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FORMER SFA referees chief Donald McVicar says Hugh Dallas' resignation is a massive blow for Scottish football. McVicar, who was in charge of the SFA's refereeing department for ten years before retiring last year, claims Dallas is a victim of a concerted conspiracy against him. Having known Dallas since he started officiating, McVicar has watched this week's events in Scottish refereeing circles with dismay. He said: "As far as Hugh Dallas is concerned, he's been the victim of the mother of all conspiracies. "People were out to get him, they were out to score points and they were out to do him in any way they could. "Anyone who knows Hugh or takes the time to know him will know that there isn't one ounce of bigotry in his body. There are those who have jumped on a satirical email and made capital out of it. "Hugh's also been vilified over the incident involving Dougie McDonald when in fact everything he did was correct. "The suggestion he's been involved in some kind of cover-up is nonsense. Quite the contrary is the case. "Hugh was doing an excellent job at the SFA. He was in for three-and-a-half years with me learning the ropes, and it's sad this has happened to him. I'm absolutely gutted for him and his family. Dallas doesn't change anything in a referee's report without the referee or the referee observer giving approval to it "The SFA will struggle to get someone of similar calibre to replace him. When Hugh was a top referee and I was in charge of referee development, I used him for instruction and coaching and he did anything you asked. "He went to public parks to help young guys on a Sunday afternoon when he could've been sitting in his house or been out with his wife after doing a game on a Saturday. "He has great ideas and we used to sit together and bounce things off one another. When the baton was handed to him he had the chance to put these ideas through himself and the benefits are already showing. "Believe me, he will be a massive loss to the SFA. Someone with his experience, both at home and abroad, is a terrific person to have at the top level in Scottish football. The guy's been fourth official at the World Cup Final and a tremendous ambassador for Scotland, for goodness sake. "Unfortunately, it's the old thing of a prophet unsung in his own land. "It's part of the UEFA Referees' Convention to have someone of Hugh's standing in this position. "The association has been using former referees in that role since Ernie Walker started it with George Cumming, who went on to fulfil the same role with FIFA." The whispering campaign around Dallas has claimed that he was responsible for the changing of referee's reports - but McVicar is experienced enough to know exactly what Dallas' responsibilities and duties entail. He said: "Hugh Dallas doesn't change anything in a referee's report without the referee or the referee observer giving approval to it. He doesn't change anything to do with the actual content of reports. "If a referee observer thinks it's a penalty kick, Hugh won't turn round and say, 'I don't think it was a penalty'. His reaction - as mine was when I was in the job - will be that if the referee observer thinks it's a penalty kick, that's good enough. "The idea Hugh is sitting in judgment of referees is wrong. He doesn't even decide which referee gets which game. He'll have an input but that's the responsibility of the Referee Administration Department." Sport of the World also spoke to another senior source in Scottish refereeing circles about the storm which has rocked the worldwide reputation of our game. Our source has been in personal touch with many of Scotland's Category One referees this week over their controversial strike action that has seen European refs handle domestic games this weekend. Our man says the depth of feeling at their meeting last Sunday was such that it soon became inevitable they viewed strike action as their only option. And he lifted the lid on the individual abuse some of our top refs have taken. He said: "Emotions were running sky-high at the referees' meeting. I don't think they've done it the right way - my own opinion is that they should've expressed their concerns, and should've told the SFA through the referees committee that they would withdraw labour. "For instance, I'd have given notice that I would be unavailable over the festive period - just try and get replacement refs between say December 20 and January 8. "But while I've been trying to understand, guide and advise, this strength of feeling is what comes through. Of the Category One referees, of whom there are just over 30, I've spoken to nine or ten personally. They don't want to do what they're doing but they don't see any other means of getting their point across. We've all made mistakes while refereeing. But when people are using expressions like 'lies, conspiracies and cover-ups', strong action is required. I think people were taken aback by the strength of feeling from the guys. "The abuse they've had has been appalling. We've got referees whose wives have picked up their house phones to have someone saying 'That orange b*****d husband of yours is going to get it'. The same family were then abused in a supermarket. "We'd three referees who were called in by their bosses at work and told, 'If your integrity is called into question over this, you either give up refereeing or give up your job'. "These are guys whose jobs are such that trust is a key element of their work. Another referee's firm is being bombarded by emails demanding to know why they employ him. "You can see how people are upset about it all by this constant vilification from a particular club. It wears them down, it's intimidation, it's bullying, it's harassment. And that's why they've done this. "People say referees are high profile but they don't want to be high-profile. "They want to do their game, go home and go out for a meal on Saturday night. It's so sad they're not able to do that, and it's all coming from one source. An apology from Celtic to the referees for calling their integrity into question would get us over this first hurdle "The suggestion from MP Peter Wishart that referees should declare their allegiance is totally impossible. "There are checks in place at the SFA. If a referee worked for B&Q and B&Q sponsored Airdrie, he would go to the SFA and ask if that was a conflict of interest. "There was one case where the referee's boss at work was the chairman of a football club. But what do you do? "That ref doesn't handle his boss' club's games - but does he handle games involving clubs who are round about that club in the league? Where does it all end? The permutations are immense. "There isn't one man who takes up refereeing who hasn't grown up supporting a club. But once you start making your way in refereeing, you stop going to see your local team because you're always refereeing and the last thing you think about is giving favours to this team or that one. You're too busy concentrating on your career. "If you asked all the Category One refs who they supported and they all said Celtic, does that mean Celtic can't play any games because every referee supports them? "An apology from Celtic to the referees for calling their integrity into question would get us over this first hurdle. "Then we'd need to get all groups around the table and get some sort of agreement in place - no talking about refs before matches, be careful what they say at the end of matches. "There's an acceptance that referees make mistakes but to say there's bias is rubbish. "Somebody can call me the worst referee there is, but to call a ref a cheat is the biggest insult you can give him. "There's an academy of refs in their late teens just now and the SFA will try to fast-track them. "When they pass their examination they will be told their skin has to take on the thickness of an elephant's hide. "The people who are calling the integrity of our referees into question would do well to think about what their thoughtless remarks are doing to all referees and the image of the game in Scotland."

By Tom English You only had to look at some of the websites on Friday night to understand the sickness of some who attach themselves to football clubs in this country. In this instance, we are talking about Celtic. And we are talking about secrets and lies. When the news came through late in the evening that Hugh Dallas had left his post at the Scottish Football Association, a near-orgasmic glee broke out in some parts of cyberspace where Celtic fans were gathered. They contributed in their hundreds, if not their thousands, each one acclaiming this to be one of their greatest days, one of their finest triumphs. Their venom for Dallas was untrammelled. It was, and I use the word advisedly, an orgy of abuse. A man claiming to be 71 years old said that the only sad part about it all was that his father and his uncles weren't alive to see it - "but I hope they're cheering in heaven". We had to cut the quote short because what he said about Dallas thereafter doesn't warrant repeating. Suffice to say that the pensioner has entered his dotage without a shred of perspective in this world. It was the kind of contribution that made you feel more sorry for the person who wrote it than the man it was written about. These people purported to defend the Pope's honour in the wake of the toxic e-mail sent from Dallas's computer at Hampden. These are people who jumped on the bandwagon by declaring themselves insulted and offended by the lampooning of the Holy Father, who demanded that Dallas be sacked for a supposed act of sectarianism that grossly disrespected their faith and the head of their church. On Friday, this righteous flock turned into a baying mob and in that moment we saw their duplicity in all its ugliness. For these people, the Dallas e-mail wasn't an affront, it was an opportunity, a chance to hound a man they have had a grudge against for years and an association they've harboured bitterness about for generations. http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/celticfc/Tom-English-39In-effect-they.6642373.jp?articlepage=1

Has announced that celtic have suffered decades of persecution from referees, which you'll all agree is a hell of a thing to say on air. you have to wonder what he was promised in return for carrying these words from the piggery to the nation? Odious Creep right enough. But also a cheap little whore.

