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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

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?

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

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."

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

From today's Scottish Sun: There's not much meat on the bones but with various carefully worded AGM resolutions now starting to take shape, this year's meeting is set to resemble last December's as key people canvass for support. The calm before the storm?

......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?

....we won title by 21 points one season and lost it by 15 the next. BARRY says the next meeting between Rangers and Celtic can't come quickly enough and reckons, should they meet in a cup this season, his beloved Gers will prove they are closer to matching their rivals than people think. THEY might have been kept apart in the League Cup quarter-final draw but there is definitely a feeling an Old Firm collision is getting closer. A clash of the Glasgow giants could yet come in that tournament this season or even in the Scottish Cup with Rangers now getting deeper into knockout competitions. If it doesn’t then few would bet against Rangers winning promotion from the Championship which means we’ll have to wait only until next season for one. Personally, it can’t come quickly enough because it’s been badly missed and that has been the feeling of many Celtic fans in the past two years. But I’m not so sure they’re as eager for a crack at Rangers now. I’ve heard so much talk in the past couple of years about how Celtic are 10 years ahead of my old club. It’s a phrase that seems to have been trotted out whenever Celtic were at their highest or Rangers at their lowest. But there is no doubt the gap is closing. In fact I believe the squads are pretty evenly matched in terms of quality. But regardless of that I don’t think you can ever say one is 10 years ahead of the other. The thing about the Old Firm is that superiority goes in cycles. That’s always been the case and it probably always will be. They simply don’t get so far ahead that the other one can’t quickly catch up. And one of the best examples of that comes from a period when I was playing at Ibrox. Under Dick Advocaat we won the league title by a massive 21 points in his second season charge. It came on the back of a treble in Advocaat’s first season and, having won the final Old Firm game of that season 4-0, many believed the gulf had never been so great. Celtic were seen as being in disarray with Kenny Dalglish in temporary charge after John Barnes had left the club but Martin O’Neill was brought in that summer and things quickly changed. And what happened the following season? Celtic won the league by 15 points. So that was a 36-point swing in the space of just 12 months. If that doesn’t prove how much and how quickly things can change, nothing will. Nothing much at Rangers had changed and Celtic made only two signings, Chris Sutton and Joos Valgaeren, before the opening league game of that campaign (Alan Thompson and Didier Agathe followed in September, Rab Douglas in October and Neil Lennon in December). People have their opinions on the state of Rangers and Celtic just now but for me talk of being 10 years between them is exaggerated. It’s nothing like that. And it would be great to see them going at it for the first time since Celtic won 3-0 at Parkhead in April 2012. For a lot of people the Old Firm fixture is the only thing they associate with Scottish football and it’s been a difficult couple of years for our game without them. That’s a bit disrespectful to the other clubs but it’s the truth. I know Celtic fans would have loved a crack at Rangers at their lowest ebb in the last couple of seasons but it’s changed now. I don’t think Celtic have gone backwards because they still have a very strong squad. The personnel is pretty much the same but they have lost a manager in Neil Lennon who knew the Old Firm derby inside out while Ronny Deila is still learning aspects of our game. But I just feel Ally McCoist, right, has improved his Rangers squad greatly. He’s had a lot of younger boys in the past couple of seasons but now he has guys with Premiership and Old Firm experience. Plus it’s the old cliche of form going out of the window in an Old Firm game. Even those who do feel Celtic are 10 years ahead of Rangers would probably agree that in a one-off game anything can happen in that fixture. Again I can go back to that 2000-01 season for proof of that. Celtic beat us 6-2 at Parkhead in the first Old Firm derby of the season and we went out and beat them 5-1 in the next. Another big swing – this time all in the space of just three months. I feel Kenny Miller, although he’s been injured, and Kris Boyd are two huge signings and their experience is vital. I’m sure any Premiership manager would snap your hand off for those two. I know Boydie has yet to score in the league but it will come. It might just take one to go in off his backside and he’ll be on fire again. A lot of my friends are asking me if there’s anything different or wrong given the fact he hasn’t scored as many as some might have expected. But nothing has changed, apart from the fact he’s a much better all-round player than in his first spell at Ibrox. I don’t have any concerns about him. He’s a confident guy who believes in his own ability. That’s the kind of player you want in there and he’ll soon stick one in the top corner. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/barry-ferguson-you-cant-say-4326012?

