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Published on Thursday 4 August 2011 11:51 POOL are being linked with a Rangers wonderkid labelled one of the game�s rising stars. The Seasiders are understood to have made an enquiry about attacking midfielder John Fleck, who made his first-team debut for the Glasgow giants at the age of 15, four years ago. Fleck has made 37 appearances since. He is a big part of Rangers� long-term plans and signed a new three-year contract last year. But Pool are hoping to land the teenager on a loan deal and have made contact with Ibrox. Ian Holloway wants to add players with an eye for goal before the transfer window closes at the end of the month, especially with DJ Campbell on the verge of finally leaving. The striker is close to completing a move to QPR, though there has been a hold-up as he waits to see if Aston Villa come in with a late bid. Campbell has not been training with Pool. http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/sport/football/blackpool-fc/blackpool_linked_with_rangers_midfielder_1_3646378

After what seems the shortest summer break in history, competitive football in Scotland begins again this Saturday lunch-time as Champions Rangers welcome Hearts to Ibrox Stadium. After 54 League titles including the last three in a row, can Rangers continue on the success trail under new rookie manager Ally McCoist? Despite the loss of a few players from last season's title winning squad, confidence amongst the support should be high that we can retain the title. While our progress in the transfer market has been steady rather spectacular, we do have the same core of players that have been so successful while at the club. Of course it is somewhat disappointing that (so far anyway) links with exciting players in the media haven't actually resulted in the likes of Carlos Cuellar wearing the shiny new strip. However, the re-signing of existing players on extended contracts should not be under-estimated in value to our chances of success. After all, the likes of McGregor, Whittaker, Davis and Weir have all been hugely important in our march to 3IAR. Add in Naismith and Jelavic, then you have the kind of spine that won't accept second best. Such squad continuity is invaluable. On the other hand, our squad is too thin. The loss of guys like Weiss, Bartley and even Foster reduces our flexibility and it won't be difficult for opposition managers to guess, then limit, our style of play. In saying that, the capture of Juanma Ortiz and the introduction of youngsters like Bendiksen and Hemmings should help to keep things fresh. I'd also hope fringe players like Fleck, Broadfoot and Healy will be reliable deputies when called upon. And there is still time for more new signings - at the right price of course! Moving onto Saturday's SPL curtain-raiser, I think the first thing to do is acknowledge that Hearts have done what we haven't and brought in new signings quickly and efficiently. Sure, they may not be genuine top quality but the likes of Sutton, Hamill and Taouil offer a consistency and experience Hearts did miss from their foreign contingent. As ever, this won't be an easy match after the league flag is unfurled but I'm actually glad of such a tough opener though as, with Malmo in the CL 3rd Qualifying Round on Tuesday night, we need to be up and running quickly. Indeed, because of that European banana skin, we may see a slightly less adventurous XI as to what finished the SPL campaign last term. In the last few games of season 10/11; we were superb to watch and brushed all aside in a flurry of great goals and exciting performances. I'd expect a more conservative outlook this weekend though. Let's have a look at the manager's options. While our defence should have a familiar look for most of the start of the season, captain David Weir is suspended for our opening match. This means McCoist will need to decide between Broadfoot, Papac or Whittaker at centre-half. All of this shuffling about highlights we do need to sign another central defender but if we could persuade Bougherra to re-sign then such defensive stability would be ideal. In the mean-time we still have a strong, experienced defence so we need not overly worry about the tasks ahead. Moving into midfield, again despite the dearth of signings we do have a variety of options given everyone appears to be fully fit. On Tuesday night in Blackpool, the new manager opted for an orthodox four though and I think we'll see the same unit start against Hearts. Some fans are worried at the inclusion of both Edu and McCulloch but these guys provide the solid platform for the likes of Davis and Ortiz to get forward effectively and it was no coincidence these guys provided both goals. Sure, against other opposition we may only need one of those holding players but it may be more prudent to avoid unnecessary gambles early in the campaign. Not to mention the fact that Edu can get forward well when required. Also eager to be considered will be Fleck, Hutton, Bendiksen and Wylde but they may have to be content with a place on the bench. Into attack and the injury to Kyle Lafferty is a blow - both in terms of the player's own development after an impressive end to last season and to our general options up front. However, again we do have suitable cover via Naismith, Healy and Beattie - not to mention young Kane Hemmings who has shown up well in pre-season. Obviously Nikica Jelavic is the first name on the team-sheet so it will be up to the others to show they're capable of scoring the goals to partner him. All in all, we still have a core of players more than capable of competing strongly again for the league title. Yes, a few new players would be agreeable but I'm hoping everyone will focus on the task at hand and that's getting off to a good start in the league while progressing in Europe. With a stadium wide card display on Saturday and the newly combined 500 strong Broomloan Front singing section; the fans will be ready to back the players and Super Ally as they bid to 'Step up and Play' once more. Possible team (4-4-2): :sw: :mb: :kb: :sp: :sd: :me: :lm: :jmo: :nj: :sn: Here's to 55! :spl:

Some of the young boys playing today: Adam McCabe Heggarty Cole Kerkar Hutton Kholert Bendiksen Fleck Wylde Hemmings 3-2. Think Hemmings got the first two with Fleck the third.

