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Celtic 1-6 Tottenham http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2714050/Celtic-1-6-Tottenham-Roberto-Soldado-Erik-Lamela-Christian-Eriksen-target-Mauricio-Pochettinos-easy-win.html
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An attack on a 43-year-old man in Coleraine on Sunday was sectarian, according to the town's mayor. The victim received treatment for facial injuries after being attacked at Killowen Street at 02:00 BST on Sunday. It is understood he was kicked in the head and punched in the face. The police said they were still trying to establish a motive for the attack. DUP councillor George Duddy claimed the man was singled out because he was wearing a Rangers football top. "I've been a touch with the victim and his family and this is a disgrace," said Mr Duddy. 'Fatality' "He got a taxi home and had about 30ft to walk to his front door when he was beaten by another man. "He has received stitches and has a possible fractured cheekbone. "He is a very strong Rangers supporter and is a quiet man. "He was wearing Rangers clothing at the time of the attack." Mr Duddy said the victim had "some disabilities which leaves him incapable of defending himself". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-28637780
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Bit off topic for a gers site, but how do people here view the future for scottish clubs? The top five leagues are now so far in the distance that any future european success for a scottish club now appears to be fanciful. England are never going to allow us to play within their leagues. The bottom english club now earns more than a quarter of a billion from tv every five years whilst SPFL winners will receive around 10 million. Personally, I'd approach the dutch and belgian leagues and try hammer out a northern european amalgamation before the damage done to these countries is irreparable, with promotion and relegation from national setups. The old firm both made a second tier euro final last decade. Both clubs spent 30 million (on debt) or so achieving it. Now I'm not so sure that 30 million will come close to providing the squad capable of euro success. IMO the football landscape has changed into a place we have never been before. We are in danger of being permanently left behind, despite the fact our fans are possibly the best in the world. Our grand children will grow up as barca / munich / arsenal fans first, scottish clubs second, if we don't arrest the situation.
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RANGERS Football Club has today announced a commercial supply deal with the UK’s leading cider and beer business, HEINEKEN, who join our growing portfolio of international partners. HEINEKEN will become Official Beer and Cider Provider for hospitality facilities at Ibrox Stadium including its flagship Heineken® premium beer, a global brand with a proven football pedigree, through its long term association with the UEFA Champions League. Chief Executive Graham Wallace commented: “Rangers Football Club is delighted to announce a commercial deal with HEINEKEN, one of the world’s premier brewers, and the latest in our growing portfolio of international partners. “HEINEKEN, like Rangers, is a massive global brand with a high profile in football given their sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League and this will undoubtedly benefit both parties. “We are in the process of rebuilding this great club, and developing partnerships with world leading businesses such as HEINEKEN demonstrate the progress we are making. We welcome them and their great brands to Ibrox, and look forward to working with them next season and beyond.” John Gemmell, Trading Director for Scotland, commented: “We’ll be working closely with the club to help build on hospitality guests’ match day experience, and to ensure that those who chose to enjoy a beer or cider will benefit from great choice and quality. We’ll also bring our knowledge and unrivalled track record in promoting the responsible enjoyment of our brands.” For more information on HEINEKEN, log on to http://www.heineken.co.uk. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7339-gers-agree-heineken-partnership
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http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail.html?announcementId=12035870 Speculate away gentlemen but it seems there's some sort of influential tug o' war happening...
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Well!, will the SHEEP carry on the BHEAST embarrassment from last night?,or can they get a result tonight?
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Can anyone confirm?
