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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22037966 Hopefully this will herald a bigger sportlight on the shady goings on in the east of the city by CFC, GCC et all...

From Richard Wilson: HMRC granted leave to appeal upper tier tribunal decision at the Court of Session. "We are pleased that the Upper Tribunal has given HMRC leave to appeal to the Court of Session," said a spokesman. "We continue to believe that schemes using Employee Benefit Trusts to avoid income tax and NICs do not work.'

THE Ibrox side face Inverness in round two and have been told the winner will go straight into the hat for round three as one of the eight seeded sides. THE SPFL are braced for a backlash after it emerged Rangers could end up being seeded after today’s League Cup last 16 draw – despite the club being ranked 23rd. The Ibrox side face Inverness Caledonian Thistle in round two and have been told the winner will go straight into the hat for round three of the competition as one of the eight seeded sides. Aug 27, 2014 10:08 By Gavin Berry, Michael Gannon 3 Comments THE Ibrox side face Inverness in round two and have been told the winner will go straight into the hat for round three as one of the eight seeded sides. 19 Shares Share Tweet +1 Email SNS Group Rangers will be seeded if they beat ICT THE SPFL are braced for a backlash after it emerged Rangers could end up being seeded after today’s League Cup last 16 draw – despite the club being ranked 23rd. The Ibrox side face Inverness Caledonian Thistle in round two and have been told the winner will go straight into the hat for round three of the competition as one of the eight seeded sides. Do Rangers deserve to be seeded in the Third Round of the League Cup? YES NO The SPFL say they had to make the move as Gers are a round behind other clubs due to Ibrox being out of use during the Commonwealth Games. If they see off Caley, Rangers would avoid the big guns while the eighth-ranked side would get a tougher tie. But the SPFL insist their hands are tied ahead of today’s draw. Operations chief Anton Fagan said: “This was done to ensure the smooth running of the tournament.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/spfl-risk-fan-backlash-rangers-4114100

http://davidfarrellfaz.wordpress.com/2014/08/27/louis-reaches-high-with-diamonds/ I realise that the Rangers link is tenuous, so apologies to admin if it is in the wrong section of the board. Never the less, it is an interesting take on how a player views the different methods of training. The highlighted part certainly gave me a chuckle, although I'm sure that a few of our more enlightened posters will be shaking their heads in dismay.

