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A fantastic article in the Scotland Herald regarding Linfield and the friendly against Rangers on Thursday - I just hope that one day, our manager and board members could be as open, frank and understanding of the positive aspects of being Presbyterian and having a Protestant heritage. http://www.sundayherald.com/56519 Cammy F

I'm thinking of ordering the PLG pic for 15 quid but is it worth it? Anyone else ordered photos from the online site? What are they like and are they good value for money?

http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/06/07/01/SOCCER_Rangers_Le_Guen.html&TEAMHD=soccer Good News add Namouchi to that list and i'll be happy with the players that have left so far

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/5125908.stm

Guys: I now have a number of tickets for the Bastille Night. Can everyone who wants to go pm me so I can arrange you to receive yours? Everyone is invited and the evening shall be totally informal, so a great chance to meet a few of the guys on here and meet a few Rangers legends who will all be available for questions and photo opportunities. All in the splendid surroundings of the centrally-located Thistle Hotel supplemented by a first class Mr Singh's Indian Buffet. �£20 is real value here.

http://www.gersnet.info/fmrangers/newmain/280606.html Recently, there has been a lot of talk on the online community about club finances and where it stands in this regard. Firstly, Iââ?¬â?¢d like to make clear that I am in no way a financial expert but the claim in the title is simply from reading between the lines regarding various stories and issues over the last year or so. My main evidence submission, curiously missed by many, is a Sunday Times business article from 2 months ago by John Penman (link available below). Seems to me Mr Murray is trying to tell us something which makes this subject so interesting worth while discussing. Last year we made, conservatively, around Ã?£12million from our exciting Championsââ?¬â?¢ league campaign. A few months back the chairman also announced the ââ?¬Ë?selling of the jerseysââ?¬â?¢ (literally) by outsourcing our successful retail operations to JJB Sports for Ã?£18million. Thatââ?¬â?¢s around Ã?£30million of investment which should bring our ongoing debt to around the -Ã?£10million mark ââ?¬â?? probably less. In other words, the club is on its most secure financial footing for a good number of years. Looking at the ever-decreasing share price you might find that contradicts this somewhat. However, that could be explained by a falling market (which is partly true) and/or someone selling shares at a fair rate. Who owns 91.8% of the shares again so has a few spare to sell? Indeed, further evidence, from Murray himself, indicates the club is available. Interviewed recently in the ââ?¬Ë?Sunday Timesââ?¬â?¢, regarding his biography; Murray says he has his ââ?¬Ë?sights on leaving the club in someone elseââ?¬â?¢s handsââ?¬â?¢. That may not be imminent but that shows his ââ?¬Ë?ambitionsââ?¬â?¢. Several other aspects of Murrayââ?¬â?¢s current business strategy and his personal life point towards a man changing his goals and his way of life. He recently sold his Murray International Metals group for Ã?£120million and has moved aggressively into the property scene. His Premier Property Group owns shopping centres and office buildings all over the UK. It has just embarked on a Ã?£50m speculative office development in the heart of Glasgow and its MIH parent group has borrowed nearly Ã?