well.” Durie, meanwhile, has paid tribute to Ross Perry’s attitude towards making a return to football after he made a comeback in the Highlands. The defender joined the under-20 squad as an over-aged player for the 400-mile, nine-hour round trip to Dingwall because he was so desperate to play again. Perry has been out of the game for the last eight months after suffering a serious ankle injury at Brora which has needed two operations to correct. Durie added: “Ross felt good and him getting 45 minutes was another bonus from the game for us. He has been training well in the last couple of weeks. “He was keen to come up for the game and as we all know, it’s four and a half hours on a bus to Dingwall. “That says something about how much he wanted to play and get himself going again and that will do him the world of good.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/item/6570-charlie-could-be-next

Rangers U20 team v Inverness Caley Thistle: Gallacher; Hegarty, Perry, Gasparotto, Sinnamon; Roberts, Dykes, Telfer, Gibson; Halkett, Stoney

Yep Ally, full pre-season this year, good winning momentum at the moment, settled team by the looks of it. Now just 'go for it' in this game. There would be nothing worse going out of this tie at a wimper. If we give all and play fast attacking football but go out I would accept it as it gives a measure as to where we are but going out in poor fashion just turns attention onto Ally's ability to put a good team out again.

According to The Sun. They're contracts won't be renewed but Cribari will be offered a role in youth development. Apparently both are on £5.5k a week. Can't say I'm bothered with this news.

March 13, 2014 Ibrox Set For Blue Card Display by Union of Fans The Union of Fans are set to paint Ibrox blue in support of Dave King. 30,000 blue cards will be distributed at Ibrox on Saturday calling for the Rangers Board to meet with King and accept his plan to inject fresh share capital into the club. Following the very successful red card display carried out by Sons of Struth earlier in the season, to show the fans displeasure with the board, this display will take a similar format. Rangers fans will be asked to welcome King’s involvement by displaying the cards on the 18th and 72nd minutes - a reference to the club’s foundation in 1872. Union of Fans spokesman Chris Graham said: “The club clearly needs investment and Dave King has publicly stated his willingness to provide it. We hope that fans will take the opportunity to show their support for someone with a track record of supporting Rangers both personally and financially.” “Hopefully the board will realise the strength of feeling on this issue and adopt a less adversarial approach in their future dealings with Dave King. Fans should not underestimate the power they have to push for positive change at another critical time for the club.” “The cards will be handed out by volunteers around Ibrox before the game. So if people want to take part we would ask them to seek out a card prior to the game.” http://www.unionoffans.org/statements/2014/3/13/ibrox-set-for-blue-card-display

Meanwhile, Arab Trust board member Mike Barile says that, if Rangers do make the last four, the game should not be played on the Glasgow side's ground. The former chairman of the fans' group said: "I was active in the supporters movement when United and Dundee met in the Scottish Cup semi-final in 1987. "Both clubs were prepared to play the game at Tannadice or Dens Park on the toss of a coin, but the SFA insisted that the game had to be played at a neutral stadium. "Now there is the possibility of playing Rangers and it is okay for the game to be played at Ibrox. "Can you imagine the outcry if the SFA were to say the game was to be played at Tannadice? It is a ridiculous decision. "If it is to be Rangers we are to play then the game should be played at a neutral ground." When Celtic Park was chosen as the venue for the final in October, it was announced that both semi-finals would be played at Ibrox. Hampden Park is unavailable because of redevelopment work taking place to lay track for the Commonwealth Games.

Rangers U20 team v Dundee United: Gallacher; Halkett, Hegarty, Gasparotto, Sinnamon; Dykes, Crawford, Hutton, Telfer, Stoney; Gallagher On the bench this evening for Gordon Durie's Light Blues are Kelly (gk), Gibson, Pascazio, Roberts and a trialist Halkett scored after some seventy seconds to put us ahead (Celtic trailing 1-0 into their second half)

