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  1. Part One of the Treble has been completed and with a healthy lead in the SPL, Rangers travel to Dundee to retain their interest in the Scottish Cup. With injuries and suspensions again starting to build up, tomorrow evening's task won't be an easy one at a ground we regularly struggle at. First change to the team will be in defence with Allan McGregor a certainty to be recalled after his usual CIS holiday at the weekend. Despite his red card at Hampden, Danny Wilson should keep his place alongside captain Davie Weir, with Bougherra still out with a hamstring tear. Whittaker and Papac should complete our usual back five of late in the full-back roles although the former has been linked with a move into midfield. With Kirk Broadfoot also injured and Andy Little unimpressive at right back, that is unlikely. Injuries and suspension will also ensure a new look midfield for this vital cup tie. An injury time booking at Ibrox in the first game means he's suspended for the replay. Kevin Thomson is also suspended but if rumoured Rangers appeal his red card, he may be available while that process takes its course. Meanwhile, Steven Davis didn't train today but the manager and fans alike will be hoping he can make the starting line-up tomorrow. However, with difficult matches in the league coming up, he may be given a few more days to fully recover from the viral infection which seen him substituted at half-time at the Cup Final. Fortunately, despite our rapidly thinning squad, we still have a range of options for deputies. Maurice Edu has looked good in recent weeks so will assume a central midfield role irrespective of Davis' fitness. Other players in the frame will be Novo, Beasley, Naismith, Lafferty and Fleck who all have experience of a variety of midfield roles. Youngsters Jamie Ness and Thomas Kind Bendiksen are unlikely to be utilised although both have been training with the first team squad. Moving into attack and most bears will be expecting the fruitful partnership of Miller and Boyd to again be our front two. However, don't rule out a return to 4-5-1 tomorrow given Boyd's recent form has been below par while the likes of Naismith and Fleck play better in deeper roles. Kyle Lafferty will also be desperate for a return to a striking role if required. All in all, Walter Smith may decide to freshen up his squad and tactics after signs of stagnation in the last couple of months. However, with several first team players unavailable it is doubtful he'll make any more changes than already required even if the Scottish Cup may not hold the same significance as the League. The same character, commitment and industry seen on Sunday after going to 9 men will be required again tomorrow night if we're to keep our Treble hopes alive. Possible team (4-4-2): :sw: :wilson: :sp: :sn: :sd: :me: :nn: :kb: Prediction: Dundee Utd 1 : 2 Rangers
  2. Just so we know it's not just Timothy who is paranoid...these quotes are from Cricinfo.com and relate to England's win over Bangladesh (BD) this morning. Must be an ex-pat celt, I reckons. and a textbook reply... You can tell how heartbroken I am at the defeat to Dundee Utd by the fact that I'm reading the cricket scores...
  3. Miller through last week against Dundee Utd, with only the keeper to beat. Gets brought down. Chances of scoring if no foul? 90%. Ref gives yellow card Man Utd game yesterday. Valencia running towards goal in control of the ball and gets brought down. Chances of scoring if no foul? 50%. Ref gives yellow card. Cup final, and a high ball over the top, with a St Mirren player running towards a difficult bouncing ball, had not touched it and definitely not in control of it. Chances of scoring if no foul? 5%. Ref gives red card. The inconsistency is very frustrating.