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Just what we need. Mark Dingwall saying Rangers are to appoint a new PR man. llowfollow.com/newwww.fos/tmnw/rangers_to_appoint_a_new_pr_man_837336/index.shtml
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Steven Whittaker says he's no regrets about quitting Rangers despite his injury nightmare at Norwich. SCOTLAND defender headed to Carrow Road 2012 when Ibrox club imploded but he has only made 39 appearances since he moved south. STEVEN Whittaker swears he has no regrets about quitting Ibrox despite an injury nightmare at Norwich. Whittaker left Rangers in 2012 when they were dumped in the bottom tier and moved to Norwich. Injuries have restricted him to just 39 appearances and he said: “I knew I could do better than play in the Third Division. “And I didn’t want to spend three years of my career trying to come back up the leagues. Norwich offered me the challenge to come south and I have enjoyed it. “I still have two years here so I am looking forward to what we can achieve. “I’ve trained hard and all I can do now is make sure I can’t be edged out of the team.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/steven-whittaker-insists-no-regrets-3940468
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5000 tickets already purchased by Rangers fans for the game against Derby, can we sell out the stadium before the season starts? #dcfc
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Regular Gersnetters will know, Stuart Cosgrove is all over BBC Radio Scotland like a rash. He does a 30 minute piece on a Thursday afternoon with John Beattie and Eamon O'Neill, on news coverage of current affairs. A couple of weeks past, Establishment Stu' was invited to comment on Jeremy Clarkson's latest racist faux pas and he lowered his voice to state, "I do not want to return to a society where people can say offensive things without consequences". Compare and contrast with Establishment Stu's piece in a St Johnstone fanzine, "One time we were through at Hearts, and we were at Falkirk station on the way, on the same day Rangers were playing Falkirk. It was Huns galore-thousands of them, and there were maybe 40 of us from the CYS from Perth. We got on the train at Falkirk station, we just opened the windows as it started moving, and gave them 'orange wankers' and all the rest of it, and of course, as soon as it was moving - the train stopped and began moving back into the station. The driver must have been a hun.". A year or so later, the News of the World reported, "Scots radio star Stuart Cosgrove was booted off a station platform by cops for singing anti-Rangers songs, particularly, 'have you seen a handsome hun'? Establishment Stu' utilised his then Daily Record column to reply, he culminated his piece with the question, "can anyone truly say they have seen a handsome hun"? What are the consequences for Channel 4's Director for Diversity, a man who recently breathlessly informed BBC Radio Scotland he was lunching with the Lord Advocate?
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The poll resulted in a narrow win for 27/09/2014 v Hibernian, with the obvious caveat of moving to Sunday if required. As was proven last time, even if an early kick-off is unpalatable to some from a football point of view it gave us a nice comfortable afternoon/ early evening to eat and drink; so in some ways I'd be hopeful of an early kick off again. In the first instance I'm only going to put up two options: going back to Malaga Tapas http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186534-d1087980-Reviews-Malaga_Tapas-Glasgow_Scotland.html or "somewhere else". In order not to appear biased, I will say only that I have confirmed that Cristobal would be happy to have us back; but it is entirely up to you guys if you want to go back or somewhere else. If you wish to go somewhere else then please post a suggestion and I will do a second poll. Unless there is a landslide one way or the other, I'll keep the poll open till the end of the month, so that everyone who is on holiday gets a chance to vote. -
Lawwell, Topping appointed to Scottish FA main board
ian1964 posted a topic in General Football Chat
Wednesday, 30 July 2014 The Scottish FA can confirm that both Peter Lawwell, the Celtic Chief Executive, and Ralph Topping, the Scottish Professional Football League Chairman, have been appointed to the main Board of the Scottish FA after nomination by the Professional Game Board. Stewart Regan, Scottish FA Chief Executive: “We are delighted to welcome Ralph back to the main Board, having already benefitted from Peter’s wealth of experience in the past year. I am sure both will play key roles as we enter the next phase of our strategic plan, Scotland United: A 2020 Vision.” Neil Doncaster, SPFL Chief Executive: “Ralph Topping will be stepping down from the William Hill Board on 1st August. He will therefore have much more time to devote to the professional game. We are delighted that Peter Lawwell and Ralph Topping have been unanimously elected by the Professional Game Board to serve the professional game on the main board of the Scottish FA.” http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2986&newsID=13546&newsCategoryID=1 -
Seeing on FF Rangers played Thistle behind closed doors. (sing along chaps) at Firhill. 1-0 Rangers Lewis McLeod.
