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By Andrew Dickson STUART McCALL has revealed he wants to keep Rangers midfielder Dean Furman at Bradford on loan until the end of the season. Dean Furman playing for Bradford CityThe City manager, an integral part of the Light Blues side which won nine league titles in a row, currently has the 20-year-old in his squad until January 5. But he has been so impressed by the South African in his first few weeks at Valley Parade that he wishes to extend the arrangement by another four months. Furman made his first League Two start for the Bantams on Saturday and played the full 90 minutes as they lost 2-0 at Shrewsbury Town. With fellow midfielders Chris Brandon and Lee Bullock out injured, he now has a chance to establish himself in the side. McCall said: "My thinking is that Dean is going to stay with us for the season because he has been a real asset. "In a perfect world, he'll get into our team and do well and Rangers will do fantastically well without him up at Ibrox.Dean Furman "If that happens, I'd love it if Walter (Smith) decided that because he was getting some decent coaching with us, he'd let us keep Dean. "It is early days yet but with the competition for places at Rangers and Barry Ferguson still to come back, it's difficult to break in there. "I know a lot can happen in a week in football, never mind three or four months, so we'll see what happens. "We've not discussed anything like that and it would be no good for Dean to stay with us if he wasn't getting a regular game. "But I'm sure he'll get a place in my side in the foreseeable future. If he performs the way he has been in training, he'll make a starting shirt his."

Sep 19 2008 By Keith Jackson AIDEN McGEADY'S stormy relationship with Celtic manager Gordon Strachan could be heading for crisis point after the winger was singled out in the wake of last month's Old Firm defeat. Record Sport understands the latest rift between the pair was behind Strachan's decision to bench the winger for Sunday's emphatic win at Motherwell and the Champions League clash with Aalborg. The rift began when strict disciplinarian Strachan barred McGeady from a first-team debriefing in the aftermath of that 4-2 derby defeat. Strachan called the rest of his squad into a room inside the club's Lennoxtown HQ to pore over a video nasty of the match and analyse exactly where Scotland's champions had gone wrong as Rangers romped to victory. But McGeady - last season's SPFA Player of the Year - was told not to bother taking part. Instead, he was instructed to go for lunch on his own at the training ground canteen. Strachan has been growing increasingly concerned with McGeady's form since the start of the season and is determined to get the player refocused on playing the kind of football which wowed supporters last season. But sources close to the player insist McGeady is so furious at the snub he may even be considering his future in the knowledge he would have no shortage of suitors in the January transfer window, including the likes of Newcastle, Spurs and possibly even Manchester United. And Strachan's last two team selections have done little to lighten McGeady's mood. The Republic of Ireland international has shared a roller-coaster relationship with his boss ever since Strachan took over from Martin O'Neill three years ago. This time last season McGeady stormed up the tunnel in a bad mood after being substituted in a league match at Parkhead. Strachan did not take kindly to what he viewed as a public show of petulance and was quick to lay down the law. The pair called a truce and the player enjoyed his most productive season yet in Celtic's top team, helping the club to a third successive league crown and being honoured by his fellow professionals as the country's top talent - proving Strachan's actions right. But McGeady's form has slumped since the start of the new campaign and his involvement in a couple of latenight flash-points in Glasgow city centre did little to impress Strachan. With Shunsuke Nakamura hoping to return to Japan in January, Strachan sees McGeady as his long-term guiding light but is determined to make the player concentrate totally on his game.

RANGERS Football Club today published its annual financial results to year end June 30, 2008. During the year the Club achieved: - Participation in the UEFA Cup final - Winners of the Scottish Cup - Winners of the CIS Insurance Cup - Runners up in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League - 68 games in the season - Record turnover at �£64.5m (2007 - �£41.8m), an increase of �£22.7m or 54% - Net operating expenses increased by 32% to �£56.8m (2007 - �£43.1m) - Net trading profit on player amortisation and gains of �£0.7m (2007 - loss of �£2.7m) - �£13.3m uplift in profit before interest and tax to �£8.3m (2007 - loss of �£5.0m) - Additions to player registrations of �£18m (2007 - �£7.2m) - Net debt of �£21.6m (2007 - �£16.5m) Sir David Murray, Chairman of Rangers, said: "These results reflect what was a remarkable Sir David Murrayand historic year for the Club both on and off the park. We should be very proud of our collective achievements. "Our participation in European and domestic cup competitions obviously contributed greatly to our record turnover and it is encouraging to report a substantial net profit. "The increase in turnover also highlights the necessity for Rangers Football Club to qualify for Europe to meet the overheads that exist to run a club of our size. It is therefore important to look at all costs in running the business going forward. "Existing levels of expenditure cannot be maintained in the current economic climate and, as we look to the future, it is becoming more important to focus on the development of young players to ensure the long term sustainability of the Club. "I genuinely believe we are now seeing a steady stream of young talent emerging from Murray Park, and will continue to do so. "We were delighted with last year but extremely disappointed not to qualify for Europe this year. We have, however, re-grouped and invested as promised in the playing squad and I know that we can count on our fans' support as we strive to bring the league title back to Ibrox." http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/staticFiles/8e/c/0,,5~134286,00.pdf

