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Setanta is in talks with a new investor that could prevent the company going into administration, the BBC understands. More...

Hopefully by now a fair number of online bears will be aware of the 'Setting the Standard' project. This has taken the form of 12 articles which were debated in full on various websites. From this debate, a 53 page report was collated with several suggestions, recommendations and conclusions made. You can now download an edited 28 page draft of this via the following link. http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/settingthestandard/ For your information, Sir David Murray and Rangers Football Club have been provided with a printed copy of the report and we await their full response with interest. In addition all Rangers fan organisations have been supplied with the full copy as have both fanzines and as many of the fan websites I could get in contact with. I'd like to take this opportunity to again thank RangersMedia for their help in putting this together as well as Russell Brothers Design for their invaluable and extremely generous work in professionally designing the report for submission. As always, if anyone has any comments on the report, or wants to get involved with any future stages of the project, please post here or pm me. Finally, I'd urge any interested fan to download the report and forward it onto as many people as possible. Thanks again for your support and help in putting all this together. We are the people! Yours in Rangers, Frankie

RANGERS' midfielders Mo Edu and Kevin Thomson will miss the start of the 2009/10 SPL season due to injury. Edu was ruled out of Saturday's Scottish Cup final victory over Falkirk having suffered ligament damage to his left knee after a crunching challenge from Dundee United's Darren Dods at Tannadice on May 24. Top London surgeon Andy Williams carried out a successful operation on the American yesterday but he is expected to be out of action for a minimum three months. The 23-year-old has also been forced to withdraw from the US national team for their forthcoming World Cup qualifiers with Costa Rica and Honduras and the Confederations Cup tournament later this month. Thomson, meanwhile, missed the majority of the 2008/09 double-winning campaign due to a cruciate injury picked up at against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on November 9. The Gers' No. 8 has been making excellent progress with the physios at Murray Park and is ahead of schedule but, like Edu, might not return to Walter Smith's plans until September. With Barry Ferguson's future at Ibrox uncertain today's news will come as a big blow for the gaffer who would have wanted his squad to be at full strength for the start of the new campaign and the prospect of Champions League football. http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,5~1686356,00.html Not very good news............

GERMANS PLAN MOVE FOR GERS ACE McGREGOR ALLAN McGREGOR could land a shock move to German club Hannover 96. The Bundesliga outfit have targeted the Rangers keeper to replace unsettled Robert Enke. German international Enke has entered the final year of his contract and has refused to sign a new deal after being linked with Bayern Munich and a return to former club Benfica. And Sport of the World can reveal Hannover are lining up a �£3.5million bid for McGregor, 27, to replace him. The controversial goalie lost his place to Neil Alexander at Ibrox last season following the Bevvygate furore and has no Scotland future. Now he may cut his losses and rebuild his career in the cash-laden Bundesliga. McGregor's value has plunged since he was rated at �£8million after signing a new four-year deal with Gers in 2007. And it's unlikely the cash-strapped Scottish champs would stand in his way if they received an offer of around half that valuation. Hannover first spotted McGregor's ability in a pre-season game against Gers two years ago. They were reminded of his capabilities during Walter Smith's side's run to the UEFA Cup Final last year. McGregor played the game of his life against Werder Bremen to help the Light Blues into the quarter-finals. Hannover boss Dieter Hecking has kept tabs on him ever since. However any deal hinges on Enke moving on this summer. The former Barcelona keeper, 31, wants one last crack at Champions League football before he retires. http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/scottish/scottish_sport/346893/Allan-McGregor-is-being-targeted-for-a-move-to-the-Bundesliga-Rangers-Hannover-Bayern-Munich.html

Most will probably be paid off at 23.30 on August 31.

Swansea manager Roberto Martinez, who is being targeted by Wigan, is set to discuss his future with the chairman of the Welsh club Huw Jenkins. More...