Unloved owner in the North East should concentrate in taking over at Ibrox – it would be perfect for both Newcastle United and Rangers. Given the problems he has had at Newcastle United and the resentment he has caused during his seven years as owner, it may seem curious to suggest Mike Ashley is the ideal man to buy Rangers. Newcastle were a mediocre mid-table club when Ashley bought them and that is all they remain, yet Ashley could still be the ideal person to restore Rangers to its former glory. Most Newcastle supporters cannot wait to see the back of him. Although there is appreciation for the work he has done to improve the club as a business there has – with the exception of one fifth-place finish in 2012 – been little, if any, progress as a football club. There is animosity on both sides, Ashley is still bitter about the way supporters turned against him in the aftermath of Kevin Keegan’s resignation back in 2008, while they are convinced he is content for a proud club to be stuck in a monotonous mid-table wasteland while he uses it to promote his other business interests. The refusal to take cup competitions seriously is a wound that will not heal. Rangers fans also have their misgivings about Ashley’s intentions. So do the Scotland Football Association, who do not like the idea of one man owning two clubs, even if they play in different domestic competitions. Yet, if Ashley wants to buy Rangers, the SFA should let him. I don’t think there is a conflict of interests, just as there isn’t with Manchester City’s owners starting an American franchise, New York City. The opposition of the SFA to him increasing his stake to more than 10 per cent is a major barrier. He would, in theory, have to sell Newcastle first, but he has denied he wishes to do so. At least, he has denied he wants to at the moment. In a statement published on the Newcastle website, it was said Ashley will consider selling Newcastle at the end of next season, which interestingly is the earliest Rangers could be back playing in Europe. Uefa rules stipulate two teams owned by the same person cannot play in their competitions, which is reasonable enough as they could meet in a competitive fixture. That should not matter now if Ashley moves to save Rangers. Ashley would be an unusual fit for the knight in shining armour role. He is more market trader than chivalrous hero, but just because he has made his billions selling cheap sportswear should not disguise he has been phenomenally successful because of his business brain. Just because an idea is simple does not mean the man who came up with it isn’t a genius and few are better at making money than Ashley. Of course, being clever and innovative in business does not automatically mean you will be any good owning a football club and Ashley hasn’t been for Newcastle. The division between followers and leader saps its strength. The bitterness will not go away, there have been too many callous calls from Ashley, too many mistakes and too many perceived insults for Newcastle’s supporters to forgive and forget. Newcastle are paralysed by the lack of ambition in the boardroom. Many believe the only cure is a new owner and a new start. Ashley, though, is able to provide Rangers with exactly what they need, a secure financial footing and stability in the boardroom. He has the money to end the threat of economic meltdown and, as he has shown at Newcastle, he can turn a loss making business into a profitable one within a few years. The crucial difference between Rangers and Newcastle is that being a stable business in the Premier League is not enough to compete with the top clubs. Ashley stopped wanting to put his own money in to sign players and cover losses when he fell out with the fans and you cannot blame him. However, a stable business is all that is needed to return Rangers to the top of Scottish football because they are capable of generating far more income than their rivals. Only Celtic can rival Rangers in terms of gate receipts, sponsorship prestige and media interest, so all Ashley has to do to restore the old order is remove the spiral of debt repayments. Emotionally, no matter how much he tries to put a brave face on, the abuse Ashley receives as Newcastle’s owner must take its toll. There are only so many times you can be told you are overweight and not wanted. Ashley has broad shoulders and claims he is not particularly bothered what people think and say about him, yet he has also shown a thin enough skin to ban all three local papers for offering their supporting for a protest march calling for him to sell up last season. Ashley has still managed to make a project turned sour work for him. The exposure has been good for his retail chain, proving once again that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Even when he changed the name of the ground, provoking fury on Tyneside and beyond, Ashley ignored it and watched his other business interests prosper. Premier League exposure is one of the most powerful marketing tools around and Ashley’s sport shops are undoubtedly better known now than they were when he took over. Yet, although he has described the relationship between his sport shops and Newcastle as extremely beneficial for the former, it is still only responsible for a tiny fraction of its vast profits. He would barely notice if he lost them and there is every chance he can make even more if he buys Rangers. Not only do they have more fans worldwide than Newcastle, they are also far more likely to win trophies and success is a good thing to be associated with. Under his steadying hand, Rangers would almost certainly return to the Champions League, watched by huge television audience across the continent. Europe is the most obvious market place for Ashley’s other business to expand. They look made for each other, but Ashley has not made a move yet. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/newcastle-united/11121232/Newcastle-United-owner-Mike-Ashley-perfect-for-Rangers.html

