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...and turn down Cowdenbeath's bid to get league match back on the fixture list. THE Blue Brazil had argued that the criteria for the postponement had changed - with Rangers missing just TWO players due to international call-ups. THE SPFL have rejected a final bid by Cowdenbeath to get their postponed Championship clash with Rangers back on. The match had been scheduled for Saturday because Ibrox players – Marius Zaliukas, Bilel Mohsni and Dean Shiels – have been selected for international duty. But Cowden say the criteria for the call-off has now changed because of a two-match ban given to Mohsni that would have ruled him out of the weekend game. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/spfl-back-rangers-postponement-plea-4387751?

RANGERS today demanded an apology from Livingston over "outrageous and unacceptable" content in their match programme at the weekend. And the Ibrox club will also report their SPFL Championship rivals to the governing body over the "erroneous material". Gers supporters were incensed at two articles which appeared in the programme at the Energy Assets Arena. One story referred to "the club then known as Rangers" playing a game against Hibernian three years ago. It went on to state that "a brand new club" had been established after the old parent company was liquidated back in 2012. Another story in the Livingston programme mentioned the West Lothian club's record against the "now-defunct outfit" and "the newly-formed Rangers". However, High Court judge Lord Nimmo Smith ruled that Rangers was a "recognisable entity which continued in existence notwithstanding the change in ownership" two years ago. Livingston officials are believed to be horrified by the comments that appeared in the official publication which is edited by supporter Andy Crawford. However, Rangers still want their rivals, who they defeated 1-0 at the weekend, to apologise over the offence caused to the 54-times Scottish champions. A club statement read: "The content written about the football club and our players was outrageous and entirely unacceptable. "We will be raising the issue with the SPFL and seeking an apology from Livingston FC, who had a duty to prevent such erroneous material from appearing in their programme." Meanwhile, Rangers are set to escape any sanction from the SPFL over the crowd trouble that flared in the stands and outside the stadium in Livingston on Saturday. However, the League One champions are set to issue anyone who is convicted following the unrest at the weekend with banning orders from their matches. There were violent scuffles between Gers fans and police and stewards in one section of the stands during the first half of the second-tier game. Livingston safety officer Alan Scott confirmed: "There were five people arrested. The stewards and police assisted each other in dealing with the matter and no police or stewards were injured." And after the match mounted police reportedly had to break up an altercation between Rangers and Livingston supporters in the car park of nearby supermarket Lidl. The incidents are set to be mentioned in the official report to the SPFL by match delegate Alan Dick that should arrive at the Hampden offices of the governing body tomorrow. However, Rangers are confident their preparations for the match were professional and in accordance with strict guidelines laid down by the SPFL. They should, therefore, escape any official censure. After the match, Rangers manager Ally McCoist commented: "I did see it and it looked pretty unsavoury, but until I get a report on it I would be loath to comment other than to say we can do without incidents like that." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-demand-apology-over-livi-programme-article-183240n.25506990

Just about to start if anyone is interested?, watch it live here

Not that we're interested or anything.

RFC Good to see that some of our "more vocal" fans is helping the Rangers Family along.

Friday, 03 October 2014 10:00 Take Part In Armed Forces Day Written by Rangers Football Club TWO lucky members will have the chance to help carry the Club’s banner onto the pitch in support of the Armed Forces at half time during the Raith Rovers game, Saturday 18 October. The winners and their guest will celebrate Armed Forces Day in style with pre-match hospitality, seats in the Main Stand, half time refreshments and post-match drinks. Entering couldn’t be easier, email membership@rangers.co.uk putting “Armed Forces Day” in the subject line and include your name and Membership number in the email. Closing date for entry is 12pm on Friday 10 October. The winner will be picked at random and contacted by the Club week commencing Monday 13 October. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/club-news/item/7782-take-part-in-armed-forces-day