  4. Kevin Thomson will miss Wednesday's Scottish Cup replay, but Rangers team-mate Danny Wilson is clear to play despite both being sent off on Sunday. Wilson's offence was denying a goalscoring opportunity to Craig Dargo in the 1-0 Co-operative Insurance Cup final win over St Mirren. And his one-match ban will come into effect in next season's competition. But Thomson's tackle on Stevie Thomson was deemed serious foul play and he misses the match against Dundee United. The offence also took the midfielder over the points threshold and he will miss one Scottish Premier League game from 4 April, with Aberdeen due to visit Ibrox that Wednesday. MY SPORT: DEBATE Give your reaction to Rangers' suspensions Thomson's absence adds to Rangers' selection headache for this week's replay at Tannadice. Steven Davis is doubtful after coming off at half-time during Sunday's win over St Mirren. The Northern Ireland international had been a doubt for that game through illness and had clearly not recovered as he failed to make an impact before being replaced by Maurice Edu. Lee McCulloch is definitely unavailable to fill one of the midfield spots as the Scotland international is also serving a cup suspension. Meanwhile, Madjid Bougherra and fellow defender Kirk Broadfoot remain absentees with hamstring injuries. Rangers are hoping that the Hampden win will be the first leg of a domestic treble. The SPL leaders must overcome United at Tannadice if they are to retain hopes of retaining the Scottish Cup, with First Division Raith Rovers facing the winners in the semi-finals. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/8580683.stm
  5. andy_steel examines more hypocrisy from managers who should know better... http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=236:houston-we-have-a-problem&catid=1:articles&Itemid=67 Another game, another moan. This time, Dundee Utd's Peter Houston- you may or may not have heard of him - muses aloud (read: questions referee's impartiality) whether the two penalties Rangers were awarded against his mediocre Dundee Utd team by referee Dougie MacDonald would have been given to his side. That the first one would have been given in 99% of games eludes him. That the second was a hideous manifestation of modern striking - i.e., hitting the deck at the slightest contact - is also too complex a theory for Mr Houston to digest. As one who grew up in the 80s, watching Andy Gray and Graeme Sharp beast English defences in the old Division One, and who before that had seen the likes of John Wark, Paul Mariner, and closer to home our own Colin McAdam throw their weight around, it does grate on the nerves to see grown men collapse when threatened with the body odour of a nearby defender. However, if Peter Houston is trying to convince me that on the Tannadice training pitch, he daily enjoins his front men to stay on their feet unless absolutely hammered by an opponent, and that they alone amongst 21st century football clubs play up, play up and play the game, he's got a long way to go. In short: bullshit! There's not a player in the tangerine of United who would stay on his feet any more than Kris Boyd, the Rangers striker in question this week. I'm quite happy to admit that most modern strikers are as wobbly on their feet as a drunk man on Port au Prince High Street. I can't see how we get from that to 'refs are biased toward Rangers!', though. I can see how we get from that to 'I want to put pressure on refs before the replay!,' though. But that premise rests on some assumption that Rangers HAVE been getting the breaks, and that all the other, persecuted teams in Scotland must somehow break the cycle of back scratchery between the MeninBlack and their evil, Establishment-linked Masters, based in the Citadel of Doom in south Glasgow. And proving that becomes ever more difficlut when one looks at other decisions, perhaps less widely publicised ones, which have also happened this season. Keeping narrowly to the Scottish Cup, the tournament in which Mr Houston believes he was unfairly penalised, we can quickly find some grist to a quite opposite mill. Consider this quote from our forum's eminent poster, '26th of Foot': This says it all for me. Refs make mistakes, but all teams benefit from them at times. It might not be at the time you really, really want it to: but it will happen at some point. You would think that having benefitted in the previous round from what was blatant cheating and a ref regarded universally as pretty poor, Mr Houston might have had the sense to keep his yap shut, but apparently not. So the question has to be: is he just plain dense, or does he just not think? Being a football manager doesn't mean you HAVE to be stupid, although quite a lot of the evidence on view would lead you to an opposite conclusion. Our own Walter Smith, although perhaps not a devotee of Satre or Montesquieu, is quite patently a clever man, well able to judge when a blast is appropriate, and when a diplomatic bodyswerve is called for. Mark McGhee, though to judge by results not much of a manager, is clearly better equipped to write about football than the vast majority of football writers; Craig Brown seems to me to a most intelligent person. So I can't accept the prima facie case that as a boss, Mr Houston is excused having to think. I have to conclude that he's 'at it.' What a pitiful display from a grown man! What laughable hypocrisy, coming from a Dundee United employee! Certainly I can't speak for anyone else, but I try to leave a legacy my children won't be ashamed of, even if they should think me the biggest prize chump of all time. Don't these football types care that their immature drivel will be preserved online and in print for all eternity? I would love to see a new rule introduced into Scottish football, and beyond for that matter, which would be a maturity test for all managers. Anyone who falls into the maturity range of a toddler (most managers, I feel) would be barred from employment until they have sat in the hall and thought about what they've done. Any display of petulance would be met with a sound spanking, and for repeat offenders no River City for a fortnight. In short, for God's sake - will you please grow up?
  6. Just about to occur. I predict Rangers/Dundee United versus Raith Rovers and ra Sellik versus Hibs/Ross County. Let's hope so?
