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POLICE to assess area around New Douglas Park on Friday More...

WALTER Smith has warned of dire consequences for Rangers if they do not resist selling any players during the current transfer window and also retain the bulk of their squad whose contracts are due to expire in the summer. The frustration Smith has experienced for the last 18 months as the Ibrox club grapple with their financial problems resurfaced yesterday as he responded to speculation linking Pedro Mendes with a move to Sporting Lisbon. Rangers, who have not been able to buy a new player since August 2008, remain under pressure from the Lloyds Banking Group to restructure their finances and reduce their �£31 million debt. But manager Smith is adamant Rangers cannot afford any further cuts to the first-team squad for the second half of a season which currently sees them seven points clear of Celtic at the top of the SPL and still involved in both domestic cup competitions. While top scorer Kris Boyd has now been offered a new contract, Smith is keen to see the future of other players tied up. Among those whose existing deals also run out at the end of the season are Kirk Broadfoot, Nacho Novo, DaMarcus Beasley and Stevie Smith. "If we don't start to offer some of them the opportunity to stay with the club, then we will cease to operate, never mind anything else," said Smith. "We have been in negotiations with a few others as well as Kris. We have started talking to Kirk Broadfoot and Nacho Novo. It is something that has to happen." With his resources further limited by injuries and unavailability, Smith was forced to fill out his substitutes' bench with four youngsters in Andrew Little, John Fleck, Gregg Wylde and Jamie Ness. He regards it as a clear indication of why Rangers should not be looking to offload senior players such as Mendes. "Who says we are going to get rid of Pedro?" added Smith. "I've not heard anything about getting rid of Pedro, apart from what I read in newspapers. Last week, we only had two senior professionals in Maurice Edu and Stevie Smith on the bench at Celtic Park. We will only have a couple available to us again this weekend. With suspensions set to kick in for the second half of the season, we will need all of our players between now and the end of the season." Smith is still waiting to learn if Boyd will accept the club's offer of a new three-year contract reported to be worth around �£18,000 a week. "His agent spoke with (chief executive) Martin Bain yesterday and he has gone off to think over the offer being made," said Smith. "We've still not heard anything back." One player Smith would be prepared to lose is French winger Jerome Rothen, 31, who has failed to make the desired impact during his season-long loan from Paris St Germain. He is no longer in the manager's first team plans and hopes to return home this month. Rangers begin their defence of the Active Nation Scottish Cup tomorrow and Smith is able to welcome Kenny Miller and Kevin Thomson back from suspension and injury respectively for the lunchtime kick-off against Hamilton Accies at New Douglas Park. http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Walter-Smith--warns-.5968866.jp

NOVO could face Accies on Sunday, Thommo also set to return More... NACHO NOVO could be fit to return to the Rangers starting line up as soon as this Sunday when the Light Blues face Hamilton in the Scottish Cup. The Spanish striker had to go off after just 13 minutes of the weekend draw at Celtic after a collision with home player Georgios Samaras. Novo suffered a thigh injury and after heavy internal bleeding, it was thought he'd be out for the next two or three weeks. But while he hasn't yet returned to training, the knock isn't as bad as was first feared and he could yet find himself included in the squad that goes to Accies five days from now. That would come as a huge boost to manager Walter Smith, who is already without a number of other key players. Steven Naismith, DaMarcus Beasley and Pedro Mendes have all been injured lately while Madjid Bougherra is away preparing for the African Cup of Nations. But there's further good news for Smith as Kevin Thomson has now resumed full training after a calf injury and he'll be available for the game at New Douglas Park too. The Gers boss said: "Kevin is one who I'd hope will be fit for the weekend and Nacho has a chance. "It looked like a bad knock in the thigh for him at the weekend but the physiotherapists have been working hard on it. As such, there may now be an opportunity for him to play after all this weekend after it seemed he might be out. "As for the rest, we'll need to wait and see. DaMarcus and Pedro are both coming along well and we're hopeful of having a couple of players back."