Ally McCoist admits he would accept Rangers gaining promotion to the Scottish Premiership via the play-offs after falling six points behind leaders Hearts. Monday’s 3-1 defeat to Hibernian saw some bookmakers make the Tynecastle outfit favourites to win the Scottish Championship title. The result sparked fierce criticism of the manager and the players from disgruntled supporters with the Ibrox men head into the match with Livingston with 13 points from seven matches. But while remaining confident of securing automatic promotion, McCoist admits he would accept reaching the top flight through the knockout route. He said: "It [winning the play-offs] wouldn't be out of the question because the most important thing is getting out of the division. "We will take whatever way we can to get out of the division because it is so important to the club that we get back into the top flight as soon as possible. "I would have thought it was a little bit unfair and disrespectful to the opposition more than anything. "The one thing we've always attempted to do, particularly in the last three years is show a great level of respect to our opponents. We will continue to do that. "Hearts and Hibs are good sides." McCoist has received flack for his tactics, signings as well as his coaching methods in the wake of their latest home loss. The Light Blues boss says he is not “bombproof” from the sack, regardless of how much it would cost the club to get rid of him. He said: "I don't think anybody is bombproof. "I certainly wouldn't sit here for a minute and say I'm bombproof. "I'm still wearing the flak jacket but nobody is bombproof." On criticism of his tenure, he defended his record before adding: "I genuinely don't care about it. If Walter Smith can get stick when winning nine in a row and getting to a UEFA Cup final then it's fair to say I'll receive a certain degree of criticism. "To the greatest respect to everybody the only people that know what goes on out there is my players and my staff. "You've got two automatic promotions then I think that's the target. I've said all along the target is to get back to the top flight as soon as possible. "It's not for me to judge or to say how good, bad or indifferent it is but I think it would be difficult to argue against it not being job done in that department. Video:http://sport.stv.tv/football/294497-ally-mccoist-rangers-promotion-through-play-offs-would-be-acceptable/

Tuesday 7th October 7pm. Grovsner Hotel Gt Western Rd Glasgow. Public meeting for all fans concerned with recent events at our club and who wish to explore possible actions available to the fans. We have one guest speaker confirmed so far and the meeting will include a Q&A session Much better from Craig here. Hope it goes well.

Kyle Hutton running backwards and beating Lee McCulloch (Willie Vass) Copyright: 2014 Willie Vass More...

Should they not have been published by now? Not that I'm expecting good news, however getting it out of the way and having the AGM where we vote through the share issue is quite important? Another example of poor corporate governance or am I too impatient?

THE perils of plastic pitches are all too often overstated, according to Robbie Neilson. Hibernian may have lost on the artificial surface at Queen of the South and Alloa, while Rangers could only scrape a draw at Recreation Park. Hearts, who are unbeaten so far in the Championship, travel to Dumfries tomorrow then visit Alloa next Saturday. But the head coach believes that astroturf should work in his team’s favour, not against it, and has confidence in the relatively new surface at Palmerston Park. “I think the surface will suit us,” Neilson said. “I’m not worried at all about playing on it and there will be no excuses for us failing to perform on it. It’s a good pitch, and the ball can get popped and zipped about on it quickly. “The majority of our guys have grown up playing on astroturf, whether it be the plastic at the academy [or elsewhere]. Even the foreign players like Osman Sow have experience of playing on it in Sweden. Adam Eckersley has played on it in Denmark and the Dutch boys grew up on astroturf. “It’s a decent surface, to be fair: it was relaid in the summer. However, it’s different from grass and we need to be ready for a different sort of game. “I would have no fears about playing all my players on it, although I would prefer grass. These surfaces change all the time – they’re better than they were even a year ago – so I wouldn’t take someone out just because it is on astro. “The preparation changes and the times we are out on the training ground will change. It is important you don’t overdo it on astro and train for too long. We went down to Spartans earlier this week and are training on our own astro on Thursday and Friday to make sure we’re ready for Palmerston.” http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl-lower-divisions/plastic-pitches-will-suit-hearts-robbie-neilson-1-3561234

ALLY McCOIST has hailed his Ibrox fringe stars as he contemplates shuffling his pack for Saturday's Championship clash at Livingston. The Rangers boss was furious with his team's display in Monday's 3-1 loss to Hibernian but the following evening he watched Gordon Durie's second string hammer Dunfermline 4-0. Lee Robinson, Richard Foster, Marius Zaliukas, Sebastien Faure and Kyle Hutton all turned out and have pushed themselves back into first-team contention for the trip to West Lothian. McCoist said: "The Development team put in a great performance. I really enjoyed the game. "Everybody did well but I was really pleased with the first-team squad guys who played. Lee Robinson made a couple of fantastic saves, Foster did well and Zaliukas and Faure did very well. "I was very, very encouraged by their performance, ably assisted by some of the younger lads. They included Ryan Hardie, who managed to grab a goal. The fringe players in the reserves have certainly come back into the reckoning. "They gave us what we were looking for in their reaction to this week's first-team result." McCoist's side could face Livingston without Bilel Mohsni and Kris Boyd after the pair were offered two-game bans by the SFA following incidents on Monday. They were caught on TV in altercations with Jordan Foster and Liam Fontaine and have been issued with notices of complaint by the new Compliance Officer Tony McGlennan. If Rangers don't lodge an appeal by tonight the pair will miss the Livi clash and Raith's visit to Ibrox on October 18. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-fringe-players-in-line-for-livi-comeback-182868n.25484504?