After two successive defeats in pre season, Alistair McCoist has had to endure by himself the first small experience of pressure since his succession of Walter Smith in the managerial hot seat. The outgoing manager made clear the simple task awaiting all those who occupy that lonely position where the buck stops, stating simply that as Rangers manager ââ?¬Ë?youââ?¬â?¢ve got to win all the timeââ?¬â?¢. Ranking third in the clubââ?¬â?¢s table of appearances, and first in the goal scoring charts, the new manager is undoubtedly familiar with this simple demand of life at Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s most successful club. For the first time, however, the full weight and complexity of this concise imperative rests squarely and solely on his shoulders. On the more rational continent, pre-season is about fitness and experimentation. This is the primary concern of the manager who was at pains to point out that the team is not yet two weeks into training and was keen to maintain a sense of perspective. In his first outing against German Fourth Division side Sportfreunde Lotte the manager made seven changes at half time, including the introduction of youngsters McMillan, Hutton, Fleck and Hemmings. While going on to lose the match, the manager could take positives from the full 90 minutes played by the returning Broadfoot and the movement and power of youngster Hemmings. However, in his second outing against Bochum, the defensive frailties of a team more closely resembling that which secured Rangersââ?¬â?¢ third title in a row were exposed as the team was beaten convincingly. ââ?¬Å?Obviously Iââ?¬â?¢m disappointed by the result and particularly disappointed at the standard of goal we lostââ?¬Â he said. After a disappointing opening 45 minutes of the second game, the visitors created little in the way of chances. McCoistââ?¬â?¢s only real attacking option was to introduce John Fleck up front, pushing Steven Naismith out wide. This did little to reverse Rangers attacking fortunes, and as the match progressed the increased home pressure forced the concession of three soft goals. The media focus, and the managerââ?¬â?¢s response to it, has centred on the need for new players to offer depth and competition in these positions. McCoist is unlikely to acquiesce to the reactionary narrative that these results are significant reflection of troubled early days, but he may be quietly pleased that his need for new players remains in the spotlight. McCoist, however, remains confident ââ?¬â?? ââ?¬Ë?We will get what is required. Itââ?¬â?¢s blatantly obvious we need to get players in, but we arenââ?¬â?¢t going to start panickingââ?¬â?¢ As might be expected, McCoistââ?¬â?¢s calm is not shared by all. The view from the forum is typically less restrained. On one hand, those wary of the lack of signings and perturbed by the results are sharing the mediaââ?¬â?¢s focus on the squadââ?¬â?¢s inadequacy, and are seeing an ominous future reflected in the pre season present. Some have questioned the playerââ?¬â?¢s commitment, and are worrying if Allyââ?¬â?¢s ââ?¬Ë?previous persona of being a ââ?¬Ë?good guyââ?¬â?¢ and jokerââ?¬â?¢ has undermined their will to win. Others are keen to point out that wielding any sort of big stick two weeks into pre-season training would be reactionary and disproportionate for a side who such a short time ago showed an iron will against considerable odds to win the league for the third time in a row. They share McCoistââ?¬â?¢s view that the only thing reflected in our early performances is growing fitness and the widely acknowledged need for new players. McCoist sensibly will not worry overly much about the results, and the complexity of transfer interaction will continue to frustrate both him and the fans ââ?¬â?? no doubt with increasing theatricality as the opening game and European deadlines loom. However, as the fans concentrate on the necessary drama of transfer activity, and are divided along lines drawn up by the media, it is possible that the opening games reflect a more subtle and general problem than has previously been discussed. A problem whose very obviousness has obscured it from view. . In the virtues of his long apprenticeship and the inheritance of a small talented squad of those used to playing and winning together McCoist has a solid core of both experience and resources on which to build. However, this sort of solidity affords little flexibility. McCoist does not have the luxury of the revolutionary fervour of regime change and the freedom to experiment that this brings. The same fans who show their consternation at any loss, as Walter Smith predicted, are similarly worried that Ally does not seem to have changed from the defensive formation favoured by the previous manager. The large shadow, small squad and pathological demand for success given McCoist on his appointment afford little scope for him to impose himself on his squad comprehensively. Both the situation and personnel the new manager has inherited has made a story of small, steady and incremental change his only option. For McCoist to impose himself as he must he will necessarily have to make changes, and in doing so to contradict his mentor and the players who played, above all, for him. The real problem facing Ally McCoist appears not to be the inevitable signing of players or the often irrational demands of pre-season results. His will be judged on how he sparks life into the robust, efficient and successful engine of which he is the grateful beneficiary. And how well he provides the spark that was previously lit by the benefactor. With the fever of revolution in the corridors of power at Ibrox, and a new optimism and expectation in the wider support and community, Ally McCoist faces the rather more sombre task of making the squad which is his inheritance truly his. He will be all too aware that this isnââ?¬â?¢t something that comes in flowing football pre-season, or even imagination capturing signings. These things, like fitness and match practice, all form part of a task that is harder to define, report on and worry about ââ?¬â?? he has to make a side used to winning all the time, win for him. On leaving Walter Smith warned that ââ?¬Ë?all that matters is that you create an environment that wins matchesââ?¬â?¢, and what we see reflected perhaps more than anything in these opening matches is the new managerââ?¬â?¢s realisation that while ââ?¬Ë?you need a lot of help to do that but, as managerââ?¬â?¢ he is now the man ââ?¬Ë?at the helm of it allââ?¬â?¢. McCoist points to the future and the first the first game of the season as the only true indicator, while the fans and the media are left to dissect the present according to their own fears and hopes.