JT has resigned as President of the Rangers Supporters Assembly. Here is the email that he has sent out: Hello all. Recent incidents have encouraged me to evaluate the ââ?¬Å?relationshipââ?¬Â of the Assembly and Rangers F.C., to say this has given me cause for concern is a considerable understatement. There have been a number of events in recent weeks that I have taken into account and would now like to share my concerns with all of you. 01. Reduced allocation of away tickets to Supporters Clubs. During a brief conversation with the club, I agreed that Season Ticket Holders should be given an increased proportion of away match tickets. Sometime later I was asked if I was happy with the contents of a letter the Ticket Office intended sending out to Supporters Clubs. I rejected the first letter but agreed to the contents of the second attempt. The letter that was in fact sent out differed considerably from the one agreed to. The full details of the very considerable cut in club allocations had not been included in the letter I approved and when I spoke to Jim Hannah, I learned that he too had been unaware of the content of the final letter sent to clubs. Had I been aware of the level of cut back I would never had agreed to the proposal hence my reason for asking the club to reconsider. I have no doubt that the Assembly was mentioned in an effort to deflect blame and criticism and you also have to speculate on the convenience of not providing me with sight of the full letter before sending it out. 02. Rangers demands for a 5% handling fee on away match tickets. Whilst I agree in principal that Rangers are entitled to be compensated for handling away match tickets, I most certainly do not agree with how they tried to force it on other SPL clubs nor their timing in doing so. I also have to say that I find it unbelievable that the club did not see fit to discuss this with the Assembly prior to ââ?¬Å?forcingââ?¬Â the other clubs to agree. Ticket distribution is arguably the most important issue to supporters other than the success of the team and yet they chose not to discuss this with us it therefore begs the question would do they see fit to discuss with us. I have looked at each club who has responded to Rangers demands in turn and would comment as follows: Falkirk . In general appeared to work okay. Aberdeen . They agreed to pay Rangers a handling fee, however for the first time in years, Aberdeen decided to implement a price increase. Conveniently they went up by Ã?£1 which amounted to a 5% increase. I wonder why? To make it clear to all why they did this, they offered a Ã?£1 discount to their own supporters for a future fixture. So who paid the handling fee and which club is looking after their supporters interests? Hibs. They have decided to sell tickets direct as Falkirk did. Yet again we are faced with a price increase which will no doubt mean Hibs have covered their additional costs and again at our expense. To make matters worse, in spite of Rangers stating they would only handle ticket sales if they received a handling fee they have purchased 300 tickets which will no doubt be distributed to those and such as those. The phrase ââ?¬Å?them and usââ?¬Â springs readily to mind. St. Mirren. They have agreed to Rangers request to pay a handling charge and will allow Rangers to distribute as normal. They have however been very clever. The only stand we have sole use of is the West Stand behind the goals and they have increased the price by Ã?£2. Prices for he North Stand, which we share, has remained unchanged at Ã?£20, in other words only Rangers fans will pay increased prices which Iââ?¬â?¢m sure will go a long way to paying Rangers demands. Kilmarnock . Although I have not heard officially, I am reliably informed that Kilmarnock will agree to Rangers demands and to offset the cost, will be increasing prices by Ã?£1. To sum up the situation. Rangers have achieved their goal. Clubs who agree to the demands will pay Rangers and those who donââ?¬â?¢t will cost Rangers nothing but guess who will be paying for all of it? The very fans Rangers claimed they were trying to protect. A job well done I donââ?¬â?¢t think. 03. Worldwide Alliance Expenses. Those of you who attended the Alliance A.G.M. will no doubt recall the Treasurer, Sam Morton, reporting on his balance sheet and highlighting the fact funds were very low and required an injection of money from Rangers F.C. The fact was that Rangers had not provided the Alliance with funds to cover expenses for three years. Jim Hannah informed us that as far as he knew there was no budget for this and that I would have to take this up with the Club. Not long after the A.G.M. I emailed Donald McIntyre requesting clarification. On return from my holiday, I received an email from Jim Hannah, on behalf of Donald McIntyre, informing me that the Assembly would now be responsible for Alliance expenses and that it should come from the Assembly grant. I have responded to Jim stating that in my opinion this is not feasible as it would then legitimately allow the other organisations involved in the Assembly to claim expenses to cover the cost of their own meetings. I have asked that he raise this with Donald McIntyre and await the response. 04. Assembly Grant. During the conversation with regards to Alliance expenses, I learned that Rangers had reduced the Assembly grant from Ã?£30k to Ã?£20k as from 1st. July 2008. Some months ago, I met with Irene Munro who informed me of Rangers desire to reduce the level of support. I refused point blank to accept this and in fact stated that even if I agreed with the request this would not be a decision I could make as it would need to go before a full Committee at our A.G.M. No further discussions have taken place so it would appear as though Rangers are basically saying take it or leave it. They have attempted to soften the blow by saying we can keep the Ã?£10k we did not use last year. Big of them when it is us who have saved the money from being used and in my opinion a totally irrelevant gesture. Each of the above items on an individual basis is in my opinion sufficient to illustrate the lack of respect the club has for the Assembly. When you consider them as a package then I think it is a fair assumption that they only value our input when they need us to show a united front or when trouble is brewing. The Assembly was formed in an attempt to bring the club and its supporters closer together. The above, I would suggest, shows that this is not happening. You could in fact argue the opposite is happening and that indeed the club are driving an ever widening wedge between us with their actions. To be perfectly honest, I do not believe the people involved in making the decisions highlighted above have the best interest of the Supporters at heart. Taking all of the above into account, I wish to inform you of my decision to resign, with immediate effect, as President of the Rangers Supporters Assembly, Chairman of Rangers Worldwide Alliance and Chairman of the Scottish Delegates. I would like to thank you all for the time and effort you put in on a regular basis, I appreciate it even if the club so obviously doesnââ?¬â?¢t, and also for the support you have given me throughout my time in office. Over the next few days, I will clear the Assembly Office of my belongings and also ensure the finances are in order. Obviously as Vice President, Andy Kerr will take over my duties and I would like to offer him my best wishes. Jim

The Glasgow Rangers player Kirk Broadfoot has today revealed that he has been part of the Channel 4 TV show faking it for the last 3 years. The player broke the news today at a hastily arranged press conference as it emerged new Scotland manager George Burley had drafted the " player " into his squad for the up coming world cup qualifiers. Broadfoot who told the waiting press that he was in fact a carpet fitter from Fife said " This experience has been great but I now feel that I would totally be out of my depth and there was no way I could let the country I love so much down by pulling on the dark blue jersey" Channel 4 have defended there decision to allow Broadfoot to move to Rangers from St Mirren. Saints have issued a statement saying " The program makers approached us with there plan we where only to willing to be a part of there experiment we started that season with 4 or 5 new players and knew one was from the program".The only real surprise said saints boss Gus McPherson is that the player is not Will Henning considering how he has had a terrible start to the S.P.L season. Rangers would not be drawn on the future of the player at Ibrox only saying in a short statement " Kirk has been one of our most consistent performers over the last 18 months". Gers boss Walter Smith was unavailable for comment. The S.F.A chief Gordon Smith was quick to back Burley after some sections of the tartan army turned on the manager and pointed out what they have always know that any carpet fitter from Fife could get a game for Scotland if he worn an OLD FIRM strip. Aberdeen where quick to reassure fans that Jamie Langfield had not also been part of the experiment.

You will be happy Gribz !! Bilic favourite to take over Alan Curbishley has blamed a "breach of trust and confidence" for his sudden departure from Upton Park. Curbishley has become the first managerial casualty of the Barclays Premier League season, resigning his post over a row regarding the make-up of the Hammers' playing squad. In a statement released via the League Managers' Association he said: "I started my West Ham United career when I left school in 1974 and have remained a lifelong fan. I have been incredibly proud to manage such a great club and my decision to resign has been very tough. "The selection of players is critical to the job of the manager and I had an agreement with the club that I alone would determine the composition of the squad. "However, the club continued to make significant player decisions without involving me. In the end such a breach of trust and confidence meant that I had no option but to leave. Nevertheless, I wish the club and the players every success in the future."

