Search the Community

DAVE King will help rebel Rangers fans to finalise plans for the formation of a trust for season ticket money at talks in Glasgow this weekend. And supporters are set to show their backing for the South Africa-based businessman at the game with Dunfermline at Ibrox tomorrow. The Union of Fans - an umbrella organisation comprising six supporters' groups - will distribute 30,000 blue cards to spectators at the SPFL League One match. And they will be asked to hold them up in the 18th and 72nd minutes of the match and "paint Ibrox blue" to underline their backing of the former director. The Union want the current board to accept the wealthy Scot's proposal to inject fresh share capital into Rangers. Union spokesman Chris Graham said: "The club clearly needs investment and Dave King has stated his willingness to provide it. "We hope that fans will take the opportunity to show their support for someone with a track record of supporting Rangers both personally and financially. "Hopefully the board will realise the strength of feeling on this issue and adopt a less adversarial approach in their future dealings with Dave King. "Fans should not underestimate the power they have to push for positive change at another critical time for the club." King has spent the last two days in London speaking to institutional investors in Gers about whether they would back his plans for the Ibrox club. The 58-year-old, who previously invested £20million of his personal fortune in the Light Blues, will now meet with the Union and the current board of directors over the weekend. He is urging fans to pool their season ticket money and only release it to the club on a "pay-as-they-play" basis when their questions are answered and their demands are met. The Castlemilk-born financier has vowed not to return to his adopted homeland until a trust for pooling season ticket money is legally in place. King's visit follows the news that Rangers had agreed a £1.5m loan for "working capital" with shareholders Sandy Easdale and Laxey Partners, secured on Edmiston House and the Albion car parking facilities. The revelation that Laxey Partners will make a £150,000 profit on the loan when it is repaid in September has also angered fans. Wealthy Rangers fan George Letham has volunteered to loan the Ibrox club the money on better terms and officials are believed to be considering his proposal. Documents lodged with Registers of Scotland, the country's official land and property register, have shown that Rangers will use season ticket money to repay the loan. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/king-to-set-out-pay-as-they-play-scheme-to-rangers-fans-155805n.23693712

......Rovers have got more class. HUGH says Albion Rovers' display helps put Ibrox title win in perspective and says Old Firm fans should be asking why their teams are not in today's League Cup Final. THEY tell me Ian Black drives to and from Murray Park in a bright red Bentley. It should go with his bright red face because the painter and decorator turned midfield huffer and puffer has managed to alienate himself from the Ibrox support in the same week that Rangers won a title. That takes a bit of doing. The process of alienation, that is, not the title success. When squad members are earning enough to drive Bentleys while playing against part-time teams it’s hard to see this championship as a triumph to be discussed in the same breath as others Ally McCoist has been associated with. But disaffected season-ticket holders? That’s another matter altogether. Former Ibrox director Dave King hasn’t moved a rebellious muscle yet and he’s beginning to look like a shoo-in to win the battle for hearts and minds in the debate over where Rangers go from here at board-room level. And if his trump card is the backing of the fans then a Bentley driver asking the support what more they want after successfully “earning” a replay against Albion Rovers is a perfect start in the propaganda stakes. That and Rangers director Sandy Easdale talking about taking fans to the Court of Session for abusing him. There’s commercial suicide and then there’s commercial cynicism, of course. Celtic have lulled their fans to sleep on the back of a season prematurely ended by a championship won with the same unbalanced ease with which Rangers have dismissed their so-called challengers. The Hoops have beaten what is put in front of them and done exactly what they should’ve done in the Premiership. No more, no less. Just like Rangers. But Celtic can always keep their support on side by ticking the begorrah box. The latest edition of the club’s magazine, published last Wednesday, has Neil Lennon super-imposed on the flag of the Republic of Ireland. Above this image is a message wishing everyone a happy St Patrick’s Day from the champions. St Patrick’s Day doesn’t actually take place until tomorrow but who’s counting? And before those who are always waiting to be scandalised reach for the laptop to send the abusive email, my grandparents were from Ballymote in County Sligo and I’m as proud of my family roots as the next member of the Irish diaspora. But no matter where you’re from I’m sure a lot of Celtic supporters would rather their club magazine was talking about this weekend’s League Cup Final instead of camouflaging the fact they won’t be there. The reason why neither Celtic nor Rangers will be there this afternoon is that the former couldn’t get past the mighty Morton at home with the additional benefit of extra time. And even a team with a Bentley driver in it couldn’t find a way past part-time Forfar Athletic – after Rangers also got an extra half hour at Station Park to see if they could find the right gear. So good luck to Aberdeen and Inverness for having made it to the final and selling almost 50,000 tickets to remind us that there’s still life outside the Bentleys and the begorrahs. And well done to Albion Rovers for earning a replay against Rangers and a host of admirers at the same time for deciding to share their financial windfall from that match with the less fortunate. The idea of the Coatbridge club giving away £10,000 to Radio Clyde’s Cash For Kids charity appeal would once have been thought preposterous. But when they came into a few bob by dint of their own efforts on the park the Rovers asked “What do you need ?” instead of “What more do you want?” like a member of the other team annoyed by people having the audacity to criticise their performances. I got a text from someone anxious to point out that Rangers drew with Albion at Ibrox in 1935 when Bill Struth was the manager. My reply to that is, it was an embarrassment then and it’s an embarrassment now, begging Albion Rovers pardon. So sue me for having an opinion.