JAMIE NESS made great strides for Rangers last season. That's literally the long and short of it. Exciting midfield prospect Ness really shone for Walter Smith's champions without knowing one leg was longer than the other. It's now why he believes his breakthrough campaign was dogged by injury frustration. Ness stamped his ability over a debut season, which included two stunning displays against Celtic. Agonisingly, though, his season ended on April 16 - and since then he's visited German specialist Hans Muller Wohlfahrt. What Ness was told shocked him, but also filled him with HOPE. The 20-year-old fans' favourite - whose efforts earned him a bumper new deal until 2015 - said: "I'm just back from seeing Dr Wohlfahrt in Munich. "I've got some things to do and things to work on. Hopefully that will be me over the problems. "They think I've got one leg longer than the other but I've got an insole now and hopefully that will take care of the problem. "I've also got exercises to do. It's created general muscle problems for me, including my back and hamstring. Everything's been a bit out of balance. I think that's why I was getting so many muscle injuries. "It's taken quite a while to be detected, also because I've still been growing. I'm just happy that it's hopefully been resolved and I'll be able to push on and not worry about the injuries. "It was more kind of injection treatment that Dr Wohlfahrt did with my back. I also saw a chiropractor there. "Inter Milan centre-back Lucio was there at the same time as me while I think Michael Owen has also visited him in the past. "The fact I've been able to see him has been great, I've appreciated Rangers being able to arrange that." Ness confessed it was torture having to sit out Gers' phenomenal title run-in when they clinched three-in-a-row. He said: "I think when you're not playing you just turn into a fan. It was great to be at the games when we had that run going and kept the momentum up to win the title." Ness has no fears about his ability to break into the side next term - even if new boss Ally McCoist has �£10million to spend. He also reckons that fellow Ibrox babes Kyle Hutton and Gregg Wylde can remain involved. Ness said: "Danny Wilson was able to come in when we still had a big squad, John Fleck too. "It shows the young boys that if they're good enough they are going to get their chance, no matter how big the squad is or however much money there is to spend. "Hopefully that's the case. That will be up to Ally McCoist to decide but I think I've shown enough when I came into the team that it wasn't too much for me and I handled it well." Meanwhile, Gers youth chief Jimmy Sinclair reckons Ness would've been in the Scotland squad for the upcoming Carling Nations Cup if he'd been fit. He said: "The manager said to me in the course of the season that he fully expected Jamie Ness to be playing for Scotland before the end of the year. I honestly believe if Jamie had been free of injury that would have been the case. His performances were very mature." Sinclair's thrilled with the success of the Murray Park production line. He added: "I'm very hopeful that the seasons ahead will be a combination of acquisitions by the manager and support from the youth department. "I think we are past the point where Murray Park is being dubbed a red herring which is not functioning properly." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3590781/Happiness.html#ixzz1MqVJJaan

Honestly, the last 4 weeks has been the best football Ive seen from a Rangers team since Advocaats first 2 years. I do not think its a coincidence that: 1) We have set out to WIN games 2) Have a settled team (no changes in 4 or 5 games) 3) Not just a settled team but players playing in their natural positions. Ive always said if we play to our strengths then we are capable of blowing teams away.....the evidence of this is 5-0 at Fir park, 4-0 at tannadice, 5-1 at rugby park, 4-0 v Hearts. Fair play to the team for spirit also, they dig deep and dragged out ugly wins at Hamilton, St Johnstone and Aberdeen before the good run began. Its a bit like the 2003 team who scored over 100 goals from all over the place. Myself and Pete have always said this when Boyd was playing that we were capable of getting goals from all over rather than a slow poacher. No Boyd = No Goals = No title = hahaha :grin: From a personal point of view: Allan Mcgregor...cant speak highly enough of him. this season Ive said he is in the top 5 keepers in the UK, i wouldnt swap him for any keeper in the Premier League in England. He is the most improved player in SPL history. Top man! Kenny Miller - I was gutted Miller left in january. I was happy he signed 3 years ago much to some Bears dismae, but his work ethic and pace was always going to be an asset, he finally came good with his finishing this season and then we sold him. Kenny deserves a huge mention to this title...and he is still the SPL top scorer this season. Jelavic - A Dado Prso in the making?? Thats a complement enough! Vlad Weiss - Probably my fave player this year, I really liked him and the way he just gets the ball and has a go. He has caught the Rangers bug and I hope we get him signed up. The Youngsters - Hutton, Ness, Wylde! Showing the likes of Fleck and Wilson how its done.....Brilliant contribution from these 3.