Being a Rangers supporter these days� means you have to be totally immune to stress. Every day a new story appears in the media. Douglas Park, Dave King a fan take-over and recently the Herald hit us with an ex-pat Florida Billionaire. Firstly he wants to stay anonymous. Why pass information on to the Herald then. While this may be possible in the opening negotiations i would be extremely cautious of someone i could not look in the eye. His plan to give a bridging Facility to cover Rangers debt and let the 15.000 fans pay 1000 pounds over three years looks good on the surface but at the end up the fans have put in 45million for 50% and he gets 50% for putting in absolutely hee haw. Surely this anonymous mouse is taking the Mickey. Do we really want to go down the millionaire�s toy, road again anyway? Have we not learned from the past 20 years? Remember us scoffing at Gretna and their millionaire owner Brooks Mileson well little did we know that a year later we would almost be in a similar situation. As a Rangers supporter living in Holland i have been following the demise of Dick Scheringa who was the sugar daddy to AZ Alkmaar and just like Rangers being a part of Murray International holdings, AZ fell under the Dick Scheringa Beheer, a group of Scheringa companies including the Dick Scheringa Bank (DSB). One Statement from a financial expert on TV saying the finances at the bank were in a mess and that started a run of people lifting money. Within days Scheringa�s whole empire collapsed about him. Unlike Murray, Scheringa or the DSB had paid AZ up front so they are safe for the moment but once the fiscals come looking for money they could also be in deep trouble. Wouldn�t it be great to have a Russian Billionaire like Chelsea i have heard many say over the last few weeks but more and more noises are coming to the surface that Roman Abramovitch�s companies are also in serious trouble. He recently sold shares worth 50million pounds for only 12million pounds supposedly to free up some cash as he is reputed to have had some cash flow problems. He denies that of course. All employees at Chelsea have been warned that they have not to leak any information over the finances at Stamford Bridge. The last financial statement to be given free was in 2007 and stated that Chelsea were 83million pounds in the red and owed Roman Abramovitch, on interest free loans, a staggering 578million pounds to be payed back within 18 months of asking.. This figure is now thought to have ballooned up to more than 700million with the total debt near 800million. Now Roman might be willing to let this loan go on unserviced and i am no financial wizard, but i would imagine that if the bottom falls out of Abramovitch�s businesses, as it did with Murray and Scheringa, then it won�t take the fiscals long before they start chasing the Abramovitch money at Chelsea. I would imagine that would be the end of Chelsea. A doomsday scenario probably thought impossible a few months ago. The greatest thing that can happen in any football club is that it is run by the fans for the fans and not for some rich fat cat to have a wee toy. We have learned from the above cases that we are not only dependant on our club being run financially correct but also depend on other business ventures of the owner to be run astutely. Unfortunately the massive debt crippling the club probably means we will have to get investors to clear the debt or possibly sell the first team and go forward with the youth team, accepting we will be second best for the first few years, a price that may be worth paying to get fan ownership. The youth option would of course probably hand Celtic the Champions league cash for the first few years and make them stronger an option unthinkable to many fans. Obviously Rangers and the bank will have to be willing and open to the idea of Fan ownership and play a large part in any transformation. For this to work we need the leaders of the all supporters groups to pull together and unite as one supporters group. They have to be in it for the love of Rangers and not to feed an inflated ego. We need enemies of the past to bury their hatchets and unite behind this cause otherwise it is doomed from day one. We need everyone on board no matter how big or small they are, every member and every tenner will count.

about the 4 guys who are going to buy rangers i think they are tom hunter souness gillespie and douglas park

i have just got a text message from a pal of mine and he has heard that the dave king consortium with douglas park and paul murray have got the club they will pay the whole 30 million to loyds and going to appoint a new management team soon my mate has said that it will be in the press tomorrow from do the bouncy.com

Published on 1 Nov 2009 Talks have been held about inviting thousands of Rangers supporters to help fund a rescue package for the financially-stricken club. South Africa-based millionaire Dave King remains the leading contender to buy out current owner Sir David Murray, with his intentions expected to be revealed this month. Scotland-based businessmen Douglas Park and Paul Murray have also been linked to a joint bid with Mr King to rescue Rangers, who are Ã?£30million in debt, but no moves have yet been made. But the Sunday Herald can reveal that tentative talks have taken place involving parties interested in taking over Rangers about creating a revolutionised club answerable to "members", who would pay an annual fee on top of their season ticket costs. This is the successful and popular model of "social ownership" found at leading clubs such as Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain. Essentially, this could be ââ?¬Ë?Plan Bââ?¬â?¢ if Mr King, or others, donââ?¬â?¢t emerge and firm up their interest in the club. The proposal would mean thousands of rank-and-file Rangers fans investing to lend financial muscle to some of the parties interested in taking Turn to page 2 Rangers out of the grip of Lloyds Banking Group, which has stepped in after the club fell into heavy debt under Sir David Murray. In return, the fans could have perhaps 33% or more of the shareholding as well as a couple of representatives on an entirely new board of directors. With money being poured in by thousands of fans, as per the Barcelona model, Rangers could become the first major members-owned club in British football, albeit that a handful of significant investors would have large individual stakes and would occupy some of the office-bearing positions. The extent of Rangersââ?¬â?¢ financial crisis was revealed last weekend when manager Walter Smith claimed the bank was running the club. Lloyds subsequently denied that but the bankââ?¬â?¢s interests are now represented on the board by new director Donald Muir. Rangers will not sign any new players in the January transfer window and may have to sell a senior one such as Steven Davis if Lloyds is determined to claw back Ã?£3m of the Ã?£30m owed to it. Sir David still owns 92% of the shareholding, but essentially Lloyds is dictating the terms of any eventual takeover. Mr King is uncomfortable about the current asking price and is now involved in a game of poker with the bank, which is believed to have been left reeling by the reaction from the Rangers support at large after our sister paper, The Herald, revealed the extent of their influence, the threat of administration and plans for swingeing cuts. Mr King is worth up to Ã?£300m but he is reluctant to meet the asking price of Ã?£1 for every Ã?£1 of debt ââ?¬â?? Lloyds is holding out for Ã?£30m ââ?¬â?? in the hope that it will eventually drop. Nothing will happen until Lloyds or Mr King change their stance. But if Mr King eventually walks away from a potential deal, others could step in and then ask fans to become fee-paying "members" in order to build a serious reserve of cash. The success of the venture would rely on the businessmen demonstrating that they were answerable to the fans who pay to become members. Fans spokesman David Edgar last night told the Sunday Herald that opening the club to ownership by members was an exciting, innovative idea. He claimed supporters would answer the call. "We have been exploring various avenues towards this with some of the potential investors," said Mr Edgar, of the Rangers Supporters Trust. "I think there is an interest and a desire in a sort of joint initiative, where you would have a major shareholder and also the fans playing a significant role in the club. I know this is something people are investigating. "Any new regime coming in has to understand that the fans do want to work with them. "But I would say that from the people we have been speaking to there are positive noises about that. "They understand that having the fans onside ââ?¬â?? via a membership scheme where people can invest and contribute to the football club, and have a say in the football club ââ?¬â?? works well abroad." Rangers fans could, for example, be asked to pay Ã?£1,000 each to become members, with payments spread over five years. At that level 30,000 fans buying membership would raise Ã?£30m. Sir David tried a share flotation in 2004, when Rangersââ?¬â?¢ debt soared to almost Ã?£74m, but it was snubbed by supporters. Of the Ã?£51m raised at the time, Sir David himself contributed Ã?£50m. "That was effectively a referendum on David Murrayââ?¬â?¢s performance," said Mr Edgar. "That was the fans saying ââ?¬Ë?you got us into this, you have to do something about itââ?¬â?¢. "If there was a new, dynamic, go-ahead regime coming into Rangers the fans would want to get involved and theyââ?¬â?¢d want to back it." Meanwhile, supporters upset by how Lloyds has introduced an unforgiving budgetary plan at Ibrox will protest with banners during todayââ?¬â?¢s SPL match against Dundee United at Tannadice. The banners will refer to new director Donald Muir as "the enemy within". http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/rangers-rescue-plan-b-ask-fans-to-help-buy-the-club-1.929642