By Gary McDaniel So it has come to this, our referees have decided that enough is enough and they're taking strike action in demonstration as to the constant flack they have been subjected to recently. I say good on them. Celtic chairman, John Reid, is without doubt the Keith Flint-esk firestarter who has been regularly stoking the flames on the burning issue of referees, especially Dougie MacDonald. Mr Reid is adamant heads should role as the heinous crime of a lie has been told to their manager Neil Lennon and the SFA match observer. Now I don't condone lying and I�m sure as his time as a politician John Reid would never condone such a thing............. Oh hold on wasn't he a member of the Blairite New Labour party which was built on the foundation of spin? Wasn't he once a prominent member of our government's cabinet? Let us remember that John Reid was part of one of the biggest lies in our country's recent history in the run-up to the war in Iraq. He was privy to information of claims of 45 minute warnings and weapons of mass destruction, which all turned out to be a load of nonsense but yet thousands of Iraqi's lost their lives and many of our troops were killed, all for what? We were then told that the removal of Saddam Hussein was part of the plan, didn't remember being said on the run-up to war? Change of story there, doesn't that sound familiar? He was part of a government which deviously set about ditching bad news on the day of 9/11. Ok he wasn't directly involved in that but that all stemmed from the culture being set by the party he was a member of. So how many heads rolled after the PR disaster which was the Iraq war cover-up? Erm one, namely a Dr David Kelly who took his own life. Now Mr John Reid wishes to see P45s issued within the SFA and to Dougie MacDonald over the Tannadice incident? A lie, which I agree was stupid, but which was taken without real thought. A decision which in essence did not have any real effect on the outcome of the game in Dundee. Compare that to Reid's political decisions in the past. Yes, he has a cheek to sit in Parkhead and believe he has the moral high ground. I have a lot of respect for Celtic Football Club and many of their fans for what they have done for Scottish football. Their achievements abroad. The behaviour of their fans when following their team in Europe over the decades. For me though, the likes of John Reid and Peter Lawell are tarnishing that image. I would have more respect for them if they cleared the smokescreen and laid their cards on the table and openly admitted that they believe that there is a valid question about the integrity of Scottish referees. I might not agree with them but I would respect their bluntness. I've been over this ground in a previous post about referees but we seem to forget how invaluable they are to our game and the fact that, like us, they are human beings. They are committed to the job and have taken up the call in which the vast majority of us wouldn't touch with a barge pole. They face, not just stick from managers and players, but also from fans whose abuse is much more colourful. Who in their right mind would run the line and suffer constant verbal attacks from fans questioning their integrity, their eyesight but also the much more darker issues of having their sexuality questioned, members of their family verbally abused and threats to their personal safety? Imagine its like a taxi driver having every fare in his cab hurling abuse at him or a call centre worker being told were to stick their double glazing on a regular basis. You would pack it in after a while for your own sanity. We now live in a culture were football referees are now constantly in the spot light. Many ex-referees are TV pundits or have their own columns in national newspapers. This didn't happen 20 years ago. We are fascinated by officials and the decisions they make. It frustrates us and it annoys us but we accept, well I do, that they have taken an honest decision in relation to an incident. We have a situation in which players earn thousands or millions of pounds. They have the life style they desire, the house they dreamed of, the sports car they sought after and the eye candy on their arm they thought was never possible when they were a plukey wee pubescent teenager. They virtually do what they want. They can demand more money and sign up to lucrative sponsorship deals. But when they run out onto a football pitch and have a referee blow the whistle and tell them its not a penalty, they blow their top. How dare this authoritarian weasel that I have no respect for tell me I'm wrong. Let us all remember players and managers never get it wrong? They never lie or cheat? No no never. Yet their behaviour is never regularly punished by their club. A manager rarely criticises one of his players for diving to get a penalty. They never take action when their players hound match officials to get an opposing player red carded. No its all accepted as part of the game. Referees are demonised by many quarters from within the game but we also forget the other role in which referees play. Not only do they have to judge if a player has dived or feigning injury but they are there to protect the players. It is the job of the man in black to blow the whistle and ask for urgent attention for a player who has a head knock. It is them who decide when a pitch is unplayable and is threatening the well being of those playing on it. It is them who red card a player, not to annoy a manager or fans, but to punish a player for recklessness which could threaten the career of an opponent. We sometimes forget that. We have also heard calls for referees to reveal the team's they support. What a load of nonsense. Which referee would put their career at risk by revealing that they support one of the top clubs in this country? For example how could they excel in the profession if they were forced to reveal they supported one half of the old firm? They wouldn't get on the UEFA or FIFA list to officiate top international or Champions League games as they hadn't been able to referee a top SPL match due to their integrity being questioned. They are professional and wouldn't wish to put their career in jeopardy. Do we do the same when a former Celtic player returns to Parkhead? Like when Henrik Larsson scored for Barcelona in front of his adoring fans? No he's a footballer doing the job he is employed to do, no matter the opposition. Imagine that in the last game of the season Celtic need to beat Aberdeen for the title and it's late in the game, finely poised at 2-1 in favour of Celtic. The Dons have a corner which lands at the feet of Zander Diamond (a well known supporter of his bhoyhood heroes) who is in front of goal 6 yards out. He skies is shot over the bar and the final whistle blows. Would we suggest he did it deliberately? Make-up your own mind, but I would hope he just fluffed his lines. So what does the future hold? Well I don't think Celtic will give up on this issue lightly until a certain few go through the exit door at Hampden. What makes this whole episode ironic is that you could say that while this whole issue has blown up, Celtic's performances on the field have suffered. Has Neil Lennon's focus been distracted? What you may find is that in the end Celtic may have scored an own goal by allowing an ever increasingly tired and threadbare Rangers' side remain top of the SPL. http://www.theawayend.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=468%3Athe-hypocrisy-of-john-reid&catid=59%3Agary-mcdaniel&Itemid=119

