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By Lindsay Herron SIR David Murray has called on all fans to unite with one aim, stop playing into the hands of Rangers' competitors by scoring own goals in the media and accept that he is acting to secure the financial future of the Club. Some supporters were dismayed when they learned that a player had to be sold in the January transfer window and then a small group issued a 17-point list of complaints under the heading "We Deserve Better". Today, the Rangers chairman clarifies the current position the Club is in, explains the new structure for the future and calls on every supporter to get behind the team as they strive to bring the Championship back to Ibrox. Sir David MurraySir David has revealed that the squad will be trimmed from 28 down to 20 and bolstered by the best crop of youngsters that Murray Park has ever produced. He has explained that money must be brought in to compensate for the losses of this season which have been exacerbated by the current economic downturn. And he has reiterated that if he does not act with fiscal prudence then future investors may be put off and the financial future and stability could be undermined. Speaking exclusively to Rangers Media, Sir David said: "Over the past couple of weeks there has been an increased amount of media reporting about our Club and for the avoidance of doubt the required clarity needs to be given to our supporters. "If we go back to last year; it was a tremendous season. However, it is obvious that our runs in the two domestic cups and, of course, the memorable run to the UEFA Cup Final had a detrimental affect on winning the league. "I think any fair-minded Rangers fan would agree with that. "Then came the start of this season and we had the problem of Carlos Cuellar leaving the club on the back of the Kaunas result. "I met with a group of supporters at that time and I told them that we were unaware that Cuellar was invoking his get-out clause and leaving but I also told them that we would spend the money received and that was achieved.Ally McCoist and Walter Smith "At that point we had not entered the level of economic downturn which currently exists. "We are no different from any other business. Our static overheads are too expensive and we have less revenue. "You have to look to the future and analyse where additional revenues are going to come from outwith an extended run in Europe. "We had to take these things into consideration because the Club must be run professionally and financially correct. "Yes, we could continue to spend money but we would develop more problems and the Club would not be in a good condition. "What we must not do is play into the hands of our competitors by scoring own goals in the media. "We have to stick together and if we do that then we can come through this situation successfully. "I accept as the Chairman of the Club I am not immune to analysis or criticism. "We are a great Club with a great history but we must remain positive. "This mischievous element that we have is only going to destroy the things that they supposedly care so passionately about. Murray Park"I genuinely believe that the plans we put in place when Walter came back has been knocked off course by a couple of factors in a very, very difficult economic climate which I believe will become markedly worse before a recovery in the future. "What I'm doing is not panicking. It is a controlled management of the Club. "We have a financial facility with the bank and we must work within that framework. "I spoke to Walter and confirmed the need to bring in funds to compensate for the fact we are going to make a loss this year. "However, if we don't sell any of our players during this window then we don't sell any of our players during this window. "I think most Rangers supporters must realise that our overheads are too high for our income.Chris Burke "What can happen is when you announce that you are ready to sell then it can happen that regular first team players are targeted when you would rather that was not the case. "I have a responsibility to run the business properly. It's easy for people to be critical, but they are not offering any solutions. "As a Rangers fan I can understand why people are questioning why we are doing it but it's not just about the short-term, it's about the long-term financial stability of the Club." The trimming of the squad has started with the departures of Jean-Claude Darcheville and Chris Burke and Rangers want to get to a situation where they work with a smaller group bolstered by a fine crop of younger players. The Chairman added: "At the AGM in October Walter made it clear that the squad was too big and that we didn't need 28 full time pros and going forward he would run with 20 and younger players. "It is no coincidence that players like Loy, Furman, McMillan and Shinnie are all out getting experience at the moment and we are hopeful they will come back ready to be part of the pJohn Flecklans. "We have John Fleck, Jamie Ness and Danny Wilson now knocking on the first team door and they are undoubtedly part of our future. "In November I did say that we needed to prune the squad and essentially move six or seven players. "However, I also said that if there was an emergency then we would bring in a player if required. "Murray Park is now bearing fruit. People have complained about our youth system but it takes time to work. "We have never had so many players out on loan and we have never had so many promising young players. "I understand that some fans have concerns but I hope they understand that I am acting in the best interests of the Club and if we stick together we can achieve our goals." "Finally may I take this opportunity to thank all the supporters who have taken the time to write to give me their backing. Thank you, it is greatly appreciated."

Who wants Mr.Murray to continue with more of the same and why ? When he took over he undoubtedly began an exciting new era for Rangers. The Souness years were arguably the most successful in our history apart from being very limited in Europe. In order to continue such success the Club had to keep changing with the times and keep on top of all of our main rivals. We failed to do this. The slide began a number of years ago and became obvious during McLeish's time as manager although it must be said that he did very well considering the tight financial restraints. We were now in the bargain basement area of football. Old pal WS came in and went along with the regime knowing full well the club's circumstances and despite this results were more than reasonable. But now, the players were all heart and possessed mediocre skill. Just as he had done with the Scotland team, results improved but we were accused far and wide of playing " anti-football " However, we were only playing to our strengths. How many times were we pummelled in Europe last season only to pull off miraculous victories. We have now been found out as Celtic did the same to us at the recent defeat at Ibrox showed. I'm sure they must have been embarrassed at the nature of their victory. We have been in decline for the past few years both on and off the field and Mr.Murray has either been unable or unwilling to do anything about it. This being the case either he has to change his financial strategy drastically or someone has to come in with a new direction. I have always followed Rangers, 50 years or so, and I want to be proud of my Club when it plays good, exciting football and is admired wherever it travels. Mis-management at different levels has made this now impossible. Big changes are required throughout to prevent further decline. 40 odd thousand season ticket holders (not many clubs in the UK and abroad can boast this) and the many more supporters who can't attend, deserve a team better than the one who struggled against lower division opponents last Tuesday. I want Mr. Murray to continue only if he listens to the support and acts accordingly, and, more importantly, always, always, act in the best interest of the Club and its thousands of followers. If he wants unity then he must be open and honest without fear or favour.

2009 was merely hours old when we, the Rangers support got an insight into how fraught this year is going to be. It is not merely the fact that we are willing to sell our top scorer (for Ã?£3.5M), but the indication that ALL of our players are being hocked around by ‘agent’ McLies. It appears that Mr Bain has been caught with his trousers round his ankles, and Mr Murray has kicked his exposed arse for his comments to McLies. Now, trying to decipher the words of three untrustworthy sources (SDM, Bain and McLies), it does appear that Bain informed McLies that Rangers would be open to offers for some of our ‘star players’. McLies saw this as a green light to hock our players to EPL clubs, SDM denied this part, but refused to deny that we are trying to sell at least one player. Bain has had his arse kicked when in reality, he should have been sacked (a novel way to save many precious pound notes Mr Murray). The whole episode is a mess, and highly embarrassing. So where exactly are we? Well, the facts speak for themselves – we appear to have a requirement to generate circa Ã?£4M pounds immediately. The easiest way to raise this money is to sell an ‘asset’. Problem for us is due to a decades worth of asset stripping by SDM, the only assets we have left are Ibrox and our players. The reason for this urgent requirement are not forthcoming – SDM doesn’t like to keep us abreast with what’s happening behind the scenes, but we aren’t selling players other than it being a necessity. Now, the arguments and merits of who should be sold have been the major talking point since the news regarding the Boyd to Birmingham story broke. It appears that the fans want Boyd to stay, but at what cost? Is keeping Boyd worth losing Pedro Mendes? Let’s fact facts here, we are going to lose at least one of our top players in this transfer window as Bain appears to be nowhere close to shifting the 10 fringe players we MUST remove from the books. Another worrying sound-bite from Rangers is that we only require to move on one top player this transfer window. What happens in the summer, if our worst fears are recognised and we finish 2nd again and don’t ensure automatic qualification to next seasons CL? Will be then be forced to sell more of our top players to ‘balance the books’? I would say this would be a highly likely scenario. However, Kris Boyd’s refreshing reluctance to leave Rangers highlights another issue. What if we CAN’T sell a player for the required fee? This is why we must be told the reason as to why we require this money so urgently and be informed if we have a ‘plan B’ (I know, I know, SDM doesn’t have a plan A never mind a plan B). I think we all realise that we need this money to keep the bank from our door. We currently have an overdraft of circa Ã?£25M with HBOS who are currently being taken over. Is this a token, goodwill payment to ensure that the bank don’t call in the entire overdraft? And what if they do call in the overdraft? These are worrying times people, with little or no answers / information forthcoming from our Custodian. So as it stands today, we are no further forward and aren’t likely to be enlightened by the powers that be at Ibrox. There are claims and counter claims regarding Boyd and Birmingham, but in my opinion, this deal is dead (for the moment). Allan Hutton’s deal to Spurs was on then off, then back on again. The Hutton deal was different as there was enough profit for SDM to give Hutton a ‘sweetener’ or pay-off, depending on how you see it. The figures surrounding the proposed Boyd deal, given that Killie are due 20%, leaves little room for negotiation and Boyd will be unlikely to receive a sweetener. From what I know, he wouldn’t accept one anyway – he is living the dream, playing for the only club he wants to play for and holds all the aces here. I expect this deal will only be reconstructed if SDM can convince Boyd that him staying at Rangers will be more detrimental to the club than his staying. Lets not kid ourselves here, at least one of our top players will leave as well as (hopefully) as many as 10 ‘fringe’ players. This may depend on us ‘waving’ fees for these players like we did with Burke. This exercise is to reduce the squad and the wage bill (tell me again why Martin Bain is still in a job, as this appears to be an annual ‘cull’). This off course will be not help our cause in trying to retain our domestic cups and in our efforts to regain the SPL title but financial mismanagement (again) is forcing our hand and will eventually herald the requirement to sell more players IF we don’t win the SPL thus guaranteeing CL monies next season. The most frustrating point in this whole sorry mess is that there is nothing we can do to resolve this situation. SDM is in control until he decides that it is time to sell up and move on. Some journalists are saying that this is the reason for the January cull, that a buyer has been found but they are unwilling to take over until the wage bill is deemed ‘manageable’. This is wishful thinking folks as I don’t think there is a buyer anywhere in site at the moment. This isn’t the time to be spunking 100’s of millions on a football club, even if the club is The Rangers. To have any success in moving SDM we must come together as a force. At the moment we are a disorganised, disjointed and disinterested support. We actually have to take our share of the blame for this current mess. We have sat back and let apathy rule and this has allowed SDM to continue his raping of the club. Now, trying not be overly melodramatic, but this is as a serious financial situation that Rangers Football Club has been in. Most experts believe that it’ll get worse before it gets better and many companies and organisations are rethinking the value of investing in sport through sponsorship, so this avenue may also bleed dry in the near future. Could the early days of 2009 be remembered as the beginning of the end of Rangers Football Club? Only time and history will tell. Cammy F