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...n-Rangers.html MIKE ASHLEY has doubled his stake in Rangers. The Newcastle owner now owns around nine per cent of the Scottish Championship club. Investment group Hargreave Hale confirmed it was behind the sale of £853,000 worth of shares in the fallen Glaswegian giants. Ashley’s purchase came hours after Gers fans threatened to boycott his Sports Direct stores over the cut-price deal he struck for the Ibrox naming rights. A spokesman for fans’ group Sons of Struth said: “We call on Mike Ashley to cancel his contract before the October 11. “If he still retains the naming rights after this point, we will instigate an immediate series of actions aimed at his Sports Direct stores.”

It’s been quite an exercise in the art of survival. A board who have misled shareholders at AGM, hidden the identity of investors, stand accused by a section of the press of lying over the withdrawal of credit/debit card facilities for season tickets, who, in their “comprehensive” 120 day review hid/omitted to divulge details of “the sale of the century” regarding stadium naming rights, have failed to answer satisfactorily structured questions from fans groups pertaining to the long term plans for the club, who have by unethical and unedifying association with known fugitives embarrassed the name of the club, the aforesaid which sees them, again, accused of misleading supporters regarding the nature of that meeting, have found in the last few days that there is one aspect of the club that even the most resourceful or duplicitous cannot hide from the fans – the state of the product on the park. There is even perhaps a warped sense of irony, that in the battle for our football club the ammunition or language is no longer anonymous investors, percentages or proxied shares but rather tactical ineptitude, poor performance, ill-discipline and unexplainable team selection. The current board cannot on this occasion use the convenient “get out clause” of laying the blame on previous regimes – this time it’s their call, and as thousands of bears demonstrated on Monday night as our team capitulated to Hibs, they will be held to account. In fact they already have been by thousands, the empty seats providing ample supporting evidence on that one. I fear it will get worse, much worse before it gets better. There is nowhere, nowhere the board can hide from this one. Monday night was a culmination rather than a knee jerk, perhaps the saddest aspect of it all was that it came as no great surprise to anyone. The failings of management, signing policy, tactics and team selection have been the subject of message board forums, supporter’s bus conversations and pre-match blethers for months. It is not a time for emotive and unhelpful descriptive language, either positive or negative regarding Ally, but rather a regrettable acceptance and emotion free analysis that in the most important area – on the park – Ally is not capable of taking us to where we not only want, but also need to be. There was a moment on Monday night when the cacophony of anger from the Copland Road, directed towards Ally, saw him withdraw to the dugout. It was notable that Durranty was tasked with the verbal coaching from the touchline second half. The board should be thankful there was such a volume of noise, if they prevaricate any longer over what needs to be done, then perhaps next time we fail, it will be akin to the tree falling in the empty forest – there will only be an empty silence from the empty stands.