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Dear Mr Fitzpatrick, SUBJECT : RANGERS TAX CASE I refer to my previous correspondence to you regarding this matter and the various concerns I raised with you. I appreciate to date there has still been no conclusion to the ongoing Police Investigation into the criminal Breaches of Confidentiality which so characterised this HMRC investigation. Since we last exchanged correspondence the only significant development has been the dismissal by Lord Doherty at the Upper Tier Tribunal, of HMRC's appeal against the decision of the First Tier Tax Tribunal. It is as yet unknown whether HMRC intend to escalate this matter and launch a further appeal, despite the previous decisions of the First and Upper Tier Tribunals. However it is the conduct of HMRC during the course of this investigation which is a source of considerable anger and ongoing concern. As I previously informed you, many Rangers supporters and shareholders wrote to both HMRC and Government Minister's with ministerial responsibility regarding breaches of confidentiality regarding the Rangers Tax Case, only to receive responses from both HMRC and the HMRC Ministerial Correspondence Unit that they would not comment on “alleged breaches of confidential information”. The source of such “alleged breaches” was an award winning web blog – The Rangers Tax Case Blog- which ran for numerous months and regularly published confidential information which it sought to interpret courtesy of it's anonymous operator. BBC Scotland also produced an award winning documentary “The Men Who Sold The Jersey's” which was a consequence of numerous items of confidential information they had received, by as yet, unknown means. BBC Scotland also published on their website numerous items of confidential information pertaining to the Rangers Tax Case. An independent commission chaired by Lord Nimmo Smith subsequently concluded as follows : Meanwhile, BBC Scotland came, by unknown means, into possession of what they described as “dozens of secret emails, letters and documents”, which we understand were the productions before the Tax Tribunal. These formed the basis of a programme entitled “Rangers – The Men Who Sold the Jerseys”, which was broadcast on 23 May 2012. BBC Scotland also published copious material on its website. The published material included a table containing the names of Rangers players, coaches and staff who were beneficiaries of the MGMRT, and how much they received through that trust. It also listed the names of people where the BBC had seen evidence that they received side-letters. This event appears to have been the trigger for more activity in response to the SPL’s request. [section 98] Not only does Lord Nimmo Smith highlight the impact of these breaches of confidentiality and their subsequent exposure, but as can be seen, he suggests that the material passed to BBC Scotland was in actual fact evidence before the Tax Tribunal. Whilst it is dangerous to make any presumptions, I do not think it is unreasonable to presume that evidence removed from an evidential storage area, can only have been appropriated by theft. Furthermore as the Police Enquiry into the breaches of confidentiality only commenced after the conclusion of the First Tax Tribunal, following a complaint by Sir David Murray, it would suggest that this appropriation of evidence had up till that point gone unreported.. Whilst there are considerable parts of the jigsaw missing, based on the information which is available I would highlight the following areas of concern to you :- HMRC having seized evidence, in order to progress an investigation, totally ignored repeated concerns and complaints pertaining to breaches of confidentially. To suggest that documentaries produced by BBC Scotland and broadcast on national television equate to “alleged breaches of confidentiality” is simply unacceptable. One is left to speculate if they even bothered to cross reference the evidence they had seized and catalogued with the information which that was being released into the public domain. I would respectfully suggest to you if they have failed to do so – that would be tantamount to gross negligence. There is a considerable feeling amongst many shareholders that having highlighted breaches of confidentiality on numerous occasions, the response of HMRC was both dismissive and misleading, and displayed a complete abdication of their legal responsibility. Lord Nimmo Smith's conclusion that the material passed and subsequently used by BBC Scotland was evidence before the Tax Tribunal raises serious questions about the safe handling and storage of productions by HMRC. If the security of these productions was violated, on how many occasions did this happen ? How was this possible and what steps did HMRC take to report this apparent criminality ? Did they in fact report this appropriation of evidence and what was their legal responsibility to do so ? I’m sure you will appreciate the above concerns are only the tip of the iceberg and there are numerous other areas of concern as well as questions shareholders and supporters have. HMRC's failure to deal with previous complaints has resulted in an erosion of confidence in this organisation's ability to respond to concerns. The apparent, and further possible failings within a government investigative body should be a concern to everyone, even those outside the Rangers community. The concerns I have highlighted are particularly grave and warrant considerable in depth investigation and clarification, not only for the Rangers community, but to ensure all persons dealing with HMRC in the future can so with confidence. I would therefore ask you to raise these concerns amongst your peers within the Scottish Parliament, and for consideration to be given to a full government enquiry in order that these concerns can be investigated fully.