Andrew H Smith is a former Editor of ra Sellik View, his nickname at the Blatt was, 'Bombscare'. He left ra View and these last few years has regularly made an arse of himself at Scotland on Sunday, normal behaviour for such a strict adherent of Spierism. He mirrors Spiers absolutely in his weekly Diary, 'Stramash'. Here is an example of recent contribution : "Sources close to Frank McGarvey allege that Frank's brilliant and frank autobiography Toatal Frank isn't being stocked in the Celtic shops because it is too political. In the book Frank reveals his support for the SNP. Is republicanism in all it's forms to be avoided in official circles at Parkhead"? The last I looked, the SNP's committment to constitutional monarchy remained firm, they accept the present monarch as Queen of Scots and see an independant Scotland as part of her realm. One can only assume that Andrew H Smith's interpretation of nationalism is completely tainted with his immersion in pejorative Irish nationalism, republicanism being a willing bedfellow. Singing the songs of hate and taking the loyal oath has never been a problem to the established west of Scotland Labour Party apparatchiks before. I suspect the real reason why McGarvey's tome has been disavowed at ra Sellik shops, is because all those former and present cabinet members, either sitting on the Boards or in the Main Stand(John Reid, Des Browne, Brian Wilson, .......etc) are concerned as to their future standard of life. Obviously afraid of a former player with an obsession for the GGs and Bookies providing a ringing endorsement to Alex salmon? Confused? You won't be, well not nearly as much as Andrew H Smith's confusion over the meanings of both nationalism and republicanism.

I never like going to the Piggery but was very downbeat driving to the game today, even with the tunes on in the car. It was weird walking up Springfield Road as the whole grassy bit has been fenced off and we had to stick to the road. The usual burger vans were not there because of this and therefore I bit the bullet and bought a burger and coke inside the ground. We think Azure is bad? The coke was flat and the bottom of the roll was brick hard and the burger tasteless. I was sitting near the back of the bottom section. Iââ?¬â?¢ve never sat there before. What an atmosphere with the top stand overhead. It still moved up and down when we did the bouncy. Can it be 100% safe? Congratulations for 2 crackers of banners. Firstly to TBO for their Ambulance Chasers ââ?¬Å?since 1888ââ?¬Â and the CDL for their ââ?¬Å?God save our Queen, God save your Queenââ?¬Â one. Both excellent efforts, guys. Well done. To be fair, I thought the Bungle Boys ââ?¬Å?Hereââ?¬â?¢s what you could have wonââ?¬Â with Bully was quite clever, but the one with the priest (presumably Walfrid) and something about ââ?¬Å?inclusionââ?¬Â lost me. And who says Celtic fans donââ?¬â?¢t do irony. Team selection was one that nobody could have predicted with Adam being brought back and Miller and Cousin starting upfront. As it happened Adam gave the team some balance despite not having the best of games, but ideally we could do with more width in the future. Cousin was up for it and gave a great performance, which resulted in a superb goal using his strength and speed to skin Mark Wilson on the right wing and then drive it past the hapless Boruc at his near post from what appeared to be an impossible angle. Despite Rangers starting the brighter, Celtic were slightly the better team at this point in the game. Celticââ?¬â?¢s equaliser two minutes later was a comedy of errors from the Rangers perspective. Firstly Mendes lost the ball in the midfield when he incorrectly assumed Davis was taking it from him, then Broadfoot failed to stop the cross from our right, Weir seemed to miss the ball when it came to his feet which meant that Papac didnââ?¬â?¢t expect the ball to fall to him and he hit it off-balance to Samaras who easily put the ball away. Maloney turned 2 Rangers players and tried to curl the ball into the net early in the second half, but Rangers responded with the much maligned Kenny Miller scoring his first goal on his second spell at the club volleying a cross from Thomson which Boruc was unable to keep out despite his ample size. Remember the fuss that was made when a paper cup was thrown at a Celtic player at Ibrox? I wonder if the same fuss will be made about the beach ball that was thrown at a Rangers player? I doubt it though as the bal was thrown back into the crowd on numerous occasions to allow them to do it again. No action was taken by the stewards, so obviously this sort of action is condoned by the club. Rangers third goal was a peach. A corner was played back to Mendes who was standing 30 yards out and he hit it first time low and hard straight into the bottom corner. Referees have been quite correctly been getting stick for their pro-Celtic decisions and today was no exception, although thankfully it didnââ?¬â?¢t affect the result. Rangers were denied two stonewall penalties with Adam being brought down just before half-time and Cousin being brought down in the lead-up to the second goal. In the second half the ref also seemed to have decided to penalise Cousin for every challenge which resulted in a booking for consistent fouling. Two fouls later and het got his second yellow for a challenge that he actually won. He can be clearly seen concentrating on the ball and went for it so how a foul was given against him is beyond me. Thank fully the ref couldnââ?¬â?¢t avoid sending off JVOH a minute later for his two petulant kicks at Broadfoot. With both teams with 10 men, Rangers scored their 4th from a Boruc blunder as he fumbled a straightforward Broadfoot cross straight to Miller who couldnââ?¬â?¢t miss the open goal that he had been presented with and send the good guys in the stadium into delirium. Celtic scored a consolation second in injury time although most of the Celtic fans had left the ground by that point. McGregor seemed to take this out on Miller for reasons that escape me other than perhaps he has fallen into the trap of some others by blaming Miller for everything. It was a team performance and Smith had everyone pumped up for it. mcGregor looked more assured than some recent performances. Broadfoot struggled a bit with McGeady but, on the whole, did fine. Papac put in some crunching tackles. Bougherra looks sound. The midfield and attack did a power of running, with Mendes shading it for man of the match, despite his part in their first goal. All in all, a great performance and a great day. A great airing of the Pedro Mendes song,and I particularly like the new Edu song. Iââ?¬â?¢m sure Iââ?¬â?¢ve heard the tune somewhere before.....