Born Under a Union Flag: Rangers, Britain and Scottish Independence (Luath Press) will be an interesting read for those yet to open its cover, and I would strongly suggest you do. It allows the reader access at times, to the mindset of the authors of the various chapters, some of which will challenge you, some may even alarm you, but having drawn me in, it was one of those books I had to read from start to finish without interruption. It may seem strange for an avid Unionist to highlight a chapter written by a pro-independence author, Gail Richardson, but I do so for 2 reasons : (1) Gail asks questions relating to the motto of a group of which I am a member – Vanguard Bears (2) Of all the pro-independence chapters within the book, Gail’s was unique in that it offered a cohesive, rational and positive argument for independence which was free from negative subjective experience often cited by her peers, nor did it seek to demonise Britain as a justification for exercising a yes vote, in short it offered vision rather than vilification. I use the word “demonise” deliberately. When Alan Bissett argues that Britain is responsible for, amongst other things, “the mass slaughter of World War 1” you can perhaps begin to understand why I suggested in the opening paragraph that you may be challenged, even alarmed by its contents. Gail opens her chapter with a question : Do the Loving Cup ceremony or the portraits of Her Majesty the Queen hanging in the home dressing room at Ibrox not qualify as traditions ? Both are long standing practices at our club, with club historian David Mason, opening this year’s Loving Cup toast describing it as “A very important tradition in the history of Rangers Football Club since 1937”. Furthermore are they merely traditions or, additionally, a powerful statement of identity i.e. this is a club which values the traditions of monarchy ? The foregoing example serves as welcome introduction for another area of such debate which is often overlooked by many. Gail asserts : It is madness. But what about the flip side of that coin ? What about the instances where the beliefs and values come from within the club itself ? Are they in themselves not statements of identity ? If the historical commentators such as Graham Walker and Bill Murray are to be believed, and there is no good reason not to, then Protestant identity evolved due to a number of factors, primarily though that the Protestant indigenous Scot sought a football club which reflected their faith and culture in the same way that the newly formed club, Celtic, reflected the faith and culture of the Irish immigrant population. If Gail is guilty of overlooking symbolisms and traditions which emanate from within the club, perhaps because they don’t quite fit with her assertions and beliefs, I confess, I could be equally as guilty of reading something into symbolisms from within the club because they do happen to fit with my particular assertions and beliefs. I have difficulty accepting however that Church and Boys Brigade Parades, the holding of the Orange Order Annual Divine Service at Ibrox, our refusal to play football on the Sabbath, the welcoming of Kings at Ibrox, Armed Forces Days, amongst other things, are not statements of identity. Furthermore these take no account of the erroneous, which again have their formation from within the club itself. Gail makes reference to Rangers signing policy, I would add to that the comments of Rangers vice chairman Matt Taylor in 1967 when he stated in interview relating to it, “part of our tradition....we were formed in 1873 as a Protestant boys club. To change now would lose us considerable support.” However mis-guided, however ham-fisted, however opposed to true Protestant ideals and values the foregoing examples are, I would suggest they are a clear attempt to attach a Protestant identity to our club from within the club itself. I cite these examples not to usurp Gail’s questioning of their relevance today in an increasingly secular Scotland, but to demonstrate that the club itself over the years has actively encouraged an identity with which it is often associated, therefore to suggest that it’s our supporters who have projected their beliefs onto the club and asked them to uphold them is incorrect. When Gail states : “I’ve said that I don’t believe Rangers Football Club is a Protestant club or a Unionist club.” how does such a statement equate to a football club who have just released their 3rd strip which has as its centrepiece, the flag of the Union itself ? Particularly in view of the current political climate in Scotland. Strangely, the answer to Gail’s original question comes from an unlikely source, in chapter 3 of the book. Harry Reid, an Aberdeen supporter speaking of the demise of Rangers identity under Sir David Murray: And later in the chapter : Harry continues: Later in the chapter Harry emphasises the importance of any football club seeking to expand its aspirations, remaining true to its core fan base. There is really not a lot I can add to Harry’s quotes. The values, traditions and people Harry alludes to are very much at the core of what we at Vanguard Bears, seek to defend. I hope this article not only answers Gail’s questions, but also challenges her to examine her own vision of our club, as much as her chapter from the book caused me to examine my own.

ET Says a few truths in there and a bit more dignity from some quarters is very much missing. Maybe we should one day also consider him for a scouting role in Scotland, as he does the reasonable thing and scans the Junior football folk.

RANGERS have moved to re-sign keeper Lee Robinson – five years after he quit the club. Manager Ally McCoist is in talks to land the 28-year-old, who is a free agent after leaving Raith Rovers at the end of last season. Robinson, who has also had spells at Kilmarnock, Queen of the South and Swedish outfit FK Ostersunds since departing Ibrox in 2009, is mulling over a one-year contract offer to provide cover for first-choice keeper Cammy Bell. Bell will be out for two weeks after fears that he had dislocated his shoulder and needed surgery were allayed. Veteran Steve Simonsen has been deputising but McCoist believes Robinson can eventually push Bell for the No 1 spot. McCoist’s hopes of doing further business this month could hinge on fringe players Sebastien Faure and Arnold Peralta being moved on. http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/501685/EXCLUSIVE-Lee-Robinson-offered-Rangers-return

SCOTLAND look set to rise to 27th place when the new rankings are revealed in September, with England dropping to 26th. SCOTLAND will be just ONE place behind England when the latest FIFA rankings are unveiled. Gordon Strachan’s side have made steady progress up the ratings after being as low as 78th in May last year. The Scots will rise one spot to 27th when the new table is published on September 18 while the Auld Enemy will drop six places to 26th ahead of their trip north to play us in a friendly at Celtic Park in November . England and Scotland will be one place above Wales who soar 14 places to 28th. Scotland's Euro 2016 qualifying rivals Germany will be No.1 after their World Cup triumph in June . But the other teams in the group are a long way behind us, according to FIFA. Ireland will languish back in 54th, Poland in 71st and Georgia will be 107th while Gibraltar don’t have a ranking yet. Scotland have never been above England since the Rankings started in August 1993. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/scotland-set-just-one-place-4098430