"There has been a fantastic response since launching the campaign at 4pm on Wednesday 5th of March with over 650 Rangers fans committing to RangersFirst. The initial launch has mainly focused on Twitter and Facebook with almost all the traffic coming from both social networks. On average for every 10 visitors to the RangersFirst website a fan signs up. In the next 7-14 days RF plans to launch the RangersFirst Promotional Video which will explain the CIC concept in detail. They are also in the process of setting up a road show team that will visit Supporters Clubs and Rangers affiliated venues across the UK." (For the avoidance of doubt I have inserted quotation marks to make it clear that this is not my wording, I received an email with this text which I have altered only insofar as changing from first to third person.) http://www.rangersfirst.org/

http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/current-affairs/318-take-the-power-back? By Ewan McQueen If you asked anyone who knows me well to tell you something I’m passionate about, it’s almost certain they would reply with the answer ‘Rangers Football Club’. It has been a huge part of my life since I started following the club in 1995. Like thousands of others, I live and breathe Rangers every single day and constantly check social media sites and forums to find out the latest developments inside Ibrox. And now it feels like a revolution is brewing amongst the fans. And for my mind it has been a long time coming. The horrors of administration just over two years ago are still raw and can never be understated. However, it should have been a watershed moment for us fans despite the shock we were in. It should never be forgotten that David Murray got us into a real mess before he sold us down the river to Craig Whyte. That has all been well documented and there’s no need to go over it again here. But Whyte’s reign at the club should have proven once and for all that there should be no more days of one man running the club. Like every Rangers fan, I was stunned on Valentine’s Day two years ago. But we missed an opportunity. To its credit, the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund was a superb scheme and raised a wonderful amount of money when there were huge fears Rangers would die. But the RFFF didn’t go far enough. It seemed as though fans were waiting for a saviour, whether it was the Blue Knights, Brian Kennedy, Jim McColl and Walter Smith or, as it transpired, Charles Green and his cronies. Administration should have provided the perfect opportunity for fans to mobilise to ensure it never happened again. After the simply astonishing squandering of money and obscene bonuses to board members under Green’s regime, Rangers can’t rule out admin mark two which is simply disgraceful. And that’s why it’s time to take the power back and create a situation where fans have proper representation in the club and control a significant amount of shares. Ask yourself this: would you rather see the club you love ran by fans that feel the same way as you or by men like the Easdale brothers, hedge fund managers and the continuously mysterious Blue Pitch and Margarita Holdings? For me it is a no brainer. This board aren’t fit for purpose and none of them have any idea what it is like to live and breathe Rangers. They are in it for themselves. And the fact they are now going to be using season ticket money to pay back a loan at a ludicrously high rate of interest just takes the biscuit. For many fans the loans have been the straw that has finally broken the camel’s back. Schemes like Buy Rangers and Rangers First are to be hugely welcomed. For far too long there have been divisions amongst the Rangers support that have held us back. Of course it is only natural that there are debates amongst any club’s support. I regularly have fierce debates about the manager, players and tactics with friends I go to games with. That’s natural. What isn’t natural is that until now Rangers fans haven’t grabbed the chance to gain real power at Ibrox. Look at what the Foundation of Hearts has done after the Gorgie club was run by shysters. They’ve just announced their 8,000th member while the Rangers Supporters Trust currently has 2,500 members. I am one of them and find that stat very depressing. Rangers First seems to have captured the imagination though. First up, the name is simple and extremely effective. For too long we have been run by men who have never put Rangers first. As fans, by selling 72,000 season tickets over the last two seasons to watch football which has been very poor at times, by raising £5.5m in a share issue before Christmas and by simply continuing to follow the team the length and breadth of Scotland, we have always put Rangers First. Modern football offers far too many opportunities for businessmen and ‘spivs’ to make a quick buck at the expense of the people that truly matter at a football club – the fans. You only need to look at the way Vincent Tan is running Cardiff if you want an example. The next few years need to see a massive increase in clubs becoming fan owned or run as a community interest company. As Richard Atkinson of Supporters Direct says, fan ownership isn’t just about owning shares. It is about getting what you want from the club. There is simply no chance of getting that under this board. In simple maths terms, Rangers fans can easily out do what Hearts supporters have achieved. Say only 20,000 of our fanbase paid £15 a month in direct debits. That would equate to income of £3.6m per year and, at current market levels, 5% of shares could be purchased in three months. Both the Rangers First and Buy Rangers options are very reasonably priced as well. The Rangers First option gives you the option of signing up for as little as £5 per month. The price of a fish supper per month to try and reclaim the club I love? Count me in. And I’ve also signed up to the Buy Rangers scheme of purchasing shares in the club from as little as £11.25 per month. Both schemes are simple and I would urge every fan to do something. It is time to show you REALLY care about your favourite club. The Rangers support can be found in corners all over the world. Quite simply, if we don’t do it this time through these projects, then it can be argued we deserve what we get as a support. It feels like the right time. The financial crisis has reached breaking point again. Whilst there might be criticism of performances on the park, we have strolled to the League One title. We have now completed the first two stages of our journey back to the top but we simply can’t afford to be cut adrift when we return there. Hanging over these schemes is of course Dave King. Now, King’s tax issues in South Africa have been gone over more times than I have had hot dinners but what can’t be denied is that he is a Rangers man. It seems baffling that the board call him disruptive when he is a lifelong fan willing to put money into a club he loves. His idea of a season ticket trust is to be welcomed. Let’s get one thing straight, it isn’t a boycott. It is about, as King says himself, getting transparency from the board over the state of the club. At the time of writing, over 5,600 supporters have signed up to the call from the Union of Fans to back King. Again, that is real and decisive action from a significant section of the support. Key to all this is engaging those fans who aren’t online or those who are perhaps switched off from the turmoil. Indeed, I have friends and relatives in this position. Fan ownership remains a long term dream, but it can be driven forward quickly with the right marketing and information that is delivered to the fanbase. Legendary US rock band Rage Against the Machine once sang a ferocious song which shares the title of this article. When the revolution is led by the people (or in this case, fans), the men at the top can find it nigh on impossible to fight back against it. This particular Rangers revolution has only just started but I’m excited what I see on Twitter, Facebook and various forums. We have woken up big time as a support and credit to everyone who has got involved already. It will take a while and it will require patience but we simply must get rid of this board once and for all. We have a voice and it’s the most powerful inside Ibrox- more powerful than Graham Wallace or Sandy Easdale or even Ally McCoist. It’s time to take the power back.