"Now to the story from Jim Spence. He reports that Dundee United have been refused their request to have their Scottish Cup semi-final on 12 April moved to a neutral venue, if their opponents are Rangers. The Tannadice club made an official request to the SFA that the match be played at a neutral venue, but say the governing body has rejected the request, citing examples from Uefa as a precedent for a club playing a semi-final on its own ground. Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson said: "This of course is all dependent on the result of Albion Rovers v Rangers. If it is to be Rangers, then we are not happy with the fact that it is not a neutral venue. A semi-final or final should be at a neutral venue. "This is not an issue with Rangers, it's with the SFA and putting commercial and sponsors' interests before that of fans. We wanted to play the match at Celtic Park but that was flatly denied." Thompson also said that he would not be sitting in the directors' box at Ibrox for the match if United do meet Rangers, but would instead be in with his own supporters. United say they have been given a maximum ticket allocation of 13,100 for the semi at Ibrox if their opponents are Rangers and say that initially they were offered only 11,000 tickets. Albion Rovers meet Rangers next Monday night at New Douglas Park in the quarter-final replay for a place in the last four. An SFA spokesperson said: "The clubs were informed of the venue just after the first round of the cup, due to Hampden Park being out of commission because of the Commonwealth Games. "There were no issues raised then at that early stage."

Salivating Stu' was in giddy triumphalistic mood yesterday. Just when you thought his domination of BBC Radio Scotland airwaves was complete, he announces that Off the Ball is now scheduled for an hour on a Saturday evening, after the action. If you manage to avoid Stu's double dint on a Saturday, there's the two hour Sunday supplement, the current affairs commentary on a Thursday, the, 'my life in five books', alternatively the, 'my life in five tracks', ................ etc. Stu' loves utilising his considerable broadcast time to discuss his trials with psoriasis, appropriate really since he is all over Beeb Scotland like a rash. Channel Four's Director for Diversity was in full flow in last evening's first après-action Off the Ball. He was fully supportive of biggest, bestest mate, Jum Spence's latest whine on behalf of his beloved Dundee United. Stu' is unequivocal, Ibrox is not neutral and the Arabs deserve a 50% allocation of the tickets. I suspect today's Sunday supplement will be used to reinforce these points. Oh, and Stu' was most determined to emphasise Stephen Thompson's point that this was not an exercise in sinking the boot into Rangers. Stu' did not comment on Jum's assertion that Thompson's refusal to sit in the Ibrox Directors' Box is because he feels threatened by certain Rangers Directors. Clearly, both Stephen and Jum have lost their discipline, again. As the show chuntered to conclusion, a wildly excited Stu' bellowed in climax, "over forty thousand Aberdeen fans in Glasgow tomorrow for the League Cup final, arrrrrmahhhgeddonnnnnnn, bring it on". Of course, the Aberdeen revival is Stu's comfort blanket, ignoring the League Cup like the Premiership continues without a sponsor. The real irony is in the delicious detail, Stu' in his state of heightened tumescence was forgetting his own club, St Johnstone were at half time in their match against Ross County, playing in front of a McDairmid Park attendance of 2,200. Aye, that Armageddon has a tendency to bite you on the arse. We know Stu' to be a principled man, don't we? Thus, he will be demanding that his own club are awarded 25,500 Ibrox tickets for their semi-final against Aberdeen. Further, surely on the same principle he has demanded ICT receive 30,000 tickets for today's cup final? Principles are inconvenient, awkward, and unbalancing whence sinking the boot into Rangers.

From BBC website: Kilmarnock close to major debt reduction deal By Richard Wilson and Jim Spence BBC Scotland Kilmarnock are set to announce a deal that will see the majority of the club's £9.4m debt written off by Lloyds Bank. The agreement would involve the chairman Michael Johnston retaining a reduced shareholding in the club. A company headed by local businessman Billy Bowie would take ownership of the hotel, which has been valued at around £2.5m. Johnston and Bowie would also be joined on the board by three new directors. Kilmarnock would be left essentially debt free, while the company that takes ownership of the hotel adjacent to the stadium would take on the remainder of the bank debt, thought to be between £2.5m and £3m. Negotiations have been ongoing for weeks, and became more pressing after the Kilmarnock Futures Consortium - a group of local businessmen - pulled out of takeover talks. It is understood that Bowie will provide an injection of working capital to sustain the club until season tickets are sold later in the year. The three new directors are also likely to provide additional funding, once they have been voted onto the board. Clauses are thought to be included in the agreement that would prevent individuals benefitting from the sale of assets in the future, which would effectively secure the long-term future of the likes of Rugby Park for the Kilmarnock community. Some of the forthcoming investment in the club would, though, be required for stadium maintenance work. The deal would free Kilmarnock from the burden of meeting the repayments on a large debt, but the club would also lose the revenue stream from the hotel, which is a profit-making business. Johnston has stressed at previous annual general meetings the importance of that revenue stream to the club. However the debt, which was accrued in the building of the hotel, was holding Kilmarnock back. Some supporters will remain opposed to Johnston's continuing involvement, and will remain committed to the Not A Penny More campaign that was launched in a bid to oust the chairman. Other fans, though, will accept that a deal had to be struck and one of the consequences is that Johnston is no longer the sole authority at the club and that the board has been opened up to new directors. The Kilmarnock sponsors, QTS, will also continue to back the club in a kit sponsorship deal worth around £250,000. Alan McLeish, the owner of QTS, was a member of the Kilmarnock Futures Consortium that withdrew from takeover talks with Johnston, but he remains committed to financially backing the club.