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RANGERS will compete in their first game of this year’s Dale Farm Milk Cup when they take on County Armagh at the Riverside Stadium in Drumahoe tonight, kick-off 7pm. The young Light Blues, who are in the under-15 Junior section, will then face a mouthwatering test against Liverpool on Tuesday at Ballymena Showgrounds (ko 8pm) before their third game against O’Higgins from Chile on Wednesday at the Riada Stadium in Ballymoney (ko 3.30pm). It is 21 years since Rangers participated at the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland and Jim Sinclair, Rangers Academy Director, believes it's an exciting opportunity for the up and coming talent in Craig Mulholland and Andy Kirk's squad. He said: "We are delighted to be renewing Rangers' long association with the Milk Cup having won the event during the 80's and 90's and we're hopeful that our group will enjoy the experience again this year. "The Milk Cup has over many years developed a fantastic reputation for providing a strong tournament with competitive clubs from all over the world and the quality of opposition will prove a great test for our young team. "We always look forward to taking teams to Northern Ireland where the club has a large supporter base and we know we will participate in an event which has a reputation for first class organisation." This year’s tournament kicked off yesterday with an Opening Ceremony and Nicky Byrne was the special guest. The former Westlife singer, who played at the Milk Cup on three occasions, also led a parade of competing teams through Coleraine. In total 56 teams from the world's leading professional clubs, famous football academies and National Associations from all five Continents have descended on the five local authorities of Coleraine, Ballymena, Limavady, Ballymoney and Derry City to battle it out over five days hoping to end the week as Dale Farm Milk Cup champions in the Elite (under 19), Premier (under 17) and Junior (under 15) sections. The Rangers squad in Northern Ireland is as follows: Kieran Wright, Aidan Wilson, Scott Gray, Kyle Bradley, Jason Krones, Kieran Balfour, Grant Nelson, Jamie Barjonas, Sam Jamieson, Liam Burt, Andrew Dallas, Jack Thomson, Lewis Mayo, Jordan Houston, Stephen Kelly, Zak Rudden, Matifadza Zata, Lewis Muir. For more information on the Dale Farm Milk Cup click here. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/item/7327-young-gers-face-county-armagh
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http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7334-rangers-launch-club-membership MANAGER Ally McCoist and Captain Lee McCulloch joined a group of fans at Murray Park today (Tuesday 29, July 2014) to launch Rangers Club Membership – an initiative designed to bring supporters closer than ever to their Club. As this is the inaugural season for Club Membership all supporters who join will become Founder Members including all season ticket holders, who will automatically receive complimentary Founder Membership. Club Members will enjoy a series of exclusive benefits bringing them closer to the Club and the team as well as access to Member only events and promotions. Membership will bring enhanced participation with the Club including the ability for Members to apply for a position on the Fans Board and to vote in the Fans Board elections; exclusive members only email in advance of every home game; Members only prize draws; behind the scenes experiences including Q&A sessions with the Manager/CEO/Players and a Members only training day at Ibrox. Members will also have the chance to enjoy discounts across the Club including Matchday Hospitality, Ibrox Stadium Tours and non-matchday dining at the Argyle House Restaurant. As a Rangers Junior Founder Member supporters will have the opportunity to be mascots at home games, have access to exclusive online content and competitions and will receive a Junior Founder Member only pack including a scarf, wristband, bag and stickers in addition to their Founder Member badge, certificate and card. Season ticket holders can take up their benefits from today and their pack, which includes the Founder Member badge, certificate and card will be issued in the next 4-6 weeks. Non season ticket holders can purchase Club Membership online at rangers.co.uk/membership priced £24.99 plus P&P* for adults and £14.99 plus P&P* for juniors. Members can benefit from the many benefits right away and