The following article on the Rangers website: Steve Davis. My Rangers Delight suddenly got me thinking about our summer transfer dealings. I don't want to discuss the fact that it was done far too late. We all know that, there's not going to be any interesting views raised on that point. I also know it's too early to judge players, i'm merely talking first impressions. However approximately a third of the way down the page is the following paragraph: Immediately I thought that's a fairly impressive transfer spree and I wondered what everyone else thought of the inidividual signings and how they have improved or otherwise the squad. Beginning with Davis then. As long as he's not played on the right he could be a great signing. Needs to rediscover his form of his first few games at the club and the signs last night suggest he's in good form. Competition for places in the middle of the park is incredible. Kye Lafferty - A vastly inflated transfer fee, although it suggests signs of forward planning and long term thinking from the club. the only way this transfer made sense to me was to buy up a young rising star on a long contract, showcase him at a big European club and in Europe (ok not thsi season now but in future) and sell him on at a profit. His qualities as a player do not suggest a �£4million pound player, but if we can sell him on for more than that after a couple of seasons of good performances then it could be the way forward for a club that does not have the mega bucks of a bigger league. Is a risky strategy that relies on the ability to spot players. Andreas Velicka - Looked a very good prospect in pre-season. In fleeting appearances he did more than some of our other forward players. A physical presence with an eye for goal. Outwith Boyd perhaps our only other genuine goal threat from our strikers. Madjid Bougherra - Huge boots to fill with the departure of last year POTY. Should have seen the writing on the wall regarding Cuellar when Madjid was brought in. Early signs are promising, strong, defensively sound and comfortable on the ball. With the realisation that star players with such large transfer fees as Cuellar will be sold on the club has to be able to bring in replacements at a reduced fee that the management believe can pcik up where the old player left off. Can madjid do this. Who knows, but certainly we might have struggle to find a better replacement. Need to find him a long term partner now. Pedro Mendes - Again hard to comment with just one appearance to go on. What an appearance though. MOTM in his first game, running the midfield and therefore the match. Forged an excellent understanding with Thomson immediately that will be encouarging to all fans. Again adds to the excellent choices in the centre of the field. Will be really exciting when Ferguson is back to link up with the former Pompey star. Aaron - An unkown to myself, but highly rated in Spain. Sounded very exciting in a bounce game with killie. Could really light up our play down the left flank and help us lose the winning ugly mantra. Will Smith trust a relative youngster though? Edu - Signing will hopefully be confirmed tomorrow as a work permit is agreed. Again an unkown but already a international and few players seem to leave the MLS for multi million pound fees suggesting this player may have something different to your average US player. Worried by the noises that he is a utility player though. Look at Dailly and to a lesser extent Ian Murray to see why. Miller - �£2mil wasted on a goal-shy forward. A significant part of our early transfer spending wasted on him that no doubt contributed to our early European exit, costing us approximately �£12million. Getting what we expect. A lot of running but little end product. The headless chicken act. Law of averages as a forward player for Rangers you're going to have the odd good momment such as the run v Hearts to create the goal that sealed the points. Needs to show a killer instinct if he is to win over the fans, but his career suggests that is unlikely to happen. Why some fans and supposed experts of the game laud a player for trying hard and running about a lot is frankly mystifying. 8 signings, 5 of which impress me with 2 i've yet to really see. Obviously all have a long way to go to prove themselves at the club but the early signs are encouraging. Yet again we have the strongest squad in the country, on paper at least. Without the distraction of an extended European run we have to fancy ourselves to win back the title and anything less should not be tolerated.

I was frantic in my attempts to receive an update on the Yahoos game on Sunday, driving along Eglington Street, the power lines of the railway surfing against AM reception. It appeared Radio Snyde were playing music. BBC Radio Scotland provided the good news that Dundee United had equalised. I tuned back to Snyde as I headed along Clyde Street, the music continued. It hit me, Snyde were NOT broadcasting football coverage and the Yahoos were playing at Tannadice. I believe this is Snyde's fourth continuous season without live coverage of SPL games? In 2004, Snyde refused to pay the going rate to provide live commentary, they relented to the era of the 'Magic Specs' ie watching all the live feeds of all games covered, doing lots of commentary from the banks of tellies, and keeping Lawyers on stand by to ensure they were not encroaching too far into the terrority of those broadcasters who had paid the going rate. Hence, all those pre-fixes of, 'we believe', 'we are told', 'we are informed',..........etc. Snyde masnaged to keep their level of coverage going because the Phoenix Group's owner, John McGuire sponsored every football related programme. Snyde promised the live commentary would return, it hasn't, and Real Radio has made significant inroads into Snyde's broadcast footprint. John McGuire has pulled the plug, Volkswagon Verve have taken over a much reduced deal. Simply, it appears that Snyde are caught in the laws of diminishing returns. Thus, no coverage of the Sunday, or Monday SPL game, and SuperscoreboardXtra has been reduced by 30 minutes each midweek night. I wonder if Snyde will provide live commentary on their favourite's Champions League adventures this season? Again, it was John McGuire's Phoenix Group that provided the means to allow Snyde to provide Euro coverage these last four years. It was five years past that Snyde's Chief Executive, Paul Cooney joined his fellow Yahoos, Wullie Hee-Haw, Stephen Purcell, Charlie Gordon, .......etc on the Board of Scottish Enterprise(Glasgow). He promoted protege, Bitter Martin to Sports Editor, with the promise that the CE post would be his several years into the future. I wonder if Cooney and Snyde founder and former Managing Director, Sir Jimmy Gordon are accepting of Snyde's continued downsizing? Snyde's owners must be asking questions too? Sailing the good ship Snyde into calmer waters would be a lot easier if they cut the securing ropes that have been tied to ra Sellik's PR machine these last 35 years. Jimmy Sanderson and Bob Crampsey, the real pioneers of Snyde's football coverage, must be turning in their graves.