The UOF are looking for help in distributing the cards before kick off today. Meet at Copland Stairs from 11.30am onwards to collect cards. Your help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Taken from FF. MEETING SANDY EASDALE AND THE DATA PROTECTION ISSUE Many have asked why I approached Sandy Easdale after the match on Wednesday and due to even further threats of court action, I believe its time to share with the Rangers family exactly what drove me to do this. Weeks ago when we first received correspondence from layers on the instruction or Mr Easdale, it was via email and arrived one Monday afternoon. The letter was in regard to posts by third parties on this page and we done as requested by the lawyers. Two days later my mother phoned to say a letter had arrived at her home for me. Like lots of other season ticket holders with multiple family season tickets, all our tickets go to one address and in our case it’s my parents home as its easier to manage the renewals and continuous card requests etc. The letter that had been sent to my parents address was surprisingly a copy of the letter I had received via email two days earlier. Mr Easdales (not Rangers) lawyer had somehow sent a letter to an address that to the best of my knowledge only Rangers have for me. How bizarre. I asked the lawyers on several occasions to explain how they came by my address and was instructed that due to “client confidentiality” they could not disclose how they came by it. If they unable to give me this information as to protect their client, then it’s fair to assume this information must have been passed to them by their client. If their client gave them my parents address, where did he obtain it from? There is only one possible source I can think of. Jack Irvine called me in the middle of all this and I advised him of my issue, he refused me the opportunity to speak directly to Mr Easdale regarding this and informed me Graham Wallace would be my best point of contact. I emailed Mr Wallace with my concerns and he set up a meeting. I met Mr Wallace two weeks ago and he advised me that an investigation had taken place and he found no evidence that the address was leaked from Ibrox. When I informed him that the address was in fact not mine but my parents and I was aware of no other organisation that had it as my address, his body language changed somewhat. So Rangers have my contact address as my parents, Sandy Easdales lawyer receives my parents address from their client thinking its mine and no one can explain how this happened. The fact that they knew that I sat in a specific seat in a stadium of 30,000+ season ticket holder is not lost on me either. Fast forward to Wednesday night. As I was getting set for the match I received another email on my phone from Mr Easdales lawyer asking for my current address. I replied saying they had no need for it as they can correspond via email and as far as I was concerned had no outstanding issues. During the half time break I checked my emails and found another claiming they would send sherriff officers to obtain my current address. Sheriffs officers could only obtain my current address by visiting my parents address as it the only one they have. You can maybe imagine how I felt at half time knowing a Rangers directors lawyers where sending sheriffs officers to my parents house who are both in their 70’s. Hence the reason I visited the directors box at full time. When I confronted Mr Easdale with this newly found information and explained that this had crossed a line his response was that I to had also crossed a line and got personal. When I asked him to elaborate he stated that “I took the piss” and even slagged his hair on our facebook page. He confirmed that any libellous comments had indeed been made by others but his problem with me was that even my public apologies “took the piss out of him”. I will leave it to the reader to decide if further future court proceedings are based on him being upset about what others write or indeed the sarcastic manner of my writings. I asked him to consider getting his lawyer to confirm in writing that no such visit to my parent’s house would take place and he said he would see what he could do. What he did do was to instruct his lawyers to issue further proceedings which I received yesterday and these are the basis of today’s Daily Record article. To the fellow fans who asked me yesterday to comment on why I approached the directors box, I hope you understand why I didn’t make it public knowledge then, I was giving Mr Easdale the opportunity to do the right thing. The right thing in his eyes was to instruct his lawyers to send even more threatening letters which included arrangements for court proceedings at the court of session. I have no desire to take Rangers to court or indeed involve innocent employees who may have been forced in to giving out protected data. If I did wish this I could have made this information public weeks ago. I feel I need to state my point now to defend my actions on and since Wednesday’s game. Aye Ready Craig

Looking for some help with regards tickets guys, i am looking to take my son(8) over to Paris for a PSG home match this April but i cannot find out anything about kids prices for tickets. Has anyone had any dealings with French clubs or French football or any idea how i can find out what the child prices are. Thanks in advance, SC.

http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/13/should-rangers-get-the-plaudits-for-the-their-league-one-title-win-4558956/ Thoughts?