ALLY MCCOIST admits the month of September was a frustrating period for his side as disappointing league displays against Alloa and Hibs overshadowed positive performances and results against Raith Rovers, Inverness Caley Thistle and Falkirk. Monday night’s 3-1 defeat to the Hibees was a sore one for the manager and his players who gave themselves a mountain to climb by conceding three poor first-half goals in the space of 15 minutes. Nicky Law gave the Ibrox faithful a glimmer of hope when his superb half-volley flew past the visitor’s number one Mark Oxley before the hour mark but it proved too little too late for the Light Blues who now sit six points behind Championship leaders Hearts after seven games. There is, of course, a lot of football still to be played but McCoist hopes his squad can now push on in October and go on a winning run, starting this weekend against John McGlynn's Livingston. Speaking at Murray Park to RangersTV he said: “We’ve found the consistency in very short periods, sadly not long enough consistency. “We’ve had some good performances and good results, I think we’ve played the best part of 12 games, lost two and our cup form would indicate we’re still in the cups as well. “As I said our league campaign has barely started, there is a long, long way to go so we’ll continue to do our jobs, work hard on the training ground and continue to progress. The consistency and getting a good run of games is obviously the ideal scenario and that’s what we’ll strive to do.” McCoist knows his side will need to play better than they did against Hibs if they are to take three points from Saturday’s trip to Livi’s Energy Assets Arena. He said: “It was really disappointing and frustrating (on Monday) because we haven’t been defending as we did at the start of the season in these previous games. “That said we’ve had a couple of reasonable performances with clean sheets, with performances against Raith Rovers and Inverness, so I couldn’t see that coming. All three goals, particularly the first one, it was inexcusable defending. “I said at half time when you come in losing by three goals you do need a minor miracle to get back into the game. “We couldn’t find the second goal that would have given us that impotence to go on and attempt to get an equaliser so it was a poor night at the office in terms of the result. “We’ll do our jobs and look at it, look to improve from it and learn from it but it’s a league defeat and not a death in the family.” McCoist and his players have come in for fierce criticism following Monday night’s defeat but the manager knows from experience that this reaction comes with the territory. He added: “I’ve been here long enough to know what to expect, it’s alright me saying it’s an overreaction but I’m used to it. I’ve been here long enough as a player, as a coach and as a manager so it goes with the territory. “I don’t see that changing anytime in the future, it is part and parcel of a club of this size that a defeat is taken with far more seriousness than it is at the vast majority of other clubs. "But as I said I don’t see that changing, it will continue to happen so we just have to accept it and move on.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7772-we-must-find-consistency?

STV reporting both Boyd and Mohsni have been offered two match suspensions for separate off the ball incidents on Monday evening. The Compliance Officer is quite correct in both regards. I can recall both incidents from the match, as yet I have not watched TV highlights.