Something nice and cheerful to brighten up our Monday after yesterday's poor football match. Vladimir Weiss is the proud father of a baby girl called Vikinka. Congratulations! :cheers: He celebrated with his buddy Filip Sebo who posted the following message on instagram: sebofilip 19 hours ago · The St. Regis Doha Let's celebrate the new member of @rfc_official #RangersFamily !! Congratulations @mmvvw & @vladiw7 for the baby #Vikinka !! #rfc #rangersfc #watp #oco http://instagram.com/p/lVMc8HQEHO/#

alex thomson ‏@alextomo 28m Rangers to go into Administration on Wednesday? At least one senior Glasgow accountant is saying so tonight. https://twitter.com/alextomo

The 4th Meeting of the Rangers CIC Working Party was held at the Louden tavern on Monday night. As previously reported, the Limited Company has been incorporated and will be converted to a CIC by Glasgow Solicitor, James Blair, who will become the first director. Draft Articles of Association (incorporating changes from the model suggested by me and RA) should be up on the web site imminently, for comment. As well as the minimum £5 per month donation (suggested donation £18.72), there will be a facility to become a Life Member of "Club 1872" by making a one off payment of £500. This can be paid in whole or in part by transferring shares (at current price) to the CIC. Donations can now be accepted and the money will be held by Gocardless until such time as the CIC bank account is established in the next few days. For information on how to contribute please email will@rangersfirst.org or admin@rangersfirst.org. The full Minutes will be published asap on the web site.

http://www.unionoffans.org/statements/2014/2/27/union-of-fans-statement-270214'>http://www.unionoffans.org/statements/2014/2/27/union-of-fans-statement-270214