Sunday, 24 August 2014 19:00 Lee Hopes For Minimal Changes Written by Andrew Dickson LEE WALLACE hopes Ally McCoist doesn’t rotate his team too much when he selects a side to face Queen’s Park on Tuesday night in the League Cup. With Rangers in the midst of a busy spell just now, the manager could be tempted to shuffle his pool for the meeting with the Spiders in Airdrie. Although Gers have scored 12 times in their last two outings against Clyde and Dumbarton, he’ll be keen to give some of his fringe squad members vital game time. Wallace appreciates it’s very possible McCoist will see the forthcoming fixture as the type in which to make temporary changes. But he’s hoping to retain his place as the Light Blues chase a place in the second round against SPFL Premiership leaders Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who beat Celtic yesterday. Scotland full-back Wallace, excellent in the 4-1 success against the Sons, said: “Again, the manager will make his mind up over the next couple of days regarding what team he puts out. “We were in training again today doing a recovery session and all we are focused on is Queen’s Park. “It’s an important game for us because we want to do well in the League Cup and everyone will want to be involved. “That’s the way it works at this club and especially off the back of two good results where everyone has come away feeling confident. “We feel good about ourselves. It’s the manager’s call and everyone needs to be professional about it if he decides to rotate a little bit. “We’ve a lot of quality players who maybe haven’t been playing and can certainly step in and do a good job. “Whatever happens, we’re looking forward to the match and we’ll just need to wait and see what the manager chooses to do.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7519-lee-hopes-for-minimal-changes

(Tom English – The Scotsman 25.11.2012) (Tom English - Twitter 21.08.2014) Its good to know that Tom English has found some sort of journalistic morality of late, however it may present a conflict of interests with his new employer, BBC Scotland. Or does the morality of source over story only apply in certain circumstances ? After all, Tom is now working for an employer who were happy to utilise not just stolen property, but stolen evidence from the Rangers Tax Tribunal, if Lord Nimmo Smith's conclusions are correct. But in his new found morality Tom has excluded himself from the knowledge that Vanguard Bears appear to have successfully cultivated a mole, perhaps within the SFA itself, as previous revelations, including documentary evidence, suggest. And could this latest expose, while perhaps lacking in documentary evidence, be a clear signpost to of a course of unedifying, unprofessional and negligent conduct involving our footballs higher echelons of administration ? Especially when viewed in the context of previous disclosed e-mails and agreements. Nope of course not – nothing to see here – move along please. But should we really be surprised ? After all there seems little excitement in journalistic circles that those in charge of Scottish Football were prepared to find Rangers guilty prior to trial as well as inflict draconian type punishments on a club which had yet to be found guilty. Morality ? Perhaps some of those journalists, and there have been many of late, who remind us of the impoverished state of our game via their daily columns, care to consider if perhaps they have a role to play. After all if the head of our game is more worried about being on time for a dinner date rather than what was probably one of the most critical meetings in the history of our game, is there not something fundamentally wrong ? What is particularly alarming in this whole episode are those gleefully re tweeting Tom English's original tweet. It does not matter that journalists will ignore story over source, it does not matter that it contains allegations of incompetence, of lack of prioritisation, of utter disdain for the game of football in Scotland (ironically affecting their own clubs) – so long as Rangers or Rangers fans get it in the neck - then that makes it okay. But let's not be too harsh on Stewart Regan – I’m told there is a certain restaurant in Leeds which does a succulent lamb to die for. It looks like football in Scotland will be the sacrificial lamb.