Wednesday 1 October 2014 IS ALLY McCOIST'S POSITION UNTENABLE? No, not yet, but we appear to be trundling progressively closer to that state of affairs. Six points behind in the SPFL Championship is a surprising position for him to be in after seven fixtures and the situation is worsened by the fact his side have already lost at home to both Hearts and Hibernian, generally regarded as their two main rivals for promotion. The question is: how far behind must they fall before something dramatic has to happen? Eight points? Nine points? What will tip things over the edge? Will it be defeat at Tynecastle on November 22, or the latest in a long line of losses in knockout competition when St Johnstone pay a visit to Ibrox in the League Cup? So far, McCoist's players have done just enough to keep him away from the noose. They scraped an ill-deserved win at Falkirk thanks to a late, deflected mis-hit from Lewis Macleod in their second league match of the campaign and beating Inverness Caledonian Thistle to maintain interest in the League Cup was a big result. The team showed promise when winning 4-0 at Raith Rovers, but that has been shown to be a one-off and belief that McCoist can turn them into a side capable of providing entertaining football every week is dwindling. Supporters are not yet calling in significant numbers for McCoist's resignation or removal, but performances are nowhere near the standards expected. A number of bookmakers have already installed Hearts as favourites for the Championship and that is only sensible on current form. McCoist did agree a pay-cut, understood to amount to 50%, on the £825,000-a-year wage he enjoyed until January 2014, but his earnings are going to continue to prompt questions when his team plays as it did in the process of losing 3-1 at home to Hibernian. Open revolt in the stands, if it happens, would force the issue. SHOULD HE CONSIDER WALKING AWAY IF THINGS DO NOT IMPROVE? Tough one. Would you walk away for less than to what you are entitled when you had witnessed a number of others from the boardroom - all accountable, in part, for almost £70m being squandered in two years - receive pay-offs? HOW MUCH OF THIS CAN BE BLAMED ON THE ONGOING UNCERTAINTY CREATED BY THOSE ABOVE HIM AT BOARDROOM LEVEL? None of it. The players state ad infinitum, after all, that they do not focus on financial concerns. McCoist knows the pressures at Ibrox. Whatever is going on in the background, asking Rangers to set the pace in the Championship with a budget that dwarves anything available to other clubs in the division is not unreasonable. The money being spent on Rangers' football department means they should beat everyone in the game other than Celtic. IS SPECULATION OVER McCOIST'S FUTURE NOT A KNEE-JERK REACTION AT AN EARLY STAGE IN THE SEASON? Not really. Rangers fans have, generally, been scathing over the standard of football they have watched for the last 2½ seasons. The team did win the Third Division and then SPFL League 1 by a street, but they regularly struggled to dispatch teams of part-timers. McCoist's record in cup competitions cannot be allowed to pass either. Rangers did not, whatever he may say, spend the money they did purely to win Scotland's bottom two divisions. If they did, they spent way over the odds. Losses to top-flight sides such as Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Dundee United were dressed up as understandable and acceptable; questions over Rangers having a Premiership wage bill were glossed over. Defeats in the Ramsdens Cup to Queen of the South and Raith Rovers, who humiliated them in the final at Easter Road, were shameful in the extreme. WHAT WILL HAPPEN, THEN, SHOULD RANGERS FAIL TO WIN AT LIVINGSTON ON SATURDAY? McCoist will have to answer questions on whether or not he believes his time is up. ARE THE GROWING QUESTIONS OVER HIS TACTICAL APPROACH FAIR? Yes. Too many games have resulted in an over-reliance on long balls and there is a distinct lack of variation about the play. His team selections continue to raise eyebrows as well with players continually being played out of position. The side has been letting in goals too easily, but Darren McGregor, a centre-half, continues to be fielded at right-back while Bilel Mohsni remains a starter. McGregor admitted in the match programme for the Hibernian game that he had only played on the right "a couple of times with St Mirren". Wouldn't Richard Foster be a better bet there with McGregor in the middle? Lewis Macleod is a central midfielder who was being used on the left before injury. Rather than use attacking players with pace in the wide midfield positions against Hibernian, McCoist used Steven Smith, a full-back, and Arnold Peralta, a central midfielder. So much emphasis seems to be placed on sending Lee Wallace powering down the left flank, but Rangers are not getting behind opposition defences often enough and that is contributing to Kris Boyd's clear problems. He is a natural predator, but has failed to score in the league and has only hit the net in two of 12 appearances. There have to be greater signs of an established style of playing at Rangers. Regular supporters also note the absence of a Plan B. BOYD SCORED 22 TIMES FOR A POOR KILMARNOCK TEAM IN THE PREMIERSHIP LAST SEASON. WHY HAVE THE GOALS DRIED UP? He missed a number of chances at Raith Rovers and Alloa and looks a shadow of his former self, but he is not receiving adequate service. Rangers have lacked invention, variation and creativity. Boyd admits that he has been forced to feed off scraps at times. WHY HAVE SO MANY ESTABLISHED TOP-FLIGHT PLAYERS STRUGGLED AT RANGERS? Great question. Dean Shiels, Ian Black and Nicky Law all arrived in great form. David Templeton had just scored for Hearts against Liverpool at Anfield in the Europa League qualifiers. Marius Zaliukas, signed this summer, is not even deemed worthy of a start in a defence leaking goals left, right and centre. All these players are going backwards. Are they simply incapable of handling life in the goldfish bowl or are their collective troubles a reflection of wider failings within the team as a whole? Probably a bit of both. WILL THINGS CHANGE WHEN KENNY MILLER IS FIT AGAIN? Will Kenny Miller be fully fit again? He is three months from his 35th birthday. His career has been built on relentless workrate and selfless running. That catches up with you eventually. We are a month into the season and he has already been laid up with hamstring and calf problems. A NUMBER OF OLDER PLAYERS HAVE BEEN BROUGHT IN AND REMAIN. SHOULDN'T RANGERS HAVE USED THEIR TIME IN THE LOWER LEAGUES TO CONSTRUCT A STRATEGY BASED ON YOUTH? Of course they should. Jon Daly, for example, admitted earlier this week that he can no longer train two days in a row because of knee trouble. McCoist is not entirely to blame for the way Rangers have frittered away their millions, but they missed a trick. Two years in the bottom divisions could have been used to build a young, fit squad that could grow together. If those in the existing youth set-up were not good enough, a more structured, long-term and cost-effective transfer policy could have been employed. Instead, Charles Green was struggling to sell season tickets following his takeover and permitted McCoist to lure established top-flight players to the club. He needed quick results and could be understood in having gone for a quick fix. In the meantime, Rangers' footballing department was allowed to continue without a recognised scouting network. Rangers' development squad, for the record, currently sits close to the bottom of the SPFL Development League with three points from four games. EVEN IF HEARTS DO WIN THE LEAGUE, WON'T RANGERS STILL ACHIEVE THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF GETTING BACK TO THE SPFL PREMIERSHIP THROUGH THE PLAY-OFFS? Let's just say that anyone who has watched Rangers' two meetings with Hibernian so far would be reluctant to place money on that. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/...=email%2Balert