"Following the publication of updated holdings in Rangers International Football Club PLC, the Union of Fans feel it is important to continue to highlight the position of Sandy Easdale. Mr Easdale and his associates have invested just enough to keep them above the 25% mark required to hold a veto over any inward investment to the club via a further, more substantial, share offer. Despite owning only around 5% of the club himself, Sandy Easdale claims to hold proxy voting rights for around 26%. We have long been concerned that Mr Easdale refuses to disclose who he actually holds these proxies for and instead disguises them through Beaufort Nominees. Mr Easdale's recent meeting with convicted fraudster Rafat Rizvi would lead us to believe that some of those proxy voting rights may be held on behalf of Mr Rizvi. It is also clear from this recent announcement, despite PR stories placed in the media to the contrary, that Mr Easdale has not purchased Charles Green's shares. We are therefore in a position where Mr Easdale appears to hold, through Beaufort Nominees, proxies for people such as Charles Green, Rafat Rizvi and Imran Ahmad. Our concern is that Mr Easdale will continue to act, as he always has done, in the interests of those shareholders and not in the interests of the wider shareholder base and the club itself. We have been clear that we feel that Mr Easdale should be removed as a club director but the PLC board appear to be unwilling or unable to enact that much needed change. Regardless, Mr Easdale is in a position, with the backing of shareholders who appear desperate to mask their identities, to block much needed investment into Rangers. We would ask Mr Easdale to confirm publicly that he and his associates will not oppose any resolution at the upcoming AGM which would allow fresh investment from those who care about the future of our club. If Mr Easdale ignores this request or refuses to answer unequivocally then, in the near future, we will recommend what course of action we believe fans should take. We are also concerned at newspaper reports that the annual accounts and therefore the AGM may be delayed. We would ask the PLC board to clarify if this is the case and to explain why, after what they described as a successful fund raising, there would be any reason to delay publication of the accounts."

THE financials to the end of June were expected to be published by the end of this month with an agm to follow within 28 days but with no date yet fixed there are concerns a delay could have a knock-on effect on fundraising plans. The auditors signed off on the half-year results in March with the caveat the business remained a going concern as long as season- ticket sales remained at the levels of previous years. FEARS are rising of a delay in announcing the annual results of Rangers and of possible financial consequences for the club. It had been reported the club’s financials to the end of June 2014 would be published before the end of this month, with an agm to follow within 28 days. However, Record Sport can reveal a date has yet to be fixed for the release of the annual results, with sources suggesting it has been delayed by the board. It had been anticipated Rangers would use their agm to put forward a motion seeking support for a new, significant share issue to guarantee the long-term financial future of the club. Any delay would have a knock-on effect on the timetable for fundraising, with the £3.13m brought in from the recent share issue only expected to see the club through until Christmas. Insiders suggest the board are either confident of raising funds from other sources or struggling to have their financial results okayed by auditors Deloitte. But a boycott by fans over the summer has seen season- ticket sales slump and left a black hole in the finances. Rangers would not need to go to the market for fresh finance in the short term if they secured loans from investors such as Mike Ashley or the Malaysian group who recently visited Ibrox. Their involvement would almost guarantee, at a stroke, that potential saviour Dave King would be destined to remain on the outside looking in. Rangers yesterday confirmed director Sandy Easdale had increased his stake in the club Asked to confirm a date for the release of their financial results a Rangers spokesman said: “No date has been fixed. We have a regulatory requirement to hold the agm by December 31 and will do so.”

Reading twitter and lots of bears are hoping or expecting the filth in the next round. So, what about Gersnetters? Timmy or a home draw to a so called lesser side to the tims? I'd love a spot of 'battle fever' but I'm not sure we'd get lucky and be drawn at home. Other big concern is some of our players being able to handle the atmosphere against them. Thoughts?

Scotland and Watford winger Ikechi Anya admits he cannot get enough of video replays of his goal against Germany. "I have watched that goal a million times - today," the 26-year-old joked, recalling the 2-1 defeat in Dortmund. "Obviously it's a bitter-sweet memory as it would have been nice had we got something out of the game. "But, personally, it validates all the hard work you put in as an apprentice getting up at half five, catching three different buses to get to training." “Five years ago, I was club-less and I never even thought about the international stage” Anya dropped out of the Football League to join Oxford City then Halesowen Town after being released by Wycombe Wanderers as a 19-year-old. A spell at the Glenn Hoddle Academy, which tries to help young players resurrect their careers, was followed by a stint with Northampton Town. But it was his time in Spain with the Sevilla and Celta Vigo B sides that eventually led to him bursting back into English football with Watford two years ago, via Granada. "Five years ago, I was club-less and I never even thought about the international stage," Anya admitted. "When it comes, you want to keep feeling like this and you work twice as hard to try to maintain the level." Indeed, Anya feels he has reached new heights of popularity since that goal - and especially after writing on Twitter that his real-life achievement in Dortmund surpassed his computer game exploits. "I scored past Manuel Neuer. Wow! I can't even do that on Fifa," he had tweeted, earning himself 10,000 new followers on the social media site. Anya revealed: "It gets to the point where you can't even read all the tweets as my iPad is freezing. Personally, it has been kind of crazy." He realises that his goal against Germany has raised his profile within the game as well as among the public, but is concentrating on helping Watford chase promotion to England's top flight rather than think of possible interest from other clubs. "Scoring against the world champions was a big thing for me personally, because a lot of people have put me on their radars now," said Anya. "I don't put limitations on what is going to happen. My main goal is to prove to myself at this level and prove to anyone else who might be interested." Anya stressed Scotland manager Gordon Strachan's role in helping the progress of himself and other squad members. "In my position, we have players who are Premiership quality who aren't playing, so personally he's put a lot of belief into me, which is why I'm very grateful to him," he said. "He's got 100% faith in us all and I think that shows in our performances when we go out there and try to play. "If you look back at how we played in Germany, we could have warranted at least a point there." The Glasgow-born son of a Nigerian scientist and a Romanian economist grew up as a Rangers fan and was especially looking forward to playing at Ibrox in Scotland's next Euro 2016 qualifier. "It's massive," he said. "When we play Georgia on 11 October, the atmosphere is going to be even more than the one in Dortmund, so we are looking forward to it. "It's all well saying we played well, but we have nothing to show for it and now. "This double header against Georgia and Poland, you have to try to get some points on the board because ultimately our goal is to qualify and the only way we are going to do is to win points." http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29314365