STEVEN CRAVEN today reveals the truth behind the lies of a controversial Tannadice cover-up. In an explosive MailSport exclusive that will rock the SFA to its core, Craven lifts the lid on the spot-kick storm from Celtic's clash with Dundee United. The linesman opens up about the lies and bullying that led to his resignation and reveals how: Ref Dougie McDonald lied to Hoops boss Neil Lennon about his sensational penalty U-turn. Both he and McDonald came clean to refs chief Hugh Dallas. Dallas tried TWICE to get him to repeat what he knew to be a lie. Bullying, harassment and victimisation in the corridors of power will lead to refs quitting. Craven told MailSport: "Dougie ran towards me and said: 'I think I've f***** up.' After the game Dougie said we should tell the referee supervisor (Jim McBurnie) that I called him over to question the penalty award. "I went along with it because I wanted to be supportive of Dougie. "But then Neil Lennon came in after the game and asked Dougie why he hadn't given the penalty kick. "We told Neil the version that was a lie. "It was wrong to lie. And I'm not proud that I went along with Dougie's suggestion. "I decided to quit a few days later. I'd had enough of Hugh Dallas and John Fleming (the SFA referee development officer). "For a while I felt I had been a victim of harassment and bullying from them. "A lot of guys are not happy with it and are ready to walk away." SFA chief executive Stewart Regan said: "Dougie hasn't accepted responsibility for Steven's resignation. "His resignation covers other matters and we are looking at those." Dallas tried TWICE to make me repeat what he knew was just a LIE STEVEN CRAVEN knew he was wrong to go along with Dougie McDonald's lies after the Dundee United v Celtic game. But he was stunned and shocked when refs supremo Hugh Dallas wouldn't listen to the TRUTH after the officials decided to come clean. Craven says in his resignation letter that Dallas twice tried to make him repeat a version of events he knew to be untrue. That was when the linesman realised he was going to be hung out to dry for McDonald's decision to overturn the penalty he had awarded the Hoops. Inaccurate stories started to appear on a daily basis in an attempt to cover up the real version of events - and that's why Craven has decided to speak out. Now the match official - who quit the SFA last week as exclusively revealed in the Daily Record - can tell us the full story. He told MailSport: "I can remember it all clearly. Dougie blew for the penalty but I could see the United keeper Dusan Pernis did touch the ball. "However, Dougie was no more than seven yards away from the spot-kick incident while I was 25 yards away. "I was with Dougie in a game between Aberdeen and Kilmarnock two years ago. "Craig Bryson fell inside the Aberdeen box and I screamed to Dougie to give Killie a penalty. "But he ignored my call and cautioned Bryson for simulation. "We spoke about it at half-time and Dougie was adamant he called it right. Television evidence proved he was right. "So that incident was going through my mind immediately after he gave Celtic the penalty at Tannadice. "I thought he had the perfect position. There was no way I could question him. "He then ran towards me and said: 'I think I've f***** up. Did the keeper get a hand to the ball?' I told him I believed the goalie played the ball and that it wasn't a penalty. So he decided it should be a drop ball. "To make it clear, Dougie approached me. I did not call for him to come over. "After the game, in front of the other assistant referee and the fourth official, we spoke about it. Dougie said we should tell the referee supervisor (Jim McBurney) that I called him over to question the penalty award. He claimed it would give the decision to overturn the spot-kick more credibility. "I went along with it because I wanted to be supportive of Dougie and back him up. "That's the first time I've lied after a game. It was the wrong thing to do. With hindsight, I regret it. I'd never lie again. "The supervisors have earpieces and can hear all communication between officials during games. "Jim said he didn't hear me calling over Dougie but that the stadium was noisy." Supervisor McBurney wasn't the only person the officials tried to deceive. They even lied to Hoops boss Neil Lennon when he asked for an explanation. Craven revealed: "Lennon came into the room after the game and asked Dougie why he hadn't given the penalty. "We told him the version that was a lie. He seemed fine with the explanation. But, then, I suppose his side had still managed to win thanks to a late goal. "I told Neil it was better to win with a legitimate goal rather than a dodgy penalty. He agreed." McDonald's controversial U-turn led to a media storm and the worried ref decided to come clean to Dallas. But Craven claims the refs supremo wasn't interested in the truth and wanted the linesman to keep taking the flak. That then kicked off a series of events that led to Craven handing in his resignation and the SFA starting an investigation. The first part of that probe led to McDonald receiving an official warning but the investigation is still ongoing. Craven said: "On the Monday morning there was quite a reaction in the papers. "I sent Dougie a text to ask what he thought of the fall-out. "He called immediately and told me he had talked with Hugh the night before and decided to come clean. "Dougie told Hugh lies were told to the supervisor. He then told Hugh the truth - that I had not shouted for him to come over. "I was then urged to tell Hugh the truth when he called me. I was happy to do so and felt quite relieved. "When Hugh phoned he asked me to talk over the penalty. He said: 'So what happened after you called out for Dougie to come over? You called out Dougie, Dougie, Dougie?' "My wife was in the room and I told him that was not the case. I told Hugh he now knew the truth. "The truth was the version Dougie had told him over the phone. "But Hugh repeated: 'What are you talking about, you said Dougie, Dougie, Dougie and called him over' but I told Dallas I did no such thing. "Dougie came clean and so did I. But Hugh didn't seem to accept that. "I phoned Dougie back and told him Hugh tried to make out this wasn't true and denied having the conversation with Dougie on the Sunday night. "Dougie's response was he thought Hugh was just trying to test me, that he wanted to see if I would tell the truth or stick to the previous story. "My reading of the situation was Hugh wanted to protect Dougie and leave me to take the flak. "It was wrong to lie and I'm not proud that I went along with Dougie's suggestion. Rewind the clock and I wouldn't do it. "But it was worse to continue the lie. "I was really upset after that conversation with Hugh." Craven then got even angrier when he checked his email and received the official match report. He was criticised for his performance at Tannadice and that convinced him it was time to get out of the game. Craven said: "When I got my match report from the game emailed to me that proved to be the final straw. "I was down-marked for getting an offside decision wrong. "When I got the match report I phoned Drew Herbertson at the SFA and told him I'd had enough. "I was going to quit at Christmas - but not because of my ankles, as has been reported elsewhere. It was because of all the nonsense with Hugh. "I got my letter from the SFA on Friday morning to say my resignation had been formally accepted."

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/rangers/rangers-may-finally-start-to-get-credit-they-deserve-1.1063478 I'm fairly sure we took the lead against Valencia ya clown! Still, some grudging praise is nice