Rangers fans group Sons of Struth threaten boycott of Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct shops Ashley has been targeted after purchasing the naming rights to Ibrox for £1. The threat of a boycott of Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct retail group along with the business interests of other Rangers directors has been made by dissident fans’ group, the Sons of Struth, following a ballot of supporters. The group, named after Rangers’ longest serving manager, Bill Struth, staged a demonstration behind the directors’ box at Ibrox during the team’s recent meeting with Inverness in the Scottish Communities League Cup, but have now raised the possibility of direct action against McGills Buses, a transport group owned by the Rangers football board chairman, Sandy Easdale, and his brother James, who serves on the plc board. Ashley has been targeted because Sandy Easdale recently revealed that the naming rights to Ibrox had been sold to the Newcastle United owner for £1. Easdale himself has been the subject of condemnation from the Rangers support - whose boycott of season tickets has reduced the club’s income from that source by half - because he has been seen in the company of Rafat Rizvi, who was sentenced to 15 years in absentia when convicted of fraud in an Indonesian court. Rizvi, a UK citizen, is the subject of an Interpol international arrest warrant but cannot be extradited because the UK has no treaty with Indonesia. He was pictured recently in Glasgow along with Easdale and Malyasian businessman, Datuk Faizoull Bin Ahmad, who was named as a potential investor in the troubled club, although he subsequently denied any intent to take a stake or any knowledge of Rizvi. The Sons of Struth issued a statement detailing the results of their poll, which did not specify how many fans’ opinions had been sampled, although it is thought that they have around 3000 members. The statement read: "Due to recent events, such as Sandy Easdale's meeting with convicted fraudster Rafat Rizvi, his broken promises of having investors lined up and the selling of our stadium’s naming rights to Mike Ashley for £1.00, Sons of Struth have received an increased level of calls for tougher action against the board, Sports Direct and, Easdale-owned McGills Buses. “Recent polling of our members resulted in 99.35% calling for the removal of Sandy Easdale as a Rangers director and 97.19% wishing Mike Ashley to cancel his 7 year contract for the naming rights to Ibrox, 92.87% want to boycott McGills buses and 87.47% want to boycott Sports Direct in attempt to achieve the removal of Sandy Easdale and cancellation of Mike Ashley's naming rights agreement. “89.64% of those polled want to see some sort of boycott at matches with an aim of removing Sandy Easdale. The general feeling amongst our members is that he lies to fans and shows no respect to his position through his close association with Jack Irvine and his meeting with a man on Interpol's most wanted list. His words and actions are disrespectful to the position he holds as a director of Rangers Football Club. “Our firm belief is that Sandy Easdale is an obstacle to future outside investment and, despite his recent outlandish claims that the fans' actions may put the club's future in danger, we firmly believe that after 100,000 season ticket sales in three seasons the blame for the clubs perilous financial position lies squarely in the boardroom. “The club operate a "football board" which is viewed in the eyes of the fans as nothing more than a vehicle to allow Sandy Easdale a directorship as he may not be eligible for a seat on the PLC board. Does this "football board" have any other purpose? “We shall release our intentions for further protests and boycott action in the very near future and in the meantime would encourage the board to immediately remove Sandy Easdale if they wish to avoid this. “Sandy Easdale has been heard in the past to claim that if the Rangers support do not want him at Ibrox he would leave. We would ask him to take the hint and go before his association with our club causes more damage. “Sons of Struth also call on Mike Ashley to cancel his naming rights contract before the 11th of October. If he still retains the naming rights after this point we will instigate an immediate series of actions aimed at his Sports Direct stores. “We would ask all Rangers supporters in the meantime to use discretion when deciding to give either Sports Direct or McGills Buses their custom. We will hold a public meeting of Rangers fans in October at at a venue to be announced." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/rangers/11131196/Rangers-fans-group-Sons-of-Struth-threaten-boycott-of-Mike-Ashleys-Sports-Direct-shops.html

Forty minutes gone and City getting a lesson in how to play. City 1 - Roma 1. City's goal a penalty after four minutes, Roma a nicely crafted goal by Totti. Roma could have had more but City should have had a second penalty.