I didn’t think it was possible for the Rangers support to be more fractured and lacking consensus than we were in the first half of this year but rather depressingly we’ve managed it. In the maelstrom of a referendum on Scottish Independence the boardroom turmoil that has dominated the forums, social media and old fashioned conversations took a back seat to Loyalism, Unionism and the bogey man topic of Nationalism. Such is the ineptitude of our board, they missed the opportunity to bury some negative news in amongst the fog of the ideological war that raged throughout the month of September but I digress. Being a pro-Independence Rangers supporter these last few months has been a real challenge. I’ve been confronted by many fellow fans on social media and called everything from a “timpathiser”, (whatever that is) to a Nazi and Quisling. One particularly poorly adjusted and misinformed fellow told me I was a “traitor to Rangers Loyalist Unionist roots…” The idea that a Rangers supporter could support Independence just would not compute for many and my follower count on Twitter tumbled dramatically, I won’t lose any sleep over that however I must admit to now facing somewhat of a crossroads. Do I plod on attending matches listening to chants about where people like me can “stick your Independence” and the Loyalist songbook which was given an airing in George Square on Friday night amidst scenes of thuggery and hatred? Do I carry on turning a blind eye to the continual linking of Rangers Football Club to Loyalism and The Orange Order just as I have done for many years? The thought of turning my back on the club I’ve supported since I was five years old and which has provided myself and my (now deceased) Father so many happy memories makes me physically ill. The thought of a future devoid of one of the precious few constants in my life so far is unthinkable and so that is not a road I’m willing to go down just yet. So what are my options? I could become the archetypal armchair fan and refrain from discussing football matters on social media but we are in an age where it’s almost impossible to avoid. I could fool myself into thinking that it’s not so bad and the majority of my fellow fans are reasonable, open minded individuals but I’m not capable of cognitive dissonance on that scale. It seems that the core of our support are labouring under the misconceptions that being a “real” Rangers man means that you must also be many other things. I’ll use this juncture to clarify what I mean by “core of our support”. There are probably thousands of Rangers supporters (I don’t like term “fan”) who are feeling similarly disillusioned at the moment and those are probably a large percentage of the several thousand fans who’ve been missing for the last few home games joined by those who are boycotting, suffering from boardroom related malaise or simply disillusioned with how we are playing. What’s left are a core (match attending group) and of those I’d estimate that 75% fall into the category as described previously in this article. There’s also a large group of fans who, for one reason or another don’t regularly attend matches and again I’d estimate that a large percentage of those are politically and ideologically aligned with their brethren sitting in the stands. I’m conscious that I’m in danger of pigeon holing large swathes of people here and would only offer the fact that this is how I see things in basic terms. I’m sure there are reasonable folks in amongst the core who do not fall into any of my hastily preconceived notions and that I do not think the situation has reached the point of no return just yet and this leads me to the only other option I feel I have left. I’d urge everyone who considers themselves to be a Rangers supporter to distance the club from toxic and divisive affiliations. To seriously consider for a moment that we are in real danger of losing thousands of people like me who feel marginalised by their fellow bears and more importantly that we are in danger of losing the next generation of season ticket holder who have shown throughout the referendum run up and beyond, that they are increasingly well informed and turned off by Northern Irish politics, by far right-wing rhetoric and the kind of vulgar displays of aggression that we’ve seen both online and in the streets of Glasgow from both Unionists and Nationalist factions. Next time you’re attending an Orange parade maybe leave the Rangers merchandise at home, remove the Loyalist symbolism from Rangers flags and banners, try not to marginalise your fellow supporters who don’t care about that kind of stuff really, that’s all. Is that too much to ask? For some, what I’ve asked is probably tantamount to singing rebel songs in a tri-colour but to me it’s just common decency, something that has been eroding away for many years and something that the gallant pioneers probably had in abundance. Try to be a bit more like a Moses McNeil or a Tom Vallance and live the values which built the very thing that we all hold so dear. If we want a positive future for our club we all have to sow the seeds of that starting from now after all, we share much more in common than we do which divides us. I’ll remain a supporter and will try to live by my own code, respecting others right to support the club any way they choose but speaking out against intolerance, negative affiliations and polarizing attitudes. Let’s see if we can build a stronger and more together support from the rubble. The alternative I’m afraid would be a very dark period in Rangers history. It’s only a matter of time before we will be back attempting to compete with Celtic. It may be only a matter of time before we see major boardroom change. Do we really want to be facing these challenges with a support that can’t agree on what colour the sky is? The answer is obvious to me.