Founder Member welcome packs will be posted within 4-6 weeks from purchase. Ally McCoist commented: “This initiative is a fantastic way for our fans to get closer than ever to their Club. As Rangers Founder Members supporters can apply to join the Fans Board or vote in the upcoming Fans Board elections, have the opportunity to take part in exclusive Q&A sessions with the CEO and myself, attend a members only training session at Ibrox or have the chance of a behind the scenes tour of Murray Park. “I am also delighted that all Rangers season ticket holders are being given Founder Member status automatically and will receive all the benefits associated with that. Our supporters have shown unbelievable passion, loyalty and commitment to Rangers, especially in the last few seasons, and I can’t thank them enough for their continued backing. “I encourage all fans to become Founder Members of the Club, get even closer and take advantage of the exclusive range of benefits on offer. We are on our way back to the top of Scottish football and together the journey will be much easier.” Lee McCulloch added: “The Rangers fans are the lifeblood of this great institution and initiatives like Club Membership are a key way to reward that incredible loyalty. Our supporters have backed the team in huge numbers at Ibrox and in away games in the past few seasons and I am sure they will get right behind us once again when the campaign begins. “The players and management staff are all looking forward to the opening league game against Hearts where we will unfurl the League One flag and honour the late Sandy Jardine and I ask all Rangers fans to sign up for Club Membership and be part of this exciting initiative.”
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Letter sent to Rangers CEO Graham Wallace As we previously communicated with you, we contacted Graham Wallace in June requesting whether he still agreed over the "importance for clubs with ambition to own their own stadium and training centre". Sadly, we received no response so this week we have sent further correspondence to Mr Wallace. This is as follows: Dear Mr Wallace, Season Ticket Sales and the Future of Auchenhowie We note we have yet to receive a response to our email of 10/06/14 (copied below), and again write to express our concerns in regards to the above. Season ticket sales appear to be very disappointing, which is astonishing given that this season could see us return to the top flight, and will involve some potentially excellent matches against Hibs and Hearts, in what will generally be a much more competitive league. This is surely a reflection on how the fans view the performance of the board, and in particular, a reflection on some very real concerns fans have over the future of Ibrox and our training ground at Auchenhowie. We note the recent statement by the board as regards Ibrox, however, rumours continue to persist that the board are in the process of using Auchenhowie to raise funds in some way to bridge the gap left by the very disappointing level of season ticket renewals. As you are no doubt aware, the training complex is viewed as a symbol of the future by Rangers fans, and disposing of this asset in any way is likely to be counterproductive as it would lead to further disillusionment and detachment of the fans - who, it should be remembered, contributed significantly to the cost of the facility. We would therefore urge you to end this downward spiral and clarify how the board plan to address the apparent lack of confidence which the fans appear to have in them, and thus, hopefully, increase the level of season ticket renewals. We would hope an increase in season ticket uptake to a more realistic level would obviate the need for the board to resort to disposing of vital assets. We note that the first responsibility of the board is to the company and not to any individual or group of shareholders. With this in mind, you will recall the board's recent attempt to raise short term funding via a major shareholder, and that The RST was able to assist in procuring a significantly more beneficial deal for the company. Can you therefore confirm that we will be afforded a similar opportunity to obtain a better deal for the company should the board fail to raise season ticket sales and have to resort to using Auchenhowie to raise finance? We hope you will understand our concerns and the urgent need for a response. We will update members with any response we received.
