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Seen it in a few places now, BBC and Official Website. We play the Scottish Cup 5th round replay on the 2nd March then the following evening we're away to Dundee Utd? That can't be right surely? I assume the Dun Utd fixture hasn't been rescheduled yet.

Tournament starts tonight with Rep Ireland v Wales then Scotland v N Ireland tomorrow. I hope its a success, its certainly more attractive than playing the Faroes in a friendly. The only down side for me is it starts this week then completes in May, it would be better just to have the full thing in May. Scotland Squad for NI game:

Be interesting to know who's position would most fans rather be in at the moment.....Celtics on 46pts or us on 41 with 3 games in hand. At this stage of the season id go for the 41 with games in hand as id be confident enough about us winning them, however 2 of our games in hand are tricky with 1 being against Inverness at Ibrox who are our current bogey team and Dundee Utd away. If it was only 1 or 2 games in hand with a closer margin I might opt for the points on the board but considering 2 wins from that 3 would put us top is enough for me to be happy with the standings at the moment. Obviously there is a fixture pile up coming for us and our squad is thin so winning these games isnt a given.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/9351767.stm This all seems extremely odd. How could there have been plans for a vote on 17 January if there was a requirement for a resolution with 14 days notice following the last meeting on 4 January? Did someone forget that there was such a requirement? Did Steven Thompson just point this out to them? Or was there never going to be a vote on the 17th? Why didn't members of the steering group propose the necessary resolution with the required notice following the meeting on the 4th? Perhaps because they knew it was doomed to fail? In any event are Dundee Utd and others using this as a means to rest better terms on the TV money from the OF?

Celtic score first: 2-0 St Johnstone. Goals in 91st and 93rd minute. 1-1 Killie. Equaliser 84th minute. 2-2 ICT. Snatching a draw from the jaws of a 2 goal victory. 1-1 Dundee Utd. Another 2 points dropped with a 94th minute equaliser for their opponents. 1-0 St Mirren. Late victory earnt by 92minute Hooper strike. 0-2 Hearts. A goal in each half earns jambos a victory. First 4 listed were home games, last 2 away. Since Aberdeen 9-0, Celtic have won just 2 games and they have both been courtesy of last minute goals. They have been equally susceptible to last minute or late goals. This run of late goals to win or draw games they have been losing is unlikley to continue though. You can only ride your luck so far. They really are in truly horrible form. I expected them to win today. I just didn't expect them to makes such a meal of it and the fact that it went so long before they broke the deadlock left me hoping for more for St Johnstone. Looking at their current run of form though, if we can beat St Johnstone we will go into the Old Firm knowing that if we can secure a victory that we are more than capable of we will be 5 points clear with a game in hand. From a team that matched us win for win in the first 8 or 9 games, the wheels have fallen off badly and we could all but bury them with a win in the next two games. I dont expect much from the Motherwell team we played today when they travel to Parkhead on the 29th, but with Celtic's home form you never know. And in any case, 2 wins for the Gers in the next two and it wont really matter. It really is a shocking run of form and only a few late strikes has given it any air of respectability. Any worse and it would be the form you'd expect of a bottom 6 outfit. Lets take care of St Johnstone and bury them on the second!

Game re-arranged... http://sport.stv.tv/...ited-v-rangers/

I just noticed the 'pure speshul' player who came nowhere near the criteria required for a work permit but got one anyone on appeal because Celtic told them to currently plays in division 2 in Japan. We also got Maurice Edu on similar grounds but that case had merit and he has since proven his worth for club and country. Given a player proven to be a no mark (Mizuno) was judged to be good enough to not require a proper permit, where does that leave clubs wanting foreign imports who don't meet the criteria in the future? The Mizuno fiasca looks even worse when you consider Jason Scotland was not permitted a new permit to play in the SPL at Dundee Utd. Scotland has since scored freely in the English championship and even played a season in the premiership. Incidentally, this cringeworthy quote is worth a read. This other 'pure speshul' sensation Nakamura who rarely played well against us barely got a game for Espanyol and now plays for Yokohama Marinos :spl: Better than Dalglish :confused: . No wonder Gordan Strachan is such an absymal manager with judgement like that

Our 100% record that is? Next few fixtures: 30/10 Inverness (H) 07/11 St. Mirren (A) 10/11 Hibernian (H) 13/11 Aberdeen (H) 20/11 Kilmarnock (A) 28/11 Dundee Utd (A) Before anyone starts shitting bricks, I know "take it one game at a time" etc etc. Just a wee bit of fun. Potentially our next game where you might expect us to slip up is not until the end of November at Tannadice. Prob means dropped points in an "easier" game like St Mirren or Killie then.