http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=663&Itemid=1 Carlos Cuellar has gone then and going by recent years it’s extremely unlikely to be a case of ‘The King is dead; long Live the King’. The 21st Century has seen a large number of quality players leave the club with the chairman proclaiming they will be replaced with players of a similar standard. In almost all cases – particularly with regard to our midfield – that has not been the case. From the Van Bronckhorsts to the Reynas, to the Numans, to the Amorusos; the decline in quality has been a steady one since our club’s downsizing began in earnest. It’s now reached the stage where not only the continuity of the team is threatened but the very future of the club is being brought into disrepute. What options does that leave us with? Do we protest or will our apathy contribute to our downfall? Firstly, I think it’s important that we address the issue objectively. It is far too easy to be vocally critical and while that may satisfy for a short while; it won’t do any good without solutions for the problems we face. One of the biggest and most valid criticisms of the Murray reign at Rangers is that of short-termism. We shouldn’t be guilty of the same flaw. Thus, if we are to protest – and I certainly empathise with that view – we need to be careful in how we go about it. ‘Murray out’ is the cry from many. ‘Walter Smith’s time is up’ is even more prevalent. Fair points as both deserve a lot of criticism for their work recently. Unfortunately, neither is likely to be replaced and I see little alternatives offered by those who shout loudest. Quite simply, while it may be agreeable that it’s time for a new owner (none more agree than Sir David Murray), we don’t have a knight in shining armour with a spare Ã?£100million to put into Rangers. Let’s face it – any new owner(s) would need around Ã?£20-30million to buy the club; Ã?£20million to underwrite the existing club debt; and at least Ã?£50million in reserve, to not only supply an annual transfer budgets equalling the last two years but to implement the various improvements we’d all like to see to the club. A new ticket office, a better youth system, a museum, stadium development (not to mention upkeep), improved retail/marketing and a genuine worldwide scouting system would need considerable investment just to get off the ground; never mind run on an annual basis. Not many investors have that kind of money to hand – especially when one considers the market we operate in. Even if we discount the problems we face on the field, the last paragraph shows just how serious things are at Rangers. The most positive supporters can surely now see how the under-performance of the club generally is affecting the general malaise at the club. There’s no doubt while some people may exaggerate some of these issues; there’s also no doubt the challenges we face as a club are serious ones and need urgent attention. In fact, most of them have needed attention for a number of years but it’s only now some supporters are awakening to them. And that’s where my concern is. Realism regarding the financial climate needn’t be an acceptance of under-achievement and inefficiency. Football fans – and particularly Rangers fans – are demanding sorts. Success should be regular, failure is not an option and everything is measured by an SPL title-winning barometer. This is how many supporters view our club but in my view it’s far too empirical and it’s this flawed vision that has helped put us in the position we are today. More seriously though, it’s not just the support that is guilty of this – the Rangers board of directors are similarly short-sighted and far more culpable. My single biggest criticism of Sir David Murray’s Rangers’ tenure is one which goes against how the man made his impressive business reputation. After a successful initial period, investment into the club (out with transfers) wasn’t enough, was only ever based on the short-term and failed to ensure our club’s position as the number one football club in Scotland. Remember we were Ã?£30million in the black around 1998 and only a few short years and Ã?£100million later we were Ã?£83million in the red - with next to nothing to show for it. Sure, at the insistence of Dick Advocaat, Murray Park was built but even that has taken a number of years to deliver while only showing inconsistent performance given it’s not the Youth Academy many believed it would be. Where are we then? Are we any further forward than late 1988 when SDM bought the club? Of course there are lots of positives during those 20 years and they shouldn’t be forgotten or ignored in the haste to vilify. However, the fact remains, the last 10 years of the reign have been inconsistent, lacking in quality, ambition has been lost and our future bleak. Much like what was happening under Murray’s predecessors it could be said. Protest is the answer then? Yes, it is, but probably not in the way some agitators would prefer. Firstly, we need to ensure that our support of the team and players isn’t compromised. While Walter Smith is just as much to blame for our current woes as anyone else and while we all agree certain players are simply not good enough to play for Rangers, difficult times require extra support – not less. I’m not suggesting blind loyalty – that would be equally wrong – but enough support to help the team regain the confidence and form to win matches. After all, not winning the title would only make things much, much worse. However, I’ve already said winning titles should not be a barometer of how successful our club is. After all, we didn’t win the title last season but generally it was a successful one in terms of European performance and incoming finance. Importantly though, it’s how we use this success that really matters. And that’s where we’ve failed this summer and in previous times. We’ve simply not achieved consistent domestic and European success. Ergo, that’s where any protest must be focussed. Thus, while bizarre 60 minute walk outs may indicate our displeasure; and while fans reps in the media provide further obvious methods of channelling our frustration; neither will be successful without constructive alternatives. By all means protest but it has to be done at the right time and place. The status quo is unlikely to change because a few hundred fans walk out unnoticed or because a few congregate outside the front door. That will only result in further division and problems. Genuine protest has to have a goal behind it. While the ultimate goal may be one of regime change, that’s not one that is immediately possible or one that would yield immediate results anyway. As such, any protest should have aims that are possible. Obviously, that is also much more difficult to achieve. What can we do to improve the club? How can we reach the people to responsible for that improvement? Can we catalyse them via workable solutions? That place is the Rangers AGM in the next month or so. That’s where ALL the guilty parties will be present. That’s where ALL the relevant questions should be asked. That’s where ALL the board of directors can be brought to task on their under-achievement. That’s where the manager can be challenged. That’s where positive change can be implemented. That’s where the Rangers supporters can rise to the challenge. That’s where leadership can be sought in the presence of ALL the people who can make the difference. We can help shape our future. We can never be accused of not being loyal or being supportive of the club through difficult times. Let’s continue to do so by cheering the team to victory over 90mins and keeping our criticism for the place where it really matters.

By David Melvin MAN of the match Pedro Mendes enjoyed an Ibrox debut that lived up to his expectations as he helped his new side to a 2-0 win over Hearts. The Portuguese midfielder's impressive first performance at the heart of the Gers' midfield was recognised by fans in the stadium who chose him as their pick of the bunch from a successful afternoon. A fine array of skills and an eye for a pass were evident in everything the 29-year-old did on his first appearance in a Rangers shirt. And he admits that his first Ibrox experience lived up to his pre match expectations. He said: "It was a game where everything went well and the support from the fans was fantastic. "It's nice to be picked as man of the match but I am just pleased with the performance and of course with the win. "It was a fantastic atmosphere, but I was expecting that as everyone I have spoken with has said 'Pedro, you will love Ibrox' and they were right." Mendes suffered some cramp towards the end of the match after a whirlwind move ended with him in the starting line up a little over 24 hours after his arrival at Murray Park on Friday. The former Portsmouth man admitted it was a tiring few days, but he's looking forward to a bright future in the Scottish game and ahead to next weekend's meeting with Aberdeen. He added: "It's always good to start with a win, but I'm a little tired now. Everything went so quickly, I only arrived in Glasgow yesterday and it was a busy day with the medical and signing. "I only managed a little bit of jogging yesterday and then the game today, but everything went well so I'm happy with that. "I was tired towards the end of the game. I hadn't slept much since hearing about the move but now hopefully with the training my fitness will go up again. "I was pleased with the game, it was an open match and Hearts played well - they have some good footballers. "So it was an open game and that wasn't too much of a surprise to me so I'm looking forward to the next match."