Martin Williams ‏@Martin1Williams 31s #Rangers Dave King "Message to fans is..if we don't hold board to account then we will have a couple of unnecessarily difficult years ahead" Martin Williams ‏@Martin1Williams 1m Dave King "I am absolutely confident that Craig Whyte won't have a future at #Rangers going forward" Martin Williams ‏@Martin1Williams 1m Dave King "There are powers behind the throne at #Rangers not represented on board" would prefer him an other likeminded people involved Martin Williams ‏@Martin1Williams 2m Dave King believes there is a "guiding hand behind" #Rangers that is not currently sitting on the board. But doesn't name names. Martin Williams ‏@Martin1Williams 3m Dave King says "what is very important" is transparency must come first, before any future investment. Martin Williams ‏@Martin1Williams 4m Dave King says trying to avert "another financial crisis" at #Rangers & that board is relying on fans' "fierce loyalty" to come up with cash Martin Williams ‏@Martin1Williams 5m DaveKing says "it is obvious" #Rangers is "running out of money" & was happy go be a significant investor but board has since "done nothing" Martin Williams ‏@Martin1Williams 9m Dave King says real aim to get "proper transparency from #Rangers & would like not to have to set up fund for season tickets. Martin Williams ‏@Martin1Williams 11m Dave King says will meet the #Rangers board and insists his statements about "financial crisis" of club was "nothing controversial"

http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/rfc-politics/310-dr-waiton-on-rangers-free-speech-and-sectarianism It's an excellent read (the Spiers part especially), very well done to John.

RANGERS forward Andy Little today appealed to the Ibrox club to sort out his contract situation as quickly as possible. Little's current deal with the runaway SPFL League One leaders expires at the end of the season. And the Northern Ireland international has not held any talks with Gers officials about signing a new one. Gers boss Ally McCoist is keen to speak to players who are free to leave in the summer. But chief executive Graham Wallace is currently conducting a review of club business that will only be completed in mid-April. Little, who was second top scorer for his boyhood heroes last season, is hoping the situation gets sorted in the near future. He said: "My contract will be up in three months so, hopefully, I can get something sorted soon. Every player likes to know what his future is. "The manager and myself would like to get it out of the way and signed. I wouldn't want to leave it to the summer, but there is not a lot I can do." Little added: "Back in November, when I was injured, the manager spoke with my agent and let him know they still wanted to keep me. "Since then there hasn't been much discussion, but I understand there are an awful lot of things out of the gaffer's hands and that are happening higher up on the board. "I know I need to keep performing if I want to stay at this club which I'm dying to do." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/little-eager-for-a-new-deal-at-ibrox-154240n.23583011

https://twitter.com/TheSundayLife/status/439897127913656321/photo/1

Till end of season Kyle McAusland ‏@kyle_mcausland · 6m Signed for ayr till the end of the season. Looking forward to get some games. All the best to the boys for the title run in. #Rfc #Aufc

Some of my latest musings on the King/RFC debate on TRS for your persual: http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/current-affairs/313-the-battle-for-rangers-the-120-day-war

Rangers Youth ‏@RFC_Youth #Rangers U20 team v Hearts: Gallacher, Gibson, Sinnamon, Hegarty, Halkett, Telfer, Burrows, Dykes, Gallagher, Crawford, Stoney. KO 7pm. (Murray Park) Subs: Liam Kelly, Scott Roberts, Junior Ogen, Ryan Hardie, David Brownlie and a trialist. nb Luca Gasparrato was injured in the last game, played on after hurting his knee in 11th minute but not being risked tonight