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Some thoughts on yesterday's HMRC appeal result: http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/256-rangers-v-hmrc-a-pyrrhic-victory
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"The Union of Fans were approached approximately two weeks ago, on behalf of the PLC board, to once again try to reach agreement on a binding legal guarantee over the club's assets. These discussions continued and various drafts were passed back and forth. The statement that the board released yesterday was rejected by UoF last week due to the fact that it does not give a binding guarantee over Ibrox and that several misleading statements are made within it. Despite us negotiating in good faith, the board has seen fit to release the statement anyway. We were seeking written guarantees over both Ibrox and Murray Park. The board removed all reference to Murray Park. This was not an oversight - they are explicitly refusing to include Murray Park in any undertaking. We believe this is because the board are actively looking to sell this vital club asset due to their failure to so far secure enough funds to see the club through the current season. Their statement is also disingenuous and is a slap in the face for the thousands of fans who have given up long cherished seats attempting to get this board to guarantee the future of our clubÂ’s home. Despite their attempts to claim otherwise, it has never been their position to give any kind of legally binding guarantee over Ibrox and they still have not done so. This most recent statement, on behalf of the so called 'Football Board' - not the PLC board - has crucially not been released to the stock exchange and therefore reduces the chance of shareholder action should they go back on their word. The board claim that they are "committed to protecting the assets of the club". Currently the club has four main assets. Two of those, Edmiston House and the Albion Car Park, have already been used as security for crisis loans due to financial mismanagement. The board continues to refuse to give any legally binding safeguard over Ibrox and we believe they are actively looking at a sale and leaseback of Murray Park - a vital asset if we are ever to properly develop our own talent. They have shown no commitment to protecting the club's assets. This board has committed to raising funds from existing investors through a new share issue in September. We do not believe that they have support from those investors for what is essentially money to keep the lights on and we would ask Graham Wallace to urgently clarify the position on new money coming into the club. The board have lost just under half of the club's season ticket holders due to a complete lack of ability to build trust. Even if those fans were to buy season tickets now, the club still does not have the funds to complete the season and yet the board keeps us in the dark over how they will address this shortfall. We ask them to stop the half-truths, spin and smoke and mirrors and tell fans the truth."
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From club website today. THE Board of Rangers Football Club ('the Club') has been asked in the past several weeks to confirm once again that the Club will not grant security over Ibrox to any organisation during the upcoming football season. The Board is happy to reaffirm its position, which has never been a matter of debate, by confirming once again that it will not enter into any form of sale, securitisation or leaseback of Ibrox Stadium. This has been and still remains the Board’s clear and consistent position on this subject as it continues to protect and enhance the assets of the Club. The Board of Rangers Football Club is committed to protecting the assets of the Club for the benefit of all Rangers fans, and to adhering to the highest standards of corporate governance. Season Ticket sales are continuing throughout the next few weeks ahead of the start of the season and we are grateful to the thousands of supporters who have already bought for the 2014/15 campaign. Events over the past few weeks have reminded everybody of the remarkably testing period our incredible supporters have been through in recent years and now is the time for us all to look forwards, together.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28492365
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Along with the UTT appeal rumours, I'd fancy a few people will not be sitting comfortably over the coming monhts... http://www.followfollow.com/news/tmnw/rangers_creditors_win_24m_settlement_from_law_firm_836024/index.shtml
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....and double television audience. THE exact numbers for last season are being kept under wraps for the moment, but are believed to be almost twice as high as the final campaign before the SPL merged with the SFL. VIEWING figures for Scottish football have nearly doubled since the SPFL came into being. While the exact numbers for last season are being kept under wraps for the moment, it’s understood they were almost twice as high as the final campaign before the SPL merged with the SFL. The TV audience nosedived in 2012/13 with the loss of Old Firm games after Rangers plummeted down to the Third Division. But ratings have been boosted with the revitalised Ibrox side powering back up the leagues while last season’s relegation derbies between Hearts and Hibs also proved compelling viewing with the figures now back close to where they were two years ago. SPFL commercial director Scott Steedman said: “I was as surprised as anyone when I saw the totals. “This shows it’s not all doom and gloom in Scottish football and I think it’s down to the fact that last year was a good one for the game” The current agreements with Sky and BT run until 2016 but they will be renegotiated next year. Sky will show 23 Premiership games, five Rangers matches and two Edinburgh derbies this term while BT will screen 28 top-flight clashes, 10 Rangers games and two Hibs v Hearts clashes. The SPFL are also believed to be on the verge of announcing a title sponsor – with four offers under serious consideration. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/scottish-professional-football-league-box-3920957