March 13, 2014 Ibrox Set For Blue Card Display by Union of Fans The Union of Fans are set to paint Ibrox blue in support of Dave King. 30,000 blue cards will be distributed at Ibrox on Saturday calling for the Rangers Board to meet with King and accept his plan to inject fresh share capital into the club. Following the very successful red card display carried out by Sons of Struth earlier in the season, to show the fans displeasure with the board, this display will take a similar format. Rangers fans will be asked to welcome King’s involvement by displaying the cards on the 18th and 72nd minutes - a reference to the club’s foundation in 1872. Union of Fans spokesman Chris Graham said: “The club clearly needs investment and Dave King has publicly stated his willingness to provide it. We hope that fans will take the opportunity to show their support for someone with a track record of supporting Rangers both personally and financially.” “Hopefully the board will realise the strength of feeling on this issue and adopt a less adversarial approach in their future dealings with Dave King. Fans should not underestimate the power they have to push for positive change at another critical time for the club.” “The cards will be handed out by volunteers around Ibrox before the game. So if people want to take part we would ask them to seek out a card prior to the game.” http://www.unionoffans.org/statements/2014/3/13/ibrox-set-for-blue-card-display

CELTIC manager Neil Lennon is relishing a return to Friday night football and believes the latest instalment involving his club will not be tarnished by events off the pitch. The Scottish champions will look to take another step towards clinching a third successive title when they face Kilmarnock at Rugby Park this evening. Celtic’s last outing under the Friday night lights saw them produce one of their best displays of the campaign when they dismantled Motherwell with a scintillating 5-0 victory at Fir Park in December. But the performance was overshadowed by damage caused to seats in the stand housing Celtic supporters, some of whom also let off flares and smoke bombs. It prompted the club to take action against the controversial Green Brigade section of their support, provisionally suspending 128 fans from matches and relocating 250 of their home season-ticket holders. Lennon, who last month welcomed the return of the Green Brigade to Celtic Park when they purchased a block of tickets for a different section of the stadium for the league game against St Johnstone, is hopeful nothing will detract from his team’s efforts on the pitch tonight. “I like Friday night football and I’m really looking forward to it,” said Lennon. “I just think the atmosphere is a bit better at the Friday night games. “I hope we play as well as we did the last time at Motherwell. I know we had a few problems at the last one, but I’m pretty confident there won’t be a repeat of that.” Celtic return to action after a free weekend due to their elimination from the Scottish Cup but Lennon is still counting the cost of his players’ involvement in international duty the previous midweek. http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl/neil-lennon-s-relaxed-about-celtic-fans-conduct-1-3340105

In the aftermath of Toxic disappearing into the undergrowth, I was wondering if Merlin would be going the same way. This because I've always held a suspicion that there was some kind of connection between them both. Therefore it's a wee bit interesting to note that his rather sordid blog from today should have the sign off "For the time being I will not be blogging about Rangers." Great days. Champions last night and today Merlin hangs up his crayons.