After the woeful performances against Lithuanian Hearts, we are faced with the prospect of life without our stand-out player King Carlos. Carlos has activated a release clause in his contract and is on his way to Aston Villa. Depending on whether you believed the rumours, this move may have come as a surprise to some of us, but can any of us say we are shocked that our prize asset has been sold? Failing to qualify for the Champions League was always going to leave a gaping hole in our financial report and the only way to fill this hole was to sell players. The only player we currently have on our books who is worth any sort of money is Carlos. So it doesn’t take a genius to work out that he’d be the one that we’d lose. Some fans chose to believe SDM’s latest ramblings that any money recouped from transfers would be given to WS to strengthen the squad. I remain sceptical on this happening and await the closure of the transfer window with interest. Already the rumours (no doubt initiated by SDM’s lapdogs in the media) are flying through cyberspace on Rangers forums claiming that Lovenkrands, Loovens, Maloney et al are queuing up at Ross Hall for medicals prior to signing for Rangers. There are also rumours of bust-ups between McCoist and Bain and claims that McCoist has walked from his post. All in all, not the best publicity for our club and certainly not the behaviour you expect for Scotland’s premier club. So where does that leave Rangers FC? Well, we are a worse team / squad than we were last season and going on the 3 competitive games played this season, we look a team devoid of ideas, of guile and of genuine football players. I would venture to say that in the last week, our club has become a laughing stock and whilst this is hard to stomach, we have also take of the blinkers and acknowledge that we are also trailing our bitterest rivals both on and off the pitch. This is galling admission given how far ahead we were a decade ago. Whilst typing this disjointed article I can feel a lump in my throat and feel my stress levels reaching breaking point. The most frustrating thing about it, the majority of fans will just shrug this latest catastrophe off and still believe that SDM will deliver his promise of ‘moonbeams of success’. This certainly isn’t the Rangers that we deserve, and this certainly isn’t the Rangers that we all love. In fact, if this Rangers were your wife you would have divorced her, and if this Rangers were a family member, you’d have disowned them. However, this is OUR club and we are hardier than that. Will this downturn (downsizing) get any better? Not under the current regime and I can’t see enough support for change so we are stuck with what we have. Don’t know if any of the above makes sense, but I am seething at the moment so not much is making sense to be perfectly honest. Farewell Carlos, thanks for the memories and good luck in the future. For those of us left behind, strap yourselves in, its going to be a helter-skelter ride as fans of this great club vent their frustrations in ways that we all won’t agree on. Cammy F:rfc:

Yes the start of the football season is back and Rangers have had a disasterous start to the campaign after being put out of Europe in the Qualifiers. That leaves us to fully concentrate on Domestic issues and to try bring back the league title as well as retaining the 2 domestic cups. The only positive thing to take about Europes exit is we wont be hampered by a horrendous fixture schedule of playing 68 games in the season. As mentioned its time to put the Euro exit to bed and concentrate on the SPL. But one asks if we are currently equipped with the right personnel to go on and take the title back. 4 new faces have arrived - Kenny Miller, Kyle Lafferty, Andris Velicka and Madjid Bougherra, are these 4 good enough to walk into the starting line up?. But the massive question from the fans is where is the new midfielders we need? All summer we knew the need for a creative midfielder and we did not purchase one. Instead we let our only player capable of this role - Thomas Buffel - depart the club. Then things got worse when Barry Ferguson picked up a bad injury rulling him out for the first few months. Yet the management still have not addressed the position and rather opted for strengthing the defence and forward line to make huge confusion to the Ibrox faithful. Steven Davis did well in central midfield last season but a fee couldnt be agreed with Fulham for his services. Other players which were looked at were Varynen of PSV(?) and former Ger Peter Lovenkrands - getting all 3 excited this bear. So lets have a look at our chances of SPL glory. Management: Walter Smith was brought into steady a sinking ship during the 06/07 campaign and he did a marvelous job in doing so. We finished that season strong and things looked good for 07/08. Last season his task was to put us in with a chance of trophies and he delivered the 2 domestic cups and for a few reasons already discussed he took us to within 1 game of the title. He is to be judged this season. Will he change his favoured personnel when they are in bad form or will he stick with them? Will he give youth a chance? Will he go away from his favourite 4-5-1 formation? All to be revealed! Ally McCoist: Everyones favourite former striker and club legend certainly brings harmoney to the club. He is being groomed by WS but its obvious he is still tactically inexperienced. Hopefully his finishing skills can rub onto some of the strikers as we need to start getting a couple of players who are capable of 15+ goals. I dont question Ally being in his role but I do wonder if WS misses an old experienced head in his management team at times. Keepers: Allan McGregor had a wonderful season last year. He turned from an average keeper to Scotlands No.1 IMO and I firmly believe we would have won the league had he not got injured at Parkhead - thats how good his form was. But talks of being as good as Goram and Klos were way exaggerated and a knee jerk reaction IMO. I always said he has to maintain this form into the next few seasons before he can be mentioned in the same sentance as the 2 former legends. A one season wonder isnt good enough. At the moment he is rusty and needs to get back to his form of last season ASAP. His deputy - Neil Alexander did a fine job when asked and he will be pushing AM at the moment for a start, he is a fine back up to have and many a bear would have him in between the sticks for the opening game this season. Defence: We have central defenders in Abundance. Davie Weir and Christian Dailly signed on for another season, Alan Webster is on the books yet seldom fit, Kirk Broadfoot has been featuring there and of course King Carlos Cuellar has not been sold. They are joined by Madjid Bougherra who can also operate in midfield. And if things get desperate Sasa Papac and Brahim Hemdani can move to centre back. Surely all bears are hoping to see a partnership of Cuellar and Bougherra to be formed. The full back positions is a concern. Only Steven Whittaker and Steven Smith are natural full backs with huge concerns over the latters long term fitness and footballing future. Sasa Papac has the LB role to himself at the moment. If Whittaker or Papac get injured then its obvious the full back roles will be covered by the likes of Dailly and Broadfoot - not too encouraging. Midfield: I could write pages about the midfield but Id also be aswell leaving a blank space. To start with Barry Ferguson misses the first few months of the season. It may be a blessing to tell the management we cant rely on 1 player and it also may give the skipper a long term rest that he badly needed. Hopefully he comes back to the player we know he can be as he was far too inconsistant last season and had more nad games than good ones. Other natural midfielders are Brahim Hemdani, Kevin Thomson and Dean Furman. WS doesnt seem to rate Hemdani and he rarely features in the SPL. Kevin Thomson is rated very promising by the management and fans but this season its time for him to step up and take some responsibility. Young Dean Furman is one who needs more games. On the left we have huge options. DeMarcus Beasley, Lee McCulloch, Charlie Adam and Kyle Lafferty are likely to be rotated all year. There are questions about some of their capabilities, Beasley is injury prone but he makes the team look better when he plays. McCulloch and Adam have been nothing short of dreadful recently and Lafferty is mainly a striker. Even Alan Gow is still on the books. But the problem is on the right side. With Steven Naismith and Chris Burke long term casualties it leaves only Nacho Novo to play there - who is a natural striker. The need for new players is a MUST. Strikers: WS signed 3 in the summer and only offloaded Sebo who was on loan anyway. If WS goes back to his 4-5-1 formation then there is going to be a lot of unhappy players on the bench. Daniel Cousin is still the best talent in the squad but whether he stays or not is remained to be seen. But the manager has Kenny Miller, Kris Boyd, Jean Claude Darcheville, Andrias Velicka, Kyle Lafferty and young Fleck to keep happy. Right now its guess work as to who will be preferred upfront. Key Players The spine of the team is always key and that wont change this season. Allan McGregor, Carlos Cuellar and Barry Ferguson should be 3/4 of the spine and ideally Daniel "ive changed my attitude" Cousin would be the final quarter. But with Ferguson out and Cousins future uncertain it means a few players HAVE to stand up. Noises came from Lee McCulloch and Charlie Adam in the summer but both are currently on dreadful form. IMO Kevin Thomson needs to grab the chance with both hands and if selected Hemdani is a key player. Upfront Velicka's strength could suprise us and he may be the key to unlocking defences. Overall: We have enough to win the league if we are consistant and the manager gets tactics and selections right. If we get that creative player then it may give us a different dimension and others may start to click. I dont think Celtic are better than us but they are currently much more organised. Prediction: The need for the title to come home and the early wake up call in Europe could be a catalyst in winning the league. If i was asked to put money on it then I would back us to be Champions for 08/09.