MOULDED by Jim McLean, mentored by Sir Alex Ferguson, made by Graeme Souness. Walter Smith's simple summation of the Rangers manager he has become. It's 8.15am in Smith's understated office in the bowels of Murray Park. The Gers boss, 63, is just 52 hours away from the nerve-shredding showdown at Kilmarnock that will decide his title fate. With the first mug of decaf coffee gulped down Smith is energised, smiling wryly as he ponders the start of his Rangers adventure back in 1986. Souness swaggered in as the new Gers player-boss from Sampdoria. With Smith riding shotgun as his No2 the ex-Liverpool skipper changed the face of Scottish football forever before he was lured to the Anfield hotseat in April 1991. The Rangers boss reflected: "I've read many accounts of the Souness Revolution and been humbled by what Graeme said about me. "But listen, NONE of the rebirth of Rangers would have happened without Souness. He was the foundation of the modern-day Rangers. "They could not have chosen a better person to change this club or lift the whole place. That's what Graeme did, he galvanised an entire club. "He brought his persona, a swagger and a different view of Rangers. That transferred to everyone within the walls of Ibrox." When Souness was asked to take over from his former Kop team-mate Kenny Dalglish he wanted Smith alongside him. Two decades on the boss who guided Gers to Nine in a Row has not a shred of regret that he said no. He stressed: "That famous bootroom at Anfield had been there with Graeme as a player. I couldn't see that I had a place in it. Graeme's combative character took him into all those clashes with the SFA but that streak makes him what he is. "I look back at those years with Graeme and they had MORE of an influence on me than my time with Jim at Tannadice. "I was taught about life at a bigger club and a winning club. Souness lived for that. "I was a Dundee United man and he was an education, he changed me as I was a Jim McLean man with a little bit of Sir Alex Ferguson thrown in." Tomorrow night, win or lose at Rugby Park, Smith will attend the Scottish Football Writers' Association dinner in Glasgow. It's 25 years since he sat at the same bash at the old Albany Hotel and heard a guest behind him whisper: "You won't believe this, I've just heard Graeme Souness is the new Rangers boss." By the end of the night their carefully-guarded secret was out, Smith was being congratulated on landing the job as his No2. Yet the fan who once travelled with grandfather Jock to watch his heroes on the Carmyle Rangers Supporters bus would walk into a club living in the past. He looks back and sighs: "When I turned up there was almost NO ONE at Ibrox. I had two laundry women, Cathy and Betty, and Laura the manager's PA. Campbell Ogilvie and his secretary were there too but on the football side of things I only had Bob Findlay the physio. They sacked the entire football department on the proviso I'd come in ahead of Graeme leaving Sampdoria. Everyone else had left the building! "This club was the pinnacle for me yet there was a tradition that the training kit was handed out to the players on Monday and not washed again until after they handed it back stiff with mud on a Friday. "I knew there and then we had to take Rangers into the modern era." Gers were in the gutter, scrabbling around needing to win their last three games just to qualify for Europe. They hadn't won the league for NINE YEARS and fans craved a sliver of hope to cling onto. Smith recalled: "We got into Europe and we had Celtic in the Glasgow Cup Final. "McCoist scored a hat-trick, we won 3-2 and I felt a wee marker was thrown down. Graeme was here, I felt that said to Celtic: 'Things are going to change at Rangers'. "This club had gone nine years in a row without winning the league and those titles were spread around Celtic, Aberdeen and Dundee United. It wasn't just Celtic dominating, other teams were ahead of us now too. "Something was wrong in this club and we had to change it." Twelve rollercoaster months later Gers were champions again. Skipper Terry Butcher powered home a towering header at Pittodrie, Souness, true to the dramatic script he would always pen, was sent off. Smith said: "People try to tell you there was a massive influx of players but there wasn't. We brought in Chris Woods, Terry Butcher and Colin West, Jimmy Nicholl on a free. "The big thing was that we got Graeme Souness the PLAYER - and he was still a magnificent midfielder at 33. "Around them we had the likes of Cammy Fraser, Dave McPherson, Stuart Munro, Derek Ferguson, Davie Cooper, Ian Durrant, Ally McCoist and Robert Fleck. "We simply got a great reaction from a bunch of boys who loved having a fantastic footballer like Souness in their team." Smith went to school in the quieter moments of that season. Intrigued by the success Souness had helped to craft at Liverpool, he constantly questioned his friend on the workings of the Anfield machine. He revealed: "Dundee United were built on a coaching basis, formations, tactics, how we could get the best out of the players we had. "Graeme's influence was from Liverpool, they bought players and placed them in their team with little instruction on what to do. "I was inquisitive about what it was like for him there as they had so much success. "I asked him what it was like to go from Middlesbrough to Anfield, what they'd told him. Turns out Ronnie Moran said to him: 'We brought you here to play where you play, so just play!' "I thought that was so loose when I had operated under Jim McLean. Liverpool had the best and at United we had compsensated brilliantly for not having the best. "I learned something there, I'd have times at Rangers where we had top-drawer players and I could follow that Liverpool philosophy. Then there were others when I could go back to my McLean teachings and compensate. "Five years working with Graeme showed me a different way to be successful. "He taught me how to have a persona and a confidence about a winning team. "He showed me another world. I was a working-class Scottish boy as was he. But he had broken out and gone to England and Italy and learned so much. "The modern Rangers couldn't have happened without him, he turned this club around. I know deep down I would not have been the manager I am without him." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3579950/Souness-was-saviour-of-Rangers-he-made-me-a-boss.html#ixzz1MHPPRIO8

Gregg Wylde today revealed there are more Murray Park wonderkids waiting to force their way into the Rangers first team in the near future. Lightning-quick left-winger Wylde is the latest in a long line of teen sensations to force their way into Walter Smithââ?¬â?¢s side in recent times. The Kirkintilloch lad played in a narrow Europa League defeat to Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven last Thursday night and did brilliantly well. And he followed up on that mature showing with a fine individual display in the Co-operative Insurance Cup Final win over Celtic at Hampden on Sunday. His performances were further evidence that, despite frequent claims to the contrary, the Scottish championsââ?¬â?¢ much-maligned multi-million pound training complex in Milngavie is working. Indeed, Wylde has followed in the footsteps of Darren Cole, Kyle Hutton and Jamie Ness by making the breakthrough into senior football during the 2010/11 campaign. That hugely promising quartet have themselves been inspired by the likes of John Fleck, Andy Little and Danny Wilson ââ?¬â?? who won a big money move to Barclays Premier League club Liverpool last summer ââ?¬â?? before them. The latest youngster to leap to the attention of the Light Blues faithful is hoping to be involved in the push for the SPL title between now and May, despite Vladimir Weiss, who had been nursing a bruised foot, being fully fit again. He is also confident he will soon be joined in the first team by many more of the boys whose progress has been overseen by Billy Kirkwood, Jimmy Sinclair and Tommy Wilson. Wylde, who turned 20 yesterday, said: ââ?¬Å?To be honest, I have been a wee bit surprised to get into the first team in the way that I have. I was totally shocked when I was chosen to play against PSV Eindhoven and delighted to stay in the team for the cup final. ââ?¬Å?The two games I have played in since coming into the team were massive and I am sure they will stand me in good stead for the remainder of the season. Our next game is against Dundee United at Ibrox on Saturday week. Hopefully, I can get a game in it. ââ?¬Å?There are quite a few games to be played between now and the end of the season and the aim is to make that position down the left flank my own. ââ?¬Å?I donââ?¬â?¢t know what is happening with Vlad at the end of this season, but if he goes back to Manchester City I will by going after his place. ââ?¬Å?It has been a great year for the academy kids. The gaffer has called up a lot of the young boys, Darren, Kyle, Jamie and myself, and given us the chance in the first team. ââ?¬Å?There are a lot of talented young players working hard behind the scenes at Murray Park. I am sure that in the seasons to come there will be many more of them who come to prominence.ââ?¬Â Wylde, the son of former Kilmarnock player and current Clyde assistant manager Gordon, has been influenced by many of the coaches in the youth set-up in the five years he has spent at Rangers. But Manchester United and England superstar Wayne Rooney is the one person who has given him the most inspiration as he has fought his way up through the ranks. Rooney shot to the attention of the football world when he was just 16 at boyhood heroes Everton and has since gone on to win the Champions League with United and become one of the worldââ?¬â?¢s best players. Wylde said: ââ?¬Å?There have been a fair few coaches who have been a big help to me over the years. But I think if you want to get on you have to take responsibility for yourself and put in the work that is going to help you make it. You canââ?¬â?¢t look to anybody else to do you any favours. ââ?¬Å?The guy I really look up to is Wayne Rooney. I think his attitude to football is unbelievable. His desire for the game and his will to win is so impressive. There is a lot you can learn from watching how he goes about his business.ââ?¬Â Despite his delight at the unexpected cup final victory over Old Firm rivals Celtic ââ?¬â?? which was secured when Nikica Jelavic slotted home a dramatic extra-time winner off the post ââ?¬â?? Wylde was sorry for opposing centre-half Charlie Mulgrew. The youngster has known the versatile player, who also hails from Kirkintilloch, for many years and turned out for the same youth outfit as him when he was starting out in the game. He explained: ââ?¬Å?We played for the same team together when we were young and I still speak to him from time to time. I didnââ?¬â?¢t see him after the game on Sunday and I havenââ?¬â?¢t spoken to him since the final, but he is a friend and I did feel for him. ââ?¬Å?It was quite strange to be playing against him in, but I was totally focused on helping Rangers get the victory and will be doing exactly the same thing between now and the end of the season if I get the chance.ââ?¬Â http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/editor-s-picks/young-greg-wylde-says-kids-are-set-to-roll-off-murray-park-s-production-line-1.1092440