Crystal Palace are more likely to approach the Rangers manager, Ally McCoist, to become their new manager than the bookmakers’ favourite and his former rival, Neil Lennon, who stood down from Celtic this summer. Palace have held talks about the Rangers manager as they compile a new shortlist following a week of turmoil at the club, although they have yet to approach him or indeed Lennon. Palace will see how the weekend Premier League fixture at home to West Ham United pans out before deciding on the urgency of their need for a new manager. Malky Mackay had been the front-runner before the text scandal put paid to his chances. The Independent columnist Tim Sherwood ruled himself out of the running on Thursday night and Glenn Hoddle did the same earlier in the week. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/crystal-palace-next-manager-latest-palace-consider-ally-mccoist--exclusive-9686808.html

Racing Genk have tonight confirmed him as their new manager.

According to The Sun, Bell dislocated his shoulder against Falkirk and could be out for up to three months.

As many of you will already know, Frankie published an obituary this morning following the extremely sad news of the recent passing of Gordon Young who was a regular contributor to the site and very well known to Gersnet forum members as Bluebear54. Tragically, Gordon finally lost a year long battle with cancer on Thursday night, but he goes with our love and best wishes as a knowledgeable, passionate and witty Bear who we will all remember very fondly indeed. Back in October 2013 I asked Gordon to write the article for our very first regular Gersnet magazine column, which at that time was for Seventy2 magazine. They were running a Dutch themed special and published below is the full 2500 word article Gordon submitted as an initial draft before he cut it down to the final 1400 word piece for the magazine submission and before the news of Ricksen's illness broke causing some slight changes to the wording. Gordon knew that his full article draft would be published at some point because we discussed what a shame it was that he had to cut it almost in half to meet the word count requirements for the column and that once a period of time had lapsed where it would no longer affect magazine sales, we could put the whole article out on Gersnet. So in remembrance of Bluebear54, here is his article 'A Glimpse of Glamour': A Glimpse of Glamour Written by Gordon Young (Bluebear54) The Early Years Although born and raised on the East Coast of Scotland, a maternal grandfather and a father, both passionate Rangers supporters, ensured that I was destined to follow follow in their footsteps when pursuing my lifelong passionate affair with football - an affair which has been split into three distinct phases due to the dice that life has spit out at me. The Rangers teams of that first phase of my love affair were epitomised by hardy, athletic, spirited Scottish players, such as Caldow, Shearer, Greig, MacDonald and Jardine. That’s not to say there wasn’t any skill around. Those guys had enough to go along with their other skills, but the Rangers of that era were also blessed with superbly gifted players such as Baxter, Wilson, Henderson and Johnson. Not mentioning any further names is a severe disservice to many great Rangers players of those generations. But they were Scottish, and the style was undeniably Scottish. We didn’t expect any fancy possession football, we hadn’t heard of the beautiful game, and “totally mental” was more often on our lips than “total football.” We preferred tanner ba’ wingers belting it down the wings, bruisers of centre forwards giving it more elbow than they took, and defenders who didn’t ever take prisoners. On the terraces, like some latter-day Colosseum crowd, we bayed for blood and actively encouraged our heroes to bury or waste opponents. It was expected, it was part of the game and it made for an entertaining spectacle. In 1972, not long after Rangers had finally won – at their third attempt - the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1972, I ventured out again into the world, this time not to return to Scotland until well over a score of countries had worn out my shoes and nigh on thirty years had etched their lines on my face. In my travels, I have found that there are not many better things to bring two different nationalities together than a pint and a talk about football. I thus unknowingly set out on what in retrospect was further education in the art of football. It was clear that most fans I spoke to had scant regard for Scottish football and saw it as kick and rush and a tad barbaric. Fine I thought, youse lot are a bunch of pansies. In those days, most I spoke to were drooling about the Dutch style. And to be honest, from going to games with other fans, I started to see their point. I really did. It took its time, I didn’t initially find it entertaining, but I eventually saw another beauty and another excitement in the game. Now, when I look back through an old man’s eyes, Rangers were to eventually produce a true glimpse of the beautiful game and that glimpse would be Dutch inspired. In the course of their 141 year history, Rangers are reckoned to have provided a footballing home for more than 50 nationalities of footballers. With a total of 11 players having played first team football for the Gers, Holland tops that table. And their inspiration topped the table in how we played. The Early Birds The first ever first team appearance at Rangers by a Dutch player first team was Peter Huistra in 1990. He was a speedy winger, not far removed from the Henderson/Johnson mould and, as such, he became a firm favourite of the fans. Signed by Souness, he didn’t score barrowloads, but he certainly scored some vital goals for the Club, and won in all five League medals, two League Cup