  7. Have missed a few of these recently so apologies... http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=230:rangers-3--3-dundee-utd-player-ratings-and-mom-poll&catid=35:analysis&Itemid=67 :sd: for me in what was a below average term performance yesterday.
  8. This table is League goals only, he's scored a few in the cups too and I'd imagine has more goals than any of septic's strikers........lol Boyd Rangers 21 Stokes Hibernian 16 Miller Rangers 14 Jutkiewicz Motherwell 10 Riordan Hibernian 9 Samaras Celtic 9 Whittaker Rangers 8 (Right back) !! Fortune Celtic 8 Daly Dundee Utd 7 Kyle Kilmarnock 7 Damian Casalinuovo Dundee Utd 6 Craig St Johnstone 6 Goodwillie Dundee Utd 6 MacDonald St Johnstone 6 McGeady Celtic 6
  9. Has anyone looked at the fixtures for the next month yet for Celtic? Going by the way they have been losing games, there's a distinct possibility it could be all over by February 28th. It's something that is said every season. But this time it could be true when you examine the fixture list. Here's the next few games for Celtic and Rangers Sat 30th January: Hamilton v Celtic Rangers v Falkirk Outcome: Is it possible for Celtic to slip up at New Douglas Park? Possibly! But I'm going for a 2-1 for Celtic and a 2-0 For Rangers. League: p pts 1. Rangers 23 54 2. Celtic 22 44 Tues 2nd Feb Killie V Celtic Outcome: Killie are slowly improving under the 2 Jimmys and a re due a bigish result. I'm going for 1-1. League p pts 1. Rangers 23 54 2. Celtic 23 45 Wed 10th February: Celtic v Hearts Motherwell v Rangers Outcome: We have played fairly crap at Fir Park recently and are due to thrash this lot. I think we will do them this time and get a grinded out result, maybe 1-0. I just fancy Hearts to grind out victories anywhere the now. They are so good at playing defensively and hitting on the break right now. Another draw at Parkhead, probably 1-1. League p pts 1. Rangers 24 57 2. Celtic 24 46 13th/14th February: Aberdeen v Celtic Rangers v Hibs Outcome; Tricky one, if Aberdeen are up for this it could extend our lead. But i don't trust them and think they could lie down to help Celtic in the league 2-0 Celtic We have a tricky one at Ibrox but we'll win 2-1. League p pts 1. Rangers 25 60 2. Celtic 25 49 Sat 20th February Celtic v D.utd St. johnstone v Gers Outcome: Dundee Utd will draw that. We'll scrape another 2-1. League p pts 1.Rangers 26 63 2. Celtic 26 50 Sunday 28th Feb Rangers v Celtic Outcome 2-0 to us league over!!! League p pts 1. Rangers 27 66 2. Celtic 27 50 16 points will be too much!:spl::spl::spl::spl:
  10. It was another agreeable Carlsberg evening in the SPL; with Rangers winning away and Celtic losing at home to widen the gap at the top of the table to ten points. With Rangers topping the SPL form table (the last six games are taken into account) and Celtic languishing behind Hearts, Hibs, Dundee Utd and Aberdeen in sixth position; it is no wonder many bears are getting excited about our SPL chances. While we've not had our player availibility worries to seek of late, key defender Bougherra will be back soon enough and with Mendes, Edu, Naismith, Beasley and Kris Boyd also all back from injury over the next fortnight, that is six important players to have back in the squad as we approach the business end of the season. While injuries shouldn't be used as an excuse for poor performance is has to be acknowledged as a contributory factor to our inconsistent form when we lose our two main strikers and several creative players. Hopefully that should change now and we can get back to our splendid form of late 2009. Looking back for a moment then and the December and January months are always an important period in terms of a successful campaign. Fourteen games over both months including European/domestic cup matches and an Old Firm game all contribute to a time where it is vital to gain as many points as possible. Despite three away matches against the other teams alongside us in the top four, we were the dominant team in December and, despite a less impressive January, we've improved upon our lead. A win on Saturday should see us keep that 7 point gap (even Celtic will surely beat Killie) in place ahead of a cup week break. Of course there is the small matter of the closing transfer window over the next four or five days. It seemed we'd maybe lose Mendes in particular but with the manager saying movement is unlikely in any direction (out with the unused Rothen); I think most of us will be comfortable enough with that. Certainly keeping guys like Bougherra, Davis and Boyd here until the summer at least is vital if we're to retain the title. Beyond that, no-one knows what will happen but a 53rd title will help our financial position hugely and hinder those from the East End who have spent in the region of �£10million this season on various unproven players and a manager who looks as if he'd rather be anywhere than the ever emptier Parkhead. Another CL experience for our club may also induce key players to stay and it will definitely help attract new players. Obviously the takeover situation will be an important factor in all of this as well. However, that is all a long, long way off. Season 2007/2008 saw us throw away a similar cushion to that we have now (under very testing circumstances to be fair) and Celtic also did the same last season. Therefore, the Rangers players and fans should be well aware of how slender our lead actually is. With more difficult matches ahead including another Old Firm match in a month's time, we cannot underestimate the challenge ahead. The art of counting chickens in football is a common one but we cannot relax enough to partake this early in the season. Nonetheless we're in a good position, deserve to be there and have the best squad in the SPL as it stands. It is up to the players to continue to prove that and the fans to support them ahead of what is going to be another roller-coaster ride!