Or to be playing with 'better players'. There are 2 excuses players are often given when it comes to their performances being suspect. The first is that they need time, a run in the team, a real prolonged period to settle in before you can judge them. The second is the players they're playing alongside - if those colleagues are mediocre and off form then surely it will affect said other player, yes? Well, imho, Wylde's display on Thursday blew both arguments out of the water and then some. For example, El Hadj Diouf's current form is being excused because he's playing alongside Whittaker, Edu etc. Players who aren't exactly bleeding edge and who aren't on form. But call me crazy, SO DID WYLDE! And yet looked sparkling. The other excuse is the player needs time - well that was Wylde's debut at that sort of level, and while he's flirted with the first team, this was his first real assertive start. And guess what, he was our best player! By a mile. I find a lot of excuses are given to players in order to justify our support of them, when the likes of Greg Wylde showed you don't need time or great colleagues to shine yourself if you have ability. Maybe Fleck could learn a thing or two from him.

Wondering what folks' thoughts on him are? This is what, his third full season as part of the first team squad and he's yet to really make an impression. All the hype before he came in and the fact that he does obviously have a fair bit of talent, yet he can't get a look in at the moment. I think that he's struggling to find his position - i really don't see him as a left midfileder/winger and to be honest can't see him as a striker. I think centre midfield, with a kind of Gazza/Scholes type role, breaking into the box, dictating the tempo. I'm in no way writing him off, but at the same time, especially with our slender squad, I'm hoping to see something from him before teh end of the season.

Once again on Tuesday night we were pedestrian for long spells, didn't work hard enough off the ball and key players refused to take responsibility for their duties in the team. All too often we're reliant on our defenders to make the play and don't have enough creative options in the team to keep the opposition guessing. We also don't have any real pace in the side and, McGregor aside, we've not been convincing defensively. Meanwhile Hearts have looked pretty good. Strong at the back via Zaliukas (a player I especially admire) and Bouzid; mobile and physical in midfield via Black and Jonsson; and various options in attack with Templeton, Skacel, Elliot and Kyle. Add in the ever volatile Tynecastle atmosphere, then our work is cut out for us this weekend. Of course, despite the late, late win there in early October, we'd did play pretty well and if it wasn't for their 'keeper, would have won much more easily. As ever, with this Rangers team one just doesn't know which Rangers XI will turn up: Will it be the fluent attacking one, full of creativity and forward play (including two strikers, two wide men and Davis played centrally) or will it be the frightened defensive one (including one striker, one wide player, Davis out wide and two holding midfielders)? One thing is for sure, it should be a cracking game. May I be the first to call for Walter to take off the shackles and let our team show why we're still the best in Scotland! Throw down the gauntlet with this team: :sw: :mb: :sp: :vw: :sd: :lm: :sn: :nj: :jf: Attacking, dangerous but still flexible enough to pull Fleck into midfield if required. Lafferty may be a better option in that case but on the tight Gorgie pitch, guile and finesse will be required to get past Hearts. I can't wait!

the performances of the youth players when called up to the squad this season have been a breath of fresh air. Ness, Wylde, Hutton in particular have all shown great promise and have never looked out of place in the first 11. Cole albeit one game and Fleck who performed very well last night against ICT are also in the frame. Thats half a team there. all have proved that they are good enough and ill wager will be contenders for regular places next season. So i hope smith keeps on looking to these boys and the youth squad when he thinks he needs a new player. You only have to look at the money wasted on the likes of lafferty and beattie who have provided scant return for their wages to know that it is a real gamble when you dabble in the transfer market at the level we can afford. These kids given our financial predicament are our future and we should be sticking by them, not buying middle of the road over the hill hasbeens that will give you nothing in return. we have everything we need at Ibrox. Its just sitting there waiting to be tapped, and will save us a fortune in the long run. and there is nothing more satisfiying as a fan than watching someone make it through the ranks. Save your money walter and play as many of theses kids as you can.