In conjunction with our friends at Vision Sports Publishing, we have two copies of the following fantastic book available to win. The Rangers Miscellany By Robert McElroy Why are Rangers really nicknamed the Light Blues (it's not because of the colour of their shirts)? In which year did the club win every single one of its league matches? Find out in the all new Rangers Miscellany. Packed with stats, facts, lists, quotes and stories from the rich and illustrious history of the famous Glasgow club, this neat and fully illustrated hardback book also includes a full colour kits section, a complete history of the club's home and away kits. Buy here via the Vision Sports website. To be in with a chance of winning one of 2 copies of this superb book, please pm me with the name of the player who scored Rangers first goal of 2009. Entries accepted until midnight on 31st January. Admin decision is final. Book Review by Pete After being asked to review 'The Rangers Miscellany', the wait for it hitting the floor behind the letterbox seemed to take an age. One week to be exact. Extracting it from the packaging, a blue hardback book with a red binding and white lettering emerged. 'The Rangers Miscellany' is a book written by Robert McElroy, who is the editor of The Rangers Historian magazine. The book starts with a foreword by John Greig MBE who gives a short summing up of his Rangers career. His foreword ends with ââ?¬Å?This is more than a football club, it is an Institution that means so much to so many people worldwide. Even today more than half-a-century after I first gazed on the imposing faÃ?§ade that is the main stand at Ibrox Stadium it still gives me a thrill every time I turn into Edmiston Drive.ââ?¬Â These are Great words from a great man, with a true Rangers heart. The book is precisely what the title suggests, a fascinating collection of facts, statistics, quotes and short stories. It includes many stories of past Rangers legends, from Tom Vallance(1873-84) through to Ally McCoist(1983-98) and Richard Gough(1987-98). Many of the legends are still household names even today. Some of our greatest European nights are also relived, including our Cup Winners' Cup win in Barcelona. Rangers Managers are highlighted from William Wilton to Walter Smith and a history of our stadiums from turning up early at Flesherââ?¬â?¢s Haugh to claim the pitch, to having the most modern stadium in Europe. These main topics are surrounded by a collection of miscellaneous facts, figures and quotes. This is not a book that you have to torture yourself to put down in my opinion. In fact after a number of pages my head was so swimming in facts and figures that I just had to put it down. It is more like a whisky you have to sip rather than a beer you can guzzle down. This is a book for the connoisseur of Rangers history. I enjoyed the book as I can relate to many of the names and stories through my own experiences and the stories of my father. I do believe it is a book for the supporter who is interested in our clubs history. Not for someone who wants an enthralling, suspenseful read. Nonetheless it makes for an excellent companion and you'll find yourself enjoying the trivia when in the company of fellow fans!

It has been a few weeks since my last article. Christmas, New Year, birthdays, holidays and, of course, a tame Old Firm home defeat resulted in an enforced absence from the online forums for yours truly. There is only so much OTT criticism, anguish and upset that one can take when Rangers lose and I was depressed enough without the usual online debates spoiling my winter break. The rise in popularity of online forums and the strong debates contained within them is a fascinating topic though. The subject has provoked comment from a wide range of people: from journalists who mock them (yet take part in and host polemic radio phone-ins); to authority figures who have to deal with their email campaigns; all the way to Sir David Murray who has complained vocally several times now about their content – describing the content as offensive ‘bile’ as well as recently referring to the authors as ‘mice’. Funnily enough one understands his point of view to a degree. Some people are rather extreme in their opinions with their musings often flawed and unfair. Indeed, it could be argued the overall mood can be one of isolation, suspicion and paranoia. I myself find it easy to write something that afterwards I may find different to my true feelings. Forum posting (or article writing) can often be the ‘literal’ equivalent of jumping in with both feet so it is important to take a step back on occasion, have an extra breath and consider the whole issue before offering a view. Nonetheless, it is also unwarranted of journalists, authority figures and especially Murray to dismiss these places and/or generalise them and their users unfairly. After all we’re still fans of the club and the vast majority are honest and well-meaning in their opinions – even if frustration and negativity can cloud judgement from time to time. And this is where John Steinbeck and my questionable Standard Grade English Literature metaphors are relevant. It was in late November that Sir David Murray referred to some fans he’d met as mice. He felt that despite their criticisms on websites, they were quite different when in person. And to some extent he is right. I speak from personal experience of just how difficult it can be to work with someone like Murray. We’ve met now on several occasions and it certainly isn’t easy to justify one’s contrary position on certain issues to an intelligent, charismatic, successful businessman like the Rangers chairman. Far stronger-willed people than me have been left floundering by this man so of course caution is taken when formal debate takes place. Nevertheless, I’d also like to think Murray would concede these debates have been constructive in the past even if we may never agree on some of the issues. And that’s why his comments of last year were so disappointing. Sure, he may not get on personally with some fans but he must surely realise it is for the good of the club that supporter relations must be maintained at all times. More so in the face of current adversities. In the same interview Murray stated that he’d ‘been here for 15 per cent of the club's history and won 30 per cent of our trophies. Maybe they've overstayed their welcome.’ This comment really is quite incredible and does nothing to improve the problems which are obvious at our club. Of course he is entitled to point to his successes but to suggest the critics of the status quo (namely increasing debt, three years without a league win and constant attacks on our fans/club) are disloyal or should remove their support of the club is indefensible. Further, when one considers how he often refuses to defend our good name (and by association his) when we are slighted in the media; it makes these internal fights all the more galling. In the late 1930s shortly after the publication of ‘Of Mice and Men’, Steinbeck wrote that: “In every bit of honest writing in the world there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. There are shorter means, many of them. There is writing promoting social change, writing punishing injustice, writing in celebration of heroism, but always that base theme. Try to understand each other.” These themes are all applicable to what is happening at Rangers. Despite his protestations, the ‘best laid schemes’ of Sir David Murray’s Rangers have ‘gang aft agley’. That’s not unreasonable criticism nor bile nor someone saying something they wouldn’t in person. It’s just a reasonable observation from looking at Murray’s overall 20 years in charge of the club. Yes, he deserves praise for the stats he quotes above but, of course, he also deserves criticism for the current situation. To conclude, I want to take this opportunity to wish Sir David Murray a Happy New Year. I also want to say that if he wants to talk ‘of mice and men’ then he doesn’t take umbrage at his critics’ views but accept the challenge, try to understand us better and know us well. Thus, let’s work together to address the club’s problems. That would be the action of a man. Using the media to join with them in dismissing our valid concerns without supplying credible means to debate our feedback isn’t. Indeed, such ill-conceived actions are that of one who enjoys cheese with their French wine.

CRAIG Thomson is to make history by taking a huge step towards becoming Scotland's first-ever professional referee. Thomson, who took charge of the Old Firm game at Ibrox on Saturday, has quit his job as a lawyer with city firm Maclay, Murray & Spens. The 36-year-old is keen to devote more time and energy to his role as a senior SFA, Uefa and Fifa official. The bulk of his working week will be dedicated to training and preparing for the Scottish, European and international games he is involved in. advertisement Craig said: "I was finding it increasingly difficult to juggle my work as a construction lawyer with my refereeing commitments. I had a number of clients whose needs I had to balance with my football. "This year I have had 25 days off over and above my holiday entitlement. I was off for around 60 days and half of that was unpaid leave. I needed the extra time to fulfil my duties with Uefa." The Paisley man, who will maintain other business interests, explained his new work plan: "I was on secondment with Forth Electrical Services in Stirling earlier this year and they have asked me to come and work for them two days a week. "It suits me as I will be able to concentrate more on football. It will be interesting to chart my progress. "I am sure it will benefit me. I will be fitter, fresher and more prepared for each game I take charge of." Thomson's decision to go part-time takes him into line with the leading referees in the Barclays Premier League. Thomson explained: "I speak to the top referees down in England fairly regularly. They are classified as full-time professional referees, but that is not really the case. For example, Mike Riley is an accountant to trade and he still works two days a week. "The only one, in fact, who is strictly speaking full-time is Howard Webb. He is a policeman who has taken a five-year career break to concentrate on refereeing. The other guys all still have jobs." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/display.var.2478456.0.0.php I thought he had a terrible game on Saturday and is an averge ref IMO, maybe this will help him maybe it won't!!