  11. Dundee United and Aberdeen will both be hoping to get back to winning ways this weekend. More...
  12. I'm sitting here purring with pleasure, fired by Guinness and the 7-1 demolition of Dundee Utd. That was so cool. And the thing which is making me happiest is not Boydy hitting 5, or Boogie scoring a 'special', or the 7 point gap above 'them' in the league. Dundee Utd tried to put the boot in tonight. Wee off the balls, elbows, leaving the foot in, they were at it. And Rangers totally refused to take it. The 'highlight' (lowlight?) was their big defender feigning agony in order to get Miller sent off. He maybe deserved it for lashing out a bit: it's soft, but there you go, we all know what happens when there's any sort of action like that. I'm not whining about the sending off. I'm celebrating the reaction. McCulloch whacked the big defender, Little took him out. There was a clear message. We can play you off the park, and if you try the rough stuff we are equally good at kicking you off it too. That's a fearsome combination for the other team. Granted, you get things like Lee McCulloch being suspended; but there the advantage of our squad comes in. It may be thinner than in recent years, but it's still deep enough to have a midfield missing Pedro Mendes, Kevin Thomson and now Lee McCulloch and still be able to field Steve Davis and Maurice Edu in the middle. Good enough for me, anyway. Rangers can boss you, and they can beat you. There's your New Year message for the rest of Scottish football as they try to keep up. Rangers - Better.
  13. Wee Red 9 minutes ago Post #554 Member Avatar Getting on a bit [ * * * * * * * * * * ] Posts: 4,473 Group: Snr. Member Member #439 Joined: 31 December 2004 We will pump the hun next week because we are better than them, and we have a young hungry team. We have not been firing on all cylinders lately, whilst they have been playing SPL well. If we had taken all chances in our last three games we would have at least another 15 goals to our goal difference and be 3 points better off. Rangers are poor by any general standard, Hibs were a shadow of their former teams today, terrible, chucked it at 2-1. Rangers defence is far better than ours without a doubt but we have the midfield and forwards to dominate and score more goals. Hibs goalie was awol. Oh ye of little faith. Unless they drop points to Dundee Utd they will come to CP very cocky and "aye ready" for a fall. Speed and skill, allied to strength and bravery will make the difference. We will win loads of free kicks, so I hope we are practicing them all week. Fortune and McGinn should start with McGeady and Samaras. If Yeung Ki is fit he should be on the bench, Zhi should also play a part as they are both big lads. Artur will play a blinder :spl:
  14. Andy examines the re-emergence of Hibs and what it means for bored Scottish football fans in this interesting pre-Xmas article! http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=187:hats-off-to-the-hibees-the-return-of-event-football&catid=1:articles&Itemid=67 Last week's round of SPL games saw Hibs extend their unbeaten run to 12 matches, which if not a club record must be the best sequence they have had for decades. This Saturday, though, they face the might of a resurgent Rangers, keen to slap down their challenge. I don't know about you, but I'm really looking forward to this game. Just as I was when Hibs, at the start of their good run, came to Ibrox and despite being fairly outplayed, grafted hard and earned a 1-1 draw. Just as I was when the Ibrox side travelled to Tannadice last week to play the then-hotly tipped Dundee United. What a difference from the usual predictable, dreary same as it ever was SPL fare. Great credit must go to both United and Hibs - or should it? For all they have done is assemble a decent squad (in Hibs' case, a good squad), get them playing to a system and have been consistent against the more mediocre sides, like Kilmarnock or Celtic. This is what should be expected EVERY year from at least two teams from Hearts, Hibs, Dundee Utd, and even Aberdeen - they have the support and the infrastructure to deliver such. They shoud be ashamed, bluntly, of their collective performances over the last decade and more. Yes, Rangers and Celtic will still divide the honours between them, yes, they will be a distance away from the others and yes, their best players have been plundered for other teams - but 25 points or more? Ridiculous. Even allowing for a haul of zero points against the Old Firm (and that doesn't usually happen) they should be more than capable of staying within a dozen points of so. But let that pass: this is supposed to be a tribute, not a complaint. The return of