Can it now stop, pretty please? The entire footballing world know it doesn't work. A front pairing needs to compliment each other. I can't think of one successful front pairing where two out and out big guys worked up front. It's not even so much the size, it's just that ideally in a 4-4-2 you want an out and out striker and a classic number 10 link up player. Boyd and Miller worked because Miller can drop off and work the channels. Lafferty and Boyd together never worked. Lafferty and Beattie tonight were horrific. They linked horribly last week two, though Lafferty put in a good individual performance. Beattie looks finished but being the wrong partner does not help. We have John Fleck sitting on the bench, a player who can easily do the classic number 10 second striker type position, yet instead Walter does an illogical thing and plays two big guys. Walter reminds me of Eck at times, constantly doing things nobody else would do and persisting when they don't work. Fleck has come on and is playing well, we look a lot more dangerous with him and Jelavic in the final third. Or why not try 4-3-3 with 1 striker and Weiss and Fleck on the flanks supporting....

If we don't get funds for contract renewal or bringing in replacements then 2012-2015 are going to be very baron years I fear.

Weiss appeared for the Gers in their 3-1 win over the Hoops at Parkhead in October after coming on as a late substitute for Kenny Miller. But he is desperate to play in the world-famous fixture for the full 90 minutes in a match which will go a long way towards deciding the destination of the Scottish title. A victory for Walter Smithââ?¬â?¢s side will put them two points clear of Neil Lennonââ?¬â?¢s team with two games in hand on their age-old city rivals. The 21-year-old Slovakian cap, on-loan from Manchester City for the season, has struck a rich vein of form going into the Celtic clash. He scored a goal and was man of the match in the 4-1 win at Motherwell in last Sundayââ?¬â?¢s SPL fixture. And Weiss is hoping Smith, who switched him to a more central role against the Steelmen in a tactical masterstroke, hands him the chance to wreak havoc on Celtic from kick-off. He said: ââ?¬Å?It is up to the manager what team he puts out, but I am hoping he picks me to play against Celtic. If he does, I will try to play as well as I did against Motherwell at the weekend. ââ?¬Å?The Old Firm game is a match that is known about all over the world and I was certainly aware of it when I came to Scotland in the summer. It is a game I have watched before for many years. ââ?¬Å?I have already had a taste of the Old Firm game. I played the last time we met Celtic when I came on for the last 10 minutes or so. ââ?¬Å?But it would be a dream come true for me to play from the start this weekend.ââ?¬Â Weiss is keeping his fingers crossed team-mate Steven Naismith, who limped off with a hamstring injury in the Motherwell game, wins his battle to be fit for the meeting with Celtic. However, he believes if the Scotland international fails to recover in time then John Fleck can come into the side and help the Scottish champions rack up another vital triumph. He said: ââ?¬Å?Naisy is a very important player for us and has been doing great for us this season. His injury is not too bad and hopefully he will be fit for the Celtic game on Sunday. ââ?¬Å?I knew about Steven before I came to Scotland, but this is the best season he has had at Rangers so far. ââ?¬Å?He is doing really well for us and will be a big loss if he fails to make it. ââ?¬Å?Flecky came on against Motherwell and did well. He is only 19, but he is a really, really good player who has impressed me since I arrived at the club. In training he has been brilliant. ââ?¬Å?He is one of the players who can come into the team and ensure we keep on winning matches, including the one against Celtic.ââ?¬Â

I would agree that teams should be able to have teams in the lower divisions but i would hate to see a club have a monopoly of the top divisions. Apart from that it is good to see another youth player get some game time.

Jim Sinclair believes there are more young players waiting in the wings capable of following Kyle Hutton and Gregg Wylde into Rangers' first team. Hutton's first start was against Man Utd in the Champions League, while Wylde has been a regular off the bench. "I am delighted that so many kids are getting the opportunity to play," said Rangers' academy director, Sinclair. "And I genuinely feel there are others who can contribute as the weeks and months go on." Rangers manager Walter Smith's hand has been forced by a debt burden that has limited his manoeuvres in the transfer market - and by a lengthy list of injuries to key players. "Whether or not it is the circumstances around the club at the moment, which are not particularly healthy as we are all aware financially, they are getting an opportunity," said Sinclair. Just standing there next to the Manchester United players and the music, it was a great feeling Rangers midfielder Kyle Hutton "But getting an opportunity is one thing. It's being able to take it and hopefully they are equipped to do so - and I think they are. "We are really pleased at the chances and opportunities the manager has seen fit to give these young boys." Central defender Danny Wilson became a first-team regular last season aged 18 but refused a new contract and was sold to Liverpool in the summer, since when he has been in the reserves at Anfield. Forward John Fleck made his debut aged 16 in January 2008 but has yet to establish himself as a regular starter, but Sinclair believes that Smith will ensure that defender Wylde and midfielder Hutton do not get carried away by their new-found status. "I think the manager deals with that very well," said the youth boss. "He has a good feel for things and when to take the pressure off and have responsibility. "I think there are enough senior players in the squad to make sure that these lads are not asked too much of and also handle it properly." Sinclair was speaking at the launch of the Community Cashback Initiative, which offers all registered youth teams the opportunity to raise money for their clubs and access to reduced-price match tickets for Rangers' home league games. He was delighted to be able to put money back into grassroots football and, when asked about the standard of young Scottish players, remarked: "I do think there are too many people working too hard at youth development for us not to see some recovery." Hutton was given his chance after Kyle Lafferty fell and broke a finger while larking about with Wylde as they came off the team bus on the day of last week's Group D game at Ibrox. Sinclair joy at young Gers' success Fellow 19-year-old Wylde recalled: "It was just a wee incident coming off the bus and it was his fault, so he can't complain too much. "I was just happy for Kyle (Hutton), but after the incident I was bit scared about what the gaffer was going to say. "I didn't think at the start of the season I would have been involved throughout with the first team and hopefully I can get more games. "Kyle playing against Manchester United and a few others being involved in the first-team just shows that the gaffer's got belief in the young ones." Hutton joked that he would have to give Wylde "a pat on the back" and himself appeared to take playing against Sir Alex Ferguson's side in his stride. "It was absolutely great getting a start, particularly in the Champions League against Manchester United," he said. "Just standing there next to the Manchester United players and the music, it was a great feeling. Obviously, after that, the roar of the crowd is just fantastic. "I will never forget it, but nothing has changed. I will just keep doing what I have been doing and hopefully I will get another chance. "It is all down to me to see if I can take those chances and, who knows, maybe I can try to cement my place." http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/9244416.stm

If there is money available then the team could be done with 2 fresh additions in midfield and defence. Having Kerbar (sp?) available now is a good addition but we were always going to be light in the centre mid once Kevin Thomson was sold. Fleck is more of an attacking mid for me so cant count in the position Edu, McCulloch and Davis can play. So a centre mid is top priority along. Webster is a joke, if he was even available for the odd game it would make a difference. Getting Jelavic back will be a blessing.