From the Evening Times.

i'm astounded to see how many people would be happy to let mendes go. some of the reactions are knee jerk. the guy's played half a season for us; he's been inconsistent, but not even RDB was that consistent when he arrived. do people not get 6 months to settle in? he had hardly kicked a ball the first half of the season. it's same with the players coming back from injury - they're not brilliant for a bit and its decided their surplus. i think the idea is that if you could get someone better. but then they need to time to settle. i think you need to persevere with some level of inconsistency - from young players and older ones - to ever get to consistency. some people would've punted steve davis, kyle lafferty if even a decent offer came in. hutton and broadfoot and a million other examples show that people tend to get better at what they're asked to do after a while - after a period of inconsistency you get better, and can then start turning to style. i think with mendes if you get rid of him (and players like him) too quickly - or are too keen to get rid of them, it just shows a sort of impatience or anxiety. i think is happening not because of the players but a sort of general feeling that the future's not quite right. but in footballing terms i think it's wise to assume retaining - where a silly money offer doesn't come in - anyone who could walk into most comparible first teams. even if they dont perform to their capabilities instantly, its wiser to give them time than to chop and change. challengers need impetus and renewal - that's all the things celtic will be cultivating this year - but we need resolve, thoroughness and to establish a team who know each other as winners and all that sort of stuff. i don't know who we should keep, but big chopping and changing i think would set us back. obviously the finances dictate, but i think the "if we get decent money we could get someone better" line will only set us back - by the time there's agents fees, and the costs of transfer, and the little bit to the debt, we lose momentum at too high a cost.