RANGERS fans everywhere will spare a thought at today's Old Firm game for the victims of the Ibrox Disaster on January 2. 1971. John Greig and Sandy Jardine lay a wreath at the Ibrox Disaster memorial in 2007Back then, an awful accident on Stairway 13 at the end of the Rangers-Celtic derby resulted in the death of 66 supporters while 145 were injured. It remains the worst tragedy in Scottish football and the events of that day and those which followed are indelibly etched in the minds of the players involved at that time. John Greig and Sandy Jardine both played that fateful day when Rangers came from behind to level Jimmy Johnstone's opener through Colin Stein. At the final whistle, a horrific crush developed on Stairway 13 - the quickest exit to the Copland Road tube station - and fans began to fall and suddenly became trapped as others fell on top of them. It turned into the blackest day in Rangers' history and the victims of that day shall never be forgotten. As has become tradition, a wreath will be laid at the memorial to the Ibrox Disaster victims and other supporters who have lost their lives at the stadium on the nearest home game to January 2. This year that falls today and the ceremony will take place ahead of the match. RIP

The Boyd Done Good As many long-term readers of my rants and posts on GersNet will testify, I have never been Boydââ?¬â?¢s number one fan. However, I have always stated that if Boyd could improve on his all-round game, add this to his undoubted goal-scoring talent, then heââ?¬â?¢s be an asset to our team. Saturdayââ?¬â?¢s game against Hibernian was in my opinion one of the best ââ?¬Ë?all-roundââ?¬â?¢ games Boyd has had in a Rangers jersey. He tracked back, he linked up play, his movement was decent and after missing a guilt-edged chance in the opening five minutes, scored a goal that only Boyd could score. It wasnââ?¬â?¢t a typical overhead kick, it was just the art of somehow getting the ball to nestle in the back of the net. Saturday was also saw us witness one of the most one-sided 1-0 victories in a long time. Hibernian came with a plan to frustrate us, get everyone behind the ball and not allow our midfield the time or space to utilise Millers clever runs. Credit to the players, they stuck to the task well, even when those in the stands were displaying signs of impatience and were reduced to cat-calling. Ferguson and Mendes showed further signs of a growing understanding and Mendes had his best game since the 4-2 mauling of the MOPES at Parkhead. His intelligent passing and audacious shooting was a joy to behold and certainly livened up the proceedings. I also thought that Papac and SW had very decent games in the full-back areas. With Hibs sitting deep, both took the opportunity to break forward and help to try to unlock the defence. I was disappointed in Hibsââ?¬â?¢ approach, as on their day, they are one of the better SPL teams and tend to play a very decent level of football. I know they had a few key players out injured, but expected them to put more into the game. It seemed that they had resigned themselves to a defeat even before a ball was kicked. You're Just Our Feeder Club This wee ditty is often sung when we play Hibs as we have over the years, signed various players from the Edinburgh club. In recent history players like Kenny Miller, Ian Murray, Steven Whittaker and Kevin Thomson have made the short journey along the M8 and joined Rangers from Hibernian. Others like Craig Patterson who went on to captain The Rangers and in my opinion, the best two players weââ?¬â?¢ve signed from Hibs are Andy Goram and Colin Stein. Both these players went on to make outstanding contributions to The Rangers and both are rightly remembered with great fondness within our support. However, whilst Colin Stein took no time to settle into the groove at Ibrox netting a total of eight goals in his first three games, whilst Andy Goram leaked uncharacteristic goals in his opening spell between the sticks. Stein with the subject of the first Ã?£100,000 pounds transfer between Scottish Clubs and went on to become a firm favourite and a permanent fixture in the Rangers line-up. His bustling style and fantastic heading ability saw Stein score hugely important goals for Rangers including a strike in the Cup Winners Cup Final in Barcalona and the goal that won the 1975 championship. If I remember correctly, he is also the last player to have scored a hat-trick for Scotland. Colin lives local to me and some may find it surprising that he is now a joiner with a local firm and was a very decent at bowls! Andy Goram recovered after a shaky start and established himself into Rangers folk-lore as one of the finest keepers we have had. The list of astonish saves is endless, but the one to deny Hugedonkey at Ibrox was one of the best saves I have ever seen. Both players have actually attended various dances at our RSC and both were a credit to themselves and Rangers Football Club. Worrying Rumours Following on from Super Allyââ?¬â?¢s thread regarding worrying and shocking rumours - http://www.gersnetonline.net/vb/showthread.php?t=9290 here are a few that I heard (from various sources over the weekend) that are as worrying : We have contacted and opened negotiations with Bobo Baldesââ?¬â?¢s representatives with a view to taking the Celtc stopper once his contract expires at Parkhead. This deal is said to be at an advanced stage and could be completed soon. Balde will see out the remainder of his contract at Celtc and move to Rangers in the summer under freedom of contract. West Brom had a Ã?£5M bid for Kevin Thomson accepted by Rangers and the deal was to be concluded in January. However, after Thomsonââ?¬â?¢s injury and West Brom losing sponsorship (with T-Mobile) this deal has been scrapped. West Brom are actually in some financial difficulty as they have lost and failed to replace T-Mobile as shirt sponsors and have gone public locally asking for local investors to invest in the club. However, I am led to believe that Birmingham City are also keen on Thomson and will test Rangersââ?¬â?¢ resolve with a Ã?£5M bid in the summer. If we get a bid from Birmingham, Thomson will be sold. Our finances appear to be a lot worse than any of us thought. Martin Bain has been tasked to make further reductions to the spiralling wage bill, hence the reason as many as 10 players will leave Ibrox in January. Kirk Broadfootââ?¬â?¢s agent was sent packing from Murray Park with a flee in his ear after inquiring about a pay rise for Broadfoot now he is an international player. It is believed that Kirk is on Ã?£2K per week and his agent asked for ~Ã?£4K and was politely told to ââ?¬Ë?beat itââ?¬â?¢. Wonder if this is why young Kirk was demoted to the bench recently. All of the above is unsubstantiated but heard this from a few people, not just one source. Get Into Them Once the turkey and the roast potatoes (am I still allowed to refer to potatoes in this sensitive Old Firm week ââ?¬â?? donââ?¬â?¢t want to offended anyone especially at this time of year) has been digested, weââ?¬â?¢ll welcome our bitter neighbours to our home for the 2nd Old Firm game of the season. The damning statistics regarding our inconsistent form says that even a Rangers win (our 2nd of the season) will still see us trailing the MOPES by a point. That is as hard to swallow as the turkey ââ?¬â?? potentially 2 Old Firm victories and still behind them in the race for the SPL. These encounters are never ââ?¬Ë?tameââ?¬â?¢, but itââ?¬â?¢s time that we crank this game up a notch or two. They have been allowed to swagger around in this fixture recently and itââ?¬â?¢s time that we reverted back to the days of Jock Wallace and got the battle fever on. Lets barrack them from start to finish, lets get on the backs of the officials, lets drown out their bile with Rangers songs (and the odd verse of the hockey cokey), lets get right fookin into them (in a non-sectarian manner you understand). The Rolly-Polly Goalie should be our prime target. This ââ?¬Ë?manââ?¬â?¢ is unstable ââ?¬â?? lets hound him. The players should also be getting into his ear at every opportunity. We should be shooting on site (praying for squigglers), barging him at cross-balls and generally making his life uncomfortable. He isnââ?¬â?¢t in the best frame of minds, so lets try and capitalize on that. Whilst doing all of the above, lets not get on the backs of our players, they need and deserve our full support. Itââ?¬â?¢s worth remembering that anything other than a victory isnââ?¬â?¢t really good enough for us. I would expect Walter Smith to now stick with the 4-4-2 formation and he could stick with Saturdays starting 11. Donââ?¬â?¢t be fooled by the MOPES claims of injury, suspensions etc, theyââ?¬â?¢ll have their strongest 11 on the pitch on Saturday, make no mistake about that. Please Santa, 3 points for The Rangers. Merry Xmas & A Happy New Year Just like to take this opportunity in wishing all fellow GersNet contributors and all Rangers fans a very merry xmas and a happy new year. Cammy F