.....players must prove they belong at Ibrox after dismal display in Cup. BARRY believes Ally McCoist's men are now playing for their futures at Rangers in the wake of the shock draw with Albion Rovers. EMBARRASSING. The word has attached itself to Rangers for one reason or another over the last few days and I must admit I don’t like it one little bit. Like when Ally McCoist said it wasn’t embarrassing to draw at home to Albion Rovers in the Cup, some people had a go at him for it and thought the manager’s reaction was an embarrassment in itself. Not me. Then Ian Black asked the fans, ‘What more do you want?’ To tell you the truth, I could see where he was coming from too but there was something about the way he said it that did make you want to cringe. And all this over the space of a few days when the team has just won another title. Maybe people will say it was embarrassing for Rangers to be seen to be celebrating that success too because right now it seems my old club just can’t win, even when they are winning. But you can count me out of that camp right away. Yes, it might only be League One and, I agree, there is a big difference between lifting that championship and beating Celtic to the big one in the top flight. Of course there is. But a title is a title all the same. When Coisty and the players started out this season they had a job to do – to win the league and get the hell out of the division as quickly as possible. Well here they are seven months later, job done. With nearly three months to spare. Yes, I know it hasn’t always been great in terms of the quality of the football that has been played along the way. But that will be forgotten about over time and the record books will show that Rangers chalked up two straight promotions on the journey back up through the divisions. So don’t tell me these guys don’t deserve to celebrate what they’ve done. That’s just mean-spirited and spiteful. But – and yes, there is a but – these players must also realise that some of their displays over the course of the season have left a lot to be desired. And I’m talking here in particular about the performance against Albion at the weekend. Because if any of the boys in the team think that was acceptable then they are at the wrong club. I watched the game and it wasn’t great. Look, there were some mitigating factors. I’ll give them that. For instance, these Albion Rovers kids were having the day of their lives. They went to Ibrox knowing they might never play at a stadium like that again. It was a one off and they gave everything they had for their team and their manager, who went there with a game plan. At times it was five at the back and five across the midfield. But good luck to them. They did what they set out to do. Was it embarrassing for Coisty? Knowing the way he thinks I’m sure that inside he was hurting badly. But he did the right thing by not saying so in public. He was absolutely correct when he said that. Had he done so he would have been showing complete disrespect to his opponents. He certainly doesn’t deserve to be criticised for good manners. I understand Rangers fans expected a lot better. I understand because I am one of them and I did too. But no one will have felt more let down by that performance than the manager. He might not say so outside the dressing room but he knows more than anyone what is required and expected of Rangers. Yes, they should be skelping Albion Rovers by four or five goals. So scraping a 1-1 draw WAS probably embarrassing. But it happened and it’s the manager’s job to deal with it and move on. I have no doubt he’ll have given his players a very different message in the privacy of that dressing room. He’ll have been furious and, from personal experience, I know he won’t have missed his targets behind closed doors. Put it this way, he won’t need a long team talk before the replay. If anyone in that team doesn’t know what is at stake on Monday night then there is something wrong with them. In fact, maybe it’s not just the Albion Rovers boys who might never play at a stadium like Ibrox again because a few of Coisty’s own players will now be playing for their futures. A lot of these guys are on good money and the truth is they have not been giving value back to the club, the manager and the supporters. I am positive Ally will have already made his mind up about some of them. He will know which of them needs to be replaced in the summer. The problem he has right now is that he still doesn’t know if he’ll have enough of a budget to make the changes he’d like to ahead of next season in the Championship. And that uncertainty makes it hard for him to be as honest about these players as he might like to be. You can’t throw a guy under the bus one week then ask him to go out there and play for you again the next. They are all he’s got right now and, at this moment in time, he needs to do whatever he can to bring them with him and get them to up their game. I’m learning myself about how difficult life can be as a manager. Thankfully I won my first game as Blackpool manager on Tuesday but I realise there is a lot of hard work ahead if we are going to turn our own season around. I know how hard I am working on the training field in trying to get my message across and to get the team to play in the manner I want. I changed my game plan completely on Tuesday night and it worked for us but when you send them out across that white line you are a hostage to fortune. You ask players to do a specific job and sometimes it just does not happen. That’s why I have some sympathy for Coisty. We both know the buck always stops with the manager but there comes a time when the players must take their share of responsibility too. When I came back to Rangers after my move to Blackburn I knew there were a lot of fans who didn’t want me back. I knew because they weren’t slow in telling me. So it was down to me to go out there and prove my worth. Every time I pulled on that shirt, I knew my own reputation was going on the line. Maybe it’s about time some of the guys in that dressing room started to see things the same way. If their attitude isn’t right then there is no place for them at Rangers. It’s not too late to save themselves – they could end this season as heroes if they go on to win the Scottish Cup. But to do that they need to give themselves a shake and accept there is more to being a Rangers player than just turning up for training at Murray Park. And I expect to see them prove it emphatically on Monday night. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/barry-ferguson-title-win-great-3240280

League wrapped up, job done. I think the players will play with a lot more freedom for the last 8 league games and we could see a few more heavy scores. but it should be a chance to play a few more youngsters and rest key players for the 2 cups. The Ramsdens will take care of itself but there is no reason why we shouldn't be going full pelt for the Scottish Cup. When we go for it games Id say we are at our best and don't have anything to fear from Dundee Utd at Ibrox. Of course we have to redeem ourselves against Albion first. I suppose the players will want to go through the full league campaign unbeaten and that will be high up of priorities. So targets between now and end of May while playing nicer football: Win Ramsdens Cup Win Scottish Cup Go league season unbeaten.