Beating Celtic, hitting the top of the league and playing well for Scotland youth is very encouraging. Maybe Murray Park is starting to pay dividends.

I have just realised today the amount of injuried or knocks we have Webster, Edu, Beattie & Jelavic have injuries Weiss, Bougherra, Lafferty, Papac & Broadfoot all have knocks that are making them struggle in games or sit them out. Really worrying. Good to see Fleck back playing though, hopefully our players return quick !

I know the squad is not the biggest but we have some players who can come in and proving that the small glimpses they have been on they can do it(Wylde, Hutton, Fleck(even though he is just back). Yet we continue to see Whittaker who has been guff for weeks. McCulloch offers nothing all he does is run about, commit fouls, elbow folk when he jumps, shouts at people a wannabe Ferguson. Edu for as much as I like him is technically awful. Weir playing in cup games when he not need be. Where is Foster? What was the point in him? These kind of problems cost us the league when we went to Manchester

PATIENCE is rarely a virtue when it comes to the Old Firm but Walter Smith believes he's now reaping the rewards of a slow-burner approach with key members of his squad. The Ibrox boss is only too aware that a quick-fix is normally the order of the day at Rangers or Celtic. But after adopting the strategy used by Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Smith feels the long-term approach taken with the signing of guys such as Steven Naismith, Kyle Lafferty, Kirk Broadfoot and Steven Whittaker is now paying dividends. Whittaker has blossomed into a genuine top-class performer after a tentative start to his Ibrox career, Lafferty is finally coming good while Naismith has arguably been the best player in the country during the first four months of the season. And Smith said: "Patience and the Old Firm don't go hand in hand but I felt we had to look longer term because of the position we were in. "In the past, we looked for players who would be instant successes and the pressure was on us to do that. Now we have to look a bit further into the future. "At Man United, for example, they bring in younger players and the older ones in the group handle that situation and help bring them on. "Cristiano Ronaldo scored five or six goals in his first two or three seasons then all of a sudden he was into the 20s, 30s and 40s by his last season. "You have to allow these players time to mature. The same thing has happened with a number of our players although we had a problem with Naismith in that his injury interrupted the process. "With Whittaker, he has met the demands of playing for the Old Firm and it has improved him as a player. "Some players don't handle the constant pressure but the majority of the group we've got have handled it extremely well and revelled in it in many ways." As he geared up for tonight's visit of Hibs, Smith revealed the obstacles players must overcome if they are to meet the unique demands of playing for the Old Firm. He said: "Players in their late teens and early 20s often produce a good performance and then go down a bit. "With Naismith, you could see his level of ability, but he might not be the same in another game. "The main thing players gain here is a consistency of performance and you can see it with Naismith now. "Whittaker and Broadfoot have raised their levels too and young John Fleck is coming in just now. "He has been here for a few years and knows the demands but it takes these players a while to impose themselves on games. John is going to have to start where Naismith started." Colin Calderwood brings his struggling Hibs side to Ibrox on the back of three straight defeats, including a brutal beating in Sunday's derby at home to Hearts. But Smith has warned his players to be wary of a backlash from the Easter Road outfit who roll up in Govan with nothing to lose. Three points pretty much looks a given for the SPL leaders on paper although Smith admits he is still concerned by the damaging effect of his team's gruelling Champions League campaign. The Gers boss feels his side's mental focus has been blunted in recent weeks on the back of tough European assignments. It's a an affliction not just confined to his own team, with Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal and Group C rivals Valencia all losing at the weekend after being on Champions League the previous midweek. Smith said: "It is not always a physical thing. It is a mental thing. Look at Spurs. "How do they go from beating European champions Inter Milan to losing at Bolton? "Mentally, you are not attuning yourself to the game. "We've handled our matches after Champions League fixtures OK but have been slow to start them. "At St Mirren the other day we had 76 per cent possession in the first half but we never had the edge to go any further. I don't think their keeper had a save to make other than punching the ball into his own goal. "You need that extra edge and we got it for the first 25 minutes of the second half. "It's a natural thing to happen and it is difficult to counter. "Man United do it by changing players and they've also got to a situation where they are well used to it. It's normal. "For us, we have to expend a hell of a lot of energy in the Champions League and we need to do it in every game. "Tottenham are in their first year in the contest and they are seeing it as well. It is a problem. Last season, we dropped a fair number of points after European games and it was a bit of a concern. It still is as we have a hell of a run of fixtures right now. "The edge has come off the team in spells. "We scored the first goal against Inverness and then just played within the game. The edge was missing. "But we have a small group and can't really change things round. "We've been a bit flat in several matches. We have Hibs and Aberdeen next. They have both shown us before that they will make it difficult and these two games are dangerous ones." TeamNews Vladimir Weiss is in line to play against Hibs at Ibrox tonight despite struggling with injury. The Slovakian winger has been troubled with severe bruising on his heel but has trained over the last couple of days and will be available for selection. Rangers manager Walter Smith has no fresh injury concerns but long-term crocks Andy Webster, James Beattie and Nikica Jelavic are still sidelined. BETBOX Kenny Miller can't stop scoring in the SPL and has six in four games against his former club (including a hat-trick this season). Back Miller to score two or more at 5-2. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/rangers/2010/11/10/walter-smith-rangers-long-term-policy-of-investing-in-youth-has-paid-off-86908-22705747/