medals and a Scottish Cup medal, including a Treble in 1992-93. Despite a lack of goals, he was superb at making openings, and in my mind he’s still up there with the best we’ve ever had at taking corners. Shortly after the departure of Huistra for Japan in 1995, two Dutch players arrived almost simultaneously at Ibrox from quite different destinations. In 1996, Theo Snelders arrived at Queen Street from Aberdeen, and Peter Van Vossen arrived at Glasgow Airport from Turkey. It always says something to me about Rangers that Snelders is held in such high regard by Aberdeen fans, yet many Rangers fans have extremely vague memories of him. Of course, he was a back up to our very own special legend – the Flying Pig – and also Antti Niemi, so he certainly had a job on his hands. Despite this, or probably more to do with injuries to the other two, Theo Snelders managed to make a fair few first team appearances for Rangers between 1996 and 1999 without ever setting the heather on fire. So, while one of those arrivals in ’96 was destined to be fairly anonymous, the other was destined for almost total notoriety and guaranteed an indelible place in Scottish football folklore. Yes folks! Roll up! I give you the man who taught us all how “to do the Van Vossen.” Don’t get me wrong now, Peter came to Rangers with a great track record. Ex-Ajax, ex- European Cup winner, a fair number of international caps. It all looked good. And we were also getting shot of Salenko, whom many fans thought was yet one more momentous waste of money. Which in fact, he was. Couldn’t be better, so Van Vossen was part of the master plan to punt Oleg Salenko to Istanbulspor. Sneaky. Looking back, I can imagine simultaneous moments at either end of Europe when Walter Smith was sitting down in Glasgow with a whisky and Cem Uzan was sitting down in Istanbul with his coffee, both of them laughing like hyenas and thinking “Yes, I got rid of him.” That moment Albertz unselfishly laid off a pass opening up an empty goal for Van Vossen lives with everyone who witnessed the match. It was the striker’s Old Firm debut, he skied it from all of 7 yards, and his only saving grace was that we were winning 1-0. Peter didn’t last too long needless to say, and after 22 appearances he was on his travels again. In time, in 1998, like some kind of expectant grandfather, I returned to Scotland, having been kept up to date on a Rangers-rich diet of SKY television, and fully anticipating a bright new future for Rangers where Dick Advocaat had bulldozed in and begun what has been referred to as the Dutch revolution. And if the truth be known, coinciding with my return, those two seasons of 1998-99 and 1999-00 (and also partly 2000-01) showed a real glimpse of glamour. Here we finally had a Rangers team who were not being routinely dismissed by the European hoi polloi. This was a Rangers team who would win a treble followed by a double and who would go on to demolish a top class PSV Eindhoven side and other noteworthy continental sides such as Parma, Monaco and the best that Germany could offer. Not so much in a Scottish style, but in an entertaining continental style. I could have been forgiven for thinking I had arrived in Heaven. The Orange Invasion – A Glimpse of Glamour Advocaat’s first Dutch signings were Arthur Numan and Giovanni van Bronckhorst followed later by Michael Mols, and they were a class apart indeed. Of all the Dutch players to have played for Rangers, Gio van Bronckhorst is arguably the one that fans have been most fortunate to have seen grace Ibrox’s turf. He was a true thoroughbred, and it didn’t take such a long time for fans to realise that he was maybe a wee bit too good for us to hope to hold on to. Gio ended up being sold to Arsenal in 2001 for close on £9m after winning a treble and a double for Rangers. Gio went on to score went on to score 22 goals for us, 13 in the league, 3in the Scottish Cup, 1 in the League Cup, 3 in the Champions League and 2 in the UEFA Cup. However, these statistics still belie the fact that this player was an essential cog in the machine that Advocaat was assembling, and he very much made that Rangers team tick with his guile, finesse and vision. As confirmation of van Bronckhorst’s quality, he went on to become a Barcelona stalwart while also playing well over 100 internationals for Holland and becoming the Dutch international captain. In much the same way as van Bronckhorst, Arthur Numan oozed class in the left back position, and after initial problems with injuries, he settled down to become a key part of both Advocaat’s and latterly McLeish’s teams. Signed from PSV Eindhoven, Numan had a respectable international career and became a very welcome sight for fans whenever his name appeared on the team sheet. As with almost any Rangers player, a cracker of a goal against Celtic, especially when it either wins a game or saves one, ensures legendary status, and Numan’s 25 yard stunner at Ibrox to earn a 1-1 draw was no different in cementing his name into Ibrox folklore. Of Advocaat’s first batch of signings, Michael Mols probably promised least and I must admit to not being aware of him before he signed for Rangers, but superb goalmouth turning skills and goals against FC Haka, Hearts and then a memorable four against Motherwell followed by two against Aberdeen soon ensured that – like most fans – I wanted to see his name in the starting eleven every week. Another two goals in the 4-1 roasting that Rangers gave a top class PSV side seemed to promise a Rangers career to remember. Unfortunately, in a Champions League match which Bayern were fortunate to win, he suffered a horrific injury in a collision with Oliver Khan. The injury was to keep him out for a season and a half, and unfortunately for both Mols and Rangers, common opinion has it that he was never quite the same player again. Tragic.