£500million to fund more ventures. Murray also announced his engagement this year and his intention to buy at least one more vineyard to the one he owns in France. A man making many changes then and important ones at that. Some may argue that the exciting appointment of Paul Le Guen, one of the finest young managers in World football, is a signal that he intends to take Rangers back to the forefront of the UK game. Iââ?¬â?¢d counter that this appointment and the other staff changes made within the club recently are only to attract a potential buyer. Certainly the minimal (but fiscally prudent) alleged transfer budget afforded to Le Guen doesnââ?¬â?¢t indicate a chairman prepared to go out on a limb to achieve his footballing ambitions. It shows a chairman keeping finances tight while having the club on a sound footing at every level (financial and staff), and importantly for this article, ready for sale. So who would take over the club? That is the main question here, since it appears to be a case of not if Murray will move on but when, who will take over? It wonââ?¬â?¢t be any of his sons as Murray doesnââ?¬â?¢t want them to have the same emotional and time rollercoaster he has had during his tenure. Although a Russian billionaire (Vladimir Lisin) has moved into an estate next door to Murrayââ?¬â?¢s in Perthsire such a buyer also seems unlikely. Murray rightly questions the hunger and attachment such a buyer would feel so perhaps the eternal links to Tom Hunter may be more likely. However, Hunter himself recently sold his stake in JJB Sports for Ã?£72million and his West Coast Capital investment company is also currently working with other such vehicles to move into other corporate areas. As such, an investment in Rangers by Hunter also looks off the mark. Perhaps we could look towards the background of Donald McIntyre, the new Rangers finance director for clues. McIntyre, a Chartered Accountant, has held senior financial positions within Stakis plc, Hilton Group plc, Hewden Stuart plc and latterly as Group Financial Controller at Macdonald Hotels Limited. Maybe one of these companies might be interested in a football investment particularly when you consider the ongoing RFC casino project. Vegas Sands who are in partnership with RFC for this leisure expansion may provide the biggest clue yet but are they a red herring? Also in the frame is the Rangers Supportersââ?¬â?¢ Trust. Their recent ShareSave initiative enables all fans to buy a stake in the club while proxying their holding to the Trust. Itââ?¬â?¢s only the initial stages of the project but already it seems successful and interest is high. Itââ?¬â?¢s also backed by the club and high net worth investors are taking part. Thus, while the RST may not be a buying contender per se, their increasing holding and undoubted increasing say of late means the may form a large part of any future boardroom changes. No matter the names suggested its all speculation at this stage but interesting nonetheless. Certainly, from the fansââ?¬â?¢ point of view, any new owner would still have over 90% of the shares. This has to be addressed in order for us to be able to influence the clubââ?¬â?¢s eventual new owner and avoid some of the problems weââ?¬â?¢ve had with the current one. Many fans are fed up with David Murray and have advocated an ownership change for several years. It seems that change is coming then ââ?¬â?? maybe not today, maybe not next year but it will happen sooner rather than later. Only then, will we know just how good a chairman and owner David Murray really is. Sources: ââ?¬Å?Reaping rewards from life's touchlineââ?¬Â http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9070-2157688.html Rangers Supportersââ?¬â?¢ Trust ShareSave scheme http://www.rangerssupporterstrust.co.uk/ss.html