As mentioned in another thread, Jan Fabel's article from FF. I think the Nazi Germany analogy damages the credibility of the argument slightly, but a decent read nonetheless. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ââ?¬Â¦for The Rangers, our fans and for Scottish society. This, goes on a bit and can be seen, if you wish as, a bit of a rant but Iââ?¬â?¢m merely trying to see the latest anti-Rangers stitch up and the inaction of those who should be our ââ?¬Ë?friendsââ?¬â?¢, in a wider context. Itââ?¬â?¢s up to you if you want to read the piece or notââ?¬Â¦ BBC Scotland has, on numerous occasions made very high profile and repeated negative reports on the actions of Rangers' supporters, players and the club's officials. The Sports and news departments within BBC Scotland are populated with people who are entirely comfortable with their inbuilt Rangers FC antipathy/positive Celtc FC outlook and are equally insouciant when it comes to making editorial decisions on how to 'spin' particular stories or, indeed, whether to report particular events at all. Only a fool would be unable to fathom the correlation between the 'recruiting policy' within these BBC departments and the highlighting of anti-Rangers stories and the constant supply of pro Celtc pabulum. The most disturbing aspect of the policies of these departments, within a publically owned, tax payer funded service, like the BBC, is the Gobbelsesque demonisation of a particular group within Scottish society. Each day the more aware on this forum point out the bias within BBC Scotland and the wider Scottish media. We are aware because we have become attuned, over time, to the anti Rangers nature of the reporting. The changes in this period have been considerable; there has always been the blatantly inaccurate over the top attacks from people like Archer, Spiers, McNee etc, much worse still is the almost subliminal torrent of anti-Rangers propaganda, the main thrust of which is to make it appear that somehow Rangers fans are ââ?¬Ë?differentââ?¬â?¢ from the rest of Scottish citizenry and therefore seem somehow less able to behave properly in civilised society. In a separate prong of the relentless attack, the achievements of our club on the football field are to be belittled or dirtied with the implication being that any success for The Rangers is achieved only in an underhand way and/or with the collusion of a supposed corrupt proââ?¬â??Rangers football officialdom. This is of course, laughable but this classic Jesuitical line, of trying to silence the screams by accusing the victim of the crimes of his or her tormentor is the line being trotted out by unsavoury, agenda-driven elements within the Scottish media and reinforced by corrupt and bigoted politicians. The most frightening aspect of this agenda is, that it is working; non Rangers football fans, of all colours, can always be relied upon to jump on the ââ?¬Ë?hateââ?¬â?¢ bandwagon. Worse still, from Rangers FCââ?¬â?¢s point of view, are the wider Scottish public, who support no particular football team, in the sense that they do not contribute fiscally or vocally by attending games or buying merchandise and those with no interest in football whatsoever. The danger with this group is that they are being manipulated by the Scottish media to associate all the negative aspects of Scottish society, be they religious, political or social with The Rangers and its fans. As an example, how long did it take the Scottish media, led by BBC Scotland to attribute blame to The Rangers for Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s failure in the Czech Republic? That, of course, is a rhetorical question. Now, as far as the Scottish media is concerned the pretence is over, subtlety is no longer required and all fig leafs rendered unnecessary for a Scottish public ââ?¬Ë?softened up,ââ?¬â?¢ by a continuous stream of overt and covert anti-Rangers propaganda. To return to the Goebbels reference: initially, when the Nazis targeted the Jews as a mass problem for the German state, they had difficulty in persuading the majority of the German public to see the Jewish people as evil. Most Germans knew Jews as individuals, worked with them, socialised with them and many had even fought with them in the trenches in the First World War. Goebbels succeeded in turning the tide of public opinion against the Jews by use of relentless programme of anti-Jewish propaganda, based on distortions through to out and out lies. The Jews were blamed for all of Germanyââ?¬â?¢s ills. A campaign of violence and destruction against the Jews and their property then followed; the Jews were to be 'dehumanised'; treated as animals and the wider German public was encouraged to engage with the lie: after all it is easier to shoot a dog than to shoot a man, especially when those who chose to speak up for the Jews fond themselves subject to the same Sonderbehandlng ["special treatment"] an outrageously obscene euphamism in any language. I know many of you will view the comparison between the fans of our football club and the attempted systematic eradication of an entire ethnic group as ridiculous. But I see many a parallel. In a difficult time for the country, where the old values are continually, derided and abandoned in favour of a promised new, as yet undefined, ââ?¬Ë?Utopiaââ?¬â?¢ that appears to be taking an inordinate time to arrive, it is easier for those in the vanguard of the new wave to select a scapegoat for their failure to deliver the new ââ?¬Ë?visionââ?¬â?¢. The Rangers are seen as a symbol of something to be despised by the Celtc-minded and that is no surprise, as they hate everything about the country that has raised them and given them succour; they bite the hand that feeds them in favour of the view of a foreign country that, in their fuzzy vision, vacillates between some kind of sunny, Rome blessed, agrarian idyll and a land in a perpetual state of turbulent revolution. This ââ?¬Ë?paradiseââ?¬â?¢ is where a mixture of bog standard criminal gangsters, vie with violent, Marxist-Leninist terrorist murders for control. In this world both are lionised just as long as they are killing Protestants. The BBC is merely one of many Scottish institutions that has fallen under the control of what can be usefully termed as: the ââ?¬Ë?Celtc-mindedââ?¬â?¢ but when added to education, the law and politics then the control of the agenda is complete and provides the rest of us with a nightmare vision of our and Scotland's future.

Last night was probably one of if not the worst Scotland debacles I have ever witnessed, the result this time is not going to paper over the very wide cracks. Levein is clearly devoid of any managerial ability, as are the people, who gave him the job devoid of any idea of what constitutes even a modicum of success. Therein lies one of if not the major problem in Scottish football and UK football to a great extent, the reward of failure on a regular basis, obviously more so at club level. There is obviously only a certain amount of trophies for a great number of teams, and the usual suspects are the usual winners of these, but that should not prevent other managers from at least making a fist of it or even a pretense of competing, rather than settling for damage limitations. Last night whither we know it or not may have been a watershed in the game up here, it is the ultimate embarrassment to be winning yet still making excuses. One thing that really annoys me is the levein culture of constant whinging, the opposition were harder than us again last night, something the Souness's and Bremners of the days gone by would surely never have accepted, or allowed. Unless the wake up call is heeded, the total restructuring of the game up here, we will indeed end up on a par with the league of Wales.

A few days ago the Record ran a story regarding the Lithuania v Scotland game. They (Colin Duncan) claimed the following: They are talking about Kaunas v Rangers. After contacting one of the directors above, Mr. Vygantas Gudenas, a couple of FF posters got the following reply: Interesting stuff. Always good to catch these clowns with their pants down... :robbo:

Northern Ireland striker Kyle Lafferty says heââ?¬â?¢s ready to hit the goal trail for Walter Smithââ?¬â?¢s men. Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty says heââ?¬â?¢s ready to repay Walter Smithââ?¬â?¢s faith in him by making fans forget all about the loss of goal machine Kris Boyd. Lafferty has endured a torrid time at Rangers since his Ã?£3.5m signing from Burnley two years ago and been in and out of the team. But the Northern Ireland striker ended last season on a high, blasting five goals in seven games as Rangers wrapped up the title. And heââ?¬â?¢s vowed thereââ?¬â?¢s lots more where that came from if he gets a run in preffered centre forward position. Speaking in The Sun about the imminent departure of ââ?¬Ë?Gers goal machine Boyd. Lafferty said he understands ââ?¬Ë?Gers fans anxiety about losing the lethal finisher. And while Light Blues boss Walter Smith continues to run the rule over potential signings with a striker high on the agenda, Lafferty says the answer lies closer to home. And that pairing him up alongside Kenny Miller next season could reap rewards as Smith sets about trying to win three-in-a-row in what will be his final season at Ibrox. ââ?¬Å?Any club would be gutted to lose a quality striker like Boyd, ââ?¬Å? the 22 year-old said. ââ?¬Å?All of the boys are sorry to see him go. ââ?¬Å?His record for Rangers speaks for itself and Iââ?¬â?¢m confident heââ?¬â?¢ll continue to score plenty of goals wherever he goes. ââ?¬Å?The boss is considering all his options, including spending money on a new striker now it seems he has finally got some funds available. ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢ve seen a few names linked to the club and Iââ?¬â?¢m OK about that because I know whatever happens Iââ?¬â?¢m good enough to play for Rangers. ââ?¬Å?If I was given a chance to fill Boydââ?¬â?¢s boots I would be delighted if the boss felt he could rely on me.ââ?¬Â The striker added: ââ?¬Å?I learned a lot last year. I went through a spell last year where I didnââ?¬â?¢t score for five or six months, then all of a sudden I couldnââ?¬â?¢t stop scoring. ââ?¬Å?I feel as if Iââ?¬â?¢ve matured as a player- and coming through such a difficult time has done a lot for my confidence If Iââ?¬â?¢m given a a regular opportunity to play up front then Iââ?¬â?¢m confident I can produce the goals to get Rangerââ?¬â?¢s three-in-a-row.ââ?¬Â http://sport.stv.tv/football/scottish-premier/rangers/184609-rangers-lafferty-tells-smith-ill-deliver-the-goals-needed-to-clinch-three-in-a-row/

Found this Do The Bouncy article and thought it might be worth posting for those that don't go on Newsnow.