Former Rangers owner Craig Whyte has been banned from being a company director for 15 years. The 43-year-old was handed the maximum ban possible after a judge heard his conduct in dealing with Rangers was "shocking and reprehensible". Whyte was previously banned from being a director for seven years. A second ban was sought by UK Business Secretary Vince Cable after Rangers' liquidation in 2012 and the subsequent liquidation of Whyte's firm, Tixway. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-29429752#?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Portsmouth have announced they have now cleared all debts following the club's exit from administration in April 2013. The Pompey Supporters' Trust has been in charge since striking a deal with former owner Balram Chainrai. A club statement said they could now look "forwards not backwards, while still recognising that the rebuilding process will continue to be a difficult task in the years ahead". Portsmouth have been in administration twice in the past five years. The club came close to liquidation in 2013 before the Trust came together to take over. Some 2,368 shareholders have between them raised about £2.5m through individual pledges of £1,000. The PST owns just under 51% of the club, with a group of 13 presidents making up the remaining share. Those presidents include Portsmouth chairman Iain McInnes and property developer Stuart Robinson. Robinson himself owns land surrounding Fratton Park and plans have been approved for a supermarket behind the ground, a project that will finally mean the site is redeveloped and transformed. Portsmouth's presidents have also injected £500,000 to help with ground improvements, which will take potential attendance to around 20,000. "Everybody at the club has worked hard in reorganising our operations during the past 18 months and the legacy debts were a significant liability hanging over this ongoing process," the statement said. A new training ground is due to open before the end of the year and the club statement added that it was part of a process of "putting in place foundations to enable the sustainable growth of all aspects of the club". Portsmouth are eighth in League Two as they look to begin the process of climbing back up through the divisions, having been in the Premier League as recently as 2010. And chief executive Mark Catlin paid tribute to the hard work of the staff, as well as the support from the fans, and warned there could be no repeat of the financial mismanagement of recent years. "Obviously it's another milestone in the club's evolution, a great day and the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people over the past 18 months since we came out administration," he told BBC South Today. "It's the fans, staff and backroom staff who have got us here. The supporter base is key as they've given us financial clout, "Operationally it makes a big difference and means we can build for the future, but what we can't do is take our eye off the ball." http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29408776

Both brothers have some reasonable success in business but their continued purchasing of shares without ever gaining outright control, or getting close, only looks as though they're getting their hands dirty for their masters. The word coming from the members lounge is that both are seen as joke figures or big oafs inside of the board room. Due to Sandy's past convictions, allegedly being 'hooky' in their home town of Greenock, and our recent history of attracting conmen, it was always unlikely they'd be accepted. It's fair to say very few bears actually respect them never mind want them near Rangers. The former NOMAD ran for the hills when James was appointed to the PLC board due to having no experience and being unable to demonstrate why he should be there. We all know why Sandy's not on the PLC board but has managed to become chairman of the football board. Sandy was also daft enough to get caught up in a war of words with Craig from SoS, which ironically elevated SoS' position within the support and MSM even though the legal threats were to curb Craig Houston. If my memory serves me right they bought shares at 70p a pop so are unlikely to make much money. Other than perhaps trying to legitimise themselves to the wider business community, I can see no benefit for them hanging around when the clear majority don't want them here. But they hold a substantial % in shares for secretive holding companies who certainly don't give a toss for Rangers. Can someone explain to me their purpose? You would have work very hard to convince me that they are bluenoses.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29299357