The race for control of Rangers Football Club is now on. Gersnet takes a look at the runners and riders ahead of what will be an interesting few weeks in the run up to 2010. Who is involved and who is your favourite? Dave King Based in South Africa and with associated financial/tax problems in that country the millionaire businessman and non-executive director of Rangers is the huge favourite in many people's eyes. Possibly the only rider with the kind of net worth that is required to own a football club outright. Evens Douglas Park Lanarkshire based transport tycoon is a well kent face at Ibrox. Owner of the popular bus company and several car franchises, the Park family are popular within the support. Whilst their wealth may not be in the same league as King; their financial support of that bid may be crucial to win over fans who doubt King's reputation. Evens Paul Murray Another non-executive director of the club, Murray (no relation to SDM) has an excellent business pedigree and though not as likely to put up as much funds, his undoubted experience and loyalty to the club will prove invaluable to any alleged consortium. Evens James Mortimer James Mortimer�s Lynnet Leisure has long been established as a formidable entertainment presence in the west of Scotland. This vast experience and personal wealth will mean the club entrepreneur will be an interested participant - if not a likely winner of the Ibrox Stakes. 5/1 Satty Singh Satty Singh is one of Scotland�s leading businessmen with a variety of successful ventures on his CV. In 2005, Satty became the first Asian person to hold the position of Director of Rangers Youth Development Fund and it is this undoubted commitment to the club which holds him in high regard by the support. His recent work in PR would prove useful in terms of having the contacts to revive Rangers. 10/1 Andy Smillie The no-holds-barred scaffolding magnate is one contender that many fans would like to see form an important part of the club. Another high-net worth supporter who has worked on a range of club projects in the past, Smillie will no doubt be interested in building the framework to repair our club. 20/1 The Rangers Support The continued single biggest investor into the club; the Rangers support is nonetheless an outside bet to be involved. More likely to be used by the other riders as a shield to their chances of winning; a lack of one single jockey may mean the support could be unseated before the first hurdle. Will the blinkers also hinder it? Who can get this difficult horse under control? 50/1 An interesting line-up then and no matter one's opinion on each contender they will all be wearing red, white and blue. Is this likely to be a competition though or can the riders work together to have a joint winner? Certainly the stakes have never been higher so leadership, direction and communication will be imperative for the credibility of the favourites. What is clear is that this is an opportunity to redefine our club, improve it and ensure the future is one that we can all subscribe to while maximising the chances of success. Any genuine winner should be working with the others to deliver this and not be using Rangers (or the fans' loyalty) as a chance to increase their profile whilst forgetting to safeguard the long term future of one of Scotland's most successful football club. The race is about to start. Who has made the correct preparations? Who is your money on? And they're off.....!

From the BBC website.

Probably not but according to the text/rumour it has...... Stolen from another forum BTW. I think it's BS but you never know. Fingers crossed.

Celtic have the chance to move to the top of the Scottish Premier League if they can beat Hamilton at New Douglas Park. More...

Wrote this before the Aberdeen game but couldn't get it posted right on the main site before it. Given an impotent attacking display it's still relevant though.