games you actually look forward to is bliss, to me. Even Old Firm games don't get me especially excited any more - there's too many of them, the quality is often bloody awful and the sanitised atmosphere has removed the pleasure to be gained from shrieking for 2 hours. So I offer tribute to Hibs, for (at last!) raising their game and making the trip to Easter Road something to shout about. I firmly believe that Rangers will win; but that's not the point. The only way up for Scottish football is for teams outwith Rangers and Celtic to offer a consistent challenge. To give THEIR fans something to believe in, to cheer for, most importantly to turn up for. If two of the three medium sized teams could consistently perform, they would find themselves becoming bigger businesses, find their stadia filling, and they would find Scottish football becoming more attractive to TV revenue streams. It's not rocket science, you find yourself bewildered as to why none of them have managed it before. Be that as it may. Well done to Hibs for their unbeaten run. Well done, too, to United for at least having a go. The game this weekend ought to looked forward to by fans, players and media alike. It's not often the Scottish league calender throws up a 'Super Sunday' type of game: let's hope it's a Christmas cracker.
  15. http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=183:dundee-utd-0-3-rangers-player-ratings-and-mom-poll&catid=35:analysis&Itemid=67 for me but whole team deserve praise for best display of the season! :spl:
  16. Rangers marched back to the top of the SPL table on Tuesday with a convincing 3-0 victory at Dundee Utd. More...
  17. Tannochside Bear gives us the lowdown on recent events with his RSC - the Nithsdale Loyal RSC - versus Dundee Utd who as well all know disgracefully plan to charge fans for a previous game being called off. http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=180 On Sunday 1 November 2009, the SPL match between Dundee United and Rangers was abandoned at half time due to the terrible weather and conditions which were becoming unplayable in the view of the referee, supported by both managers and players. Dundee United made an announcement that the game was being abandoned, and for fans to retain their ticket stubs. The game, in which Rangers were leading 1-0 was deleted from the records as having not happened at all, it is not included in the league tables, it is essentially as if it never started at all. Dundee United's ground regulations include the following, crucial, piece of information regarding matches of this nature. ââ?¬Å?Where a match is abandoned during an all ticket match, the retained portion of that ticket, the value of which will subsequently be determined by the Club, will be valid to exchange or part exchange (if the value is subsequently determined to be less than the full ticket price to be charged for the re-arranged fixture) for a ticket at the re-arranged fixture. Any supporter who cannot attend the re-arranged fixture will be entitled to a refund of the subsequently determined value of the ticket voucher or ticket provided that an application for a refund is received by the Club within 14 days of the date of the re-arranged fixture being announcedââ?¬Â On Wednesday 4 November, the SPL announced that the match was to be replayed on Tuesday 15 December. 12 days later, on Monday 16 November, Dundee United announced that the value of the ticket stubs was to be zero, and that all supporters, regardless of whether they attended the first match or not, were going to be able to purchase a match ticket for Ã?£12. Using their own rules, our RSC wrote to Dundee United on Tuesday 17 November to advise them that we would be seeking proper compensation for the match tickets that were supposed to be worth something, but that Dundee United have stated are worth nothing. As this was 13 days after the fixture was announced, we were within our rights to apply for a refund. On Tuesday 17 November, the copy of the ground regulations previously available on Dundee United's website, mysteriously disappeared. Thankfully we had printed off a copy for our records. On Friday 20 November, having received no reply from Dundee United to our enquiry, we wrote to them again seeking an answer to our letter. This time we received a reply the same day informing us that our enquiry had been passed on "to the relevant parties for comment". We had, since the announcement made by Dundee United on Monday 16 November, been in contact with Glasgow Trading Standards office, who looked at our complaint that we had bought tickets to a football match, had not got what we had paid for, and now our tickets were being invalidated. Trading Standards were very supportive of our view and have continued to be most helpful to us throughout. On Tuesday 1 December we received a full reply from Dundee United to our enquiry. Their defence of their decision was to state that the ticket is only for admittance to the ground and not to see the match. It seems to be their logic that it is only a coincidence that a match just so happens to be taking place when fans buy tickets to enter the ground. They go on to state that they have allowed us the opportunity to purchase replacement tickets without the inconvenience of having to send in the old ticket stubs at a discounted price of Ã?