ââ?¬Ë?Greigy is a one-off. He epitomises the Rangers spirit and is the genuine article ââ?¬â?? a true Rangers legendââ?¬â?¢ ââ?¬â?? Ally McCoist There are few players who get to experience the high of winning one treble during their playing careers, John Greig managed to bag three trebles and captained the team to two of those tremendous achievements. Rangers entered the 1963-1964 season as defending champions after a runaway league campaign where they won the league by nine points from Kilmarnock. Rangers came tantalizingly close to winning the treble the previous season, only a narrow 3-2 defeat to Kilmarnock (our closest challengers for a few seasons around this time) in the League Cup semi-final stopping Rangers from claiming a ââ?¬Ë?triple-crownââ?¬â?¢ (Rangers easily defeated 3-0 in the Scottish Cup Final), but the triple crown was only postponed as Rangers would claim this crown during the 63-64 season. However, after a season of domestic success, no one would have believed that Rangers would then go an astonishing 11 seasons without another league title to their name (more of that later). Rangers started season 1963-64 by destroying Celtic 3-0 in a League Cup section game at Parkhead. Jim Forrest started the season with a bang, netting two goals in the season opener and went on to claim a remarkable 39 goals for the season, including 4 in the league cup final against Morton. Two further group games witnessed wins (5-2 v Queen of The South and 4-1 v Kilmarnock). A further 3-0 victory of Celtic (at Ibrox), along with another 5-2 victory over QoS and a 2-2 draw with Killie ensured that we safely progressed to the knock out stages of the league cup. The defence of our league title started in the middle of the League Cup section games and we were held to a 1-1 draw away to Dundee with Ralph Brand netting from the spot. Our 2nd league game saw Celtic visit Ibrox and they were dispatched with goals from McLean and Brand in a 2-1 Rangers victory. East Fife were defeated 3-1 on aggregate in the league cup and Motherwell and Hibs were soundly defeated in the league. Our first defeat of the season came at the hands of Real Madrid in the European Cup ââ?¬â?? a 1-0 reverse at Ibrox. This didnââ?¬â?¢t appear to affect or domestic form, however, we were to suffer an embarrassing 6-0 defeat in the return game in Madrid. Again, this didnââ?¬â?¢t affect our domestic form where we continued to race away in the league and were freely scoring goals in most games, both home and away. Only two draws, at home to Aberdeen and away to title challengers Kilmarnock blotted a near perfect domestic copy-book. The league cup was secured with a 5-0 demolition of Morton at Hampden and as stated above, young Forrest getting 4 of the goals in the final ââ?¬â?? a fantastic feat. The final will also be remembered for the record attendance of 105,907. December saw a change of fortunes were let points slip against Motherwell, and lost at home to St Johnstone. We also lost a two-legged British Championship to Everton. The traditional New Year Day game saw us once again victorious against Celtic with Miller scoring the only goal at Parkhead. We lost to Clyde in the Glasgow Cup semi-final, then opened the defence of the Scottish Cup with a 9-0 win over Duns! St Mirren inflicted a rare defeat in a 3-2 win at Ibrox which would be our last defeat of the season until the last game of the season. The league was secured by a comfortable and Rangers were crowned Scottish Champions for the 34th occasion. Passage to the Scottish Cup Final was guaranteed after Duns, Partick Thistle, Celtic and Dunfermline were put to the sword and Rangers would face Dundee in the final. This final would long be remembered as a classic and is still believed to be one of the finest finals in modern history. Rangers finally run out 3-1 winners with the magically M&B partnership scoring the goals (Millar with 2, Brand with 1). One further point to note in this wonderful season ââ?¬â?? we defeated Celtic in every game we played them in that season. Two league victories, 2 League Cup wins and a Scottish Cup triumph. For the record of League / Scottish Cup Winning Teamââ?¬â?¢s were as follows : League Cup ââ?¬â?? Ritchie, Shearer, Provan, Greig, McKinnon, Baxter, Henderson, Willoughby, Forrest, Brand & Watson Scottish Cup - ââ?¬â?? Ritchie, Shearer, Provan, Greig, McKinnon, Baxter, Henderson, McLean, Millar, Brand & Wilson The next time Rangers were to win the league title in 1974-75 season, it would be after 11 long years of hurt in which Celtic dominated the Scottish game and won their 9-in-a-row. The only bright light in this era was the winning for the Cup Winners Cup in Barcelona and our centenary Scottish Cup victory (3-2 against Celtic ââ?¬â?? famous for Tom Forsythââ?¬â?¢s 6 inch thunderbolt that will always be remembered in Rangers folk-lore). The league was clinched with a pulsating 1-1 draw at Easter Road. Colin Stein headed the winning goal, but anyone who witnessed this game, couldnââ?¬â?¢t forget captain for the day Sandy Jardine being replaced by Mr Rangers in the closing minutes. Greig missed the game due to injury but was sent on to sample the last few minutes. The victory scenes on and off the pitch will live on in the memories of Rangers fans. A huge travelling support finally witnessing Rangers winning their 35th title. The following season was witness Rangers dominate the Scottish game claiming another treble and with John Greig rejuvenated and he would be voted Player of The Year. As was the norm, Rangers started the season in their League Cup Section with Clyde, Motherwell and Airdrie. Passage was secured without too many problems and we started the defence of our title at the home of our arch rivals and secured a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Derek Johnstone and ââ?¬Ë?Cuttyââ?¬â?¢ Young. The following game at Tynecastle saw Rangers win in bizarre fashion, both goals in our 2-0 victory were own goals. After a decent start, Rangers had a very shaky spell of form around the October and November time. This would include a few draws and defeats to Ayr United, Motherwell, Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen. We would also be knocked out of the European Cup by a classy St Etienne side. However, it wasnââ?¬â?¢t all doom and gloom, we secured the League Cup by defeating Celtic 1-0 at Hampden thanks to a brilliant diving header from Alex McDonald. It should be noted here that by all reports, this victory was dominated by fantastic performances from both John Greig and Tom Forsyth. We recovered brilliantly from this glitch in form and went on an unbeaten run from Dec 6th (1-0 defeat to Aberdeen) until the end of the season. A run that totalled 32 games, including 21 league fixtures with the league title clinched at Tannidice with Derek Johnstone scoring after 22 seconds. Derek Johnstone would net 31 goals that season and was one of the main reasons for Rangersââ?¬â?¢ success. However, we can also thank a fantastic strength of squad which is emphasised by the fact that Scottish Internationals Sandy Jardine and Derek Parlane were constantly used as substitutes in the 2nd half of the season. The Scottish Cup, and final part of the treble was secured with an easy 3-1 victory over Hearts in the Scottish Cup Final with Derek Johnstone finally breaking the deadlock after a nervy 45 seconds! DJ would score again and Alex McDonald score our other goal in the final. For the record of League / Scottish Cup Winning Teamââ?¬â?¢s were as follows : League Cup ââ?¬â?? Kennedy, Jardine, Greig, Forsyth, Jackson, McDonald, McLean, Stein, Parlane, Johnstone & Young Scottish Cup ââ?¬â?? McCloy, Miller, Greig, Forsyth, Jackson, McDonald, McKean, Hamilton, Henderson, McLean, Johnstone After this clean sweep, Rangers entered the 1976-77 season as firm favourites for the league and were considered good bets to repeat the treble. As it turned out, Rangers finished this disappointing season trophyless after losing to Celtic and Aberdeen in the domestic cups and finishing 9 points behind Celtic in the league. Cammy F

There are a few mitigating circumstances as to how yours truly landed with the unenviable task of detailing the contribution John Greig MBE has made to Rangers over his distinguished and well documented career. Firstly, I stupidly announced that I have some spare time on my hands at the moment, and actually volunteered this idea in the Gersnet writers forum. Secondly, John Greig was Rangers manager when I started going to watch Rangers on a regular basis. I was lucky enough to witness John as a player (and what a player he was) and given the fact of his illustrious playing career, I felt it unfair to solely focus on his managerial career (as was the thought at the time). Whilst doing some research into John Greigââ?¬â?¢s Rangers career, I have found there is very little that I can add to the many articles, books and column inches given to this unique player and his unique achievements, but never being one to shy away from a challenged, I decided to dive headfirst into the history archives and try to do John Greig justice whilst make this an interesting read. This article will serve as an introduction / overview and then Iââ?¬â?¢ll go on at a later date to delve deeper into the following achievements : 3 time treble winner Rangers Captain International Career Rangers Managerial Career Conclusion So where does one start whilst trying to dissect, detail and present John Greigââ?¬â?¢s career, achievements and antidotes picked up along the way? Well, like any goods story, lets start at the beginning. John was born September 11th 1942 in Edinburgh and came from a strong Heart Of Midlothian supporting family who he dreamed of playing for whilst growing up and watching his heroes at Tynecastle. Despite this, as we all know, Greig played the entirety of his career in the famous royal blue of Rangers. John Greig only signed for Rangers on his fatherââ?¬â?¢s insistence after being visited by a scout at his Edinburgh home. Greig made his debut for Rangers in 1961 in a league cup tie against Airdrie a game in which he scored. It is worth noting at this point that John Greig would go on and score an impressive 120 goals during his Rangers career (from 755 appearances), which is an astonishing total for a player who was predominately a defender and occasionally a half-back (or midfielder for the younger generations!). His playing career spanned from 1961 to 1978 when after captaining Rangers to a second treble in 3 years under Jock Wallace, he was picked by the board to replace the departing Wallace. This in itself would have been an awesome task for an experienced manager, never mind one as raw as Greig. Through the midst of time, Greigââ?¬â?¢s managerial career has been played down and even ridiculed. However, it started off well and Rangers were playing a brilliant brand of football, especially in Europe where Juventus were dispatched and we became the first Europe Club to defeat PSV at the Phillips Stadium. It is arguable that his greatest ever achievement was when he captained Rangers to victory over Moscow Dynamo in Barcelona in 1972. However, considering that John Greig was part of three treble teams (captain for two), then this could be argued as a greater feat. John Grieg was awarded the MBE in 1977 for his services to football and even at that juncture of his career, not many players could boast of his achievements. Just consider some of the highlights : - Captain of Club & Country - Captained Rangers to their first and only European Trophy - Holder of the most league appearances for Rangers (496 games) - Second only to Dougie Gray in all time Rangers appearances with an amazing 857 games - Only player to have won 3 trebles The above list is a mere snap-shot of his career and in subsequent articles I will endeavour to expand on these and many other highlights of this unique playing career. I believe what set John Greig apart from his contemporaries were his unmatchable passion, drive, determination and an unmatched will to win ââ?¬â?? all characteristics that make up the spirit / ethos of Rangers Football Club. There is some debate as to whether John Greig deserved the accolade of Greatest Ever Rangers (as there always will be with accolades like this, football is all about opinions after all) and this article will not argue for or against, nor be used to justify John Greigââ?¬â?¢s right to be called the Greatest Ever Ranger. I can give no higher praise than to say within the annals of our club, John Greig can proudly stand shoulder to shoulder with the many other fantastic ambassadors our club has had ââ?¬â?? from our gallant founders to our glorious leaders (Mr Struth is the obvious man who epitomises Rangers Football Club). [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxl3IQcXRVw]YouTube - John Greig pictures[/ame] http://media.putfile.com/John-Greig-Rangers-Legend Cammy F

Just been reminded of this great fact, from the commentary on the Man City game, Admittedly that was the inaugral year of this format.