There have been a lot of stories, a lot of speculation and even worse - downright scare-mongering going on this summer when it comes to Rangers and it's finances. First off, let me state that I know full well we are not exactly in the optimum of financial health, I know that we are at the peak of our borrowing facility and I know that we are still having major issues with cash-flow at the moment. It still doesn't quite justify entirely the stealth cost-cutting and debt reduction exercises being carried out at Ibrox this summer to be honest. We have the same debt as Hearts yet they continue to recruit players, Kilmarnock have around �£15m worth of debt but operate with a turnover which is just a fraction of ours. Hamilton were even declared insolvent during a recent court case with former assistant manager John McCormack recently. Which begs the question: What is the motivation behind cost-cutting? Is it to reduce the debt? Definitely. Are there other reasons? Again, definitely....In my opinion at least. David Murray wants out of Ibrox and has done for a number of years now. There have been strong rumours that businessman Douglas Park has been interested in taking over from Murray, and Northern Ireland MP David Burnside has been credited with interest as well. But it is rumoured that when the due-dillgence procedure has taken place at the club - which has occured a couple of times supposedly - The debt levels and income streams simply don't justify the level of expenditure each party would require to make. So a Rangers side with a minimal wage-bill, serviceable even without Champions League football, and zero or reduced debt would surely be much more appealing. I genuinely think there is a strong possibility that the club will change hands within the next 12 months. David Murray's tenure has been very mixed - The last decade in particular has been dominated by a catalogue of off-field disasters - which has subsequently lead to a few of the on-field variety as well. Gambles that never paid off - Not spending cash when we should have - Spending cash when we shouldn't have....I could go on. It's pretty clear to me that whatever side of the fence you're on, fresh-thinking, new ideas and a new approach are required in the board-room at Ibrox. As our current chairman has struggled badly in an era when the club can't afford to spend it's way out of trouble. http://www.rangers.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=515705

Former Rangers star Marvin Andrews could be set for one more crack at the SPL with Hamilton Accies. Record Sport understands the 33-year-old centre-half is one of a number of players on New Douglas Park boss Billy Reid's radar and he may be offered a deal. Reid wants to bring some experienced players into his young squad for their second SPL season and Andrews fits the bill - if he can prove his fitness. Accies are now back in training and Reid will run the rule over a number of trialists over the next few weeks. Andrews won his 100th cap for Trinidad and Tobago last month and helped Raith Rovers land the Second Division title last season. The big defender, famously a committed Christian, helped Rangers win the 2005 SPL championship on Helicopter Sunday. Andrews injured his cruciate ligament that season but he refused medical treatment and continued to play for the Ibrox side, claiming God would look after him. He only missed one match and became a cult hero with the Rangers support because of his wholehearted and honest approach to the game. Andrews' first club in Scotland was Raith but he moved to Livingston in 2000 and helped the Almondvale outfit lift the 2004 League Cup. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/2009/07/07/exclusive-hamilton-could-hand-marvin-andrews-shock-spl-return-86908-21500821/

Rangers approached season 2008 / 2009 on the back of a frustrating end to the previous season with opinions split as to whether 2007 / 2008 had been a success. On first look, it appeared that 2007/08 could be classed as a success, but under closer scrutiny, some fans, myself included would argue that 2007/08 wasnââ?¬â?¢t a ââ?¬Ë?successââ?¬â?¢. Yes, we managed to secure the domestic cup double. However, we struggled to defeat DUFC and QotS in the respective finals. We managed to take the SPL title race into the last game of the season, but ultimately lost the league race. There were many excuses given for losing the league and whilst most, if not all, had their merits, the truth of the matter was that we were so far ahead that losing the league was criminal. One aspect of the season that was a success was our European run. A good showing in the CL was followed by an appearance in the UEFA Cup Final. It was ironic that we started the 2008/09 season with a European tie and ironic that after such a great adventure last season, our European ambitions were killed off before they got started. Drawn against Kanaus, we fully expected Rangers to progress but sadly, we lost the tie and would have no European football to look forward to. We were hardly ââ?¬Ë?activeââ?¬â?¢ in the transfer market prior to being knocked out of the CL qualifiers with little or no players to ignite the imagination, never mind the season. Once knocked out of Europe however, SDM gave the green light for Walter Smith to sign much needed players. Carlos Cueller was sold to Aston Villa and we signed Boogie, Mendes, Miller, Lafferty, Velicka, Edu and Davis (apologies if Iââ?¬â?¢ve missed anyone). Joining CC out of the door would be JCB and Daniel Cousin but Daniel Cousin would deliver an unforgettable leaving present. Our SPL campaign stared with a trip to Falkirk Stadium and it was hardly an auspicious start to the league. We struggled from start to finish and can thank Allen McGregor for making a fine save from the penalty spot before Velicka scored on his Rangers debut when he tapped in a Lafferty cut back. We then welcomed Hearts to Ibrox and secured a 2-0 victory in a vastly improved performance. After setting up Velicka the previous week, Kyle Lafferty opened his Rangers account with a well placed shot from the edge of the box. We didnââ?¬â?¢t secure all three points until deep into injury time when Kris Boyd opened his account for the season from the penalty spot after Kenny Millerââ?¬â?¢s penetrating run was halted by a crude challenge. Next up was our first visit to our friends in the Granite city where we were denied a third successive victory thanks to the first of many questionable refereeing decisions going against us. After David Weir nodded us in front, we conceded a soft equaliser but wwnt on to dominate the game. As the match draw to a close, Beasley slammed home a sweet shot that everyone in the ground assumed to be the winner. However, the assistant referee flagged (wrongly) for offside and Rangers were robbed of a deserved victory. Hardly the ideal preparation for our first visit of the season to Parkheadââ?¬Â¦.. As per usual, we approached the OF game wondering what weird and wonderful team selection WS would deploy. As the teams were announced the surprise inclusions were that of Charlie Adam and Daniel Cousin. Both would play a part in what was an awesome performance and a fantastic victory. Daniel Cousin opened the scoring with a majestic solo effort leaving Wilson for dead before firing past the Polish Clown. Samaras equalised for Celtc, but Rangers went from strength to strength and steamrollered their hosts. Two goals from Kenny Miller on his return to Parkhead (one fantastic volley and one gift wrapped tap in courtesy of the Clown) added the icing to a breath-taking Pedro Mendes strike. Nakamura scored a late consolation direct from a free-kick for the home team after he was blatantly fouled by a blade of grass. That strike failed to dampen the celebrations in the away end as Rangers ran out easy winner. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR-hiAyFFIA&feature=related]YouTube - The Filth 2-4 Rangers (HIGH QUALITY)[/ame] Following the OF victory, Rangers faced Motherwell and Kilmarnock at Ibrox and securing six points from those two games was a must as our next away fixture as a tricky looking visit to Easter Road. We managed to secure all six points with two close fought 2-1 victories in uninspiring performances. In the middle of these SPL fixtures we played Partick Thistle in a League Cup fixture and can count ourselves lucky to have left Firhill with a extra-time victory. However, no one could deny the quality of our goals from Boyd and Mendes ââ?¬â?? two absolute screamers. Our visit to Easter Road was similar to our visit to Parkhead in that we completely dominated the game and ran out 3-0 winners thanks to two wonderful finishes from Kenny Miller and one from Boogie. It was a fantastic way to finish off the month of September as we were only scheduled to play two SPL fixtures in October. Firstly we visited Love Street for the final time with St Mirren languishing at the foot of the SPL title. We were absolutely woeful in the game and St Mirren deserved their 1-0 victory. We then travelled to a wet and wind-swepted New Douglas Park and found ourselves a goal down and staring at back to back defeats. Up stepped Kris Boyd to bag a brace and Nacho Novo secured all three points with a late strike. We also hosted Hamilton in the League Cup and Ibrox and progressed thanks to a 2-0 victory. Highlight of the opening months ââ?¬â?? the form of Pedro Mendes and Steven Davis ââ?¬â?? the 4-2 OF demolition and the 3-0 victory at Easter Road Low Point ââ?¬â?? the 1-0 loss to St Mirren plus the poor performance at Falkirk Player Of The Opening Three Months ââ?¬â?? Pedro Mendes Cammy F - :spl:

Hamilton's Czech Republic goalkeeper Tomas Cerny tells BBC Scotland that he is keen to extend his stay at New Douglas Park beyond this season. More...

WALTER SMITH was delighted with Rangers' commitment and work-rate throughout the 1-0 win over Hamilton Accies. But the gaffer admits his players made it difficult for themselves by squandering several goalscoring opportunities. Barry Ferguson's goal on 35 minutes was thoroughly deserved but the men in blue could not add to their advantage which made it a nervy finish at New Douglas Park. Kirk Broadfoot and Steve Davis in the thick of the actionDespite Hamilton's excellent home record Rangers dominated this fixture and Smith was beaming from ear to ear after the final whistle. He said: "I think this was always going to be a difficult game but I was delighted with the way we set out. We started the game very well. "It's never easy to come here and get a win but we did that although our final pass could have been better at times. "When you let chances pass you are always a bit concerned in the latter stages but overall I thought we were excellent." With Pedro Mendes missing with a thigh strain Smith handed Mo Edu his second league start and the American was impressive alongside Fergie in midfield. He said: "I thought Maurice did very well. New Douglas Park is a difficult place to come to but I thought he was terrific. "I did say to him when he arrived in Scotland that it might take him time to settle. Mo Edu "He is still young and only had one season in the MLS. "But I think he has the potential to be an exceptional midfielder and he will be learning all the time from our midfielders at the club. "When you look at Barry, Pedro and Steven Davis they have been excellent this season and it was good to see Barry score. "He took his goal well and I thought today he had his best game for us since coming back in to the team. "But I am happy with the way we are playing in general right now and we have settled down after being a bit inconsistent earlier in the season. "We will now look forward to our game against Inverness. "Pedro is likely to miss this one but I hope he will be back next weekend."