Next year will see us enter the Premiership hoping to reclaim our crown as King of Scotland. I am looking for some help in this thread from you guys please. I am looking at our revenue in the lower leagues and what we used to bring in when in the SPL and looking at how we are going to get back there, so some fag packet maths. When in the SPL our average revenues were £25m Gate Receipts and Hospitality £3m Sponsors and Advertising £5m Broadcasting rights £5m Commercial income £2m Other operating income That is us, without European football. A £40m revenue club. That is what we averaged over the last 15 years or so when not participating in Europe. This is where we will need to be at least next season to just compete i believe. Our operating expenses averaged out at £45m per season. Every year. Staff costs including wages and salaries averaged at around £30m of that £45m. 75% of turnover from above. This means that we were always pissing against the wind, needing European football. It's easy to see here trouble was always inevitable as we could never quite get the costs down to a sustainable level. When in the lower leagues our average revenues were £12m Gate receipts and hospitality. £740k Sponsorship and advertising. £1.5m Retail £700k Broadcasting £900k Commercial £1.5m Other revenue. Around £17.3m revenue as a lower league club with costs at almost double that incredibly. As a comparison, Celtic turnover over £50m in any given year without European football but obviously have a much higher operating cost base. Merchandising costs them £9m per annum but they bring in £15m Football operations brings in £30m but costs them anything between £46m and £50m including £40m in staffing costs as of last year. Multimedia and other commercial brings in £10m and costs them £2m This shows how important European football is to them as well. Without it they run at a similar loss to what we did. European football is imperative to both clubs. So anyway, i would like to know how we are going to go from a club bringing in less that £20m to a club who must bring in at least double that in the next 12 months, whilst keeping our operating costs under control. The wage bill will undoubtedly need to increase too. We are already running at a loss. Averaged out at around *£400k per month. You can see where the differences are but just how easy will it be to go back to the former revenue streams? What do you think guys? *worked out from recent 120 day review.

West Brom chase Commons for £7m WEST Brom have been linked with a £7 million move for Celtic star Kris Commons. The former Derby midfielder had an outstanding season last year, scoring 32 goals and picking up a raft of awards. But West Bromwich Albion boss Alan Irvine could test Celtic’s resolve with a hefty bid as he looks to supplement his Hawthorns squad. Commons was also voted one of the top 25 players in Europe in a recent poll. (The Mirror) http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/latest/rumour-mill-commons-to-wba-celtic-rangers-1-3499231#.U-CoOxEEjlA.twitter