Review of the Season so far: Main site link: http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=711&Itemid=1

"FURIOUS campaigners last night warned sectarian yobs have scored a major victory — as two anti-bigotry charities faced folding over a lack of cash. Nil by Mouth — set up after a teenage football fan was murdered — will close within months if they don’t get fresh funding from the Scottish Government. And Kick Out Bigotry has effectively shut down ALREADY after its cash supply was cut off — leading to fears of a rise in religious hate crimes." http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/article1971991.ece ================== Nil By Mouth was originally set up by Cara Henderson with the best intentions but quickly got hijacked by the anti-Rangers mob, and I'm sure everyone knows of the various examples that proved that they would only ever act or make comments about incidents that showed Rangers or their fans in a bad light. I for one would shed no tears if this organisation was shut down, and its funding should have dried up a long time ago. I had better hopes for Roddy McNulty's Kick Out Bigotry that was formed in 2007, but one of their initial conferences that I had planned to go to got cancelled on a couple of cocasions and they never seemed to get their act of the ground. Having a look at their website, and it appears that they have fallen into the same trap as NbM. 5 articles on their front page. One on a man singing a sectarian song at Ibrox Subway Station Two on the so-called famine song, compounding the lie that it is anti-Irish. One on a man who got beaten up and he believes that the attack was sectarian because "we were all wearing Celtic tops, and they probably saw the colours." The last one takes the biscuit. "Celtic’s complex heritage open to distortion and abuse on Armistice Day" which states that "There are other clubs in Scotland and Britain who envy Celtic's colourful history and cultural make-up" Obviously a balanced web-site. There is room for an anti-bigotry charity in Scotland but NbM proved a long time ago that it wasn't able to do it, and it seems that KOB is the same. It appears that the funders of these organisations have now reached the same conclusion as the rest of us.

PUT it down to a conspiracy. Put it down to intimidation. Put it down to global warming, the credit crunch or Haringey social services if it makes you happy. But this morning, I�m putting it down as pure, bald fact. Celtic have now had FIVE blatantly wrong refereeing decisions go their way this season. And it�s driving managers, players, directors and fans of every other club round the twist. That�s not Celtic�s fault. They are the same as everyone else, happy to accept the breaks when they come along. It�s just a pity for the rest of us they come along so often. If you�re a Rangers fan, you�ll be convinced the SFA are deliberately trying to stop your team winning the league. You�re wrong, though. Fact is, we�re all suffering from Gordon Strachan�s rub of the green. We�re all feeling like they have 12 men on the park. In 15 games, Celtic have been handed crucial freebies against St Mirren � twice � Dundee United, Falkirk and Hamilton. August 10: Eddie Smith sent Saints defender Will Haining off for an offence he didn�t commit and gave a match-winning penalty they weren�t due. August 17: Charlie Richmond denied United a stonewall penalty when Gary Caldwell brought down Roy O�Donovan in a game that finished 1-1. August 24: Iain Brines allowed a Stephen McManus punch into Falkirk�s net to stand as a goal. November 16: Steve Conroy showed Hamilton defender Martin Canning a straight red AND gave a penalty for a foul on Cillian Sheridan that was two yards outside the box. And now we have Willie Collum. The SFA�s golden child. Personally mentored by Hugh Dallas. Off soon to handle his next big European tie. Giving a yellow card to Artur Boruc for racing out of his box and straight-legging Craig Dargo in the thigh. I�d have more sympathy with Collum had he missed the incident altogether. Because to see it and decide it wasn�t violent conduct simply makes him look incompetent. I�ve written plenty times that Collum�s the worst kind of referee, one who knows the rules inside out but doesn�t have a clue about the game. But don�t take the huff, chief. Because you�re far from alone. Five different whistlers have given Celtic those five vital calls and plenty more have supplied evidence to suggest this is the worst batch in our game�s history. Back in August, the hugely experienced Stuart Dougal missed James McArthur handling the ball into the net for Hamilton against Dundee United. Two weeks later, linesman Billy Baxter convinced ref Craig Thomson to disallow what would have given Rangers a last-minute winner at Aberdeen for an offside that never was. Our old pal Smith drove both sides crazy in the 1-1 Edinburgh derby in October, first by ruling out a Christian Nade goal for a shove on keeper Yves Ma-Kalambay no one else saw and then denied Derek Riordan what looked an obvious penalty. Mike McCurry sent off Aberdeen left back Charlie Mulgrew against Hibs and gave a penalty when the correct decision should have been offside against Steven Fletcher. For his next trick, he then gave Falkirk a penalty at Killie when Graham Barrett clearly cut across Jamie Hamill and went down without being fouled. Kris Boyd�s second goal in a 3-1 win at Hamilton last month was offside � to everyone bar referee Dougie McDonald and his officials. And in the 90th minute of last week�s Challenge Cup Final, with Airdrie and Ross County locked at 1-1, Callum Murray and linesmen Mark Doyle were the only people in the ground who didn�t see Diamonds defender Marc Smyth handle in his own box. Smyth would have been sent off, County could won the trophy. Instead, the Irishman rubbed salt in their wounds by scoring the winner in a penalty shootout. Though we only got that far after Doyle gave County scored their second from a corner when one of their OWN players clearly toed the ball out the park. In that final, I watched fourth official Crawford Allan spend two hours chasing Airdrie boss Kenny Black up and down the touchline. On Saturday, he refereed United against Hamilton in exactly the same way. Never in control, not seeing the incidents he needed to see, only the reaction to those incidents. That�s a recipe for failure. That�s why he booked nine and sent one off � yet didn�t deal with constant timewasting by Accies keeper Tomas Cerny or punish dreadful challenges on him by Jon Daly and Lee Wilkie. He was off the pace. Out of his depth. Chasing the game like a giraffe trying to catch a beach ball in a hurricane. I�ve listed plenty of clear-cut decisions here. Haven�t even touched the dozens more that have been debatable, the free kicks that go the wrong way and lead to goals, the fair tackles that lead to sendings-off. That should be incredibly worrying for the SFA, the SPL and the SFL. They should be moving heaven and earth to improve the standard pronto, to give the Collums and Allans of the world a crash course in how football�s played in the real world. Instead all we get is mumblings about how the more pressure we lump on, the more mistakes they�ll make. Well you know what? If they can�t take the stick, they shouldn�t be in the damn job. It�s time they toughened up, wised up and bucked up. But there are two chances of that happening. Oh sure, they want respect. In fact, they demand it. But did they ever think to try and earm it? Or maybe try to show some? Don�t be silly, son. This relationship�s a one way street, all take and no give. And right now, what they�re taking is the p**s. http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/columnists/billleckiesports/article1962219.ece