It was one thing recently for the Old Firm to drop out of the Deloitte Top-20 List for Europeââ?¬â?¢s richest football clubs: when you consider the Milans, Real Madrids and Manchester Uniteds of this world, what right do either Rangers or Celtic have to be permanently hobnobbing with the elite? Within the Scottish context, though, I was still shocked by the poor financial health of Rangers, given their most recent set of accounts issued in recent days. It was alarming, even given their Champions League exit in August, to note that Rangersââ?¬â?¢ turnover amounted to a feeble Ã?£21 million ââ?¬â?? almost Ã?£13 million down on the previous year and just 44 per cent of Celticââ?¬â?¢s equivalent figure. Even worse were the ancillary figures in their interim report. Rangers made a pretax loss of Ã?£2.7 million, down Ã?£6 million on 2007, and their retained loss was Ã?£4 million, a decline of Ã?£6.2 million on the previous year. It appears that Rangers are on course this season for a total income-from-trading of around Ã?£42 million to Ã?£43 million, way below the target the Ibrox hierarchy should be hitting in this day and age. Or, put it another way, the amount of business that Rangers will generate in the present financial year will be less than Celtic posted for their first six months. Sir David Murray recently rebuked ââ?¬Å?the amateur economistsââ?¬Â who had been poring over Rangersââ?¬â?¢ figures and picking holes. In one sense he is on sure ground: his business track record stands as a testament to his financial bravado and risk-taking. But Murray, surely, will deplore the fact that Rangers are falling so far behind Celtic in almost every area off the park. Compared with Rangersââ?¬â?¢ six-month Ã?£4 million loss, Celtic have just posted an Ã?£8 million profit, and are making millions more than Rangers from their commercial affairs. The Old Firm were never meant to be as unequal as this. Even worse now is that old, dreaded subject of Murray and Rangers: debt. Four years ago, Murray, scolded by coverage of Rangersââ?¬â?¢ near Ã?£80 million net debt, vowed to wipe out the Ibrox overload and proceeded to chip away at it. Ultimately, it took the absorption of the Rangers debt by Murrayââ?¬â?¢s umbrella company, Murray International Holdings, to fix the problem, but, nonetheless, fixed in that sense it was. But look at it now. Rangers tried and failed to sell a principal playing asset during January, and now we know why. Their figures to December 31 have set alarm bells ringing again, and the Ibrox debt is once more estimated to be somewhere between Ã?£25 million and Ã?£30 million and rising. Again, the contrast with Celtic will pain those Rangers fans who crave the day when their club are back on a healthy footing. Celtic have just announced that their debt is less than Ã?£1 million, which means that, over the next two years, they will be in a far healthier position to enhance their team. Given all this, when you recall the August day that Rangers sold Carlos CuÃ?©llar to Aston Villa for Ã?£8 million, it all makes more sense now. Rangers will not have received all of that money up front, but their loss-making would have looked even worse had CuÃ?©llar not been sacrificed. It is putting it too strongly to say that Rangers are back in a financial mess, but their financial performance is deeply unimpressive. The question is, who is to blame? Many Rangers fans are asking: why is their club being run so much worse than Celtic? Is Murray to blame? Is Martin Bain, the clubââ?¬â?¢s chief executive, at fault? Is it Andrew Dickson, Rangersââ?¬â?¢ head of football administration and Bainââ?¬â?¢s right-hand man? Someone is certainly falling below standards inside Ibrox. Murray cites the Champions League as if it is a cureall. He was at it again on Friday, claiming that ââ?¬Å?the importance of qualifying for the Champions Leagueââ?¬Â was underpinned by Rangersââ?¬â?¢ poor financial figures. The Champions League, however, should not be the be-all and end-all of their commercial worth. Given that qualifying for Europeââ?¬â?¢s elite club tournament has been an erratic business in recent years, Rangers should have a business formula in place that preserves them when they are not in Europe. Right now, evidently, that formula has escaped the clubââ?¬â?¢s boardroom. And another thing... Undermining of Strachan so difficult to fathom These days some of the most embittered and aggrieved football supporters I come across are those of Celtic. There is a vocal rump of them who dislike Gordon Strachan, dislike the football his team play, and have constantly disliked his signing policy. ââ?¬Å?Strachan demeans Celtic,ââ?¬Â one of them told me recently, while another fan I spoke to actually said: ââ?¬Å?He is not a manager worthy of Celticââ?¬â?¢s name.ââ?¬Â And just to stem the conspiracy theorists, both of these people were of my own faith-tradition, which is to say, of the Reformed tradition. And they donââ?¬â?¢t seem to be alone among Celtic fans in their views. It leaves me wondering . . . if Strachan does go on to make it four championships in a row with Celtic, just how the heck are these people going to explain their position? It would be indefensible, wouldnââ?¬â?¢t it? Refreshing attitude One of the most refreshing parts of my tasks from last week was hearing out James McCarthy on the subject of bigotry. The young Hamilton Academical star has a right to feel as vehement as anyone on the subject, given the abuse he takes from the terraces, yet McCarthy was utterly refreshing when asked about the anticipated singing of The Famine Song by Rangers supporters at New Douglas Park on Saturday. ââ?¬Å?It doesnââ?¬â?¢t bother me in the slightest,ââ?¬Â McCarthy said. ââ?¬Å?These people are just idiots. There are always people in a crowd who want to abuse me, but it just goes in one ear and out the other. Like I say, itââ?¬â?¢s a bunch of idiots shouting.ââ?¬Â With an attitude like this, sometimes I wonder why the rest of us bother about such chants. If McCarthy can bring himself to laugh it off, and believes that it just makes the choristers seem slightly thick, why should the rest of us care about it? Laborious process So Henry McLeish, Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s former first minister, is to chair a coalition committee wherein a procedure for streamlining between Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s three football governing bodies ââ?¬â?? the SFA, the SPL and the SFL ââ?¬â?? is to be established. Would someone wake me up once they have their findings? Young guns misfire It was billed as the John Fleck v James McCarthy show at New Douglas Park on Saturday, but neither showed up in the Hamilton-Rangers game. Fleck was dropped by Rangers, while McCarthy, who did play, failed to ââ?¬Å?turn upââ?¬Â in the old, disparaging phrase for footballers who donââ?¬â?¢t perform. May it serve as a lesson to those ââ?¬â?? and Iââ?¬â?¢ve been counted among them myself ââ?¬â?? who have tended to speak of these two young players as if young Diego Maradonas have appeared among us in Scotland. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/scotland/article5828321.ece