After a break for a couple of months, the 'Setting the Standard' project reaches its final stages with a couple of closing articles. The first one from 'Lord Nelson' below is a fascinating look at how Rangers could benefit from changes in the boardroom and is especially relevant with various rumours surrounding the ownership. The final STS article (which offers independent academic credibility for supporter opinions) will be published later this week before the overall expanded report is released next week for download. This expanded report has been printed and will be provided to Rangers FC for official comment. Anyway - onto the penultimate article Setting the Standard: Improvements in the Boardroom (Written by Lord Nelson) This article is going to look at one of the most important areas of the club - the place where the decisions that affect the running of the club - the boardroom. It proposes that two independent directors are appointed in a non-executive position to assist in the decision-making process. It was only 4 and a half years ago that the club was Ã?£74 million in debt and in a great deal of financial difficulty. We got out of that debt following the rights issue that was supported by Sir David Murray (SDM) and the cash from the JJB deal, but yet again the club finds itself in financial difficulty after such a short period of time. Our debt could be in excess of Ã?£30m in January, which is a lot when we consider that we only have facilities of Ã?£36m from the bank, and our outgoings will exceeded our incomings in the months prior to the receipt of the season ticket money. We were in the position that we were unable to even bring one player in on loan during the recent winter transfer window. Both situations arose due to overspending which the club canââ?¬â?¢t afford, but was authorised by the directors nevertheless. It is because of this situation arising twice that it is believed that the Board of Directors of Rangers would benefit from having independent non-executive directors appointed, who may force SDM to at least question and re-examine the level of spending and other decisions and bring a freshness and alternative outlook that can only benefit the club as a whole. Background For the purposes of good corporate governance, listed companies on the major UK exchanges are required to have independent non-executive directors. They do not work on a day-to-day basis but attend board meetings. They have no connection to the company but are involved in strategy and have an oversight of management (see Appendix A for a more in-depth description of their responsibilities). There is currently no requirement for Rangers to have such directors as the Plus Markets exchange where Rangers shares are listed do not have the same level of requirements as other, more primary exchanges. Our rivals across the city are listed on a more senior exchange and as such do have independent non-executive directors - Ian Livingstone, Chief Executive of BT and Thomas Allison, Chairman of Peel Ports as well the well known John Reid, and it believed that the former two would benefit their clubââ?¬â?¢s decision making with their vast business experience. The need for a strong set of non-executive directors was highlighted recently with the biggest loss in UK history following the Royal Bank of Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s near collapse, requiring support from the UK government. One of the causes of this is alleged to have been the inability of the non-executive directors to stand up to Sir Fred Goodwin, which highlights the need for a strong board, who are able to make their feelings known. If RBS can be close to collapse then what is to say that Rangers could not run into serious trouble? That is why as strong board of Directors as possible is required. The new directors should be independent of SDM so that they can stand up against him if they believe that he is incorrect and should not feel threatened or intimidated to give their opinions. They must be able to have his respect and should perhaps be regarded as ââ?¬Å?Captains of Industryââ?¬Â. The current position The blame for the current financial problems has to stay with the directors of the club. Matching the supportersââ?¬â?¢ expectations and keeping the club on a financial even-keel is admittedly an extremely difficult thing to do but with strong leadership, it can be done. We appeared to be in the position where we had to sell our top scorer in the winter transfer window and it is worrying to the support that the club finds itself in this position, and means the outlook remains extremely bleak even with Champions' League qualification for next season. Misleading statements It is believed that it was during the 2001 AGM that someone questioned the increasing debt level which was sitting at Ã?£28 million at that point. The shareholders were reassured by the Chairman at that meeting that it would be irresponsible for the board of directors to allow the debt to increase above Ã?£40 million, but in less than 12 months it had increased to Ã?£52 million, and eventually ended up at the well-publicised Ã?£74 million. It is therefore a myth that many have said that nobody complained when the debt was increasing. The issue was raised but it appears that the shareholders, and therefore the support, were misled. Following the cash that was received from the aforementioned rights issue and the up-front payment of Ã?£18 million received from JJB, the net debt was reduced to under Ã?£6 million in June 2006 and again the support were reassured by SDM in August 2006 that they would be ââ?¬Å?maintaining financial prudenceââ?¬Â. It is not believed that anyone can argue that taking the club to within a few million of its borrowing limit in such a short period of time is maintaining financial prudence, and yet again what the shareholders of the club were told does not reflect the way the reality of the situation. Having independent directors may result in more openness in the running of the club, which the support deserves, given the financial commitment they make each season. Options It would be in the clubââ?¬â?¢s best interests to try and ensure that this level of overspending is made more difficult in the future. (It is impossible to prevent when there is a majority shareholder in place). SDM has made it clear that he wishes to sell the club, but it is equally obvious that there are no potential buyers out there. Any solutions therefore have to be within the current set-up of SDM being the majority shareholder. The support need reassurances that the club will be run on a sound financial footing and there appears to be an inability for this to happen and therefore something has to change. What is required is for SDM to make a major leap and admit that mistakes continue to be made and accept that it would be helpful to have assistance in formulating the plans for the club. Conclusion The decision making of the directors of Rangers can only be enhanced with new, enthusiastic non-executive directors. It is acknowledged that SDM will always have the final say due to his shareholding, but additional, experienced businessmen could bring fresh and innovative ideas and perhaps help him prevent the club getting into a more perilous financial situation. APPENDIX 1 - The role of an Independent non-executive director An independent non-executive director should play the following roles: 1. Participating in formulating strategy of the company The board of directors is responsibility for the management of a company. It does not directly take part in the routine management, but it has to participate in the drafting of strategy of the company. They must use the professional knowledge or common sense, experience and specialty, vision and the advice they get from outside or the people and business relations they have developed to help directors solve related problems. 2. Oversight of management Oversight of management covers two aspects: one is to oversee the management and the company in implementing the rules, procedures and plans established, that is, to see whether the company operates along the established orbit; the other is to check the company to see whether or not it has established a proper and effective internal monitoring system, procedure and guide. The former to see whether the company follows its rules and system in force and the other is to see whether the current system is rational enough. 3. Independent stand It is very important for independent non-executive directors to air their affirmative and objective views, take independent decisions. As an independent non-executive director, the law demands impartiality in taking decisions by taking into account all available information, instead of casting votes according to the views of shareholders who have appointed you. First of all, an independent non-executive director must study and get to know all the information provided by the company; secondly, the voting and decision taking are not influenced, directly or indirectly, by individual interests; thirdly, he must honestly ask himself whether any private interests have influenced his judgement. 4. Protecting the interests of all shareholders As an independent non-executive director, an important task is to protect the interests of all shareholders. APPENDIX 2 - Disclaimers 1. It should be made clear that this proposal does not supersede or replace the requirement for supporter representation on the board, which is a separate subject and is not covered by this proposal. References: 1. http://www.cipe.org/ Further reading: The Higgs report - http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file23012.pdf

Must be odds-on to become the next Chelski manager now.