£12. On Thursday 3 December I received a very informative email from the guy at Glasgow Trading Standards who has been helping us, prior to our regular monthly club meeting that night. He explained that complaints to Trading Standards normally have 2 elements to them, a civil and a criminal. The civil is surrounding the contract between the consumer and trader and the criminal if the trader has breached any criminal law. In the civil matter, Trading Standards have no power to enforce a solution, they can only offer advice. In a criminal matter, if any breaches of law have occured from the trader, then Trading Standards will report the matter to the Procurator Fiscal who will decide whether any prosecution will be taken. On putting forward all the available information to our members, we decided it was right to proceed with a civil case in the small claims court if we continued to fail to find a solution with Dundee United, using club funds to finance the claim. On Monday 7 December, we wrote to Dundee United to reject their reply of 1 December, and asking them to look again at the matter, whilst informing them that should we be unable to reach an agreeable settlement, we would be left with no other option but to raise a small claims court action against them. On Thursday 10 December, Dundee United announced that they would be giving any profits made from the replayed match to the United for Kids charity. It is important to point out that this charity pays for underpriviledged kids to get season tickets at Dundee United, and while that is of course a worthy gesture and United match any donations Ã?£1 for Ã?£1, it does mean that the money will find its way back to the club eventually. Charity begins at home and all that. Today, Friday 11 December has seen us send the last chance email to Dundee United before going to court next week. At the time of writing I have had no response. Also today has seen some press reporting of the story, with articles in both the Record and Sun's sport pages noting what we are trying to do. I know from being contacted personally, through others at our club, and through Trading Standards, that other supporters clubs are also pursuing this course of action, and we would call for all Rangers supporters who attended the first game to watch this space and be ready to put in similar actions if we are successful. We will of course be helping our fellow bears with instructions as to how to go about things if we manage to get a successful outcome to this for our supporters club. It is our opinion that this game should be treated exactly the same way as a game that was postponed just before kick-off. That goes to say that the costs are still there for the home club, as programmes have been published, police and stewards paid for, catering supplied, and tickets sold. As the game is not on the record books of either side, or the SPL whose tournament the game was played under, or the SFA as governing body of Scottish football, it stands to reason that the ticketing arrangements should be the same as a postponed match, in that the original tickets are valid for the replayed fixture. An appeal for donations to help cover policing and stewarding costs may have attracted a more sympathetic response from fans attending the match. It would also have prevented this from turning into a PR disaster for Dundee United, with many of their own fans just as angry as Rangers fans on this issue. Whilst we only visit Tannadice once or twice a year, their own loyal fans may hit them harder for longer. It is worth pointing out that the SPL rulebook states that ground regulations regarding ticketing are entirely down to the SPL member clubs. That quite simply is a cop out and not good enough, and it is heartening to know that Trading Standards are advising the SPL to change these rules at their next AGM. So even if we go to court and lose, the real winners could be Scottish football fans as rules surrounding this issue are almost certain to come into force for next season to prevent a repeat performance of this sad state of affairs.