JORDAN MCMILLAN will have mixed emotions this weekend when he sits in the stands at New Douglas Park to watch Rangers take on Hamilton Accies. The young defender moved on loan to Billy Reid's side at the start of January and has grown fond of his new surroundings and teamates Jordan McMillanBut he has never hidden his love for the Gers and when his current deal with the Accies ends in May he will return to Murray Park with one objective in mind - to make the grade as a first-team player with the club he has always supported. Jordan will not feature in Saturday's game due to an agreement between the clubs but is now fit and ready for action having suffered a frustrating spell on the treatment table with a hamstring injury picked up in his first game against Ross County on January 10. Getting back in to the Hamilton first-team will be easier said than done for the 20-year-old who has watched on as the club went on a six game winning streak before losing in the SPL to Motherwell on February 14. They then got back to winning form against Falkirk last weekend. McMillan has been hugely impressed with the group of players he has joined and insists Rangers will have to be at their best if they are to get three points from this weekend's crucial SPL clash. He said: "Hamilton are definitely an up and coming team just now and there is a good mix of youth and experienced players. "The young lads are bursting with enthusiasm which undoubtedly helps the team. "I have been well impressed with the likes of James McArthur, James McCarthy and Brian Easton. "They have been very good and you can see that there are players coming through behind them for the future also. Jordan McMillan and Paul McGowan "But to balance things up you have more experienced pros such as Mark McLaughlin who has a key role for the Accies. "He is 33 and you can learn a lot from the way he conducts himself and his attitude to training and games, he is a lot like Davie Weir. "He always wants to help the young kids and that helps a lot. "I definitely think Hamilton has a great team spirit and they are going places. "They will be up for the game against Rangers and will go in to it with no fear. "They recently went six games unbeaten so I think the boys are confident they can beat anyone and stay in the SPL which would be a great achievement." Jordan is hoping he can now play his part in the SPL run-in with the Accies and show Billy Reid and the management team at Rangers that he is ready to take the next step in his blossoming career. He said: "It's been great being at Hamilton, I needed the change to be honest. Jordan McMillan"I have been at Rangers for a long time and found it difficult to push in the first-team this season "So I had to go out and gain a bit of first-team experience. "It's just a pity that I broke down with an injury almost straight away but that has cleared now and I am just desperate to get back in the team and get a few games under my belt. "Leaving Rangers was not something I never really intended on doing. "I always said that I am a massive Bluenose and in the last couple of seasons when I spoke to the Rangers News I always said I never wanted to leave at any point. I want to be kicked out the door. "But as a career opportunity coming to Hamilton has been hugely beneficial and it was something I had to do. "I spoke to a lot of experienced players and the coaches at Murray Park as well as my family. "I looked for advice from everyone really and with the size of the first-team squad at Rangers right now it is difficult to break through. "But being at Hamilton has opened my eyes a lot in a good way. "They are an up and coming team and are trying to establish themselves in the SPL as am I. Pedro Mendes "That is why I decided to join the club until the end of the season and I have learned a lot. "You are fighting for a different cause and I had to adapt quickly. "But it has been a great experience and I couldn't have asked for a better bunch of boys to be working with." Walter Smith recently admitted his first-team squad could be trimmed from 28 players down to 20 in the summer with several youngsters being drafted in to make up the difference. Jordan believes this will provide a massive incentive for every Reserve and under-19 player at Murray Park and he will be doing everything in his power to secure one of those places. He said: "Obviously when you are at Rangers it is more difficult to push in to the first-team because of the quality there and the size of the squad. "But it has been well documented that that the gaffer will cut the number down a bit and this could give more youngsters a chance. Kris Boyd celebrates"We will wait and see what happens but I have no doubt that there are players in the Rangers Reserve team that could come to Hamilton and play every week. "I look at things just now and there are young boys at the Accies who have played over 100 games at first-team level and you can see they have benefited from that. "Of course the pressures at Rangers are totally different and that always has to be taken in to account. "The team is expected to play well and win convincingly every week, a draw is seen as a disaster. "At Hamilton it is all about getting results. There was a stage there where the team did not play to their best but kept clean sheets and got points on the board. "Sometimes that is what football is all about. "So it is a different culture but it is something I am really enjoying and I am thankful to the manager Billy Brown for giving me this opportunity."

by Lindsay Herron RANGERS have been hit with a pre-match blow ahead of the lunchtime clash at Hamilton with the news that Pedro Mendes will miss out. The Portuguese playmaker is suffering from a slight thigh strain and it's enough for him to sit out the match at New Douglas Park. Mendes had been troubled with a knock in the build-up to last week's Kilmarnock match but produced a terrific performance. He will miss out today but the Murray Park medical team think he will be OK for Wednesday's match against Inverness Caley Thistle. The loss of Mendes will cause some disruption for Walter Smith. He may decide to bring Steve Davis into a more central role and use a more attacking player on the right side or he could bring in Maurice Edu to partner Barry Ferguson. We will have the full team news from New Douglas Park fastest and first right here.