NICKY CLARK has given Rangers a boost as his shoulder injury is not as bad as first feared. The striker came off in the weekend draw against Alloa with an arm injury, prompting concerns he had even dislocated his right shoulder. Clark was at Murray Park for treatment yesterday and the medical staff are confident there has been no dislocation. He has suffered ligament damage round the acromioclavicular bone but there is no lasting damage or need for surgery. But the former Queen of the South star will miss tomorrow’s League Cup third- round tie with Falkirk and could sit out next weekend’s league clash at home to Hibs. Gers boss Ally McCoist, who has already lost keeper Cammy Bell with a dislocated shoulder, also faces an anxious few days over Lewis Macleod, who also limped out of the Wasps game with foot and ankle knocks. http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/513623/EXCLUSIVE-Rangers-hopeful-over-striker-injury OOPS!,sorry about me being obsessed.

....not to panic over wages fears in secret dressing room plea. WALLACE held a clear-the-air meeting with players yesterday to reassure them their wages and future were secure, claiming the £3million raised by the recent share issue had stabilised the Ibrox cash crisis. IBROX chief executive Graham Wallace has held a secret special briefing to reassure the Rangers squad that the future is secure. Wallace addressed the players in the home dressing-room at Ibrox on Friday and insisted there were no imminent financial worries. Ally McCoist’s side scraped a 1-1 draw with Alloa yesterday, with David Templeton hitting a late leveller. But at the clear-the-air meeting Wallace claimed the £3million raised by the recent share issue had stabilised the Ibrox cash crisis. One player said: “Wallace spoke to us on Friday and tried to assure us that the situation was under control. He spoke well and clearly, and told us not to worry about any speculation. “A lot of us don’t really know what is happening off the field. We just try to concentrate on winning games. He insisted the financial situation is under control.” Wallace claimed the picture is rosier than portrayedby worried fans in an attempt to ease fears the club may not be able to afford future wage payments. However, the chief executive’s comments clash with the feelings of supporters’ groups who worry that the club will run out of money by the turn of the year. Former chairman Alistair Johnston has also expressed grave reservations and has urged the Easdale brothers to sell their shares and get out of Ibrox. Revenue is drastically reduced at Rangers this season after only 23,000 season tickets were sold and corporate hospitality is also down. The club have had to borrow a total of £1.5m from wealthy fan George Letham and Sandy Easdale and sell almost 16 million new shares to provide working capital. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-chief-graham-wallace-urges-4297450

RANGERS have denied reports suggesting they have been contacted by the Indonesian Government over the club's involvement with convicted criminal Rafat Rizvi, who is wanted by Interpol. Newspaper reports in Indonesia suggested that the country's deputy attorney general had contacted bosses at Ibrox about the issue, but a spokeswoman for club vehemently rejected this. Government officials are understood to have been astonished to read media reports of Rizvi's meeting with Rangers' chairman of the football board, Sandy Easdale, two weeks ago. Following that meeting, the club claimed that Rizvi was acting as an adviser for a third party, Datuk Faizoull Bin Ahmad. However, Mr Bin Ahmad later denied this. It has prompted action from Indonesia's attorney general, his deputy and their minister of justice and human rights. Deputy attorney general, Andhi Nirwanto, is reported as saying: "We have already approached this club to tell them our views." The country's attorney general, Basrief Arief, also revealed: "We have filed a new request to Interpol in Lyon, France to hunt down the fugitive Rafat Rizvi after reports he was involved in buying a Scottish football club, Rangers FC. "We beg Interpol to look for him and to bring him back to our homeland in order to accept his sentence." However, a spokeswoman for Rangers said: "No approach has been made to the club by the Indonesian Government." UK-born Rizviwas sentenced in Indonesia to a 15-year jail term in absentia and a £775,000 fine for 'stealing assets' following the collapse of the country's Century Bank in 2009. http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/rangers-dispute-receiving-warning-over-rizvi.25386413?