A tearful Barry Ferguson is reluctant to discuss his future as he is linked with a summer move to England. More...

I'll beat Chick Young to this one.. Mixu Paatelainen today announced his decision to leave his post as Manager of Hibernian Football Club. Mixu said: ââ?¬Å?I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as Manager of Hibernian Football Club. We have travelled a journey together and the Club will always hold a special place in my heart. ââ?¬Å?However, there comes a time when a change of direction is best for both parties. I thank the Club and the players and coaching staff for their commitment and talent and I wish the supporters everything that they would wish themselves.ââ?¬Â Club Chairman Rod Petrie said: ââ?¬Å?Mixu has been a whole-hearted and committed Manager and we are all sorry to see him go. However, we respect his decision. Mixu is held in the highest regard by everyone connected with the Club and we wish him well for the future.ââ?¬Â Next Celtic Manager?

RANGERS boss Walter Smith is trying to piece together a �£3million summer swoop for West Brom's Chris Brunt. Record Sport can reveal Smith has identified the Northern Ireland winger as his priority target to fill the problem position on Rangers' left flank. The 24-year-old, who scored a flurry of goals towards the end of the season as Tony Mowbray's team launched an ill-fated late bid to beat the drop, is aware of Smith's interest and is desperate to clinch a move to his boyhood heroes. Brunt is a close friend of Ibrox duo Steve Davis and Kyle Lafferty and is believed to have discussed a possible move with them both. But with Rangers counting every penny this summer Smith will have his work cut out to get a deal done for a player who cost the Baggies �£3m from SheffieldWednesday. A deal could hinge on the future of deposed Rangers skipper Barry Ferguson - and also on the future of Mowbray himself. He wants Ferguson and is prepared to spend more than �£1m to clinch the signature of the Boozegate bad boy - but Mowbray is also a contender for the Celtic hotseat. Smith then must hope Mowbray stays at The Hawthorns and follows up with a firm bid for Ferguson -which would allow talks to open up on Brunt.It is likely Rangers would have to find at least �£2m and allow Ferguson to move south if a deal is to be struck. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/2009/05/28/exclusive-rangers-eye-3m-transfer-move-for-west-brom-winger-chris-brunt-86908-21394923/ Decent player IMO...........

I'm sure everyone will agree with the sentiments in the short article below. http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=793&Itemid=1 After a resounding victory at Tannadice on Sunday, Rangers are champions of Scotland for an incredible 52nd time! Gersnet would like to congratulate everyone at the club for this amazing achievement. From the players to the management team to the day-to-day staff who continue to make our club the most successful in Scotland, everyone has played their part in ensuring the old trophy returns to its rightful place at Ibrox Stadium. Whilst every person connected with the club will be enjoying a few days of celebration ahead of the Scottish Cup final this Saturday, we'd urge everyone to take a few moments to think about how we can now move forward as a club. Retaining the SPL and being competitive in the Champions' League will be a hugely difficult challenge and it is vital we approach the coming weeks, months and years with the kind of strategic outlook that will help deliver more success at all levels. Last, and most definitely not least, Gersnet would like to save a few words for the amazing Rangers support. Despite not winning the title for three seasons, despite constant negative coverage in the media and despite ongoing disingenuous crusades from the authorities, our support have shown to be amongst the most loyal in world football and unrelenting in their devotion to the club. Record season ticket sales year after year and thousands of travelling fans who help keep other Scottish clubs alive, means our fans should be respected for what we bring to the game - not dismissed and generalised in unfair negative ways. Rangers football club especially should be doing more to protect our good name while working with us to face our challenges. Let's use the wonderful title win to build together for the future. We really are the people! :spl:

http://blogs.dailyrecord.co.uk/jimtraynor/2009/05/mister-rangers.html Cal certainly will welcome such a peice. :spl:

I tuned into Radio snyde last evening, expecting to hear Bitter Martin and Co offer grudging congratulations to champions, Rangers. I mean, it's just over 24 hours since the Bears triumph at Tannadice. Last week, Snyde continued to portray the arabs as akin to Barca, very few of the regulars could see Rangers achieving a victory. Indeed, the concensus was, if ra Sellik score first at ra Stydome, then the pressure piles on to Rangers in Dundee. It's all a question of bottle. Well, I feel Rangers answered the question and some. An excellent performance, three good goals, and the wonderful sight of 10,000 singing and dancing Bears. Lot's to discuss? Err, no, not really, Sellik's plight(as usual) was far more important in the Radio Snyde collective psyche. The panel was Big DJ and Andy walker. Bitter opened with Strachan's resignation and then read the the Bookies' odds on his possible replacement. Rangers title triumph was up next, DJ and Walker offered short homilies, and it was back to the important stuff, ra Sellik. In summary, one hour saw 11 callers, only one of which, wanted to discuss Rangers. Every other caller was an appeal to Coyle, McGhee, Mowbrey, McCarthy, ............etc. Interestingly, after the first three callers had breathlessly waved goodbye to wee Gordon and looked ahead to a better Sellik future, Bitter Martin interupted with, "I will not allow Radio Clyde to be accused of ignoring the other big story" and he played a 30 second recorded clip of Weir and Ferguson receiving the trophy. DJ was invited to say another few words, "to be honest, it could have gone either way". Then, it was back to ra Sellik. Andy Walker informed the listenership that, "no club in Scotland can match Celtic, they are the biggest club without doubt". Here is the new low, Bitter ran a 2 minute clip of ra Sellik's three in a row, himself, Nuremberg Hugh, and Guidi commentating on Lennon and McManus lifting Strachan titles one, two, and three. Seriously, this was North Korea broadcasting, yesterday did not happen, pasr green'n'grey glories are more important. They must be, because the vast majority of the show was allocated to their memories. Rangers have secured the title without having the Manager of the Year(he has just resigned), the Players' Player of the Year, and the Writers' Player of the Year, in their ranks. Listening to Snyde last evening, you begin to realise why this should occur. Radio Snyde, the epitome of Emperor's new clothes broadcasting.

All season nearly there's been rumours that Walter Smith will leave at the end of the season. So, i got to wondering, what would Rangers fans prefer? A.] Walter Smith to continue and do a Sir Alex and build for the future. This would be WS' empire if he continued and i couldnt really blame any Gers fan for wanting him to continue if he wins the league on Sunday. Look at the stats after all, in his first half season back, he restructured Rangers from a disaster area to have us winning again. He got us in his second season, to the UEFA cup final, a Scottish and League Cup Double and on the verge of a very impressive 4 trophies. Many still say we only lost the league that year due to fixture congestion and a very unhelpful spl who refused to space out the games. And, who knows in his third season? a Double with the biggest prize to come? the Scottish Premier League Championship, which is in his own hands to win with one game to go. The bad side to WS is having to put up with his weird tactics, his poor transfer dealings, his playing older seemingly past it players, and the playing negatively and players out of position. But, through all that is bad, i for one would take that if it won us the league from Celtic every season. You honestly cannot fault the guy if he produces a league and cup double which was preceded by a major european final appearance and a cup double. B.] Or, would you prefer another, bolder manager who would have the team playing beautiful, silky attacking football, destroying the lesser teams, but also one who may not manage to deliver the goods when the push comes to the shove. A team that plays superbly doesn't always win things. And i for one am now beginning to realise that maybe, just maybe, we as Rangers supporters should have been more supportive of WS because if he delivers this title, it would be so hard to argue against what he has delivered to us. He may walk anyway, and the signs are that he is tired, and fed up with the constant sniping and criticism. That alone is spurring him on to get this league from Celtic, and i fear he may use up all his experience to win this league title. So, it would be interesting to hear from you guys what you think would be the better for the club. The chance to impress everyone with beautiful football, skillfull attacking players but no certainty of winning. Or to take most of the prizes and seemingly 'win ugly' but nonetheless, WIN anyway!!!