from French sports paper l'equipe... "Vikash Dhorasoo a vraisemblablement autre chose � penser en ce moment qu'� un �©ventuel transfert. Mais Paul Le Guen y r�©fl�©chit pour lui. Selon L'Equipe de mercredi, le nouvel entra�®neur des Glasgow Rangers souhaiterait que le milieu de terrain international du Paris-SG le rejoigne dans le club �©cossais. Les deux hommes ont �©t�© champions de France ensemble avec Lyon en 2003 et 2004." Basically, speculation that Dhorasoo will team up with PLG again (worked together at Lyon). Apparently he's a bit duff at PSG, but was pretty spectacular at Lyon .... only likes of Viera and Zidane have kept him out of the french national team...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikash_Dhorasoo

i actually like this

PAUL LE GUEN will invite three players to Ibrox on trial this week as he continues his Rangers revolution. Record Sport understands former Marseille striker Cyril Chapuis, Senegal's World Cup 2002 midfield player Makhtar N'Diaye, right, and Juventus youngster Davide Tesotti are expected to check in at Murray Park over the next 24 hours. All three will be given the chance to win a place in the Frenchman's rebuilding programme. The offer will come as a lifeline to both Chapuis and N'Diaye who were key men in Le Guen's Rennes team but whose careers have been in decline almost ever since. Chapuis was tipped for big things when Le Guen sold him on to Marseille in January 2002 but his career at the Velodrome failed to take off. He was loaned to Leeds United two years ago but played just one top-team game then had spells at Strasbourg and Ajaccio. He has spent the last six months out of football after a proposed move to Belgian topflight outfit FC Brussels fell through. Le Guen knows enough about the player, who was born in Lyon, to offer him this chance to resurrect his career. The same can be said of freekick specialist N'Diaye. Still only 24, he has spent the past 12 months in relative obscurity in the Swiss League with minnows Yverdon-Sport. But perhaps the most intriguing of the trio is Davide Tosetti, who has been plucked from the Juventus youth ranks. Tosetti, also a midfield player, is only 18 but has been a big part of the Turin giants' successful youth team. However, all the scandal-hit club's youngsters were asked to report for crisis talks last week amid growing fears Juventus could face relegation this summer as part of a probe into match-fixing. Tosetti and his colleagues were advised to seek out options and now the teenager could be set to follow in the footsteps of Rino Gattuso who cut his teeth at Ibrox before going on to star for AC Milan and the Italian national side. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/tm_objectid=17296489%26method=full%26siteid=66633%26headline=three%2dto%2djet%2din%2dfor%2dgers%2dtrial%2d-name_page.html

Sunderland Former Rangers boss in Black Cats frame? 09:16 June, 26, 2006 Alex McLeish has emerged as a contender to become the new Sunderland manager McLeish stepped down from his role as Rangers manager at the end of last season and has said in the past that he would like to continue his career in England. Sunderland's prospective new owners, led by former star Niall Quinn, want Martin O'Neill as their next boss but he has yet to confirm whether he does want a return to club management while weekend reports have linked him with the job of Australian national team boss. Guus Hiddink to Eck what a let down that will be.

What a fantastic goal scoring record he had from midfeild!. He was on the radio yesterday and still is a great bluenose.Said Rangers never came for him also Billy McNeil tried to sign him, he knocked them back as he was a Rangers man. Good on you big man for sticking to your principles!

Well I have to say I'm a lot more excited about the season coming than I've been for quite some time. It was a crushing blow to lose out on Champions League, but fair play to Hearts, they were better than us and deserve their place, and I hope they do well in the name of Scotland. Here's hoping our starting off in the Uefa Cup, with what will conceivably be a rebuilt team, will blood the side in and give PLG the chance to find his feet without the immediate pressure of the CL. Don't get me wrong, I'd choose the CL every time but end of the day we're not in it so we have to make the best of what we do have. In PLG we have one of Europe's brightest and most coveted managers, whose stock has never been higher. Getting him was one of the biggest signings in our history and he is the man to take us forward, no doubt about that. Our obvious priority has to be taking the Championship out of Celtic's hands, but they're doing rebuilding too, getting in some decent if not outstanding (IMO) players like the Scotland boys and this Sno chap and Jarosik. On the other hand we've brought in a promising Swedish defender to replace Soti, a Czech winger whose performance in Germany in the little time he got was certainly positive, and Letizi who has 4 caps for France apparently. Both the OF are failing to explode in the transfer market so far, settling instead for subtle enhancements and replacements so far rather than major acquisitions. Maybe it's presumptious to say this season could be a battle between the managers rather than the squads, because while both sets of fans could be reasonably pleased with what their managers have brought in, we're not talk about earth shattering signings here. And in that light I think PLG is probably more rated than Strachan. However, Strachan now knows the Scottish game and PLG is a novice even though he's studiously prepared. I would like to think it's a given that we'll take the SPL back in light of the changes. Let's face it, no Rangers fan expects anything less; I know I don't, but that's not to say Celtic will roll over and die. They won't. As for the Uefa Cup, well it looks rather strong this year for once, with some genuinely big sides in there rather than Zenit and Middlesbrough from last year. How well we do is dependent on how much PLG hits the ground running, but he is capable of taking us very far indeed. I have never had more faith in a manager than I do in him, and trust him with the team implictly. I'm still amazed we got him. As for the actual team, well some of the dead wood has been shafted and that remains an ongoing process; PL has gone, Soti's gone - both players I rated quite highly, very highly in Soti's case, but I'm content with Svensson as his replacement. We have bought in fairly shrewdly so far imo, and it's good that the spine of the team seems to be so solid; Svensson (Hopefully he settles quickly, former captain of Gothenburg and part of the Swedish WC squad, can't be bad - then again - look at Du Wei for Celtic...) and Rod (Showed just how good he is when he returned from injury during the second half of the season) at the back, Ferguson (Recovered from all the injuries which plagued him last season and imo the best player in Scotland when on his game), and Prso up front. It's hard to analyse the lot without sounding totally biased and vaguely incoherent, but I will say there are now 3 sides in the SPL capable of winning it and that's not been the case for a very long time. It should be a good season, and I fully expect us to win the SPL back and make another real mark in Europe like last season.