Cast your mind back 12 months. We'd just won the league, had a promising core group of players to build around, had the Emirates glamour cup to look forward to, a CL group campaign to anticipate, and while we didn't expect a great deal of activity in the transfer market, we felt reasonably confident with the players and manager we had that we could win the SPL and perhaps scrape through to the last 16 of the CL as long as we got the likes of Sevilla and Stuttgart. There was a wee bit of optimism around the place - yes, we were heavily in debt, and yes, SDM's backseat stance as chairman was a bit irritating given his pro active approach in years gone by, but there was a bit of hope nonetheless. None of us expected the world, but we had things to look forward to. 3 events later that year dramatically shifted the landscape - first of all SDM quitting completely as chairman in Auguest and effectively having nothing more to do with the club outwith majority shareholding - end of an era and one actually welcomed by many, including yours truly, but as it transpired, we had been given a chairman closer to John McLelland in his distanced approach, with it becoming apparent that Martin Bain truly ran the club. Second was the ritual humiliations we suffered in the CL. We knew we did not have a world class squad, but there had been the hope that we could emulate our brilliant foray into Europe in 2007/2008 with maybe a giant killing act here or there and the gathering of a few crucial points away from home. On the contrary, we struggled to pick up 2 points on the road, and were clinically dispatched at Ibrox by all who visited us. Third was Walter announcing the bank owned the club, and that we were basically in a black hole. An abyss, and we badly needed a new owner. Despite all these seismic shifts in the landscape, Walter's threadbare squad managed to own the SPL regardless, and there's not a bear who isn't delighted at that - an astonishing achievement given the limitations. But here we are, 10 months after SDM gave up with the club and left it in the hands of Bain, 8 months after Walter illustrated the dire straits we were in, and 6 months after we lost our last CL game to Sevilla in Spain; and we are STILL waiting for certainty. Don't get me wrong, I am glad we're not a Gretna or a Portsmouth, but for any team to go almost 2 years without a single purchased signing, in any league in the world, is absolutely unheard of. The longer nothing happens, the edgier we all get. We get drip fed teases by the likes of Ellis who tells us he hopes to take over the club within 3 weeks, but not only do we hear nothing since then, but he manages to disclose certain intentions which were unknown to the management staff. This is not how we do things, nor should it be. Then there's Dave King who's been linked to us for years it seems, been portrayed as a knight in shining armour, a born and bred bluenose - he's had ample chance to put his money where his mouth is but again, nothing tangible happens. Half of me hopes, naively, that we will finally have new owners this summer and can stop worrying about where our future lies, how our debt will be cleared. But why does a bigger half of me think it's all a great big pile of stinking piss, full of empty promises and complete fabrication. All the while our valuable playing assets don't know if they're coming or going, our management staff have no idea what's round the corner, and certain individuals clearly get tired of the stalemate and decide to move on. Rangers need to get sorted. The more this stuff stays in the rumour mill, the more nothing happens. I fear for us in the CL next season in a much harder group if we go in with the squad we currently have minus some individuals, because if you thought last year was tragic, this one would be an atrocity. Someone bloody buy us, now!

Veteran Rangers defender David Weir admits he does not yet know where his future lies. More...

DAVID Weir arrived at Ibrox as a stop-gap central defender on a short term salvage mission. It has turned into a quite remarkable three-and-a-half-year extension of his top flight playing career which will see him savour both collective and individual glory on Sunday. In the afternoon, the Rangers captain will step forward to collect the SPL trophy after the final match of the champions' season at Ibrox against Motherwell. A few hours later, Weir will be the centre of attention at a gala awards dinner in Glasgow when he receives the Scottish Football Writers' Association's Player of the Year honour. Weir, who will celebrate his 40th birthday on Monday, has earned the grateful and enduring affection of Rangers supporters for his contribution to the on-field success they have enjoyed over the past three years against a backdrop of financial uncertainty. His longevity and consistency has defied logic. The veteran defender has missed only three SPL matches since Walter Smith recruited him from Everton on an initial six-month contract back in January 2007. Six major trophy wins and a Uefa Cup final appearance later, Weir continues to shrug aside talk of retirement. "I'm keen to play on and enjoy it," he said. "But it would have to be right for me and not just for the sake of it. Until something is put in front of me, I can't give a definitive answer. "I genuinely don't know what will happen in terms of staying at Rangers. The manager has been asked the same question about his own future and I don't think we are in a position to answer. No-one knows how the land lies at the club or how it will lie. It's a case of wait and see. "There are six players out of contract, including me, along with the coaching staff. It's a strange circumstance, but that's the way it is. I would imagine it might be quite late in the summer before a decision is made about me." Weir may not be short of alternative options. He is close to completing the full set of coaching badges and is sure to be regarded as a suitable candidate for a step into management. While he maintains his policy of never trying to anticipate what the future holds, however, Weir is fairly certain he will not seek to combine playing with a coaching role. "I don't think player-manager is doable for me," he said. "It's a hard job. Playing is hard enough without being a boss too and having to compromise on both jobs. I'd never close any doors, but I'd say it is unlikely. "I just hope to stay in football. It wouldn't be through choice if I found myself out of the game. I love the game, whether it is playing it, watching it or talking about it. But there are a lot of people out of a job in football and chasing just a few posts. "Football is changing and you have to be realistic as a lot of people want jobs. I've done well out of the game, so I won't feel hard done by if I don't get a job. But I hope to stay in football one way or another." Wherever his career path takes him, Weir will always cherish the time he has spent wearing the colours of the club he supported as a boy. "It has exceeded expectations, without a shadow of a doubt," he added. "I just came to Rangers for a few months, to try and help stabilise the club. The target back then was just to make sure we finished second in the SPL. By Rangers' standards, what we were aiming for was not high. "So to go from that to winning championships and cups has been incredible. You can't underestimate the achievements here over the last three years and how the manager has turned the club around during difficult times. "You don't really get time to savour things here, because there is always another story breaking about Rangers and another game to get ready for. But maybe when the season ends on Sunday, we can take in just how big an achievement it has been to win the title again. "I don't really think about winning the league on a personal level, but I am looking forward to Sunday and the trophy presentation. It is a massive achievement. Retaining the trophy was huge for us. We won it last year after chasing Celtic all the time. "That was a massive sense of joy, but this year was a new challenge and a bigger test. It was a relief to win it because it was harder. I'm proud of this, because good Rangers teams in the past haven't won championships. Hopefully this means the current crop will be remembered as a good team." Weir's coronation as Scotland's top player at the age of 39, the oldest winner of the award, may be regarded as evidence of a lack of quality among his younger colleagues. He insists, however, that the Scottish game has cause for optimism. "I genuinely don't think we are in too bad a shape," he said. "I watched Sunderland against Manchester United last week and two Scots, Craig Gordon and Darren Fletcher, were the best players on the pitch. Then you look at the Championship, where guys like Charlie Adam are outstanding every time you see them play. "There is still Scottish talent out there, just maybe not the strength in depth of it that there used to be. But we do have people coming through, like Danny Wilson and John Fleck at Rangers. There are a lot of good things happening in Scottish football." While Weir was typically self-effacing when informed of his Football Writers' Association's Player of the Year award, he was clearly thrilled to see his name added to a star-studded roll of honour stretching back to 1965. "I must admit, I did look up the previous winners and that's when it strikes home what it means. It goes all the way back to the likes of John Greig and Billy McNeill, so to be in that company is great." :spl: http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Evergreen-Weir-not-ready-to.6279136.jp