By Graeme Bryce, 22/11/2008 SIR DAVID MURRAY claims the next multi-million-pound buyout of a British club could rock the football world ââ?¬â? because it could happen in SCOTLAND rather than the Premiership. The Rangers chairman insists the prospect of a Russian billionaire, oil-rich Sheikh or American tycoon making a major investment in Rangers or Celtic isnââ?¬â?¢t as fanciful as it seems. He reckons the Premiership can no longer guarantee their mega-rich clubs a passport to the Champions League they crave every season. In recent years Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have effortlessly cruised through to the group stages of the tournament. However when the Abu Dhabi United Group turned Manchester City into the richest club in the world overnight, the odds were altered dramatically. Now with American tycoon Randy Lernerââ?¬â?¢s Aston Villa on the rise and Newcastle the latest Premiership club attracting serious Arab and American interest, up to seven of the worldââ?¬â?¢s richest clubs could soon be chasing four places at Europeââ?¬â?¢s top table. But in Scotland it is a two-horse race between Rangers and Celtic every year. That is why Murray, who celebrated his 20th anniversary as owner of Rangers this weekend, believes itââ?¬â?¢s not fantasy football to suggest a mega-rich foreign benefactor could soon turn Scottish football on its head. He said: ââ?¬Å?If it is more difficult for Premiership clubs to qualify for the Champions League then of course itââ?¬â?¢s an advantage to Rangers and Celtic. ââ?¬Å?A football club is a risky business, itââ?¬â?¢s not really the best investment. It needs to have somebody with deep pockets and a plan. ââ?¬Å?If you ran Rangers as a conventional business, without any benefactor element, you would need to downsize the club by 20-25 per cent wage wise. But if somebody wants to use it as a tool for a different means, theyââ?¬â?¢d probably spend a bit more. ââ?¬Å?Joe Lewis was a business recluse until he bought shares in Rangers. That afternoon helicopters were flying over his house in the Caribbean! ââ?¬Å?So if somebody wants a high profile, buy a football club. ââ?¬Å?Roman Abramovich gained Western acceptance when he bought Chelsea. All of a sudden he became a business face, which would not have been known if he hadnââ?¬â?¢t bought Chelsea. It helped him greatly.ââ?¬Â Murray believes if serious foreign cash was invested in either half of the Old Firm it would floor their rivals. He added: ââ?¬Å?Thereââ?¬â?¢s not much between Rangers and Celtic. They beat us, we beat them, generally. Weââ?¬â?¢ve both got a lot of Ã?£2-4million players, so thereââ?¬â?¢s little to choose between the squads at the moment. But if somebody put some serious money into one club, I think the other one would be away in the background again for a while.ââ?¬Â Murray has made it clear for some time he is willing to step aside, after two decades in charge of Rangers, provided the right buyer can be found. He admits he came within seconds of selling his stake in the Ibrox club last year to an un-named British buyer, only to pull out at the last moment. He said: ââ?¬Å?Thereââ?¬â?¢s been a few potential buyers on the dance floor over the years. Weââ?¬â?¢ve had a few people interested, but weââ?¬â?¢ve only had one over the line. ââ?¬Å?We were actually very close to completing a deal with a British investor a year ago in July. I was in the Dorchester Hotel with Martin Bain, the legal documentation was done, the deal agreed, all I had to do was sign my name. My team had worked very hard, but I said ââ?¬Ë?Tell me one more time what you intend to doââ?¬â?¢, then said it wasnââ?¬â?¢t for me and left. I saw a bit of asset division getting made. ââ?¬Å?Some people say on these websites Iââ?¬â?¢m an asset stripper. But Iââ?¬â?¢ve never known how you can asset strip something which you own 92 per cent of yourself. ââ?¬Å?All I had to do was sign my name, but the investor was fine about it afterwards. ââ?¬Å?It wasnââ?¬â?¢t a case that I couldnââ?¬â?¢t give up being chairman of Rangers, I wouldnââ?¬â?¢t go that far. It just wasnââ?¬â?¢t right. There might be flats at Murray Park today otherwise. I didnââ?¬â?¢t feel the way they were going to run the club was the Rangers way. ââ?¬Å?The proposed plans we have for stadium re-development cover 45 acres, so thereââ?¬â?¢s more money to be made on that than the club. Maybe that tells you a little bit about why we didnââ?¬â?¢t do the deal. You go through life and you have to make decisions. It would have been easier to take the money and go. My life would have been easier for the last 12 months, but in my mind it just wasnââ?¬â?¢t the right thing to do. ââ?¬Å?If I had known the credit crunch was coming it might have been slightly different, not to be dishonest. ââ?¬Å?But that was a decision I made and you live and die by your decisions. The deal had been three months in the making but my family backed me. ââ?¬Å?You hear all that stuff, ââ?¬Ë?Murray must goââ?¬â?¢? Well tell me about it, because my family want me to go! ââ?¬Å?Twenty years as chairman of Rangers is a long time, but contrary to what people say, the fact I have said Iââ?¬â?¢d be willing to sell doesnââ?¬â?¢t diminish my efforts to try and win things. ââ?¬Å?Anyone who knows me, knows thatââ?¬â?¢s not true. ââ?¬Å?How much longer will I go on for? I donââ?¬â?¢t know, thatââ?¬â?¢s for others to decide. What I would say is Iââ?¬â?¢ve never hidden, Iââ?¬â?¢ve tried to give leadership and hopefully integrity. ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢m the longest serving chairman in the clubââ?¬â?¢s history. Iââ?¬â?¢ve been here for 15 per cent of the history of Rangers Football Club and weââ?¬â?¢ve won 30 per cent of the trophies in that time. ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢m happy to keep going for now, until I can pass the baton on to a suitable owner. ââ?¬Å?But I wouldnââ?¬â?¢t put my children through it. Let them have a life. Theyââ?¬â?¢re both happy, married with children, doing well in their careers. ââ?¬Å?Goodness me, put them through all of this for another 20 years?ââ?¬Â http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/scottish/scottish_sport/article82126.ece

By Lindsay Herron FOOTBALL nowadays is dominated by agents and advisors as players and even managers make sure they get the best contracts and commercial deals. Some players have a complete entourage looking after them - but it was not always like this, even as recently as Rangers' trophy-laden 9 in a row era. Indeed, the greatest goal-scorer in the club's history, Ally McCoist, had no representation when he was smashing all of the Ibrox scoring records. Gazza and Ally were the goal heroes in 1986So when it came to contract renewal time McCoist was on his own and left to negotiate with David Murray. The assistant manager has revealed that these talks were always memorable. He said: "He used to love these contract negotiations with me because he used to play keepy-up with me, that's the bottom line! "I never had an agent in my life and I used to go in and conduct my own negotiations with him. "He always used to tell the story that he had three envelopes - one that he wanted to give me, one that he would give me and one that I was never going to give me. "So I was always getting envelope 1 or 2 - I was never getting the third one!"Ally McCoist salutes Kris Boyd's strike Ten of McCoist's playing years were during the Murray era and, of course, he has been back at the club as assistant boss since January 2007 and he is in no doubt about the impact he has made. McCoist said: "The chairman has had a phenomenal impact on this football club. He was a terrific chairman to play under and he has been a terrific chairman to be assistant manager under. "He comes in with his opinions, which are valued, and he always gives you his opinions, don't worry about that, on footballing matters and business matters. "However, the thing that is most appreciated is that he genuinely lets Walter get on with it. "He gives him a free hand to do the job and that is so important." McCoist is also in no doubt that the construction of the Rangers Training Centre at Auchenhowie on the outskirts of Glasgow has been one of the greatest things that Murray has done. He added: "The impact he has made overall has been wonderful. You just have to look at Murray Park - what a legacy that is. It is a tremendous training ground. Sir David Murray"I have been fortunate enough to have been all over Europe looking at training facilities and what we have at Murray Park is comparable to anything in world football - it's fantastic. "He has now been here 20 years. He has had his ups and downs like everyone else but over the piece he has been hugely successful. "If and when he does leave he will leave a great legacy. "He has said that if there are people out there interested in buying the club then his door is always open. "I think he will have a heavy heart when he walks away from Ibrox because Rangers has been so much of his life for the past 20 years."

THE Rangers Charity Foundation's Wild West Ball raised a record �£110,000 on Saturday night at the Hilton Hotel in aid of its charity partners Fairbridge in Glasgow, RNIB Scotland and UNICEF. The total raised breaks the �£100,000 mark for the first time in the Ball's 6 year history and was a major boost for the Foundation as it strives to raise �£200,000 for charity this season. Walter Smith, Ally McCoist, Kenny McDowall and Ian Durrant attended along with many members of the first team squad in a great show of support for the Foundation's work. The first team got involved in 'Game For a Gamble' with guests, as well as bidding for auction items, signing autographs and charity calendars and posing for pictures. Former players such as Arthur Numan, Alex Rae, Gordon Smith, Derek Johnstone and Mark Hateley also added their backing to the evening. There were some fantastic items on offer in the auction, including VIP trips to the Singapore Grand Prix and US Masters Golf Championship, as well as top Rangers prizes such as a game on the pitch at Ibrox and a day out at Murray Park as a guest of Walter Smith. The Wild West theme was a big hit, with our Dolly Parton impersonator proving particularly popular, whilst the main band Northern Star ensured the dance floor was full all night. Foundation Manager Connal Cochrane commented: "This is a spectacular total for the evening and a huge boost to the projects we are supporting. I would like to thank everyone who came along and gave their support."

Scared of giving a decision against selltic. If they are actually cheats, they must be the most blatant in football history, not even trying to hide it anymore. Or is it more likely to be a mixture of being incompetent and scared. If someone like Alex Ferguson or Souness were the manager of Rangers, would this have been allowed to develop. Keeping quiet over the years has come back to haunt us, it seems the only people Rangers speak out about are us, their own Support.

LEGENDARY Rangers manager Bill Struth and sensational striker Derek Johnstone have been inducted into Scottish Football's Hall of Fame. Struth, who bossed Rangers for an incredible 34 years, and DJ joined an illustrious band of men when they were announced at a dinner in Glasgow tonight. They were inducted along with John Thomson, Billy Liddell, Archie Gemmill, Jim Leighton, Ian St John and Bobby Evans. Football fans from all over the world nominated players whom they thought should be recognised for their contribution to Scottish football. Derek Johnstone at the Nou Camp with Cup Winners CupThen a panel of experts from football and the media considered the nominees and had the difficult task of whittling them down to eight. During Struth's remarkable tenure Rangers won 18 Championships, 10 Scottish Cups and 2 League Cups, which makes him the most successful British club manager of all time. He presided over the some of the greatest years in the Club's history, when it established its name in World football. He is, also often accredited with establishing many of the great traditions of the Club and has been a role model for many of managers who followed, most notably Scot Symon and Willie Waddell. Johnstone, of course, famously burst onto the scene in the League Cup Final of 1970 at the age of 16 when his header defeated Celtic and gave Rangers their first trophy in over four years. He was a natural footballer who could play equally adeptly at centre half or in midfield and did so regularly throughout his career. At the age of 18 he played at the back in the Cup Winners' Cup Final of 1972 when he and the rest of the Barcelona Bears became legends. However, it is as a striker that Johnstone made the best impact scoring 210 goals for Rangers, including 132 in the league. Only Ally McCoist has scored more in the post-war era. Those already included in the Hall of Fame are Jim Baxter, Billy Bremner, Sir Matt Busby, Kenny Dalglish, Sir Alex Ferguson, Hughie Gallacher, John Greig, Jimmy Johnstone, Denis Law, Dave Mackay. Danny McGrain, Jimmy McGrory, Billy McNeill, Willie Miller, Bobby Murdoch, Bill Shankly, Gordon Smith, Graeme Souness, Jock Stein, Willie Woodburn, Alan Morton, Alex McLeish, Bobby Lennox, Charles Campbell. George Young, Jim McLean, Joe Jordan, John White, Lawrie Reilly, Willie Waddell, Alex James, Davie Cooper, Tommy Gemmell, Richard Gough, Henrik Larsson, Brian Laudrup, Sandy Jardine. Billy Steel, Willie Ormond, John Robertson, Tommy Walker, Willie Henderson, Walter Smith, Gordon Strachan, Allan Hansen, Ally McCoist, Rose Reilly, Eddie Turnbull, Willie Bauld, Eric Caldow and Jimmy Cowan.