I watched a wonderful short film this week, on the effect the reintroduction of wolves has had on Yellowstone National Park in America. Wolves were wiped out in the area 70 years ago but several packs were brought back twenty years ago in the hope they would breed and reestablish them. A highly controversial move, the wolves were closely monitored and the effect they had on Yellowstone was studied during this period. As a large carnivore there was much apprehension about the wolves; would they decimate other species, clear large parts of the park of other mammals, indeed would they endanger man? The actual findings were mind blowing. The wolves mainly hunt deer and prior to the wolves return the deer had enjoyed decades with no natural predator except man. As such, they grazed where they wanted for as long as they wanted, they moved slowly through the landscape and their numbers grew and grew. The reemergence of the wolves changed this. The change wasn’t that large numbers of deer were killed (there aren’t that many wolves and there are tens of thousands of deer) it was that the return of the deer’s natural hunter led to a dramatic change in deer behaviour. Previously the deer grazed where they liked but now they were much more cautious and this was particularly noticeable near rivers. The grazing is good there, but it is open, and the deer were easily hunted. As the deer modified their behaviour and avoided grazing on the lower ground the vegetation changed, grass grew longer, bushes and trees reached maturity instead of being stripped back by hungry deer when small. This led to insects returning which in turn brought birds. The longer grass brought rabbits and the eagles who hunt them. Bears returned to eat the berries that now ripened on the bushes, beavers returned and used the mature trees to make dams. Most astonishingly of all the course of the river changed. Previously it meandered, it flooded regularly and the rain ran off the surrounding land quickly eroding the area. Now the increased vegetation soaked up much of the rainfall and its roots held the soil together. So the river ran deeper and faster, it no longer meanders it flows true. The wolves had indirectly been responsible for changing the course and flow of a river. What must be remembered is that wolves weren’t artificially introduced to the area; rather their absence in the first place was artificial. The ecology of Yellowstone evolved over thousands of years and at the top of the food chain was wolves. This large carnivore was meant to be there, nature had decided that a long time ago, the rest of the park actually depended on it. Its removal caused the damage, not its reintroduction. Every aspect of the park relied on the wolf directly or indirectly. Rangers play Stenhousemuir for the fourth time this season on Saturday. We’ve won our two previous league meetings and our meeting in the cup. Our last match at Ibrox saw us triumph by eight goals, our subsequent meetings have been much closer affairs. This match is being played against the backdrop of continued problems in Scottish football. The removal of Rangers from the top flight has upset the trophic cascade, the natural order of things evolved over more than 100 years is seriously out of kilter. Celtic have no serious rival as such and they are now meandering, their club is selling its best players, their manager speaks openly about being unsettled and their support, as well as showing apathy towards attending matches now fill their time by promoting songs about Irish murder gangs, making ill-thought-out political statements or indulging in good old fashioned hooliganism. The game’s governing bodies now no longer even hold the pretence of parity. They award cup finals and semi finals to grounds months in advance rather than wait to see who’ll contest them. Their decisions regarding cup matches and Inverness have bordered on the corrupt, the ticket allocation for the League Cup final being only the latest example. The side who finished second in the country last season, Motherwell, still managed to make a loss of nearly £200,000. The prize money they should have received was drastically cut half way through the season you see, no surprise there. This happened despite them cutting their player budget the previous close season. Still the league has no sponsor, in the top flight the champions and the side relegated was decided before a ball was kicked and the standard of play and player continues to drop. Without its largest animal the competition is reduced, the drive is lost and the revenue that follows it dries up. All of these things are interconnected, remove something from the natural order of things and it takes a long time to recover, if it ever does. Stenhousemuir go into this match with a new manager, former Scottish international and feted wunderkind Scott Booth. Although the current Scotland under 17 coach doesn’t take up his post for a few more weeks we can expect his new players to be eager to prove their worth to him. So motivation shouldn’t be an issue for stand-in coach Brown Ferguson’s side. Stenhousemuir are in a bad run of form with no victories this year, only their early season good results afford them the relative safety of sixth place. Rangers go into the match without Moshni who remains suspended. Cribari did well against Ayr and should retain his place although I expect McCulloch to return to the defence and Foster to drop out. Beyond that the side should pick itself, MacLeod should come into contention if fit again but I expect Bell, Law, Wallace, Black, Daly, Faure, Templeton and Aird to start. I don’t expect a repeat of the early season 8-0 but half that wouldn’t raise an eyebrow particularly if we score early. Stenhousemuir have both suffered and benefited from being in the same league as Rangers. Having the largest carnivore in the country close by drastically reduces the likelihood of promotion for every other club in our division, but it does offer them other tangible benefits. Our presence is artificial though, man made and it is upsetting the natural order of things. The trophic cascade refers to interconnectivity, how removing something from the top of the food chain has consequences all the way down that chain, how these changes can’t all be foreseen or managed and it is vital that chain isn’t allowed to be tampered with artificially. Recent meetings aimed at securing a voice for Rangers supporters in our boardroom should be welcomed, not only by all Rangers fans but also by all football fans. Whatever your feelings towards our club, we are all connected and interdependent, it’s in everyone’s interests that we’re back where we belong believe it or not. The only thing that should prevent that happening is our side not being good enough. Financial stability and accountability are vital, not just for our sake but for every club in the country. Nobody should fear the return of the wolf, its return should be welcomed by all.

Douglas Fraser ‏@BBCDouglasF 14m #Rangers announces it's secured £1.5m working capital from director Sandy Easdale and Laxey Partners. Repayable by 1 Sept.