Another excellent bit of thought-provoking prose from Andy... http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=233:orwell-would-be-a-rangers-man&catid=1:articles&Itemid=67 Eric Blair = Teddy Bear! Simple when you think about it. Should you need further proof, however, read on. Writing in the magazine Tribune, in an article called 'The Sporting Spirit', the great English essayist pondered the 1945 tour of the UK by Moscow Dynamo. That tour included, of course, a game against The Rangers at Ibrox. Orwell mentions that game, not positively: "The Glasgow match, someone else informs me, was simply a free-for-all from the start." Does anyone else have any knowledge of bad feeling during this game? That, though, isn't the writer's main preoccupation. He is concerned with international politics and sport, which is where it connects with we Rangers fans and especially, our rivals from across the city. Given the way the Old Firm (and their fans) have attached themselves to Scotland/Britain and Ireland, they can in a sense be said to represent nationalism. Orwell would probably have laughed to scorn our public persona of British, Unionist and Protestant - but if he'd been presented with a 'take-it-or-leave-it' choice between us and them, I think he'd choose blue. At any rate, I think that the recent uprating of political activity at Celtic to 'official' status, with the general belief that either Mr Lawwell or Mr Reid were behind the pre-Old Firm game 'concerns' story, makes an examination of whether either club is wise to engage with such an area timely and valid. A lifelong Socialist, some might think of Orwell as more likely to lean toward the other side of Glasgow. I doubt that, though: he was well aware of the difference between talking and doing. And especially perceptive when it comes to the chasm that lies between actually following a team, and dousing it in extra significance. Consider this passage from Orwell's piece: Does that not sound like an Old Firm game? It does to me. Orwell's analysis of why this should be and his opinion of it makes for sobering reading, should you be a tricolour draped Declan from Dennistoun, or a Union clad Billy from Bridgeton. It is not the players who are to blame, he says, but the fans, and the 'larger units' they stand for: countries (and in our case communities), those: In my utopia, we still have the rivalry with 'them', but everything that was connected to events outwith the football stadium would be left behind. Dominating Celtic would mean dominating Celtic, and have nothing to do with religion or politics. The dangers of getting involved with such areas are addressed by Orwell - what he calls 'the lunatic modern habit of identifying oneself with large power units and seeing everything in terms of competitive prestige.' We are well aware of what some Celtic fans are like, attempting to drive the news agenda onto areas of Rangers-negative interest and finding fault with media or officials to explain away failure. Therein lies the danger of Celtic's recent move to adopt fan paranoia as a club mission statement: having already firmly tied their mast to the Irish diaspora, the sense of persecution becomes more than just a tale of sporting inequality. It moves into another level, one of national identity and 'larger units.' And when a fanbase moves into delusional levels of support, the whole point of sport is forgotten. Something our neighbours would do well to consider the next time they decide to campiagn on whatever mad scheme they hit upon next. Granted, Orwell was writing over 60 years ago, but I would argue that his words still carry weight: if you have to resort to chicanery or fast moves, your victory is no victory at all. Overall, though, I think his words have the effect of highlighting their behaviour as the childish and frankly ludicrous antics of people with far too much time on their hands, and also act as a warning to us not to get too involved in the flag waving and posturing. I know from experience that 'questioning the flag' or not enjoining wholeheartedly with Rangers tradition will lead to angry messages in response. I'm not trying to deny history, nor convince anyone to change their mind. My point is that attaching added value to sporting contests, where there is already plenty at stake, rarely leads to a positive outcome. There's plenty of scope to have a fierce rivarly with Celtic without getting wrapped up in matters of nationalism, and I think that we, in the main, occupy that ground. I would have written, until this last few weeks, that the majority of Celtic fans, and the club itself, were the same. I'm not so confident of that anymore. Orwell's analysis offers a clear-eyed appraisal of the dangers inherent in sporting clashes. We can learn, too, from Celtic's behaviour of late. It's not a road I would expect or hope to see Rangers going down, and under David Murray we can say that, if nothing else, he conducted his and Rangers' affairs with dignity. The image of the future, wrote Orwell, would be a boot stamping down on a human face, over and over again. In our little corner of the world, the image of the future may well be a Celtic official or fan spluttering down a telephone, complaining about perceived injustice, over and over again. Let's leave them to it. Let's enjoy the football for what it is, without feeling the need to ladle extra significance onto it. For those interested in reading further on Orwell, please click here: http://www.george-orwell.org/

According to this bulletin released on Associated Press today, members of yet another dubious organisation are claiming the referees are partial and there's no case to answer, even though they know nothing about the issue at hand. Perhaps the SFA needs to consult with the polizei to see how they deal with this storm of denial and paranoia before interviewing employees of celtic? ROME ââ?¬â?? The pope's brother says in an interview that he would be willing to testify in the sex scandal rocking the Catholic church in Germany even though he knows nothing about the alleged abuse of a former choir boy. Georg Ratzinger told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that it is in his interest that light be shed even though the alleged abuse didn't occur during his 30 years as head of the Regensburger Domspatzen choir in Germany. The newspaper on Sunday also quoted the brother of Pope Benedict XVI as saying there was discipline when he ran the choir but no climate of terror as a former choir boy has indicated. Ratzinger, a priest, is quoted as saying he suspects animosity toward the church lies behind the sex abuse scandal.

BROADFOOT still in talks but hopes his future lies at Ibrox More...

After the fiasco of the alleged and invented Rangers crisis, whose loudest reporters of this alleged and fabricated crisis, have it swept under the carpet, as they were beginning to look sillier by the day. What do we know of this alleged crisis, that produced so much wasted print and fabricated reporting, apparently nothing except one thing. The man at the centre SDM, who according to one report was being given �£1 for his shares yes �£1 and told to get on his bike, is still the owner of our club Rangers FC and pulling the strings. I wont go into all the nonsense printed you all read it, are we any the wiser, or will we have more concocted theories from every quarter without a shred of evidence to back them up. Some people realise that football is a loss driven business, you get nothing for nothing, just ask fans from breeze block boulevard.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/rangers/whether-by-accident-or-design-walter-smith-seems-to-have-hit-on-the-perfect-shape-for-rangers-but-will-he-remain-bold-at-celtic-park-and-easter-road-1.993668

Neil Alexander believes his future lies away from Ibrox after failing to secure first-team football. More...