...but how is everyone else feeling about a) this coming season, & b) the gers generally....? anyone's answer to a) won't bother me, i think we're all in agreement it'll be tough, but being bears we'll grin and get on with it (pun avoided) but for b), well, i'm genuinely scared for the future of my team. i'd like to think the word "blip" is involved in the actual answer, but , i'm genuinely worried. i know others here have maybe seen it comin before me, but where is our money comin from? where is our supportive board? what is our chairman doing to improve our team to meet "his" goals..nevermind ours? i'm more than open to anyone tryin to put my mind at rest on this one...please...

Ive been disolusioned with our manager for quite some time now and have reached the point were i would like to see him quit his position at Ibrox. My expectations of our team are not being matched by Walter Smith and feel he is dragging the club down with his Negative attitude to the game and his tactical niavety. Having read some of the recent posts recently it is plain to see that quite a few others share the same concerns as I as to where the club is going. we are in dire straits. The Uefa cup run has now become a weight around the neck of our club and covers the cracks in our house of cards which i fear is about to come tumbling down around our feet in the very near future. There has to be big changes at Ibrox very soon if we are to stop the rot. walter has to go.

"Hi and welcome to our new member" Please intorduce yourself Hi my name is David and i have been a Rangers supporter for 28 years all of my life. i have followed my team through the good and bad times enjoyed the highs and lows that come with following Glasgow Rangers. But after last nights result and it has been in the post for sometime , with the average squad we have assembled and the ultra negative approach from the Gers current management i see the near future being bleek. I am at my lowest ebb i have ever felt following this once proud and great club. I may be here for a while.

I think it's fair to say I'm one of the more optimistic posters on here. I try to see the positives in most situations and am also careful not to become embroiled in the continual negativity about every and any subject. Unfortunately, the 'midfield' (if we can call it such a thing) last night means my patience is really starting to run out. First off - we should have signed another midfield player well before now. Barry Ferguson didn't have a great season last year, Thomson is still developing, Davis/Faye left after their loans and our other options are inconsistent and/or inexperienced. The injury to Ferguson only made the situation worse but didn't change the fact we needed another midfielder - a creative, mobile player capable of breaking down teams. The fact we never - and are now risking our CL and financial future on such a decision - means several people at our club are guilty of gross negligence. They now have a short time to change this in a few different ways. 1. Again, sign a new central midfield player. Surely we have realistic targets if Davis (still not sure he's the answer anyway) cannot be signed immediately. Not doing so is completely unacceptable - budgetary requirements or not. 2. In the mean-time, we should play people who will break teams down and supply the strikers. Christian Dailly is not that person. Neither is Lee McCulloch. Charlie Adam does have a modicum of flair but quite simply he is not good enough as his decision-making and consistency are still well short of the standard required. That's after a season of being a first XI player and playing at the highest club levels. 3. That leaves Dean Furman and John Fleck - our next available options. We're all well aware of the risk regarding playing inexperienced players. Will they adapt physically? How will they cope with often unrealistic supporter expectation? Can they hit the ground running? What if they don't do the business? Poppycock, is what I say!!! Give them their chance and let them provide what their peers are not doing. Would we really be any worse off? Finally, it's easy to carried away after last night's poor result. We can (and still will IMO) win the tie but we need to maximise our chances by playing the correct players at the correct time. Rustiness and bad luck can only account for so much understanding. Bizarre personnel choices were equally to blame. Ironically, it could be argued an away tie deep in Lithuania isn't the time to bring in young lads or new players. Maybe so. I'll contend it is exactly that kind of pressure environment that will bring the best out of our young hopes while giving them the kind of immediate experience that will stand them in good stead for the future. No excuses, indeed!

Could this pave way for the Shittu move to be back on? Bit is a bizarre signing by Watford TBH.

Champions League run. Reaching the final of the UEFA cup. The associated attendance money, television income, advertising revenues, merchandising sales, etc, etc. There was even the sale of homegrown Alan Hutton to Spurs. There have been many opinions - played down by Murray, played up by the media. But surely the net income from last season must have been considerable. So where is the payback from success? Why are we no more able to strengthen our squad this summer than we were this time last year? If it was important to take a punt at success last year, what is different this time around? You can speculate all you like about whether this signing is worthwhile or that one is a waste of time. You can even voice opinion on whether we actually need a whole team full of forwards. What is less easy to understand is why the proceeds of success don't seem to have influenced future quality on the field of play.

Music to the ears. Lets just hope he is not pushed out the door as Hutton was.