...............and staff were threatened... but Raith Rovers chairman Hutton says: I'd do it all again It's now 20 months since Turnbull Hutton stood up to be counted amid threats and warnings of the imminent 'slow lingering death' of the Scottish game. But the only thing dying around Stark's Park in March 2014 is the chairman's latest attempt at comedy on his club's website. With no victories for Raith Rovers in the Championship since mid-December, a tongue-in-cheek message from the 67-year-old to fans declaring 'Don't Panic' and signed by 'Captain Mainwaring aka Turnbull Hutton' has gone down like a lead balloon among the denizens of Kirkcaldy. 'Supporters of other clubs liked it but I've been accused by Rovers supporters of patronising them. I've even been accused of being on the sauce while writing it. I've not had a drink this year,' chuckles the Harvard University-educated former head of United Distillers. His point to the malcontents is that Rovers are, these days, in pretty decent nick. They reached the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup before crashing to St Johnstone and a Ramsdens Cup final against Rangers awaits at Easter Road next month. Grant Murray's team might be just four points from the relegation play-offs, but they are also sitting six points from fourth place in Scotland's tightest league. And, vitally, off the park, Raith Rovers turned a profit last year. After the fall of the SPL that Hutton so reviled, clubs like them are now earning four times as much as they did under the old set-up. It's certainly not the Armageddon chillingly forewarned by the SPL's Neil Doncaster two summers ago; an episode that saw Hutton endure a crash course in fan animosity that makes the current levels of disgruntlement at his Dad's Army stunt seem akin to a spot of love-bombing. In July 2012, Hutton led the fightback against what he saw as attempts by the SFA and SPL to 'blackmail' the SFL into solving an SPL problem, using 'a campaign of misinformation and disinformation'. SFL club reps like Hutton were told by SFA chief executive Stewart Regan that a 'slow lingering death' awaited the national game if newly-liquidated Rangers were sent all the way down to the Third Division. Hutton's impromptu Monty Python-inspired speech on the steps of Hampden, when he branded the SPL a dead parrot, saw him emerge as an accidental hero to a wider Scottish football public unimpressed by the authorities' attempts to give the fallen Ibrox club a softer landing in the old First Division. But the fallout also saw Hutton labelled Public Enemy No 1 by Rangers fans. He still maintains his motivation was to stick up for his under-fire director, Eric Drysdale, who was on the SFA's supposedly-anonymous panel that, in April 2012, handed Rangers a one-year transfer embargo and banned Craig Whyte for life from any involvement in Scottish football after he ran the club on to the rocks of ruin. Despite a particularly nasty backlash, however, the redoubtable Hutton says he would take the same stance if it happened again. 'There was all this talk about Armageddon and the slow death of Scottish football, but the best thing to come out of that whole episode was the death of the SPL,' he said. 'I didn't need or want that kind of profile. People forget that situation did not come about because of the Rangers financial situation. It was because of the involvement of Eric on that three-man panel. 'Ally McCoist's famous "who are these people?" speech kicked off a whole series of events that placed me to the fore. Eric was eventually outed, we had threats to our staff, supposedly viable threats to burn our stadium down. 'Eventually you think: "To hell with this!" How could I support the rule book being ripped up for Rangers? I came out on the steps of Hampden, had 25 reporters in my face and I told it like it bl**dy well was. 'But you stick your head above the parapet and suddenly you're all over the bl**dy internet and it spiralled out of control. I became "Turnbull The Tim", which I found quite amusing. But pro-Celtic - or anti-Rangers - had nothing to do with me taking the stand I did. 'I got some charming personal emails. One said: "I hope you die of cancer" and "The only slow lingering death I want to see is yours, Hutton". 'But there were far more supportive emails than nasty ones. I tried to answer them all but it got too much. I stuck them in a "love" file and a "hate" file on my computer and I've still got them to this day. 'Looking back, would I play it different if it started today? I don't think I could and I don't think I would. 'You've got to stand up for what you believe in. The consequences of speaking your mind are beyond your control but I'd do it all again. Everything that's happened since then suggests my view was the right one.' In a month's time, Rangers - still mired in a financial maelstrom - are due to cross paths with Raith Rovers for the first time since that fateful summer. Hutton expects a backlash. 'Ally McCoist is the only one from Rangers we've spoken to,' he nodded. 'He came to see us playing Dumbarton. Eric Drysdale and I passed the time of day with him, and it was fine. But the other faces at Rangers keep changing and we've never played them since. 'There's still a hangover from when that whole episode was at its peak, with the likes of Sandy Jardine mouthing off about boycotts and stuff like: "We won't forget". 'I don't know if we are still on a boycott list but I'd imagine the Ramsdens Cup Final won't be a happy family day, filled with brotherly love. 'I've been involved with the tournament from its inception and there have been some wonderful finals over the years, like Dundee United vs Stenhousemuir and Alloa vd Inverness. They were all happy family days out but I've a feeling this year's won't be.' This season also 'marks' the 10th anniversary of another dark episode in Hutton's colourful Stark's Park tenure. Not even his formidable 35-year business background could have prepared him for the crazy five-month tenure of Claude Anelka, brother of France's enfant terrible Nicolas. Claude's previous job had been as a DJ in a Miami nightclub and he arrived with a fearsome sidekick named Styx amid promises of luring a stream of 'new Thierry Henrys' to Kirkcaldy. 'It was Monty Python stuff, frankly,' says Hutton, who joined the Rovers board in 2000 and found himself increasingly 'sucked in' to becoming a 'reluctant chairman'. 'I took a stroke in April 2004 and I was out of the frame for around eight weeks, which was unfortunate, because at the same time Claude Anelka surfaced. He promised £180,000 per season for the playing budget and, as a struggling First Division club, the board had to look at that. 'He was going to be director of football, with Antonio Calderon staying as manager - but Antonio couldn't work with him and he packed up and returned to Spain. 'Claude became boss and, unknown to me, held a press conference and gave a line about making Raith Scottish football's third force. 'Then Styx arrived with all of his belongings stuffed in the back of a Peugeot van; a pile of soul records, 10 to 12 pairs of trainers and a heap of unwashed jeans. 'We had supposed "young superstars" turning up who had never played 11-a-side before. There were Czechs, Muslims, French players, English guys and the odd Scot. You name it. 'Raith at the time had more rented housing in Kirkcaldy than the Scottish Special Housing Association. That came back to bite us when they all disappeared and we were left to pay the outstanding council tax and electricity arrears. 'Anelka did put the money in, but the additional costs far exceeded his investment. It was a pretty big fiasco and, when it came to a halt, we were left to pick up the pieces. 'There were meetings with our local MP (and future Prime Minister) Gordon Brown, who was Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time, as the Reclaim The Rovers campaign gathered pace. 'But some investment failed to materialise and that rescue deal was seriously under-funded. We've been battling that legacy ever since. 'Ironically, it's only in the last two years we've seen a turnaround, helped by league reconstruction. Before it was £60,000 to win the First Division, now it's £60,000 per place.' Hutton has seen high times with Rovers, particularly when Jimmy Nicholl's team stunned Celtic to win the League Cup in 1994. He was also in the Olympic Stadium with his son and daughter the following year for a 'once-in-a-lifetime experience' when Danny Lennon's goal saw the famous, if short-lived, scoreline: Bayern Munich 0 Raith Rovers 1. Given the club's chequered financial history in the modern era, however, in typically blunt fashion Turnbull prioritises Championship survival over a potential first Scottish Cup triumph in Raith's 131-year history. 'If I had to make a call, I'd rather we stayed up,' he says. 'I don't want to be a Wigan and win the Cup and go down. I know some supporters would take a different view but balancing the books is paramount. 'Winning the Cup would be a fleeting moment of glory and then a short-lived trip to a Russian outpost. Cup success would also bring its own financial challenges in terms of stadium improvements for a one-off shot at European football. 'I'd be more excited about the St Johnstone game if we weren't on a disastrous run. St Johnstone's Tommy Wright and Callum Davidson came to see us against Hamilton last month and we were 4-0 down at half-time. I hope that lulled them into a false sense of security.' With that, the chuckling Hutton heads off to an appointment with his dentist. 'His name is Graeme Smart and he supports Hibs, who we beat 3-2 at Easter Road in the last round. His brother Gordon is married to Kate, daughter of (Dunfermline legend) Jim Leishman. If Graeme goes above the usual pain threshold this time, I'll go for him …' Whatever else has been said about this Burntislander, and there has been plenty, nobody would ever describe time spent in Turnbull Hutton's company as akin to pulling teeth. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2576251/Rangers-supporters-branded-Public-Enemy-No-1-stadium-staff-threatened-Raith-Rovers-chairman-Hutton-says-Id-again.html#ixzz2vs7DmEeS Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Thanks for. Coming, Mr Hubbard. Perhaps you inspired the young guys. For the 90% + of fans who never had the privilege of seeing him play he was more than just a precision penalty taker. Wing play for him was a geometry. He ran lines and angles at speed to get past opponents with ease and without the demented flea tricks of the likes of celtic's Johnstone. Scored plenty from open play. Rarely scythed down by fullbacks because they generally couldn't get near him. Rangers have been fortunate with wingers - Waddell, Scott, Henderson, Wilson, Johnston. Old Mother was as good as any of them