Terrible times indeed. times where tough when we imploded financially and Dicks reign came to an abrupt end. I envisaged a period of transition with blue skies at the end of a very rock road and the club getting back on its feet again. And for a short period of time just after the Uefa cup final i felt a sense of security and well being that i hadnt felt in years. We had rode the storm and the club was infact getting back on its feet.... or so we thought. Now as character building goes for the average Rangers fan the period between the advocaat years and the uefa cup final was a grueling exercise that took us all to our most extreme limits. But we saw it through. We never flinched on match days. We were still there in the stands supporting the team. Through thick or thin. Win lose or draw. and we caught a brief glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel. These are the barren years that bill struth spoke of all those years ago. Without going into the full quote that has become legendary amoungst us fans of the light blue jersey, they were just words that made me proud to be a Rangers fan when i first read them. I didnt though expect to experience the harshness of their meaning, nor did i fully realise the implications of what they meant. wise words indeed and great foresight from our great man. infact i sometimes wonder through these dark times if the old codger had a crystal ball on his desk in the managers office! No other will ever have a greater understanding of what it is to be part Glasgow Rangers football club. The aftermath of the Uefa cup final was just another in a long line of false dawns but a very pivotal one. It was the moment we actually hit rock bottom, though we didnt realise it at the time. When you get there though there is only one way you can go and that is up. Believe it or not that is where we are heading. It may not seem it right now but we actually are, albeit at a very slow pace. we can only guess at the goings on behind the scenes in the boardroom but i do not doubt for minute that there will be individuals in there fighting tooth and nail for our club. It is in those people whoever they maybe that we must lay our trust. So we must continue to do what we do best and support the club. we have had our say and vented our anger and frustrations but we have to stay strong and believe that there will be light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how long it takes. Time to stand up and be counted again im afraid, theres another long rocky road that lies ahead and its no place for the faint hearted. if you thought the last 7 years were bad then you aint seen nothing yet. This isnt about walter smith. its not about SDM. Its about Glasgow Rangers Football Club, and its somethging we should never forget on the long Journey ahead.

That Was The Week That Was This time last week we were waiting with bated breath on the outcome of three decisions that could have, and still could have, major impact on our immediate and long term future and stability. Firstly there was the long awaited and much anticipated release of our latest financial figures. As usual rumours were spreading like a wild bush fire regarding these figures and some profits of doom speculating that we would be close to doubling our debt. As the figures show, this was nowhere near the case as our debt rose to Ã?£31M. Now, this isnââ?¬â?¢t acceptable and is a direct consequence of gross mismanagement and the blame lies squarely at the door of SDM. However, it wasnââ?¬â?¢t as bad as predicted and whilst we still require urgent investment, a new owner and someone to stand up to the plate and ensure that Rangers have a rosy future to look forward to. Another announcement that had the media in Scotland choking on their words was UEFAââ?¬â?¢s decision to impose a small fine on Rangers for our fans part in the disturbance in Romania. It appears that instead of listening to the journalists with an agenda, UEFA looked at the facts, took eyewitness reports into account and handed out a fine and punishment that fitted the ââ?¬Ë?crimeââ?¬â?¢. Anyone who has followed Rangers abroad has their own tales of woe regarding entry into stadiums, over zealous policing and stewarding, unfit and unsafe stadiums etc. This is no excuse for the tiny minority who attach themselves to our club and travel abroad hell-bent on trouble, but there is always two sides to every story and mitigating circumstances. The only decision that you could label as having gone against us last week was the decision of the EPL to firmly close the door on our introduction to the English Premiership. I think it is safe to say that the majority of Rangers fans were hoping for some positive news or noises to emanate from this meeting but it appears that our route to the EPL is firmly closed for the time being. The renewal of the SKY contract in 3 years could see the door being wedged back open as if SKY want us in the EPL, theyââ?¬â?¢ll get us in the EPL. Otherwise weââ?¬â?¢ll just have to cut our cloth accordingly and make the best of the league that we are currently plying our trade in. So its back to business on Saturday as we welcome Kilmarnock to Ibrox and its high time we found a level of performance that is acceptable and a level of consistency that can propel us to another SPL title. Currently the top of the SPL is tight due to the terrible form of both halves of the OF. This is the stage of the season where we must take advantage and establish a lead in the title race. We have the players at our disposal but they have to show the greed, hunger and desire that is required. If they are sent out in the correct formation with the correct instructions (tactics) then they should be able to defeat everything that is put in front of them domestically. If the league is to be decided on the Old Firm meetings, then I am glad that we have Walter Smith in charge as despite his obvious and many failings, the silverfox knows how to defeat Celtc. Liars And Thieves Is there any other way to describe DUFC after their decision to force fans to pay for admission into the replayed SPL game? On leaving the initial game, it was announced (several times I may add) that all fans should keep their ticket stubs as this would gain them admission to the replayed game. DUFC have now gone back on their word and are charging Ã?£12 for a ticket. This is nothing short of despicable and should be used by the Rangers fans as our ââ?¬Ë?line in the sandââ?¬â?¢. A fully supported boycott should be called by all Rangers fans groups, Rangers Supporters Clubs and all Rangers fans. I would extend this boycott to all games against DUFC at Tannidice and any cup game against them where they receive 50% of the gate receipts. DUFC canââ?¬â?¢t be allowed to blatantly lie then rob more money from the fans. With this disgraceful turnaround they have shown that they are only interesting in our money, so lets deprive them of this income from now on. We fill their stadium twice a season and fill their coffers of we meet them in a cup tie. Depriving them over a period of time will be just rewards for them attempting to cash in on us on this occasion. Hopefully the appropriate fans groups will get together and make the necessary announcements and it would be nice to see Rangers FC backing a boycott and urging fans to stick together on this issue. As the replayed game is on SKY we wouldnââ?¬â?¢t be missing out as we all could tune in to the game. Again, with the game on SKY we should send, say 50 or so fans (Rangers paying for their tickets) to spread our huge banners letting the entire country know exactly what we think of DUFC and this greedy decision. The National Laughing Stock Long-term readers will know my feelings on international football and the reasons I no longer give a damn about the national team. However, being at a loose end on Saturday I decided to tune in and give the national team a viewing and see if I could get myself reconnected with them. This apparition on my part lasted all of 45 minutes when I decided to switch my allegiances to the national rugby team. I said a few years back that I wouldnââ?¬â?¢t watch Scotland if they were playing in my back garden. After Saturdays debacle I would add that if they were playing in my back garden Iââ?¬â?¢d not only not watch them, I close the fooking curtains. This may be my club loyalties here, but was it any coincidence that Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s back four contained three Celtc players? Wales looked likely to score every time they crossed the halfway line and Scotland offered the square-root of nothing. I wonââ?¬â?¢t drag this into a Tartan Army debate, but I canââ?¬â?¢t understand how any Rangers fan can give support to this anti-Rangers establishment and Rangers hating support. Given the recent performances it wasnââ?¬â?¢t a surprise that George Burley was relieved from his duties and the scramble for a new manager has begun. Itââ?¬â?¢s great listening to the Tartan Army (who made them spokesmen for the Scotland support) clamber to get their agenda approved by the media. It is no surprise that the names of Barry Ferguson, Allan McGregor and Kris Boyd are being brought to the fore and the three players receiving a verbal kicking from the Tartan Army (again). The names being banded about to replace Burley are hardly likely to get the pulses racing and if I were a betting man, Iââ?¬â?¢d put a sneaky fiver on Suntan Calderwood. This wouldnââ?¬â?¢t go down well with sections of the media or the sections of the Tartan Army as the last thing they want is another Rangers minded man at the helm. Their sights are currently on removing Gordon Smith from his post as heââ?¬â?¢s seen as just another ââ?¬Ë?hunââ?¬â?¢. Sections of the media are claiming that Scotland require and deserve (delusions of grandeur there) a ââ?¬Ë?big nameââ?¬â?¢ appointment and they are urging the SFA to stump up the cash to lure a ââ?¬Ë?big fishââ?¬â?¢. The prerequisite appears to be a manager who has a proven track record both domestically and internationally, someone who has managed both here in the UK and in Europe (and further a-field). I understand that my non-interest in the national team probably precludes me from suggesting a replacement, but the above describes one manger perfectly, step forward Dick Advocaat. Now if that doesnââ?¬â?¢t have the Tartan Army choking on their see-you-jimmy wigs then nothing will! Cammy F - We Are The People