This statement is from the seven of us noted below who have recently resigned from executive positions on the RST board. Background Due to the unsuitability of the date of the RST Special General Meeting it is appropriate to make public this statement as we consider the RST members deserve an explanation of recent events. We all continue to believe in the aims, principles and constitution of the RST. Despite strong and unnecessary provocation we do not wish to become embroiled in personal issues about individual board members. Following negative actions by certain factions within the remaining board, together with serious differences of opinion with regard to strategy, we each, individually, and at appropriate times to affect an orderly handover, took the decision to resign. Board split We had been aware of a recent lack of support from certain sections of the board but felt this could be properly addressed during the close season. Unfortunately, because of the continual negative actions detailed below, it was evident such a split was incapable of being fixed. Examples of this lack of support include: leaking information to individuals and websites; negative political behind-the-scenes briefings involving members of this faction; non-completion of action points in reasonable time-frames; and the formation of a ââ?¬Ë?Special Tasks and Purposes Disciplinary Committeeââ?¬â?¢ (see Note A) to unnecessarily control and restrict the work of some board members. The Chairman and Vice-chairman resigned as both understandably felt they no longer had the trust and support of the majority of their peers. Subsequently five more key board members resigned in a short period underlining the problem of the serious split in the board. Further issues which have occurred after the initial two resignations include: attempts to release incorrect information when addressing the resignations of their former colleagues; dismissing and denigrating the efforts of the resigned members; and a disgracefully abusive text message received by one of us. We have documented and commented upon the issues regarding the split in the board however the remaining board members have failed to release this disappointing but serious information to the membership. To ensure clarity, we urge them to provide this statement to the membership at the SGM and to include it within the minutes for those unable to attend. Future RST Strategy Recently it has been obvious that one aspect of the board split was down to differences of opinion in the direction of the Trust. The three year chairmanship of Malcolm McNiven brought significant success in a number of key areas: the fact the club were about to offer the RST a directorship; acceptance within the wider fan base, business community and media; the formation of the innovative ââ?¬Ë?GerSaveââ?¬â?¢ scheme; record fundraising amounts; and steadily increasing membership. Maintaining a positive relationship with the club, and Sir David Murray in particular, did not preclude constructive criticism of the club where necessary, which was still apparent and ongoing. Despite these achievements, many of the remaining board preferred a more ââ?¬Ë?militantââ?¬â?¢ direction, a policy which had shown little success or wider appeal in the early years of the Trust. We believe that such a strategy is divisive, unconstitutional, and will not benefit the membership or the Trust. With the offer of a directorship now gone and club relations very poor, we believe this regression by the Trust is incompatible with our own ideals. Conclusion We know the Trust was extremely close to achieving genuine and sustained success which would have benefitted all supporters for generations to come. We lament that our efforts now appear to have been in vain due to the premature, overly aggressive, and controlling actions of a small faction. We trust the membership uses this statement to ensure the problems above are openly addressed and the RST moves forwards and not backwards. With sincere disappointment, Malcolm McNiven (Former Chairman) Scott McMillan (Former Vice-chairman) David Tweed (RST Co-founder, NARSA Officer, and former Vice-chairman) Derek Howie (Former Secretary) Callum Renton (Former Treasurer) Stewart Franklin (Former Webmaster) Andrew McGowan (Former Marketing Officer) Note A - Formation of a ââ?¬Ë?Special Tasks and Purposes Disciplinary Committeeââ?¬â?¢ This bizarre committee was formed in May 2008 and as of mid-June the personnel and remit had yet to be detailed by the proposer despite the obvious negative effects it has had on recent events. At the 2007 RST AGM it was unanimously agreed that the board should pursue a strategy of obtaining a place on the board of the club following Sir David Murrayââ?¬â?¢s concession that such a position would become available. The following period brought much dialogue between the RST and the club regarding such an appointment. The sensitive and confidential nature of these discussions, including the legal implications of access to price-sensitive information, prevented the Trust from making public comment on these negotiations. Furthermore, as there was, and remains, at least one leak on the RST board some information obtained in discussions with the club could not be relayed back to the full board. In early May 2008, it was suggested by the club that a position would be offered to Malcolm McNiven who would communicate the details in person to the rest of the board, and a board meeting was arranged primarily for this purpose. Unavoidable work-related issues meant that both the Chairman and the Vice-chairman had to call off, rendering the principal business of the meeting redundant and the venue unavailable. Other board members holding executive positions could not attend and requested the meeting be re-arranged. Nevertheless, the meeting went ahead with ten (out of 19) board members in attendance at another venue. What followed was essentially a coup dââ?¬â?¢Ã?©tat to ensure the control and/or removal of the senior office holders by the faction detailed above. A same-day addition to the Agenda by one of those in attendance proposed the formation of a ââ?¬Ë?Special Tasks and Purposes Disciplinary Committeeââ?¬â?¢, and it was suggested that four members be appointed all of whom presently remain on the board. Despite the expressed concerns of two board members that the formation of such a committee would result in resignations and serious problems thereafter, the proposal was passed by a majority of 8-2. The reason given for this committee was to install a process of control and accountability over RST board membersââ?¬â?¢ meetings with outside bodies and individuals. However, this did not extend to all members, with certain external relationships given dispensation. We believe the committee was specifically conceived with the RSTââ?¬â?¢s meetings with the club in mind. This was symptomatic of a direct lack of trust in Malcolm McNiven and Scott McMillan who participated in these meetings, and whose resignations thereafter were inevitable.

http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/football/display.var.2403897.0.Dane_hints_return_to_Ibrox_still_possible.php I'd welcome him back. Depends on the fee, seeing as we could get him on a pre-contract in Jan.

Strange goings on and the move, when it happens wont suprise anyone. Interesting to see the comments re the Whinger. Suprised at him having a go at Fabregas though, I htought he was outstanding last season and would walk into any team in the EPL and further afield.

JOHN FLECK says he's ignoring all the hype about him after he scored his first goal for Rangers on Wednesday night. John FleckThe 16-year-old broke his Light Blues duck when he grabbed the clincher six minutes from the end of the 3-1 friendly win over Sportfreunde Lotte. Big things are expected from Fleck, whose double proved decisive in last season's Youth Cup final win against Celtic at Hampden. But he isn't paying any attention to it the anticipation of others and is focused only on playing his way into Walter Smith's first-team plans now. Fleck said: "I just let all of that bypass me and allow people to keep talking. I'm sure there folk are a few out there who don't like me as well. "I feel I've learned a lot in the last 12 months but all that matters now is that I keep doing what I'm doing. "I don't know what will happen this season but I'll just keep working hard and doing my best to get into the squad. "A few of the young lads have a chance of being involved because of the SPL's under-21 rule but if I keep doing what I'm doing, hopefully that'll be enough for me." Fleck was thrilled to find the net against Lotte, his goal coming after a lay-off from debutant Andrius Velicka.John Fleck But it says much about the high standards he sets himself that he feels he should have got on the scoresheet much sooner than he did. Fleck added: "Obviously it was great for me to start and for the team to win. I should probably have had three or four goals but it was still good to score one. "With the first couple of chances I had, I was still nervous as it was early in the game and I hit them straight away. "I was unlucky with another one but the last one sat up well and I was really pleased that it went in." Fleck is relishing his opportunity to work with Smith's squad here in Holland and in Germany this week. He was also involved in last summer's pre-season tour, making a brief appearance in the 4-2 win over SV Lippstadt as a replacement for Nacho Novo. But having just completed a top-team game for the first time, the teenager believes he is making progress and few would disagree. Boyd congratulates Fleck after his great strikeFleck said: "It is great being away with the team this week. This is all I ever wanted to do and after being part of the group at this stage last year, it is good to be here again. "Last summer, I got a few minutes in one of the matches but now I've just played a full game and hopefully I'll just keep progressing now. "Getting that long on the pitch with the boys is only going to help me. I might feel a bit tired afterwards but it can only be good for the future. "People are stronger and tougher than me at this level and when I'm working with the first team, they move the ball about a lot quicker but I'm getting used to that."