DAVIE WEIR believes that Rangers thoroughly deserved to get their hands on the SPL trophy at Tannadice and praised his teammates for proving the doubters wrong. The 39-year-old was again outstanding in the comprehensive 3-0 victory over Dundee United and insists his side have shown great character to come out on top. Pedro Mendes scores Rangers' second goal against Dundee United at TannadiceHe said: "It's an unbelievable achievement but we were the best team this season, no matter what anyone says we were the best. "We now want to go out and do the double, if we can do that it will be a fantastic season for the club. "The performance from the boys today was outstanding and it showed the determination we have. "For us to go out there and produce arguably our best display of the season is terrific and we are all thrilled. "The goals we scored were quality and from the first whistle I think we showed a desire to win the game. "We always believed we could do it." Davie could not hide his pride at lifting the SPL trophy as Gers captain and was quick to ask Barry Ferguson to join him in hoisting aloft the silverware.Kyle Lafferty scores against Dundee United at Tannadice He said: "I think it was only fair. Barry has been the captain for the majority of the season so it was only right that we both stepped up to lift it. "I thought it was right and the gaffer felt the same way so I was more than happy for him to share that moment with me." Weir has enjoyed another fantastic season in a Light Blue jersey and refused to discuss his future after the final whistle. He did, however, allow himself to dream about appearing the Champions League once again and realises how important being in Europe's premier tournament is for Rangers. He said: "It's a fantastic thing for a club of this stature to be in the Champions League. "Knowing we have six games in the Champions League next season is a massive bonus. "Winning the league was crucial but there is no getting away from the fact that coming out that having being in Europe's top tournament without having to qualify is brilliant."

Manager Walter Smith insists Rangers' desire for Scottish Premier League glory should count for more than anything Celtic say. Victory at Dundee United on Sunday would guarantee the title and end a run of three consecutive Celtic successes. However, Celtic striker Georgios Samaras said his team were better and deserve to win the championship. "The motivation to win a championship comes from within," said Smith. "That's good motivation." In what is sure to be a tense finale to the season, Celtic can overhaul Rangers' two-point lead on the final day if Smith's side drop points at Tannadice and the defending champions beat Hearts. But Smith is confident his players are aware of the demands at Ibrox and will not need any extra spur from Samaras's comments. The Greek international suggested Rangers would be unworthy champions but Smith insisted: "That's a poor motivation for anybody. "Everybody in Scotland has opinions. We read them every day and we listen to them every day. It's just something that happens. "If that's the player's opinion, then fine. I always say to players that's not a good motivation. "If you have to grasp onto something else all the time, then that's not the proper motivation." Smith enjoyed great success during his first spell at Ibrox, steering the club to their nine-in-a-row success in the late 1990s. He returned at a time when the Ibrox club was in disarray following Paul Le Guen's disastrous 200-day tenure and now has the chance to end a period of Celtic dominance. But Smith claims the weight of expectation is no greater this time around. "I don't feel an added pressure," he explained. "I knew the expectations when I came back a second time. "Even the first time, you know you are putting yourself in the position with a major club that you have to win. That's what you have to do. "It's not an added pressure, it's just something that's there and you have to handle it." Smith was also quick to refute suggestions that his future at Rangers will not be determined by whether they win the championship or not this weekend. A final-day triumph could allow Smith to walk away from the dugout and take up a director of football role, while paving the way for his assistant Ally McCoist to take over But the former Everton and Scotland boss was tight-lipped about the prospect of any changes taking place this summer. "There has been a lot of talk about my own future," he said. "We will see. "There is nothing that will happen in the next few days that will determine my future one way or another - unless the chairman says otherwise!" http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/8064341.stm