Rangers cruise to the top of the SPL with comfortable win against Arabs on Saturday. http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=305:rangers-4-0-dundee-utd-player-ratings-and-mom-poll&catid=35:analysis&Itemid=67 Although his first touch was poor at times and him and Miller often played too close to each other, I felt :nj: was worthy of the award this week for his overall contribution. It really wasn't until the 2nd half where we really put in enough to secure the points but a variety of players did pretty well and I certainly enjoyed Weiss' trickery on the wing. Also thought McCulloch did very well again and he did more than most to try and up the pace of the game.

For anyone who doesn't know, Collymore called our tactics on Tuesday night a disgrace. Here's Euan Camerons view on our tactics and Stan Collymore. The last line is a belter. Hats off to Euan.

Anyone happen to hear how the Nithsdale boys got on in court with Dundee Utd? Can't find anything in the usual news sites.

Sheep 3 down, :robbo: So much for their great form against bottom six sides .

GERS begin defence of trophy More...

Assuming Jelavic and Weiss sign on the dotted line: Jelavic - WS been chasing him since the World Cup ended. Looks a find and will probably be a starter. Weiss - Impressive at the WC. Provides much needed creativity and width. Beattie - Poacher but has to win a lot of fans over that he isnt past it. Webster - returning from a successful loan spell where he was one of the best defenders in the SPL for Dundee Utd. v Novo - Was Rangers through and through but never guarenteed a start. Big match player. He's the one Im most gutted about losing but if Weiss and Jelavic perform he wont be overly missed! Boyd - split the fans down the middle. Slow? Lazy? poor ball control? Overweight? Never did it against bigger teams / rarely picked against bigger teams? But a insanely good scoring record! Thomson - Hot and cold, was decent when he took the games by scrub of the next but didnt do it near often enough. Smith - Injury practically ended his career a few years back. Was nothing more of a squad player. Beasley - spent more time on the treatment table than in the team. Wilson - One season wonder yet didnt play in most games. Was mentored by Weir IMO and may struggle at Liverpool. Overall our squad is down in numbers by 3 but we have 3 players who will look to get into the first team on a weekly basis while 3 or 4 of those who left werent guarenteed a game on a weekly basis. Sometimes less is more.

Good luck to Dundee Utd. Cant see them going through over 2 games but Tannadice might have a good atmosphere which would be an 12th man for Utd. However AEK are a good side. Hope Motherwell go through also. Would chuckle to see Utrecht win....is their any cups left for Celtic to drop into after this one? Johnstones Paint trophy maybe??? Only consolations of celtic going through would be a seedings boost for the SPL and if they had no European campaign they would be able to fully concentrate on the league...so either way for me. Villa, Liverpool and Man City should all go through.

Eight vacancies available if anyone is interested in joining the Trust board. Pretty certain a few of these 'Rule 64' resignations will be re-applying but with David Edgar definitely resigning, there will be a few places available for those who fancy a stint on the Trust board.

Excellent participation in this and the User Awards (which will try to collate tomorrow) so thanks to everyone who took part. Next year, I think we'll charge you a �£1 by SMS + your operators standard message charge... Anyway, some interesting results and it is always fun to gauge reactions at the end of the season! So without further ado: Gersnet Football Award Results The Gersnet Rangers' Player of the Year Winner: David will be presented with our beautiful Gersnet crystal later in the summer. I spoke to him by phone last night and he was absolutely delighted with our prize and thanks all Gersnet users for their continued support of the team. Runner Up: :sd: Rangers' Young Player of the Year Winner: :wilson: Rangers' Most Improved Player of the Year Winner: :sw: Runner Up: :lm: Rangers' Unsung Player of the Year Winner: :lm: Runner Up: :sp: Rangers' Worst Player of the Year Winner: :kl: Runners Up: :kt: Rangers' Goal of the Season Joint Winner Kenny Miller (v St Mirren) [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnYU0WzmhxY]YouTube- Kenny Miller Vs St Mirren - Co-operative Insurance Cup Final (21.03.10).avi[/ame] and Madjid Bougherra (v Dundee Utd) [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMCngeKCVPE]YouTube- Bougherra Madjid vs dundee unitad 7-1[/ame] SPL Player of the Year Winner: Runner Up: :sd: SPL Young Player of the Year Winner: :wilson: Runner Up: David Goodwillie (Dundee Utd) Most Hated SPL Player Winner: Aiden McGeady (Celtic) Runner Up: Robbie Keane (Celtic) SPL player would you sign for next season Winner: David Goodwillie (Dundee Utd) Runner Up: Anthony Stokes (Hibernian) SPL Manager of the Year Winner: Walter Smith Runner Up: Derek McInnes (St Johnstone) Most Hated SPL Manager Winner: Neil Lennon (Celtic) Runner Up: Mark McGhee (Aberdeen) Best Team Achievement of the Year Winner: Ross County for reaching Scottish Cup Final Runners Up: St Johnstone, Rangers and Dundee Utd Biggest Gaffe of the Season Winner: Tony Mowbray (various) Runner Up: Signing of Robbie Keane Favourite Game of the Season Winner: Rangers 7 - 1 Dundee Utd Runner Up: Rangers 1 - 0 Celtic Thanks to everyone for taking part! :spl: :robbo:

Can you believe this in the Daily Express from Stephen Thomson, chairman of Dundee Utd? I think the best response I've see was over on VB, where someone posted........ "We're not here to be liked, just envied" RANGERS chief executive Martin Bain insists he will not stoop to Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson’s level by being dragged into another public war of words. The duo became involved in a verbal spat last term when United refused to allow Light Blues fans free entry to a rearranged SPL game at Tannadice that had originally been abandoned because of bad weather. And they are on a collision course again after Thompson claimed Rangers were disliked by their SPL rivals. The Arabs supremo has accused the Ibrox side of trying to poach the best young talent from clubs across the country rather than rearing their own stars. And he claims the attitude of Rangers chairman Alastair Johnston and his fellow board members has made the Glasgow club hugely unpopular throughout the game. When contacted, Bain said: “I have no comment to make as I would not lower myself to that level.” Thompson insists that Rangers are trying to buy an entire squad of youth stars by dangling hard cash in front of smaller clubs and their young players. Bain, however, refused to respond to the accusation, although Rangers insiders claim Thompson is wrong. Thompson said: “Rangers have no money in the first team, but at youth level they have a lot of money to spend. They are putting in offers for 16 to 18 kids under 16 and the compensation levels are Ã?£40,000-50,000 a go. That’s the route that they have decided to go down, so they are trying to pick up a crop of everyone else’s development programmes. “And they wonder why other teams in Scotland don’t like them – and I’m talking at chairman and board level.” Bain and Thompson first went head-to-head in December and it’s unlikely that this is the last we will have heard about this particular issue. Back then, United opted to charge Rangers fans half-price for entry to a rescheduled league match after the original game had been abandoned at half-time due to torrential rain. Bain told the Ibrox AGM that United’s stance had made him “disgusted and angry”. Thompson replied: “I think that Martin Bain’s behaviour has been disgraceful.”

The record according to Screebs:

Celtic picked up a 2-0 win at Dundee Utd to leave Rangers needing a win against Hibs to secure the title. More...

I was looking at Walter Smith's stats as a player. They arent bad with Dundee Utd, and he was only loaned out to Dumbarton. I think most people believe he was playing in the lower leagues for years. But in actual fact he only had 2 seasons outwith the current Scottish Premier League. But, does anyone know what position he played?

As we all know, if Celtic fail to beat Utd tomorrow the league is ours. And I have read that some would prefer Celtic to win in order that we can win the league on our own. However, in looking at how things stand they are rather interesting : We will win the league on our own merits regardless - a league is won over 38 games, not just 1 (or should that be 34 or 35 games.....) But rather more interesting is if Utd defeat Celtic tomorrow. If they manage that then there will be just 4 points difference with 9 still to play for (3 games). Utd then play us the following weekend whilst Celtic are at home to Motherwell. Whilst you wouldn't expect Well to take anything from Parkhead it is still feasible with how poor Celtic have been this season. Couple that with the fact that Utd play us at Tannadice that weekend and, with the league won if Utd take points off Celtic tomorrow, there is no reason why we shouldnt give our champions some much needed rest and bring in some youngsters.... which could yield a further 3 points for Utd.... Then onto the penultimate week where Utd will be away to Hearts (who look like they will have little to play for) and they will have known the outcome of the Old Firm game. We are more than capable of going to Parkhead and winning. If we do, and Utd take full points at Tynecastle, then the gap between 2nd and 3rd would be reduced by 3 points again. The final weekend of league action sees Utd at home to Hibs. Tough game but certainly plausible that Utd could pick up full points. Meanwhile Celtic will be at Tynecastle and, whilst Hearts will have nothing to play for, Celtic could be in the position of looking over their shoulder at Utd and the pressure could result in an upset. There are still many variables, and different outcomes could prevail, but it is not outwith the realm of possibility that a Utd win tomorrow sees Celtic in a very precarious, and real, position of not even taking 2nd place....

Rangers are a point closer to the SPL title after a disappointing draw versus ten man Dundee Utd at Tannadice. http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=257:dundee-utd-0-0-rangers-player-ratings-and-mom-poll&catid=35:analysis&Itemid=67 :me: wins the MotM award for me amidst another performance of mediocrity.

Seems to be a swell of sources suggesting that the final Old Firm game of the season will be a mid-week fixture. Mainly because the police/SPL don't want us winning the title there, don't want the game on a bank holiday weekend and, this, in conjunction with all police leave allegedly being cancelled for the afore-mentioned date, leaves only that day for the fixture. Apparently, Sunday is when the post-split fixtures will be released officially. We're expected to have 2 home games out of the 5 - probably one against Dundee Utd and the other versus Motherwell.

Hibernian play host to Dundee United on Wednesday aiming to overtake them in the race to finish third. More...