Lyon midfielder Jeremy Clement is reported to have decided to join Rangers. Rangers have been trailing the 22-year-old all summer with Paul Le Guen keen to bring him to Ibrox. The Scottish giants have been in talks with Lyon for the last few weeks as they try to thrash out a deal, but they have so far been unable to reach an accord. Paris Saint Germain and St Etienne are both believed to be interested in Clement after Lyon revealed they are willing to let the player leave Stade Gerland. Clement has been weighing his options up and reports emanating from France suggest he has decided to move to Scotland. The news will be a boost for Le Guen as he has made Clement one of his top targets since taking charge at Ibrox. Rangers are now expected to speed up their talks with Lyon next week as they look to secure Clement's signature. Taken from Sky Sports News .

Nice to hear that reputations arent going to count for anything and it will be down to performance on the pitch

Yeah, i know, old subject. But..... I was surfing round this vast web of information and came across a post (somehow) on stagsnet - the official forum of mansfield town supporters club!!! Here is the post: WHAT A JOKE !!! What the flip has he achieved in his career !!! Failed premiership player who has done reasonably well in a minor league playing against Falkirk,Inverness,Dundee etc. Does some out of touch big-wig think. "OK now to Scotland, we need to honour someone, who shall we pick, er... no one springs to mind..anyone any ideas....... er no not really... we have hardly been pulling up trees recently in the field of sport..... well we must pick someone......... what about that chap from that famous club called Glasgow Rangers.... I've heard of them...... Whats his name........... er Barry I think...... Well then Jeeves get the letter out and pour me a scotch..... Mediocracy should not be rewarded Mediocracy......minor league.....what the hell is mansfield town......and the 2nd league......world class???? God I have never laughed so much!!!!

I have just been looking thro some old Rangers memoribelia (sp) that I have lying around and noticed that this season will be the 25th consecutive season following Rangers for this old bear! I had been going prior to this, but it was only the odd game here and there. In fact, until then, my uncles used to all go to games in the local area (although most of them supported Rangers, Craptic, Hibs) rather than 'follow' one team and us, the nephews would be taken along. Now, I am not wanting praise for this, as there are far more dedicated fans than me around, but thought it was worth noting - wonder if DM has got me anything special for our anniversary Cammy F - Feeling Really Old Loyal RSC

I have just been reading another forum and a poster stated that Ibrox is the only UEFA 5 Star Stadium that HASN'T hosted a European Final. If this is true, it is another indication of how low esteam the SFA hold Rangers in. Basically, for Ibrox to host a European Final, all the SFA have to do is nominate Ibrox to UEFA and we would receive a final..... Cammy F

Was going to post this in the thread that was created for the attack on the wee boy in Edinburgh, but it has been hijacked and lost its way... Anyway, Rangers have contacted the wee lad involved and invited him and his family to a game and the chance to meet the players. The lad and his father who haven't been to any football game are delighted with the offer and are looking forward to it. Rangers have also asked the Police to forward them the name of the attacker if / when found and he will be banned from Ibrox for life. http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=914292006 Cammy F

Can't post this on here due to licensing issues: But you can view the fixtures via this link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/fixtures/default.stm