Guys, While I realise a few of you may have still had access, we did have a few unavoidable site/forum issues yesterday. As such, in case of any future problems, please register for and bookmark our back-up forum at http://gersnet.proboards.com/ Thanks for your patience.

by Alison McConnell Rangers manager Walter Smith has insisted that his future at Ibrox will NOT be determined by this weekend's events. Speculation has abounded that both he and Celtic counterpart Gordon Strachan will step down regardless of what happens in the race for the Championship. But speaking before the do-or-die trip to Tannadice, Smith said: "Nothing that happens in the next few days will determine my future one way or the other, unless the chairman says differently." advertisement And the Ibrox boss was satisfied that common sense prevailed as defender Madjid Bougherra, as expected, was cleared to play in the critical game against United. "It is important for us to have him back," he said. "He has been excellent for us this season. "I am delighted that the decision has been reversed and I am pleased for the lad himself because he has missed a number of big games for us this season and we didn't want him to miss this one." Georgios Samaras cranked up the pressure by insisting that Rangers will not be worthy champions if they win the title, but Smith dismissed theories that this will give his side further motivation to win on Sunday. "That would be a poor motivator for anyone," said the Rangers boss. "Everyone in Scotland has an opinion - we read and listen to them every day. "Motivation to win a Championship comes from within. It comes from within a manager and from within players. "Grasping at something else isn't proper motivation." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/display.var.2509846.0.0.php

All week we've had the mhanks and future mhanks coming out and bumping their gums. Smarmyarse - Rangers don't deserve title. Zaluska - Double celebration. Caldwell - Puts faith in Dundee United. I also saw a comment from Frankie regarding Caddis, has this no mark been mouthing off? And that's not to mention all the crap that has no doubt been in the papers up there that I am not subjected to at the minute. There has been no mouthing off from Rangers. No talking up their (Celtic's) opponents. Just a continued silence from Ibrox that I associate with professionals focused on what they have to do. Is this down to Smith and all his experience? Why has Stachan who has done it 3 times before not shown the same calm approach? Are the mhanks running scared and has running their mouths put the final nail in their coffin? They are doing Smith's team talk for him whilst he and his players, mostly protected from the twisted natures of those in our media, quietly go about their business. Work hard for this final week of the league season. Get everyone fit and ready. Mentally and physically. No gobbing off in the media about how we're going to do this. How we deserve it, or they don't. About how Hearts will go there and take points off them like they have in the recent past. No. Just heads down, hard work in training and concentrate on what we have to do. It looks like Celtic, who have the more experienced squad in terms of winning titles recently, are showing a lack of experience, a lack of intelligence and a lack of common sense, not to mention a lack of respect for their own opponents Sunday. Let's use their arrogance, their media attacks and their hatred to spur us onto number 52 and Champions League football.