All Gersnet articles are posted on NewsNow and read by hundreds of football fans across the world. Indeed, our most popular site article has been read by over 6000 people - via the main site link alone! Obviously hundreds more often read when the articles are posted on other sites. These kind of figures often out-perform the daily newspaper contributions on the wires - both tabloid and broadsheet. Why else do we have journalists constantly criticising so-called 'unofficial' websites? To keep the pressure up, Gersnet are always looking for writers to work for the site. It's easy to see the quality of writing from every poster on the site so why not expand on your usual post by writing a proper article? Your imagination and ideas are our bread and butter so why not let as many fans as possible hear you on your soap-box? As a 'reward' for becoming an official site contributor you will gain from the following wee perks: 1. Special graphic 'Writers' button (ala our mod/admin one); 2. Larger pm storage facility; 3. Access to new private 'Writers' sub-forum; 4. Automatic entry into any Gersnet competitions; 5. The chance to win 'Contributor' of the Month Award (medal added to your Postbit) To be clear we're not asking for people to write constantly for the site. We usually publish one or two articles a week on the site, so each 'Writer' would only be featured every so often. Thus, if each 'Writer' could write one/two articles a month, that would be more than enough to keep the main site ticking over. Obviously you can write more often if you wish. Already we have several people writing the match previews and I'm happy for others to write match reviews or submit their player ratings for games. All ideas for content are welcomed and this is why we're opening the sub-form for such contributors to brainstorm. - Fancy your own weekly blog on the main site? - Interested in writing about the history of the club? - How about a regular 'MediaWatch' column? - Want to catalogue interesting pictures/videos of the club? You can do all this and more via our easy to use Joomla software and administration support! If you're interested, please pm me.

... but a must read : Silence is not Green, White and Golden In December 1915, when I was seventeen and a half, I ran away from home to join the 4th Battalion East Surreys. I was under age so I had to lie to the recruitment sergeant. I said I was eighteen years old and my name was Sydney Harrison. I told the truth later though, because if Iââ?¬â?¢d been killed as Harrison, nobody would ever have known what happened to me. Arras was the first time I went over the top. We played football together as we went over. That was the tradition in the East Surreys. I remember the ball dropping at my feet and I passed it to Captain Maxwell. ââ?¬Ë?That was a good pass you made young Withers!ââ?¬â?¢ he shouted before he thumped it towards the German lines. I got wounded at the end of that battle. I was temporarily blinded in one eye but it could have been worse. At the end of the battle, I lay bleeding in a trench. There was blood coming out of my eye, pouring out all over my face. My head looked blown in. They thought I was dead and they were going to bury me. I was in a half-conscious state and I can remember a soldier getting hold of me and saying ââ?¬Å?Here ââ?¬â?? this blokes alive!ââ?¬â?¢ That man saved my life, by calling that out. Iââ?¬â?¢d have been buried alive in Arras, if it hadnââ?¬â?¢t been for him. Above, the words of Cecil Withers from the book ââ?¬Å?Last Post ââ?¬â?? The Final Word From Our First World War Soldiersââ?¬Â. Cecil recounts his time on the Western Front as a teenager fighting for our country. Last weekend 65 senior football matches were played in Great Britain. Prior to kick-off at 64 of them, fans of opposing clubs put aside their rivalries and stood silent in tribute to those brave men and women who gave their lives in service of our country. In the 65th senior game the mould was broken. Celtic Football Club spat in the face of common decency by instead hosting a minuteââ?¬â?¢s applause in recognition of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Think about it. Applause. For 20 million lives destroyed. Those of a Celtic persuasion couldnââ?¬â?¢t even bring themselves to admit who they were honouring. The Celtic Park Master of Ceremonies told the 55,000 crowd the minuteââ?¬â?¢s applause was to remember ââ?¬Å?the Celtic players who died in both World Warsââ?¬Â. He further stated that the clapping of hands to show respect for the dead is ââ?¬Å?the Celtic wayââ?¬Â. It most certainly is. Of course the increasingly incompetent Lex Gold of the SPL must shoulder part of the blame for the shame that this has heaped upon Scottish football. The option of a minuteââ?¬â?¢s applause as an alternative to the traditional silence should never have entered his distorted mind. In the name of decency it simply shouldnââ?¬â?¢t have been an option. Letââ?¬â?¢s not mince words here. This option was devised to save Celtic Football Club acute embarrassment. In decrying Gold, letââ?¬â?¢s not lose sight of who the real culprits are in this blackest of days for Scottish football. Celtic Football Club. Their directors and Chief Executive could and should have insisted they follow protocol. Their Chairman is a former Secretary for Defence for Godââ?¬â?¢s sake. They could and should have shown they cared and turned their backs on the hate-filled cretins amongst their support who intended disrupting proceedings. They could and should have requested police eject anyone breaking the silence from their stadium or arrest them for breach of the peace. But damage limitation, not decency and decorum, was order of the day and foremost in the minds of John Reid, Peter Lawwell and Co. ââ?¬Å?Keep the name of Celtic clean at all costsââ?¬Â the mantra once again. Thus they opted to shame themselves and their football club in the most contemptible way imaginable. Predictably the Celtic-minded apologists were at their pre and post-match best, deflecting and rewriting as only they can. On Saturday morning the Daily Record told us the minutes applause was introduced in Scotland after Hearts fans disrupted a silence for the Pope. Lies. The first minutes applause in Scotland took place at Ceptic Park in honour of the late great George Best. The reason? Best had made some derogatory remarks about Gerry Adams and the IRA in his Mail on Sunday column a year earlier, propmting outrage in Republican circles. The Celtic heirarchy knew any silence would be disrupted. At pains to propagate the increasingly risible ââ?¬Å?tiny-minorityââ?¬Â line, the media once again did Peter Lawwellââ?¬â?¢s bidding for him. Numbers for those who walked out of Celtic Park in protest against ââ?¬Å?British Imperialismââ?¬Â ranged from a few hundred to Hugh Keevinsââ?¬â?¢ ridiculous 20 figure. Mark Guidi in the Sunday Mail clawed hopelessly as he stated ââ?¬Å?a maximum of 80 Celtic fans left the stadiumââ?¬Â. How bloody desperate. Celtic of course refused to speak out, their work done for them. ââ?¬Å?Not worthy of commentââ?¬Â said a Celtic spokesman, just as 3500 of their fans singing loudly in tribute to their IRA heroes at Tynecastle the previous weekend had similarly been ââ?¬Å?not worthy of commentââ?¬Â. Are we really to believe that these same morons would have respected a silence one week on? The same Celtic supporters who had verbally abused poppy-sellers outside the Hearts stadium? The same Hearts who lost a whole first team in the fields of France during the Great War? Of course they would. We know exactly what would have happened, and Celtic knew too. Thousands of their clubs fans would have been shown up for exactly what they are ââ?¬â?? hate-filled, shameless anti-British fascists and racists. Keevins described the actions of the assembled throng of IRA sympathisers as ââ?¬Å?a serious embarrassment for us as a countryââ?¬Â. Wrong Mr. Keevins. They are a serious embarrassment to Ireland as a country, for these creatures are not Scottish or British, they are Irish. Ask them for yourself. On Saturday night I watched the Festival of Remembrance on BBC1. I sat in awe as Lance Corporal Mathew Croucher of 40 Commando Royal Marines was piped in carrying the Book of Remembrance, by Scottish soldiers. Lance Corporal Croucher had thrown his body across a live hand-grenade to save the lives of two of his comrades. Only his backpack saved him from being blown to pieces. He was awarded the George Cross for his bravery. I was reminded of Sergeant Michael Willets of 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment, husband and father, who threw himself on top of a hand-grenade tossed into Springfield Road Police Station Belfast by the IRA in 1971. Sergeant Willets gave his own life to save the lives of Catholic/Nationalist/Republican women and children sheltering in the station. He was posthumously awarded the George Cross. I continued to watch as British soldiers of all races, creeds and colours paid tribute to fallen comrades. I listened intently as Lt. Col. Joe Oââ?¬â?¢Sullivan 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment lamented the loss of three of his men in Iraq. The Lt. Col. could Iââ?¬â?¢m sure trace his roots back to Ireland should he so choose. This set me thinking. Why are people like Joe Oââ?¬â?¢Sullivan, and thousands of others like him, fully assimilated and proud of the adopted country of their ancestors, yet we in West-Central Scotland have the continual embarrassment and perpetual shame of those of Irish ancestry who despise us? The answer is Celtic Football Club. An organisation diseased to its core. In the beginning we had Marist Brother Walfrid introducing bigotry to football when founding the club ââ?¬Å?prompted by a fear that Protestant soup kitchens might tempt young Catholics into apostasyââ?¬Â and ââ?¬Å?worried about the dangers of young Catholics meeting Protestants in their place of employment or leisureââ?¬Â (Football historian Bill Murray from his book ââ?¬Å?The Old Firmââ?¬Â). Walfrid's co-recruitment agent for Celtic was a ******, Pat Welsh, on the run from Ireland suspected of murder. Choice company for a man of the cloth. This would of course be the same Walfrid that Celtic history books clearly document as leading the singing of Irish rebel songs in St Mary's Parish Hall, Glasgow, in November 1887. On to the opening ceremony for Celtic Park when the convicted ****** gun-runner and ââ?¬Å?embittered Irish Nationalist who was anti-British to the backboneââ?¬Â Michael Davitt laid the first piece of turf. Fast-forward to September 17th 1941, when the SFA closed Parkhead for a month because of Celtic fansââ?¬â?¢ ââ?¬Å?serious misbehaviour and pro-German chantsââ?¬Â. To the Falklands conflict when Ce ltic fans chanted ââ?¬Å?Argentina, Argentinaââ?¬Â and ââ?¬Å?Malvinas, Malvinasââ?¬Â in support of Galtieriââ?¬â?¢s fascist military dictatorship. Not forgetting 30 years of Provisional IRA support and the Celtic Board of Directorsââ?¬â?¢ insistence on P.A. broadcasts of dewy-eyed ballads ââ?¬Å?rebelling against the Crownââ?¬Â and featuring ââ?¬Å?let the people singââ?¬Â Irish Republican lyrics. I could add the Irish Republican vocalist at Jackie MacNamaraââ?¬â?¢s testimonial, the disruption of a minutes silence for a member of the Royal Family, Republican flute bands playing at testimonial matches, Celtic players singing IRA songsââ?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬Â¦.. I would also mention the dozens of ââ?¬Å?Celtic pubsââ?¬Â that are little more than meeting places and breeding grounds for terrorist sympathisers and what former Celtic chairman Fergus McCann so deftly described as ââ?¬Å?Celtic-minded Catholic bigotsââ?¬Â. Witness the IRA theme park that the Barrowlands ghetto of Glasgow has become with its Sinn Fein shops and public houses festooned in Irish Republican symbology. Shame on Glasgow City Council who seem happy to allow this area to expand.