Friday, 15 August 2014 The Compliance Officer has issued the following notice of complaint: Alleged Party in Breach: Derk Boerrigter (Celtic FC) Match: St Johnstone v Celtic, SPFL Premiership, 13th August 2014. Disciplinary Rule(s) allegedly breached: Rule 201: Causing a match official to make an incorrect decision by committing an act of simulation. Fixed suspension offer: Two matches Principle Hearing Date: Thursday 21st August 2014. Mr Boerrigter has until Monday at 3pm to respond to the fixed suspension offer. The following Fast Track Player Reference has also been received and will be dealt with by a Tribunal on Thursday, 21st August 2014. Alleged Party in Breach: Dave Mackay (St Johnstone) Match: St Johnstone v Celtic, SPFL Premiership, 13th August 2014. Case: Claim of wrongful dismissal for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2566&newsCategoryID=1&newsID=13600

The rumour is that Brighton are in for Wallace and are close to matching our valuation.

http://www.vanguardbears.co.uk/ More revelations

Celtic: Safe-standing proposals not met with approval Celtic are "extremely disappointed" after a proposal to introduce safe-standing failed to receive approval from Glasgow City Council. At a meeting with the Safety Advisory Group, the Scottish champions sought permission to install rail seating. "We do not understand the rationale for today's decision," the club stated. "Spectator-safety at Celtic Park is of paramount importance and we believe the proposals we have made would significantly enhance safety." Glasgow City Council claimed Celtic's plan did not offer enough safety assurances to the group, which includes representatives from the three emergency services. Several Bundesliga clubs use rail seating at their stadiums in Germany. For domestically governed games, the seats are locked in the upright position to allow fans to stand and lean on the rails. Whereas for Uefa governed games, the seats are unlocked to comply with all-seater stadium rules. A council spokesman said: "All agencies represented on the safety advisory group felt that a stewarding plan alone, as proposed by Celtic, was insufficient to ensure spectator safety in the standing area. "It is the view of agencies on the safety advisory group that some form of physical barrier between standing and seating areas is required to ensure that a standing area would be appropriately managed. "However, the group would also have to be satisfied that any such barriers would still allow for the movement of emergency services personnel and spectators in the event of an incident at the stadium." Celtic had hoped to lead the way in the United Kingdom with the creation of new safe-standing areas. The club's statement added: "The club has provided substantial and detailed information in support of this proposal over the past two-and-a-half years and has made every effort to address comprehensively all issues raised by the SAG. "Today's decision has been made despite the club also providing the requested additional information from an independent stadium safety expert, Dr Steve Frosdick. "Surprisingly, we have also today been informed by the Safety Advisory Group, chaired by Glasgow City Council, that this may be a matter for the Scottish Government. "Yet we have previously been told by the Scottish Government that this is a decision which must be taken locally at council level." http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28777621

BILEL MOHSNI admits it could be difficult for him to get back into the Rangers team after he served a suspension for his recent red card in the friendly at Derby County. The Tunisian defender was banned for two games following his headbutt on Rams player Chris Martin in the 2-0 loss at the iPro Stadium. Mohsni has apologised for his actions against Steve McClaren’s men and concedes he was stupid to react to a heavy challenge from the striker the way he did. Now he’s free to play again and could come into the reckoning for Friday’s trip to play Falkirk in the SPFL Championship. Lee McCulloch, Marius Zaliukas and Darren McGregor have all featured in central defence during Mohsni’s absence. And although there were no clean sheets against Hibernian or Hearts, the former Southend player knows he could still have slipped further down the pecking order. He said: “I was very, very upset with myself at Derby and I acted stupidly. When we gave the second goal away it was my fault and I didn’t defend well after. “It wasn’t about their player who tackled me. It was more about myself and I reacted badly. I’m very sorry to the fans and my team-mates about that. “Hopefully I can come back into the side but one of the problems when you get suspended is other players can do well in your place. “If they get into the manager’s head, he could put them first so all I can do is train hard and try to win my place. “If I get my chance, I will do my best to show I am worthy of it and attempt to keep it for the rest of the season. “Of course, I had suspensions last season and I don’t want any more. I need to keep my temper, stay cool and make sure I don’t get sent off again. “It is very hard for me to be off the pitch when games are taking place and I would rather be on it so I will do my best to stay involved.” Mohsni realises opposition players will likely target him during matches in an attempt to draw the same sort of response as the one he displayed at County. But he is adamant he’ll stay calm under pressure and added: “I will keep what happened in my mind because I know all the players in our league will try to wind me up. “They might kick me or elbow me but I will be ready for that and I will try just to defend well and keep clean sheets, score if I can and win games for Rangers. “I know players do that all the time but I didn’t expect it in a friendly game. I want to show everyone I can do better than I did at Derby.” Everyone else's fault bar his. The antithesis of a professional football player. Can we not resurrect that half million "offer" from the Middle East?