by Thomas Jordan BARRY FERGUSON has seven offers on the table to leave Rangers this summer. But the deposed skipper will shelve all thoughts on his future until after Walter Smith's side bid to win the domestic double is decided. SportTimes understands that Ferguson has received approaches from clubs in England, Germany and the Middle East as he heads into the final year of his Ibrox deal. But he has yet to hold any discussions with the Ibrox hierarchy about his long-term future, and this will happen after the Scottish Cup Final against Falkirk on May 30. advertisement West Brom have led the way in the efforts to land Ferguson, and he has held talks with Baggies boss Tony Mowbray - but nothing had been decided and he is leaving his options open. His main focus is getting a starting jersey at Tannadice as Rangers attempt to win the SPL title. And that may well happen after boss Smith organised a closed-doors game with Manchester City on Tuesday at Murray Park in a bid to hone the sharpness of Ferguson, and other players who have been on the periphery. He played 45 minutes of that bounce match - and Smith is now considering starting him on Sunday because of his vast experience of these situations. It is believed the Rangers manager and the former skipper held talks last week at which Ferguson made it absolutely clear to his manager he was fully fit, committed and ready to play again if called upon. To that end, Smith then put him on the bench for the crucial game against Aberdeen last weekend, and the 31-year-old came on for the final half-hour to make his first appearance in seven weeks. Now, it remains to be seen if Ferguson will start against Dundee United just weeks after it looked as though he would never pull on a Rangers strip again. Meanwhile, reports in Italy today claim that Lazio are interested in Pedro Mendes. The Serie A side have secured a Europa League place for next season and are on the hunt for new players. Mendes arrived from Portsmouth last summer for �£3m. He was then the subject of a �£4m offer from Bolton in January, which Rangers rejected. However, with a big summer of change on the way at Ibrox in terms of personnel, Mendes may well be moved on if a big offer does come in. Blackpool have confirmed they are still trying to land Charlie Adam - even though they don't have a new manager confirmed for next season. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/display.var.2509552.0.0.php

BARRY FERGUSON is on the verge of quitting Rangers in a shock �£1million move to West Brom. SunSport can reveal Ibrox midfielder Ferguson, 31, travelled to the Hawthorns on Sunday for contract talks. Fergie was a guest of the club for the Premiership clash with Liverpool. Now the shamed former Scotland and Ibrox skipper looks set to pledge his future to the Baggies. West Brom were relegated after Sundayâ��s 2-0 defeat, but despite several English top-flight clubs monitoring his situation itâ��s understood Fergie has told Tony Mowbray heâ��s willing to make the move. With Gers keen to get his bumper pay off their wage bill Mogga is likely to get his man for a cut-price �£1m. http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/article2435875.ece

CELTIC Football Club today announced that it is to mark National Famine Memorial Day on May 17, 2009. The day has been earmarked by the Irish Government to commemorate and honour the 1.5million people who either perished or emigrated from Ireland during the Great Famine from 1845 to 1851. As a mark of respect, the Celtic team will wear the clubââ?¬â?¢s Celtic Cross on their shirts when they plays Hibernian on Sunday. The Cross, representing a bridge between Scottish and Irish cultures, is the symbol of the clubââ?¬â?¢s charitable arm, established to continue the work initiated by the clubââ?¬â?¢s founder Brother Walfrid, an Irish Marist Brother. Celtic Chairman John Reid said: ââ?¬Å?Given Celticââ?¬â?¢s proud Irish heritage, this club is inextricably linked to the Great Famine and the subsequent immigration from Ireland. ââ?¬Å?Celtic Football Club, therefore, is proud to be marking National Famine Memorial Day in this manner as we pay our respects to all those affected by the Great Hunger, one of the most tragic chapters in modern world history. ââ?¬Å?The Irish Famine resulted in death, disease and displacement of people on an unimaginable scale, with the West of Scotland becoming a principal point of refuge. ââ?¬Å?The Famine is a lesson from history which should never be forgotten, but from the despair and death of famine arose new hope, new life and a new future. Part of that came in the shape of Celtic Football Club. ââ?¬Å?The desperate people who fled Ireland and their offspring born in Scotland, became the collective parents of Celtic Football Club. ââ?¬Å?The clubââ?¬â?¢s main inspiration, Brother Walfrid and Michael Davitt, the clubââ?¬â?¢s first patron, were both young children during the Famine in Ireland. ââ?¬Å?Celtic is a Scottish club with proud Irish roots, an organisation which represents a fusion of cultures between both countries. We are a club open to all and while we celebrate our traditions, it is important that we also celebrate our diversity. ââ?¬Å?During the past 120 years, Celtic has developed into a world-class football organisation which strives for excellence and success on and off the field. ââ?¬Å?However, while we always aim to build and grow, there will be one constant - we will always remain much more than a football club and we will always remember our proud heritage.ââ?¬Â