Table topping Rangers make the short journey to Paisley to face bottle of the table Cowden....sorry St Mirren in Sunday's live TV game. Danny Lennon's men have picked up all 8 of their points at home this season, only losing once in 5 games. Last time out they won 2-1 to Aberdeen with on-loan Watford midfielder June Travner scoring an injury time winner. We go into this game looking to get back on track after a disappointing 1-1 draw with Inverness and of course, Tuesday nights 3-0 reverse in Valencia. Saturday's game against Inverness showed us that we cannot afford to go into these games half heartedly. We may be better than the opposition in every aspect of the field but we have to match their desire and application. With that in mind and given the run of games we are currently in the middle of, I expect a degree of freshening up on Sunday. I may be wrong and we may go 100% with tried and trusted, but I'd like to see something a little like this. McGregor Broadfoot Bougherra Weir Papac Weiss (if fit) Davis McCulloch Wylde Naismith Lafferty I think Miller, along with Whittaker and Edu would benefit from the rest as they are 3 players who rely on near peak fitness to allow them to perform. Young players such as Wylde & Weiss are ideal for games such as these. They provide a freshness and an excitement that can be invaluable coming off of a midweek European game. I'd be hoping at least one of them would start and would also expect John Fleck to continue his rehabilitation by playing some part in the game. We played and defeated St Mirren 4 times last year in the SPL and to me, they look weaker this time around. Danny Lennon has brought a few players in from Cowdenbeath and they don't look to be of the standard required to survive in the SPL. As I mentioned above, they sit rooted to the bottom of the table with 8 points from their first 10 games. It would, however, be silly of us to think they will be a pushover especially when you take into consideration the energy sapping 90 minutes we endured on Tuesday evening. With all of that in mind, I'm going for a nervy 2-1 win for The Rangers.

The phrase "stop start" doesn't quite do justice to the ups and downs in the nascent career of John Fleck. Having only turned 19 in August, Fleck seems to have been around the scene at Rangers for ages, having made his first-team debut in a pre-season tour at 15, his league debut at 16, and set a record as the youngest ever player in a Scottish Cup final when he came on for the last five minutes of the 2008 win over Queen of the South, aged just 16 years and 274 days. So much was expected of him that Fleck appeared to be overwhelmed by the hype, which included being nominated as Scotland's Wayne Rooney, only for him to suffer a disappointingly long spell off the boil. It must be mentioned that he had some extra-curricular problems that would have been normal teenage activity - a tantrum here, an illicit pub visit there - except for the fact that he lives in the Old Firm goldfish bowl where all such misdemeanors are exaggerated into grand felonies. In retrospect, was that early introduction to the big time a hindrance rather than a help? The lad himself is uncertain. "I thought it was great being involved," said Fleck, "but maybe it was too early. I'm not so sure myself, but I just did my best and got out of it what I got out of it. I just tried to let (all the hype] go past me, but obviously there was a bit of pressure on my shoulders with everybody expecting me to do probably a lot more than I did. But I just tried to get on with it myself and do the best that I could." Season 2010-11 was supposed to see Fleck put all that behind him and make the impact which his undoubted talents demand, only for the player to injure a hamstring during a pre-season friendly with Clyde. He made his belated return for 45 minutes against Inverness last week and looked fit again. Fleck explained: "It was just a wee tear of my hamstring at the start, but I did it another twice when I came back into training. It was obviously very disappointing because I just wanted to get back as quickly as I could. Maybe that was the wrong thing to do. "After the last time I did it I had a few weeks off, and that's me back fine to full fitness now." He is trying to break into a team that is unbeaten in the league as Rangers prepare to face St Mirren today in the final match of the opening third of the season, and as such he is realistic enough to know an early return is no gimme. "The team's been doing well, so you can't expect to go straight back in," said Fleck. "You just have to take your chance when it comes. "Everybody's fighting for their places just now, you can't complain because they can't get left out with how well they've been doing." That includes the Champions League matches he sorely misse I felt bad for myself, but the boys did great, which is the main thing that matters here. It's not more important than any other season to me, but the more games I get the better it's going to be for me." His manager Walter Smith has mentioned the possibility of a midfield role for the youngster. Fleck said: "I like playing behind the strikers, but I'd play anywhere really to try to get a shot. "I've played centre-mid, on the left and just off the strikers. I feel comfortable in any of the positions. Wherever I'm put in, I'll just do my best. I'm an attacking player, but I have been working on defending. When you've not got the ball, you've got to get back for the rest of the boys and not let them down." Many Rangers fans thought that Fleck being handed the No.10 jersey for the season after signing a three-year deal was a sure sign that he would be a regular first choice player, but it has not worked out that way. "There's a lot of people keep saying that to me, how did I get the No.10 jersey, but it doesn't bother me. I could wear No.50, it's not a problem to me. If anybody else wants the number, they can take it. "It was Nacho Novo, he said to (kit man] Jimmy Bell to give it to me. Obviously I was happy, but any number is good to me." Fleck will be in the squad for today's match at St Mirren Park, and Smith is delighted that the player's career could soon be back on track: "He started the season really well in Australia, but the injury has gone on for two months. I hope this season he will get more playing time and have more influence on games. His attitude has always been good and there is more of a realisation in him now about what he has to do to make the step up from youth football." The prospect of a fit John Fleck back to his best would have the fans drooling at Ibrox, but this time around, everyone concerned about his future for Rangers and Scotland should perhaps resist hyperbolic urges. "Give the boy time" is the message. http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/sport/Interview-John-Fleck-Rangers-player.6615898.jp?articlepage=2