KYLE LAFFERTY believes that the current Rangers squad have the confidence to carry on their title charge between now and the end of the season. Kyle LaffertyAs his side prepare to face Hamilton at New Douglas Park the Northern Ireland striker says the turn around in fortunes in 2009 has given them renewed belief. Since falling seven points behind Celtic after defeat in the final Old Firm game of 2008, Walter Smith's side have overhauled that deficit to return to the top of the SPL on goal difference. And Lafferty insists that they have what it takes to maintain that run and bring the league trophy back to Ibrox. He said: "I think a lot of people wrote us off when Celtic went seven points clear but there was still a lot of belief in the squad and in the coaching staff and that's still the case. "Everyone's confident that if we keep going the way we are we will win the title. "Celtic will feel they can win it and we believe we can win it. So it's up to us to go about things in the right way - if we do that I think we will win it. Kyle Lafferty"We're happy because I think over the last two months we've been playing some really good football and Celtic have dropped some points when we were picking up them up. "But there are still a lot of games to go and we can't get too carried away. We have to keep trying to go about things and looking to pick up points where we can until the end of the season." Tomorrow's meeting with Billy Reid's side will Rangers' fourth of the season and despite bagging twelve goals in the previous three matches between the sides the Gers have experienced their troubles against the SPL new boys. Hamilton have twice taken the lead before Rangers turned the games round and Lafferty expects a similarly tough encounter in a game that kicks of a run of important matches for his side. He added: "Hamilton are a good side and they caused us a few problems before and the next four weeks will be a difficult spell. "It will be interesting to see how we come out at the end and if we get maximum points I think we will be looking good."

WALTER SMITH is firmly anticipating a tough encounter when Rangers travel to Hamilton aiming to stay top of the SPL. Rangers are in a position to move three points clear before Celtic kick off at home against St Mirren if they can beat Hamilton in the early start at New Douglas Park. However, Smith is taking nothing for granted. He has been impressed with the way Billy Reid has got things going so well that the Accies are on the verge of the top six. He said; "I think when you look at Hamilton at the start of the season they were in a situation where they had just achieved two very consistent seasons in the First Division. "Kris BoydThey had just missed out on promotion two years ago and then got it last season so they were coming into the Premier League in good shape. "That showed in the early games of the season when they were full of enthusiasm and achieved some good results. "There was a period where they dropped down again but the changes that Billy Reid has made have been significant ones and it has been a terrific bit of management by him. "His changes have been really good ones and he has got them into a position where they looking to push for a top six position which would be a fantastic achievement. "We went one down the last time we went to Hamilton so we know that Saturday lunchtime is a very big date for us. "I have been impressed with a lot of their players - and not just the young ones. I think you have to look at the team overall and they have done very well. "It's their teamwork and togetherness that has got them through and as I said Billy deserves a lot of credit." Rangers are likely to be along similar lines when they make the trip to Lanarkshire as the game will come too soon for injured trio DaMarcus Beasley, Lee McCulloch and Nacho Novo.

Team news ahead of Saturday's Scottish Premier League game at New Douglas Park. More...

SPL leaders Celtic travel to New Douglas Park to take on Hamilton Accies. More...

By Andrew Dickson BARRY FERGUSON will make his Scotland comeback against Argentina after being picked for this month's friendly with the South Americans. The Light Blues skipper is yet to play under new national manager George Burley and has missed the team's last six games. Barry FergusonBut after recovering from an ankle injury, he is back and likely to start in the meeting with Diego Maradona's side. Ferguson is one of four Ibrox stars included in a 26-man pool for the glamour friendly at Hampden Park. Kirk Broadfoot's rise in prominence continues as he keeps his place, along with Allan McGregor and Kenny Miller. But there is no place for David Weir, who is surprisingly left out of the group. Kris Boyd is also missing after his recent decision to stop playing for Burley. Rory Loy's month to remember keeps gathering pace and after making his Gers debut against Inverness, he is called into Scotland's under-21 squad for the first time. The young striker has scored eight goals in nine reserve outings this season and he could now face Northern Ireland at New Douglas Park next Tuesday. Joining him in the squad for that game is Steven Lennon. The forward, on loan at Partick, could make his sixth Scots appearance against the Province. A SQUAD: Goalkeepers Craig Gordon (Sunderland) ALLAN McGREGOR (RANGERS) David Marshall (Norwich City)Allan McGregor, Scotland Defenders Graham Alexander (Burnley) Darren Barr (Falkirk) Christophe Berra (Heart of Midlothian) KIRK BROADFOOT (RANGERS) Gary Caldwell (Celtic) Alan Hutton (Tottenham Hotspur) Jamie McAllister (Bristol City) Stephen McManus (Celtic) Gary Naysmith (Sheffield United) Midfielders Scott Brown (Celtic) Kris Commons (Derby County) BARRY FERGUSON (RANGERS) Darren Fletcher (Manchester United) Paul Hartley (Celtic) Shaun Maloney (Celtic) James Morrison (West Bromwich Albion) Barry Robson (Celtic) Forwards David Clarkson (Motherwell) Steven Fletcher (Hibernian) Chris Iwelumo (Wolverhampton W.) Ross McCormack (Cardiff City) James McFadden (Birmingham City) KENNY MILLER (RANGERS)