  18. Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson has been angered by comments made by Rangers' Martin Bain in the row over admission for a rearranged fixture. United are charging half-price on 15 December following the abandonment of the clubs' meeting on 1 November. The Ibrox chief executive was quoted saying he was "disgusted and angry at the attitude of Dundee United". And a furious Thompson told BBC Scotland: "I think Martin's behaviour has been disgraceful." The visitors were leading the Premier League match 1-0 at half-time when referee Mike Tumelty called a halt to proceedings due to a waterlogged pitch. Thompson insisted fans were never told their original ticket stubs would be valid for the replay and reduced pricing for the rescheduled match was a fair reflection of the operational costs incurred by the Tayside club. MY SPORT: DEBATE Give your reaction to this story In response, Rangers released a statement expressing their disappointment at the decision. At Rangers annual meeting on Monday, Bain was quizzed by shareholders about the on-going squabble. "We did take up the fight because I was disgusted and angry at the attitude of Dundee United," was his reported response. "The game was called off at half-time and I was standing beside the chief executive of the Scottish Premier League (Neil Doncaster) and the chairman of Dundee United (Thompson) and I said to them at that time, 'I hope that you will see sense and make sure that our supporters retain their ticket stubs and get back in for nothing'." However, Thompson denies that Bain ever said this in his company. "It is interesting that Martin Bain was disgusted and annoyed with Dundee United over tickets but never used such strong language after Manchester or Bucharest about his own fans," added the United chairman in reference to crowd disturbances involving followers of Rangers. The guy is a Knob
  19. BAIN responds to Dundee United Chairman's comments More...
  20. It seems every time I travel through to Ibrox this season, the weather is dreadful. Heavy rain, low cloud and an atmosphere of foreboding seem the norm no matter the time of year. Add in the less than positive mood of the Rangers support then we could change the club colours to grey, bring in John Major as manager and sell boiled rice at the kiosks and it would probably reflect the general feeling at the club well enough. Yet, conversely, the chat online has been a bit more interesting of late: potential new owners interviewed by in-the-know journalists; fan groups releasing statements about ownership schemes; strong arguments between bears who share the same goals and objectives; and general excitement about a new era sans Sir David Murray. Unfortunately all the (largely positive and interesting) debate surrounding the ownership of the club was turned on its head for the time being with yesterday's damp squib of an AGM. With new chairman Alistair Johnston in charge, the format was changed from recent years with an in-depth statement from him and Martin Bain (available in full from PLUS Markets) pre-empting much of the more difficult questions from the 3000 strong shareholder crowd. Amid farcical scenes early in the meeting, the token (but important) gesture of the majority present voting against the re-election of Donald Muir was as interesting as it got. Sure, the huge proxy shareholding of Sir David Murray meant any such vote was always going to be futile but Rangers, MIH and Lloyds bank (delete as applicable for Muir's real employer) will have taken on board the opinions of these active supporters. This shows even widespread media coverage surrounding Muir's appointment didn't sway the opinions of many bears giving an increased realisation that even David Murray can't spin as well as he could do in the past. Alistair Johnston's comments added to that rather bluntly at times. Moving onto the new chairman's speech, Johnston spoke rather well and held the attention of the crowd despite the 20mins he spoke for. An undoubtedly clever man, his awkward appearance in front of the media cameras a few months back was forgotten about here in this confident performance. Most interesting were his comments that he'd lead a Rangers Board that will become increasingly independent of the Murray Group - qualifying this by discontinuing all reimbursements to Murray Group for management services and refusing to take on four directors instead of two (Muir and McGill recently replacing SDM and Wilson) as representatives from MIH. It will be interesting to see how much further the board can go in this respect as SDM (or Lloyds depending on your opinion) still owns >91% of Rangers FC. The chairman also made regular references to a business plan that he had reluctantly agreed with Lloyds in recent months. Obviously, every Rangers fan is aware of the financial restrictions placed upon us, so the likelihood of no future transfers and the importance of winning the SPL was nothing new. The fact he did go until to express 'scepticism' and 'caution' for any new owner in terms of not only raising the initial capital to buy the club but, more importantly, being able to prove they can retain a working finance to maintain the business moving forward was a stark reminder to those who think buying then running Rangers is simple. I wouldn't go as far as some to say he has outright dismissed the aspect of supporter ownership (wholly or in part) but he quite rightly brought everyone back into the real world by way of showing the difficulties therein. In summary, Johnson concluded rather blandly that the club's commitment to the fans would remain a priority and touched on youth and scouting as two specific ways in which we could improve our