Madey Up McCoist Meeting Edition By Chris Graham | Contributor Recently, CRO pulled some of Phil MacGiollabhain’s fantasies apart in a highly amusing article. Whisper it though, the bold Phil has been at it again in an article entitled ‘Regarding Alistair’ which contains less facts than the script of a Harry Potter film. I’ve debated how best to do this but probably best we just work our way through his latest act of fiction. His latest tale is set at Ibrox where a meeting is taking place, following the Hearts game, on the future of manager Ally McCoist….. (It isn’t). http://www.thecoplandroad.org/2014/08/you-talk-some-amount-of-shite-phil.html

Gonna charge up the phone. Have a feeling there might be some Rangers breaking news to come tonight as well! https://twitter.com/tedermeatballs

I'd tried to temper my bewilderment at our close season signings by reflecting on the often used mantra that "there is no substitute for experience". But having a manager with a propensity for playing just one out and out striker it seemed reasonable to question the wisdom of signing 2 ageing, albeit proven strikers, taking our total to 5. I suppose in some ways the fact we played with 2 up front today is a positive improvement - cherish it, its probably the only positive you will find in this article. With young Charlie Telfer exiting Ibrox and directing barbed comments at our manager's apparent unwillingness to blood youngsters, the departure of goalkeeper Scott Gallagher and the re-signing of the veteran and occasionally calamitous, Steve Simonsen does little to suggest that youth is to be the favoured option. One wonders how young Nicky Clark feels his development will fare as the least favoured option behind Boyd, Miller, Daly and given today's personnel selection, even Shiels. Why is this important ? Well if we do manage to successfully negotiate the championship, and I appreciate after today some are saying that's a pretty big "if"; rather than return to the top league with the nucleus of a young team we will instead be replacing ageing players in key positions. "Professors" of football often speak about the "spine" of a team - goalkeeper, centre back and striker. Of our current spine I see only Cammy Bell offering any kind of continuity in this regard. Which of course means new blood, a settling in period and that's before we find the readies for such an overhaul. Without wishing to induce further panic it's probably worth asking the question if there will even be the money for such an overhaul ? So what does all this experience get you for your money? Well not a lot judging by today's performance. You could forgive a schoolboy team for switching off after scoring and giving yourself a lifeline but a team brimming with seasoned pros? Furthermore how can it be that Nicky Law and Ian Black despite having countless games together under their belt, give the appearance they have never played with one another before? The booing of the formers man of the match award should serve as a warning to all at Ibrox that whilst we may be loyal we are certainly not gullible. Kenny Miller did what we have come to expect him to do, and were it not for the detrimental effect to Nicky Clark's development and the fact he is a short term rather than a long term answer, you would see this as a beneficial signing for the season, particularly if young Clark was paired alongside him. Kris Boyd I'm not so sure of. He somehow managed to look even less mobile than 1st time around, so much so, I half expected Police Scotland to bring the game to a halt and announce they had found Clyde, the missing Games statue. The progress and improvement of Lewis Macleod and Fraser Aird has been deeply satisfying for us blue legions, the former in particular showing particular potential. Could a few others have benefited from an extended run in first team football ? Some will remember Dick Advocatt recognising the potential of a young Barry Ferguson and building a team around him, sadly that will not happen so long as young Macleod finds himself played out of position on the wing We need to stop making excuses for Ally. Yes he has had to endure challenges no other Rangers manager has had to contend with but that really does not excuse signings which are devoid of long term vision, as well as tactics, team selections and substitutions which have us all bewildered. There was a moment today when the cameras panned to John Greig sitting in the stands, and on seeing his image on the screens applause echoed around the ground. John is a Rangers legend on and off the park. Unfortunately he was not a very good manager. I fear history may be repeating itself.