By Alan Brazil, 21 September 2014 9.00am. It’s one of the biggest mysteries in football. Why on earth aren’t clubs beating a path to Neil Lennon’s door? Since the Irishman left Celtic in the summer, the likes of Norwich City, Southampton, Huddersfield, Crystal Palace, Cardiff City and now Fulham have all ditched their manager. Lennon has been linked with all those clubs – and has expressed an interest in the other two – but he’s still out of a job. For me, that’s bonkers. This is a man who has masterminded a Celtic victory over Barcelona in the Champions League, and taken the Hoops to the last 16 of the same tournament. He’s a man who has won three League titles and two Scottish Cups as a manager. He’s also a guy who, for my money, has one of the best football brains around. But still nobody seems particularly interested. It’s mind-boggling. It would be easy to argue that the reason for English clubs’ reluctance to back Lenny is the lack of credibility Scottish football has south of the border. It’s very sad, but it’s a fact that people in England look down their noses at the game in Scotland. But if that is the main reason for Neil Lennon STILL being a passenger on the managerial merry-go-round four months after leaving Celtic, then why on earth was Paul Hartley coveted by Cardiff City? No disrespect to Paul, who I think is a very good, up-and-coming manager. But his CV isn’t as impressive as Neil’s at this point in time. Yet it was the Dundee manager’s name at the top of Vincent Tan’s list of potential replacements for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, not Neil Lennon’s. After Hartley knocked back the Bluebirds, Lenny emerged amongst the front-runners, but I can’t believe he wasn’t leading the pack from the very beginning – especially given his relatively high profile in the media these days. There was a time where you probably could have said Neil had a bit of an image problem. Touchline altercations, being sent to the stands, touchline bans. All of those things were fairly regular occurrences, particularly early in his managerial career. But in his increasingly regular media appearances, I think Neil has gone a huge way towards proving he’s not THAT person. He’s on TV on a near-weekly basis, and I’ve had him on my radio programme plenty of times. He has always represented himself brilliantly. By managing his profile the way he has, he has positioned himself as a thoughtful, articulate student of the game, rather than a touchline-prowling firebrand. That transformation, taken in tandem with his achievements as Celtic boss, ought to make him a prime candidate for plenty of Premier League clubs – and EVERY Championship side. It really shocks me that it hasn’t turned out that way yet. But I believe that eventually, the tide will turn in Neil’s favour. All it will take is one club to take a chance and appoint him as manager and I think the folly of all the clubs who ignored him this summer will be exposed. Whether we’ll be able to add Cardiff and Fulham to that list or not, we’ll find out soon enough. http://www.sundaypost.com/sport/columnists/alan-brazil/the-lack-of-interest-in-neil-lennon-is-mind-boggling-1.586211

BAIN has been out of football for three years since leaving Rangers in the wake of Craig Whyte's purchase of the club but says sufficient time has passed since his "bruising" experience at Ibrox. MARTIN BAIN last night made a surprise return to football as chief executive of Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv. The former Rangers CEO has been out of the game since May 2011 when he was ousted by Craig Whyte after attempting to block what quickly became a catastrophic takeover. Bain’s relationship with former owner Sir David Murray broke down as the sale of the club to Whyte was pushed through and he felt so badly damaged he turned down a string of job offers from other clubs over the last three years. But he has been persuaded to take on the role in the Middle East after being handpicked for the job by Maccabi’s wealthy Canadian owner Mitch Goldhar. And after being presented to local media at a press conference yesterday Bain spoke exclusively to Record Sport to reveal why he has decided to step back into football’s firing line – and to angrily reject suggestions he helped bring the Ibrox club to its knees. Bain, who has not spoken publicly since being sacked by Whyte, said: “I feel sufficient time has passed for me to now return to football and I’m delighted to take on this new challenge at Maccabi. “The way things ended for me at Rangers was obviously a bruising experience and I needed to take a period of time out for the sake of my family. “I chose not to say anything about what went on at Ibrox but, now that I am returning the game, I think it’s appropriate I point out a few facts. “In the two years since the board restructure in August 2009 and prior to Craig Whyte forcing my removal from the club, turnover had increased, operating costs reduced net debt more than halved from £31.1million at June 30, 2009 to £14.1m at June 30, 2011. “This debt reduction was beyond the targets set by the bank. “During that time the club won three consecutive league titles in difficult circumstances while also reaching a UEFA Cup Final. “I needed time away form football after everything that went on towards the end of my time at Rangers. “But Mitch Goldhar is a very ambitious and persuasive man. He has huge plans for this club and when he explained them to me I felt it was an offer I could not refuse. “I believe I am the right fit for what he wants to do in terms of his vision to build a European Club model, training academy and investing in building the club under Jordi Cruyff, the club’s director of football and our coach Pako Aysteran.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/former-rangers-chief-martin-bain-4301876