Someone sent me a link to http://www.planetworldcup.com/GUESTS/andre20050213.html earlier. I've never heard of this before and was wondering if anyone else knew about it. If you don't want to click the link the gist of it is as follows: Tournoi International de Amsterdam, 1902 - forerunner of FIFA World Cup. In 1902 Carl Hirschmann, a Dutch banker and financier, first conceived the idea of World Championship and wrote a letter to the President of English FA, outlining his vision of this tournament. As it turned out, it took almost a year for him to reply, and the answer was negative. However, Carl Hirschmann was not to be discouraged, and decided in the meantime, well aware about British attitude and in order to promote and support his idea, to hold a one-off unofficial demonstration tournament. So, the tournament was proposed for the second half of October 1902 in Amsterdam, but in order to simplify the procedure and ensure the maximal number of participants, it was decided that instead of proper national teams, countries will be represented by their club champions. six teams finally entered the tournament. In the first round, French champions Racing Club de Roubaix cruised past FC Zurich (Switzerland), and the Dutch champions H.V.V. beat their Belgian counterparts Racing Club Brussels. But in the semifinals, both teams were routed by Denmark and Glasgow Rangers FC respectively. In match for the third place H.V.V. vs Racing Club de Roubaix, the Dutch team easily dealt with the French, and the consolation match FC Zurich vs Racing Club Brussels was won by the champions of Belgium. In the final match, Glasgow Rangers simply demolished Danish team thus confirming the overwhelming British football superiority. Overall, the tournament was a huge success which only convinced its organizer Carl Hirschmann not to give up and further promote with confidence his idea of World Championship.

David Murray has stated today that Rangers will not go on a 'spending spree' and if PLG wants, we have a 'few million' to strengthen the team. I know its bad business to advertise that amount of money you have in a transfer kitty, but David Murray indicated that the new manager would have the CL money and the money from the JJB deal to spend on players. Add that to the fact that we are still awaiting the financial deal that will 'rock Scottish football' to its foundations, it appears that David Murray has pulled the wool over our eyes once again. If none of the above money is spent on players, where has it gone??????? Now, haven't we asked this question before???? Cammy F

A letter published in The Herald - well done to the Bear who submitted this ; I'Nuremberg rally' has no place in football I write this after having read Graham Spiers' diary piece regarding his experiences in Nuremberg - especially in the Zeppelinfield which, as we all know, has notoriety in the annals of history. I am actually quite pleased Mr Spiers wrote an eloquent article describing his personal emotions when gazing out over the awesome arena and the images which must surely have flashed in to his head at that precise time. He wrote: "Zeppelinfield looks exactly the same as it did in the infamous photographs from the period, with the large concrete podium at the top of the arena from where Hitler shrieked, looking out over a 400-metre parade ground where the stormtroopers marched. "It is the most moving,and disturbing, spot in which I have found myself writing about sport." Until this last paragraph, I didn't feel the need to comment. Hopefully now after having visited the Zeppelinfield Mr Spiers will finally appreciate why so many Rangers fans, including those from the Jewish faith, found his light-hearted comments about Ibrox resembling a "Nuremberg rally," not only distasteful but downright insensitive and deeply hurtful. Mr Smith, via email ----------------------------- Cammy F

Could we maybe have a little calm on the boards for a wee while. A few threads are going round in circles at the moment....... Just a thought. I preferred it when we came on and spoke about Rangers, football and generally had a laugh. Just my opinion so may be ignored if not appropriate.

Rangers star Thomas Buffel would relish the opportunity to join forces with former team-mate Johan Elmander again. The Swedish World Cup striker, who played with Buffel at Feyenoord, has been linked with a move to Ibrox. And Buffel told the Mail on Sunday: "Johan is very fast, quite powerful and a big lad who can be dangerous. "Of course, everyone has to prove themselves in another team and another competition, but I think he has the ability to play for Rangers." Elmander, 26, has scored seven goals for Sweden in 19 appearances and made his World Cup debut as a substitute against Paraguay on Thursday. He is currently with Danish side Brondby but Buffel has good memories of the forward from his time in Dutch football. "I remember that, when I trained with him at Feyenoord, we were quite a good couple," he added. "I played a little behind him mostly and we actually had a good partnership. "You can always use a player with pace and an eye for goal."