operations. Martin Bain then took to the stage and was also given the same courtesy by the fans for his slightly shorter but more empirical speech. Concentrating on the individual issues that would inevitably have cropped up during open questions, Bain was clever to address these beforehand and also maintained an eloquent realism while again not really saying anything we didn't know. Despite the drop in season ticket sales it was comforting to know our percentage capacity in the UK remains something to be proud of. All the more reason then for he and his chairman not dismiss our opinions lightly in future months one would hope. By concentrating on the Dundee Utd ticket fiasco and JJB merchandising improvements Bain gave the impression the club did share our opinion on such matters though. Further comment on the importance of youth football and the mention of a new structure in domestic and European football were contributions we'd also heard before. No concrete plans were outlined on how were were addressing all the above which was somewhat disappointing. Nonetheless most major talking points were covered empirically before he opened up the meeting to the shareholders for questions. Pleasingly the time given for such questions was agreeable enough when compared to recent years. Perhaps it was the cold, cramped nature of the Bill Struth Stand or perhaps it was because the preceding speeches were delivered confidently but the quality of questions were by and large disappointing. The Jumbotron screens' condition, the discipline of players on international duty, and kick-off times dictated by TV monies didn't really add anything to the event and those that were a bit more interesting such as the contract status of players (including Boyd) and further media representation complaints were easily answered by Bain who was well briefed for these expected queries. Meanwhile Donald Muir again denied he was employed by the bank and/or that he was preparing the club for administration. Thus, two hours after it started, the always ill-at-ease and unimpressive John McLelland brought the meeting to a close. As everyone bustled their way to the exit (and the incessant rain) the media sat in wait to try and catch shareholders off-guard with their own questions. But the truth was nothing exciting really happened. Sure, the stadium re-naming rebuttal; the no-contract status of the management team; and the guarded nature of the discussion with regard to the ownership of the club kept people awake but all-in-all the debate isn't really all that further forward. Thus, the status-quo remains. We know the club is in financial difficulty. We know the current board appear to be in conflict with each other. We know Lloyds/MIH retain a key involvement in the running of the club. We know all the board lack the innovation required for obvious improvement. We know the ongoing financial underpinning of the club is dependent on our success. We know that club are wary of increased supporter involvement. We know the club is for sale. We know there are a few interested buyers. We know they lack the model or the backing to capture the imagination of the support at large. All the above was information we had at our disposal before yesterday's meeting - hence the title of this equally morose article on it. As such, I urge everyone involved to take a breather and stand back for the moment until such time where we do have more precise information on the club's ownership future. In the short-term the most important thing is that the team remain successful on the pitch so it is vital we continue to support them as vocally as we can. Winning the SPL is imperative no matter who owns the club. That is something we can all agree on. Let's build for the future on that positive note.
  21. So what was RC's lead-in story tonight? what did Bitter Martin think was the most important story of today (Monday)? Was it Celtic's loss to Dundee utd and Mowbray's laughable comments? Was it Rangers CL game tomorrow night and Walter's selection dilemma? was it perhaps the vacant Scotland job? Or was it something more off-the-wall like the Scotland rugby team's great victory over the Aussies? No. Of course not. It was the bloody Ireland France game AGAIN. No agenda there, Peter. They then moved onto the first call, which was a Celtic fan calling for Mowbray to go now. Bitter discussed this briefly with DJ and both agreed it was far too soon, and dismissed this (obviously off-message) idea as having "not much support then." A shame that he didn't listen to Real Radio as the first 3 callers were also calling for Mowbray to go now. Loving their pain at the moment. :spl:
  22. Start work tonight at 11 and finish at 7am. Sleep for a bit during the day, get up for a few hours of call of duty then going to the girlfriends house at night Saturday the Rangers game with the Dado followed by an 8-4 shift on Saturday night. Don't know about Sunday yet, might go watch the Dundee Utd v Celtic game in the pub What you's up to ??
  23. I see they are charging fans again for the re-arranged game in December. I wasn't at the game but heard they said over the tannoy tickets would be valid and you would get in for free. They are charging half price but that is shocking. No refunds will be given to fans who cannot make it either. http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nid=3343&cd=2009&cd1=11
  24. Dundee United's Steven Thompson says his club are working closely with their bank but insists that administration is not a possibility. More...
  25. Dundee United and Rangers will meet again on Tuesday 15 December after Sunday's game at Tannadice was abandoned. More...
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