Meanwhile, Arab Trust board member Mike Barile says that, if Rangers do make the last four, the game should not be played on the Glasgow side's ground. The former chairman of the fans' group said: "I was active in the supporters movement when United and Dundee met in the Scottish Cup semi-final in 1987. "Both clubs were prepared to play the game at Tannadice or Dens Park on the toss of a coin, but the SFA insisted that the game had to be played at a neutral stadium. "Now there is the possibility of playing Rangers and it is okay for the game to be played at Ibrox. "Can you imagine the outcry if the SFA were to say the game was to be played at Tannadice? It is a ridiculous decision. "If it is to be Rangers we are to play then the game should be played at a neutral ground." When Celtic Park was chosen as the venue for the final in October, it was announced that both semi-finals would be played at Ibrox. Hampden Park is unavailable because of redevelopment work taking place to lay track for the Commonwealth Games.

RANGERS Football Club and Media House International Ltd announce that by mutual consent their current business relationship will end on March 11th 2014.

Former director Dave King will begin the next phase of his plan to bring fresh finance to Rangers on Wednesday. King is flying to London for meetings with current investors to discuss his plans for the future of the League One leaders before heading for Glasgow. The South African-based businessman has been involved in a war of words with the present board in recent weeks. Over the next couple of days, King will meet several of the institutions and individual investors who own shares. One of those meetings is scheduled to be with Laxey Partners Ltd, the club's single-biggest shareholder, which has been at the centre of the most recent controversy at Ibrox. The Isle of Man-based investment management company loaned Rangers £1m at a 30% interest rate only for the club to issue a statement this month saying they were considering an alternative loan at a lower rate of interest. King will ask current shareholders to back his plans for a new share issue, arguing that a diluted holding for them is better than a total write-off should Rangers go into administration. His plan then is to come to Glasgow at the end of the week to meet fans groups and other interested parties, with the current board having requested an audience. Rangers announced a £14.4m loss in the 13 months to June, but chief executive Graham Wallace has insisted that the Glasgow club is not facing a second administration. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26539769