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SO that was North America, a place which brought the touring Rangers squad mixed results and mixed fortunes during its stay in the United States and Canada over the last two weeks. Was the trip perfect? With over 14,000 miles flown, a few injuries picked up on the way and goals conceded in three games out of four – one of those a defeat – it’s hard to argue it was. But did it serve a purpose? Absolutely. Scorelines from across the Atlantic might not have been convincing but being there has allowed Gers to keep building well ahead of 2014/15. Despite what the world might think at present following the unrelenting happiness of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, Scottish people are naturally quite pessimistic. The old phrase which claims some are only happy if there’s something to complain about springs to mind and that’s certainly the case with certain Light Blues fans I know. While there are undoubtedly things Ally McCoist will wish had gone differently, he has more positives to reflect on than you might think. Following the intense schedule in Brora at the start of the month, further double sessions abroad – particularly in California – have helped increase fitness levels again. As the pool settles into a more regular training programme after the weekend, any lingering weariness will go and the players will get sharper as they freshen up. Although the team itself still has to click into gear, individuals within it gave enough food for thought during our fortnight away. Kenny Miller’s finishing might not be as consistent as he’s hoping it will become yet but his running and intelligence will help Rangers a lot this season. Nicky Law produced a fine finish to win the game in the final match against Ottawa Fury – Gers’ best display of their four – and he looks alert and hungry too. Ian Black falls into that category as well while Stevie Smith has continued his good form from the end of last term and looks as fast and direct as ever. Lee Wallace has made a strong recovery from the hip problem which ended his campaign early in April as he limped out of the Challenge Cup final defeat to Raith Rovers. But the biggest plus of all isn’t just Lewis Macleod’s return to action but the way he has come in and stamped his mark on the team already off the back of nearly six months out. Few were left in any doubt of how seriously under threat the 20-year-old’s career was when he took unwell at the start of the year. A bad reaction to a virus left him in real danger of having to think of hanging up his boots and there was a genuine chance he’d never have the chance to fulfil his very clear potential. Thankfully Macleod has made a full recovery and so far it looks like he has never been out of the side. Against Sacramento Republic, he grew in stature the more the game went on and I was impressed by his temperament as he kept his cool despite one heavy challenge after another. Four days later at Ottawa, his footwork at times was sublime and you’ll already be hard pushed to find a better piece of skill this season than his turn to set up Law’s goal. The way he stood on the ball then turned away from two men was so elegant and it was the type of move you simply don’t tire of watching. Already there’s a clamour once again in some quarters for McCoist to move Macleod inside and give him a more central role in his midfield. Over time, I fully expect him to take a place there and he’ll both flourish and relish the responsibility such a position entails. But for now, I don’t think it’s a bad thing for him to continue on the left side for the simple reason it’s an area he and the team profits from. Sitting narrower than a natural winger would, he allows Wallace to get forward with good effect and the two combine very well down that side. It’s worth remembering that when Rangers played their best football of last season in the early part of the campaign, those two players got a lot of joy together on the left. I’m not sure having someone else in Macleod’s present position would bear the same fruit and if he was central in a 4-4-2 shape, Wallace certainly wouldn’t get upfield as much. I look forward to seeing Macleod take command and dictate from the middle over time but for now he’s doing a lot for Gers where he is. And as McCoist’s team gets stronger in the weeks ahead, I’ve every faith the club’s most outstanding emerging talent can influence games just as much from slightly wider out. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/opinion/item/7321-best-left-where-he-is An unusually critical piece from Andrew Dickson and he makes a very good point about McLeod playing LMF allowing Wallace more freedom to attack. He may well have been prompted to write this but it is true nonetheless.