...that is the question facing Sons of Struth members as Rangers woes continue The Sons of Struth protest group this week polled its 1,500 members over whether to stage a boycott of Rangers. The controversial move has divided opinion among followers of the Ibrox club. Many believe it is the only way to achieve change at the troubled Glasgow instutition. Others are of the opinion that it will do further damage to a club facing serious financial problems. Matthew Lindsay of SportTimes spoke to Craig Houston of SoS and asked him about their plans... ST: Why are you polling your members about a potential boycott of Rangers? CH: It's quite simple. In the year the Sons of Struth have been in existence, a lot of people have asked us: "Do you want to boycott?" But we have always been of the opinion that it is a big ask to say to a fan they can or cannot go to watch their team. So we haven't spoken about it in any great detail. But over the last two weeks that has changed with the stories about Rafat Rizvi and the stadium naming rights being sold to Mike Ashley for just £1 coming out. The number of people who are asking us, both online and in person, if we would have a boycott, has multiplied. More and more folk have been raising the issue. There are a lot of angry Bears out there. In the last few weeks we have set up a Sons of Struth membership scheme and we now have over 1,500 members. With the feedback we have been receiving, we thought it was fair and democratic to ask our members their views. We have not told anybody to boycott. We are simply asking their views on it. But, unlike the club, we will listen to what they have to say. ST: What are you asking Sons of Struth members? CH: We are asking them three things. Do they think there should be no boycott? Do they think there should be a one-game boycott? Or do they think there should be a boycott for the rest of the season until change is made? We have also asked them about the prospect of boycotting Sports Direct and McGill's Buses. ST: What change would you like to see? CH: We believe if Sandy Easdale leaves Rangers Football Club we would be better placed to attract investment. In an ideal world we would like the entire board to change. But in reality that is not going to happen. It is a big ask to get rid of every director in one fell swoop. We are aware of people who are willing to invest money in the club. We believe the only people stopping them from doing so are Sandy Easdale and those investors whose proxy votes he holds. ST: But Sandy Easdale lent Rangers £500,000 last year to keep them afloat. And he hasn't called in the debt. Where would the Ibrox club be now without him? CH: Probably in exactly the same situation. I am quite sure if he wasn't involved that somebody else would have put up the money. Certainly, he isn't the first director to do so since we went into administration. One ex-director put his own money in to pay the electricity bills when we were waiting for funding to come through. It is not a new thing. But Sandy Easdale is the first person to have loaned Rangers money at a time of need who has required security on his loan. ST: Why are you targeting Sports Direct? CH: Mike Ashley took a deal that any businessman who does not care about Rangers Football Club would have taken. But we do not want Ibrox to be renamed - for a pound or any other sum of money. Ashley could exercise his right to name the stadium the Sports Direct Arena or he could sell the rights to another company in the years ahead. Rather than wait until that happens we will, if it is the wish of our members, be proactive. We will hit him in the pocket. We will give him £2 if he makes the agreement disappear. He will double his money. ST: You have just over 1,500 members. But the Rangers support is hundreds of thousands strong. Who cares what you think? CH: Nobody in the boardroom, anyway! Seriously, though, if you put all of the Rangers supporters' groups together they would still be in a minority. The vast majority of fans are not part of any official organisation. But the Sons of Struth have members who are different types of people and who are different types of personality. So they represent a broad cross section of the Rangers support. If the majority of them want to take action and boycott I think it is fair to presume the majority of supporters want to. When the Sons of Struth was just two people strong we still managed to get over 30,000 people to take part in red and blue card displays at Ibrox. If the consensus among our members is to boycott then we will put it out to the wider fan base. ST: So if you do decide to stage a boycott what exactly will you do? CH: You are putting the cart before the horse there. Our members might come back and say we shouldn't take any action. But it would be foolish to think we have not discussed what to do in the event that the majority of our members back a boycott. We have a few ideas kicking about. ST: Ally McCoist has stated his Rangers team will perform better with a full support behind them. Aren't you concerned a boycott will harm the side on the park? CH: Unlike a lot of Rangers supporters, I was at the League Cup game against Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Ibrox on Tuesday night. There were just over 15,000 in the stadium. So it was at a third of its total capacity. But that didn't seem to affect the players too much. I certainly respect Ally McCoist's view. It would be far better to have a full stadium behind his side. But I don't think fans boycotting games will impact upon the players too much, if at all. ST: Rangers are in a precarious position financially. Won't a boycott do further damage to a club you say you love? CH: If we do decide on a boycott it would not surprise me the club said investors had been put off getting involved due to the actions of the fans. But we have been told that investment is lined up by two separate directors in the last year and we only started talking a boycott in the last couple of weeks. Everything gets blamed on the fans. It is scandalous for anybody to suggest the actions of Rangers fans are detrimental to the club. In the last two years we have filled stadiums week in, week out. We have bought approximately 100,000 season tickets. To suggest we have put the club in peril is laughable. Certain people within the club should have a long, hard look at themselves for suggesting that and questioning the loyalty of fans. If our members feel a boycott is the best course of action to take then it will send a message to the board. It will underline they are not happy with the conduct of a certain individual at the club or with the naming rights to the stadium being sold for £1. We will talk to them in pounds, shillings and pence. Hopefully, they will then take action. ST: What has the reaction to a potential boycott been so far? CH: It has been a mixed bag. A lot of Rangers fans are already boycotting Ibrox of their own freewill. You only have to look at attendances to see that. They are the "not a penny more" camp. They made the decision we are asking our members to consider now before this season kicked off. Others have not gone to games for two or even three years. They want more people to take their stance. They are telling us: "Great. We hope you do this." But some Rangers fans want to go and see their team regardless of who is running the club and what is going on. No matter what the result of our survey is, I would not dictate to any Rangers fan not to go to a game. ST: Why don't you protest in a way that won't damage the club or the team? CH: If somebody can tell me of a protest that is guaranteed to work we will do it. No matter how crazy or bizarre. We have staged marches, have put postcards addressed to the chief executive through the door of Ibrox, have had John Brown hand in an online petition, have held red card protests and blue card protests. If somebody can suggest something else we can do that will have positive results then we will do that. When you go to a game as a football fan you are entitled to air your view. If the right-back has a shocker and scores an own goal then you can have a pop at him. I reserve the right to criticise the board if I think they are not having a good game. Many people feel that giving more money to Rangers just now is akin to giving an alcoholic you love a bottle of gin. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/to-boycott-or-not-to-boycottthat-is-the-question-facing-sons-of-struth-180991n.25356637