From http://sport.stv.tv/football/293798-...th-kris-boyd/? (who have an odd use of the term "new signings") ---------------------------------- Ranger's striker Jon Daly has called for Ally McCoist to stick him upfront with this season's top goalscorer Kris Boyd. Speaking ahead of the Rangers' Scottish Championship clash with Hibs on Monday night, Daly spoke of his admiration for the former Kilmarnock striker and how well he's done this season. "I'd like to think I could play with most strikers. I don't see why me and Boydy couldn't work," said Daly. "It might take a game or two to get used to each other's game but I think we would link up quite well." "Boydy's record speaks for itself. If he wasn't getting chances, that's when you would start to worry." Although Boyd has already scored five goals for the Ibrox side this season, he has yet to score in the league in six appearances. "As a striker, you always want to be scoring goals but he's getting chances and once one goes in, I'm sure he will get a bucket load." he added. "He's a fantastic finisher and he will kick on once he gets that first (league) goal." Daly has been out of action for Rangers for the past six weeks with a knee injury, which ruled him out of any pre-season training at the club. Aside from Boyd, the towering striker also faces stiff competition from new signings Nicky Clark and Dean Shiels. Yet the former Dundee United striker isn't too worried about getting enough game time at Ibrox this season. "There has been some new strikes brought into the club and so it's obviously a challenge for me to try to get back into the team. "Pre-season would have been the ideal time to make my mark but unfortunately I got injured and now I'm playing catch-up." Said Daly. "But it is a long season and I'm a different type of striker to the rest of the boys so the manager now has a few options. "He also has Kenny, Nicky and Deano, so he is a bit spoiled for options."

......He might be a lunatic but he's OUR lunatic. AHEAD of tomorrow's Championship clash between Rangers and Hibs, Ally McCoist hails his controversial Tunisian defender and Hibs strike star Dominique Malonga considers a Congo international call-up. HE flits between bombscares and brilliance. His manager describes him as Champions League-class in the art of inducing heart attacks. But deep down, Ally McCoist knows he has a player in Bilel Mohsni. And deep down he knows if he can coach the comedy capers out of him, he won’t have him for long. Because he reckons the 27-year-old Tunisian is good enough to play for anyone at any level without them. The Rangers boss said: “He genuinely could. He’s quick enough without being lightning, he’s certainly powerful enough, he’s good in the air, comfortable with both feet. “There’s definitely a player in there. His national team manager would agree with that as well. He has been playing and playing well. They went to Cairo to play Egypt and won 1-0 so it is definitely just a concentration thing. “He made a mistake against Inverness at Ibrox, there were a couple during the game the other night – he just switches off when he thinks it is slightly easier than it is. Easier said than done but if we can nail them, he has far greater qualities than deficiencies.” McCoist loves the fact he has someone of charisma in his team, an opinion divider, something he feels has been lacking. He said: “He might be a lunatic, but he’s OUR lunatic, and an extremely likeable lunatic! I jest, of course. He is a smashing guy. “The crowd love him but are equally frustrated by him. You have to appreciate as well that away from the football he is an absolute diamond. He is wonderful with kids, wonderful with supporters and the whole package makes him a big loveable character that everybody wants to do well. “They get frustrated with him at times and pull their hair out. He is the type of player who pops up with a great tackle after making a mistake in the first place. “But I love the fact he has become a bit of a cult hero/menace for our fans. “It has given him something, given the supporters something and given the club something. We have had good boys who have got the job done, but our fans maybe haven’t had someone they can identify with or discuss for an hour in the pub afterwards over a pint.” Meanwhile the outspoken star has been taunting Hibs ahead of their meeting at Ibrox tomorrow. Mohsni himself revealed the manager had tried to persuade him not to over-complicate defending and not to dribble his way into trouble. And he insists he’s trying to curb his natural instincts. He said: “I was taught to pass so when I kick the ball and clear then it’s because the manager has told me to be solid and not take risks. “It’s not pretty, I don’t like it either. But this is the job and I have to do it. “Against better players, you know that one mistake can cause a goal. I made a mistake against Inverness and was lucky they did not score. “The manager says I gave him a heart attack in that game. I’d like to be more concentrated and solid and maybe next season we can pass the ball more and enjoy it.” McCoist believes the further up the ladder they make it, the more the calibre of football would bring out the best in his stopper – but the scares are still there. He said: “I was hopeful the step up in the league this year would see him naturally defend at a greater level of consistency, but he still has a few wee points when he switches off. “He has to handle that. He is a great threat for us going forward from set plays but as a centre-half you are in the team to defend. He has to cut out the errors. “He made a couple of mistakes against Falkirk in midweek but also played the ball of the night with the outside of his right boot to play in Dean Shiels. That’s the kind of thing we don’t want to take away from him. “We don’t want him to lump the ball out the park but he needs to defend. At the same time he has to concentrate and work on his use of the ball.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-boss-ally-mccoist-ibrox-4337624?