Tuesday, 11 March 2014 09:00 Pay At Gate Tomorrow Written by Rangers Football Club RANGERS could clinch the League One title this week after nearest rivals Dunfermline dropped points at the weekend. That means the Light Blues need just two more points to secure the division and ensure promotion to the Championship for next season. Ally McCoist's men will get their first chance to win those points when Airdrieonians visit Ibrox on Wednesday night. With no live TV coverage in the UK, the only way to catch the action live is to be at the stadium. Tickets are on sale now, priced from £17 for adults, £13 for concessions and £5 for kids. Alternatively fans can pay at the gate in the Club Deck on Wednesday night where tickets will be priced at £20 for adults, £15 for concessions and £5 for kids. With a double header of home matches this week tickets are also on sale for Rangers v Dunfermline, on Saturday 15 March, kick-off 12.45pm. Click here, visit Rangers Ticket Centre or call 0871 702 1972 to order your now. Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras. Conditions and booking fees apply.

I have taken off the headline, saying that our league win will be "hollow" as that may have distracted from what, for me, is an inarguable piece. ( http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl-lower-divisions/rangers-title-will-be-a-hollow-victory-1-3335530 ) by ALAN PATTULLO Published on the 11 March Rangers could be hours away from the League 1 title. The last but one objective in Rangers’ projected return to the top tier in successive seasons could be complete. Another mission accomplished if they win tomorrow night against Airdrieonians. It will be deservedly so. Rangers have won 25 of their 27 matches. They have drawn the two others. They have scored 84 goals, conceding only 14. They are doing what we all expected them to do. They are doing what they should be doing. But is the journey proving as gainful as hoped? Are Rangers making enough use of their journey back to the top flight? This question was first posed last season when a team of mostly experienced professionals – in several cases, internationals – made swift work of part-time opponents. Then, the same complaint was heard. Rangers are using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. They are failing to take a prize opportunity to blood young talent in the first team. More than one person has commented on the underwhelming atmosphere at Bayview earlier his month, when Rangers needed an injury-time penalty to secure three points against East Fife. It was a scuffed victory, set against a backdrop of yelps and shouts from the players that were heard from television screens across the land. It was as uninspiring as it was possible to be. Manager Ally McCoist admitted as much afterwards. He was happy enough with the result, just not the performance. It was far from what he had expected, he said. It was certainly far from what should be expected from what is still, at even casual glance, a team of Scottish Premiership-standard players. For those with the health of Scottish football at heart, it is a slightly deflating experience to study the Rangers teamsheet each week. Doing so will stir far more painful emotions for Rangers fans, since it provides plenty of pointers towards why the club are still hemorrhaging money. Well-paid – some would say vastly overpaid – seasoned professionals playing far below their level is not the only reason why the club are reduced to casting around for loans. However, it isn’t helping. Much was made of how Rangers might negotiate their way back up the leagues when it was confirmed that they would begin season 2012-13 in the old Third Division. While clearly traumatic, some expressed the hope that this would at least provide them with the opportunity to rebuild from the bottom up; to resuscitate the club’s youth development programme. Few can claim that Murray Park has been as successful on that front as was hoped. The most successful graduates are now playing elsewhere. Are there many coming through the ranks? Not on the evidence presented to date. Of the players used by McCoist on Saturday, most would not have seemed out of place in the Scottish Premiership. Indeed, several of them are not only Premiership players, but top end ones. Lee Wallace was one of Hearts’ best players before he made the switch to Ibrox, as was David Templeton. Jon Daly was regarded as a significant loss by Dundee United fans when he departed, while Richard Foster is the epitome of a dependable professional, though when he returned to the club he seemed far from essential to Rangers’ ambitions of winning the title. Cammy Bell, meanwhile, had earned international recognition with Kilmarnock. On the bench, of course, is substitute goalkeeper Steve Simonsen, with the younger Scott Gallacher condemned to play reserve team football following his return to Ibrox after a loan spell with Airdrieonians. Defenders Craig Halkett and Lucas Gasparotto, who qualifies for Canada, are two players whom many expected to have been employed by now, but neither has featured yet this season – not for Rangers at least. Fraser Aird and Robert Crawford, who replaced Aird during last Saturday’s match, are sources of some optimism, as, of course, is Lewis Macleod, the currently injured Scotland Under-21 internationlist. McCoist clearly does not believe others coming through at Murray Park are good enough. If he did, he would have fewer qualms about pitching them into the team, the way that Dundee United manager Jackie McNamara has done at a higher level. It is unlikely that McCoist will be persuaded to do so next season either, in a league where teams need to know how to look after themselves, perhaps to an even greater extent than in the Premiership. So has Rangers’ window for youth development now passed? Probably. They have other battles to fight in any case. But when they do take their place in the top flight, probably in two seasons’ time, the relief may well be tempered by a niggling sense of what else might have been delivered over the course of their exile.

Haven't heard it but by all accounts it was a car crash. Anyone hear it? Claiming he was tired at the weekend. Players don't have anything to prove. Only job was to win the league and they have done that at a canter. Not embarrassed by the result yesterday. What more do fans want.