I was just wondering,would we be any worse playing without a manager? If I remember correctly didn't a managerless Stirling Albion beat McCoists a couple of seasons back?:fish:

...until assurances over club's direction are given. The Rangers Fans Fighting Fund set up in 2012 after administration Group has raised more than £600,000 in donations to date RFFF will only give £500,000 to Rangers if assurances are given Ibrox board must be able to prove they have long-term project set up The Rangers Fans Fighting Fund will not pass on their £500,000 kitty to the Ibrox board until they receive assurances about the club’s future direction. The organisation was set up in the wake of the descent into administration in 2012 and raked in more than £600,000 in donations. Money was used to settle football debts owed to Falkirk and Dunfermline, as well as helping pay for the relaying of the Ibrox pitch. The Fighting Fund is now ready to disband and it’s thought they would prefer the money still in their account to be used for a long-term project at Rangers, such as youth development or the establishment of a club museum. Chairman Andrew McCormick wrote a recent letter to chief executive Graham Wallace detailing 13 questions about current and future policy within the club. Wallace responded by asking to postpone any further discussions until after the completion of the share issue which last week raised £3.13million to stave off an immediate financial crisis. The Fighting Fund have grown increasingly frustrated about the lack of progress in terms of communication and released a statement on Wednesday evening to confirm their position. ‘Mindful of its obligations to the Rangers Family and the money we hold in trust, the RFFF has sought information from the board of Rangers International Football Club plc to enable us to make decisions regarding the future of the RFFF and the disbursement of funds,’ it said. ‘We had a meeting on May 5 this year with Graham Wallace, chief executive of the club. Unfortunately, as he was not accompanied by another member of the board, he felt unable to make any statement on areas of policy which we could communicate to supporters. ‘Since then, we have attempted to engage in dialogue but this has run its course and no further meetings have taken place or have been scheduled. ‘With the passage of time, our chairman, Andrew McCormick, wrote to Mr Wallace on August 28 and received a reply on September 2. ‘Having considered the content of Mr Wallace’s reply at our most recent meeting, the RFFF has decided to retain the funds donated to our safekeeping until we are satisfied that the club is financially stable.’ The stop-gap share issue has removed any doubt about Rangers meeting this month’s payroll and will also enable the repayment of £1.5m in loans to shareholders George Letham and Sandy Easdale. However, the club will need to raise further significant funds to make it through this season, most likely via a wider share issue. The distrust that exists between fans and the current regime has caused damaging falls in matchday income, with just 15,208 turning out for Tuesday night’s League Cup win over Inverness. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2760388/Rangers-Fans-Fighting-Fund-not-500-000-Ibrox-assurances-given.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490