Walter Smith insists the ultimate responsibility for the Rangers' results lies with him. More...

You couldn't make this up.... Yet again knuckle draggers within the rotten ranks of the Scottish media circus are twisting things to suit a very very specific agenda. Fresh off the back of the hypocritical situation Celtic FC found themselves in this week following the Eduardo & McGeady diving incidents, The Sun newspaper are today publishing an article entitled "I was a dirty Rothen cheat" written by David Barnes. The article is accompanied by a photo of Rangers Football Club's new left sided midfielder Jerome Rothen with the caption "SCOUNDREL ... Rothen" underneath the image of the Frenchman proudly holding up his new Rangers jersey. The article itself is a lesson in how to (possibly illegally) fabricate complete & utter lies by sensationally twisting something beyond recognition in order that it fits in with a specific point of view or in this case, agenda. The writer David Barnes opens the slanderous article with the following statement in bold:- "RANGERS new boy Jerome Rothen has admitted he once CHEATED in a bid to land Real Madrid superstar Zinedine Zidane a red card." Now, that is a serious statement Mr. Barnes!! Careful you don't get your employer sued for slander now, won't you!! Here's the full article from the Sun's website so that you can see exactly why I've said what I have about this rotten article - http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/2621462/I-was-a-dirty-Rothen-cheat.html How sports articles of such poor quality, agenda driven bias & containing such obviously slanderous statements manage to make it past the editorial stage & into print is simply staggering. Welcome to the Republic of Scotland Jerome!

From The Herald: The birth of the blues is a story of remarkable poignancy. Rangers are a solid, substantial club with its roots firmly planted in the soil of world football. Yet the beginnings of the club were truly humble and have been treated with an indifference, even an ignorance. Consider this for a test. Who founded Celtic? Most Scottish football fans would instantly reply: "Brother Walfrid". But who were the originators of Rangers? Some may mumble hesitantly: "Moses McNeil". Others would not hazard a guess. But the question receives its most authoritative answer in Gary Ralston's Rangers 1872: The Gallant Pioneers. This is the dramatic story of the formation of an institution and of the cruel fate that beset the four young boys who set the ball rolling for what soon became the leading club in Scottish football. "It is a sad, heartbreaking story. It adds an extra dimension to the formation of Rangers, just what these young guys went through. advertisement The sadness for me is that they created a club that went on to be known throughout the world yet they themselves led such tragic lives. There is something touching, even romantic, about that," says Ralston. The simple conception of Rangers can be traced to Kelvingrove Park. There were four fathers: Peter McNeil and Moses McNeil, 17 and 16 years of age respectively, and Peter Campbell and William McBeath, both 15. They discussed the possibility of forming a team during their constitutional walk. The club that has won 52 Scottish championships was therefore basically started as a street team by a group of boys who had been smitten by the latest sporting enthusiasm of association football. They were joined in their endeavours by Tom Vallance, later to become a legendary Rangers captain, but who was then barely 16 years old. Their triumph was to be the foundation stones of a Scottish institution. Their tragedy was to die in relative obscurity and have their deeds unremembered by the mass of supporters. Ralston, gloriously, resurrects them. But the sadness remains. The passing of Moses in 1938 did not rate a mention in the press of that week. He was buried at Rosneath which only recently has become a place of pilgrimage for Rangers fans. His brother, Peter, died in his early 40s. He was certified insane and had been sectioned at Hawkhead Asylum in Paisley. The business brain behind Rangers, Peter had been beset by financial problems and the pressure took a toll on his mental and physical health. Peter Campbell had a more sudden demise. At 25, the marine engineer was lost at sea after the steamer he was working on came to grief in the Bay of Biscay. William McBeath, chronically ill and mentally infirm, was certified as "an imbecile". His last days were spent in the Lincoln workhouse, his passing went unremarked in the press when he died in 1917. He was given a pauper's burial and lies in an untended grave. Tom Vallance, however, did have his days in the sun. As a footballer, Vallance was of the highest rank, almost certainly one of the most accomplished players in the 1870s. He never played on the losing side against England and was a commanding captain for Rangers. Yet, in common with his band of brothers who were part of the formation of Rangers, he was struck by misfortune. Vallance embarked on a career in the tea plantations of Assam. But he returned to Scotland suffering from black water fever. Why did Ralston include him in the pantheon of Rangers founders even though Vallance was not at the meeting in Kelvingrove Park then known as West End Park? "Because he was an absolute colossus," said Ralston. "The two people who were absolutely pivotal to Rangers' development were Peter McNeil for his work behind scenes and Vallance. At 6ft 2in, he was a veritable club giant on and off the field." The club these vulnerable human beings created went from strength to strength. Ralston is keen to dispel any misconceptions about the birth of Rangers. "There was no political or religious element in the formation of Rangers," he said. "I am fascinated about just how the sectarian divide came into Scottish football but that happened in the 20th century, probably from about 1910-20." He added: "The birth of Rangers was basically a result of young guys deciding to have a team to play in what was the new craze of football. There was no other agenda, no wealthy benefactors." Ralston, a journalist, spent three years uncovering the story from the debris of passing decades. It was a labour of love. "I wanted to do it because I had read brief accounts of the formation of the club and I wondered just what had happened to those guys. This is a story that has never fully been told before. I was helped by the fact that the internet has meant that it is easier to do the kind of research that it is necessary in pulling the strands of the story together. Basically, it was a fascinating piece of Scottish football history that has been under-researched." He emerged from his studies with a mass of evidence that he has distilled into a story that is fascinating for any observer of Scottish football. "The most important game Rangers have played in their history was the 1877 Scottish Cup final," he claimed. "Rangers took the mighty Vale of Leven to three games. That final was crucial because SFA annals testify to the Glaswegian labour classes rushing from the factory gates to salute their new heroes. These games won them an audience." That audience has endured 137 years on. Rangers sit unmoveable on the South Side. The stadium has been modernised to cope with the changing imperatives of football. More than 50,000 people file into their seats of a Saturday. Hundreds of thousands more follow the Light Blues through internet and television. There are no shortage of stories on Rangers. But the tale of the birth of the club had been allowed to lie in the darkness of the past. Ralston has brought it into the light.