http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=694&Itemid=2 In conjunction with our friends at Breedon Books, we have a couple of copies of the following fantastic book available to win. Temple of Dreams: The Changing Face of Ibrox By Iain Duff http://www.breedonbooks.co.uk/ For more than 100 years, Ibrox has been the home of Rangers Football Club. It has been the scene not only of some of this sporting institution's greatest triumphs, but also of two of the worst disasters in British football. An imposing ground that is rich in history and tradition, Ibrox also boasts state-of-the-art facilities that rank alongside the best in the world. Its wood-panelled entrance lobby and famous marble staircase evoke memories of a distant era, while the glittering trophy room inside the magnificent Main Stand tells the story of the club better than any words.But although Rangers have managed to preserve the traditions of the famous old stadium, much of the Ibrox of today bears little resemblance to the ground which opened in December 1899. This book charts, in words and pictures, the history of Ibrox, from the early days, through the creation of Archibald Leitch's stunning Main Stand in 1929, with its Masonic imagery, to the present day five-star facilities. Using official records and eye-witness accounts, it tells the story of the two Ibrox disasters that claimed a total of 92 lives, and tells how the second tragedy in 1971 resulted in a complete overhaul of the stadium and the creation of the most modern football ground in Britain, years ahead of its time. As well as the many football triumphs, the stadium has witnessed dozens of other events over the years, including the famous annual Ibrox Sports meeting created by the legendary manager Bill Struth. On one spectacular afternoon, seven world records were broken in one race on the Ibrox cinder track. The book also reveals the part played by famous figures like Buffalo Bill Cody, King George V, Winston Churchill, Eric Liddell, Billy Graham, Frank Sinatra and Elton John in the history of the stadium. Ibrox, which holds the record attendance for a League match in Britain, would of course be nothing more than a pile of bricks and mortar without the fans who breathe life into it every other Saturday. Here, supporters recall their memories of the stadium, from starting bonfires on the vast terraces to keep warm in the depths of winter, to donning customised hard-hats as protection from flying beer bottles in the 1960s, to the spectacular Champions League nights of the 21st century. A fascinating journey through the history of the club, Duff's absorbing narrative is charged throughout with the passion of the fans and the red-hot atmosphere in the ground. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Temple-Dreams-Changing-Face-Ibrox/dp/1859836690/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225965439&sr=1-1 To win, just tell us who designed the stunning Ibrox main stand - pm me with your answer and you'll be entered into the draw to win one of the books! Entries accepted until midnight on Thursday 20th November. Admin decision is final.

As there is no Rangers related football to discuss as the Dundee UTD game was (rightly) called off due to the sad death of their Chairman Eddie Thompson I was going to, surprisingly perhaps, direct my weekly rants exclusively at Walter Smith. Firstly for his cowardly and ill informed comments regarding internet bigots, but bmck and Calscot not only beat me to it, but penned far more eloquent articles that I could ever muster : http://www.gersnetonline.net/vb/showthread.php?t=8519 http://www.gersnetonline.net/vb/showthread.php?t=8511 However, Uncle Walter doesn’t escape my attentions thanks to those excellent articles, I have a tantalising question to set you regarding Walter : If We Had A Theo Walcott, Would We Witness Is Wonder? Over the course of this season, nobody who has witnessed the mercurial skills of Theo Walcott could fail to marvel at the guile and genius of this young and raw talent. Walcott has not only starred for Arsenal, but has burst onto the international stage and set England on their way to automatic World Cup qualification thanks to brilliant displays and fantastic goals. I watching in wonder last night as a youthful Arsenal put Fenerbache to the sword in their own back yard and Walcott was at the centre of everything that was good about Arsenal. It is easy to forget just how young this lad is and his tender age can be used as an excuse (if any are needed) for when his form, inevitably falls a few percentage. So, this question that I’d like to pose is, if Rangers had a ‘Theo Walcott’, would Walter Smith play him in the starting 11 – not just in the mediocre SPL, but in European games? Now, I understand that Wlacott is a ‘one off’, the best talent to come out of England since Wayne Rooney, and don’t think for a minute that we have anyone on our books with the talent that Walcott processes. However, we might have, as when was the last time a ‘youth’ player was given an extended run in our team? I’d guess at Alan Hutton who as soon as he showed any sign of ability, was swiftly dispatched to White Hart Lane. The only young players currently that are being ‘talked up’ at Ibrox are / were John Fleck, Dean Furman and Aaron. Furman has gone on lone and the remaining pair are semi-permanent fixtures on our substitute bench. From the admittedly little that I have seen of the above trio, Fleck is without a doubt the most gifted and hopefully likely to cement a place in the Rangers team in the near future. Fleck was introduced into the dieing embers of last years Scottish Cup Final and along with the return of Beasley, Flecks fleeting appearance was the highlight of that day. Simply put, he didn’t look out of place. I don’t think I was the only Rangers fan who left Hampden that day convinced that I would see a lot more of Fleck this season. Sadly, me and a few others have been left disappointed. Given Walters record at Rangers, he doesn’t appear to be the type of manager to bring youth players into the team and give them an extended run. During the 9-in-a-row years, we saw glimpses of players like Sandy Robertson, Gary McSwegen, Stephen Pressley, Neil Murray et al who contributed to some fantastic Rangers performances both domestically and in Europe, but none were given extended runs in the team. So people, I am convinced that we have or own ‘Theo Walcott’ (in context) sitting at Murray Park but remain unconvinced that we’ll see him get an extend run in the first 11 – much to his, and our detriment. Green With Envy Yip, I’ll admit to being green with envy as I sat down last night to be entertained by Europe’s finest in the Champions League, and I’ll be just as envious as I settle down in front of the TV tonight. I’ll also admit that I am envious of our green foes participation in the CL, and yes, even given their drubbing last night, I am still a little envious of them. In fact, I’m even a tad envious of their 1 point from 50+ available away from home – Christ that’s what you call consistency (ok, ok, ok, that was a big tongue in cheek)…… There is nothing better than an European night, especially at Ibrox, or when you enjoy a fantastic trip to a foreign land. I think we’ve all got stories to tell of our expeditions and of the friends that we’ve made on our travels, both within the travelling Rangers support and friendly locals. For long-term GersNet readers this next statement will come as no surprise, but to newer readers and ‘younger’ Bears it might. Whilst I have no ‘love’ of Manchester United, I do not hold any hatred for them either. I, for a while, took delivery of Man United fanzines (some of the best zines around). I applauded and continue to applaud the Man United fans fight for their club (something we could learn from). I met a fair few Man United fans when I was down for our CL game, and every last one of them were fantastic company and the one thing that I noticed was their burning love for their club – in that respect, they reminded me of US, the Rangers support. For them, its Man U first and Man U last – they have no time for ‘2nd teams’ and no time for ‘love-ins’. Lastly, I believe that we have much in common with Manchester United. Both our clubs are deemed the most successful in our respective countries (although Liverpool would have something to say on that matter), both clubs have overcome terrible disaster and tragedy in their long and illustrious history. Both clubs are ‘hated’ in their own country due to their dominance and both clubs draw fantastic support from out-with the city and country that they belong to. So, its fair to say that I have no qualms regarding Manchester United or their fans. Some Rangers fans will point to the supposed love-in between Man United and Celtc – lets get this straight, this is a one-way street. If you read any Man United fanzines or books written by fans (or their casuals) you’ll understand that they don’t like Timmy at all. Why would they? Timmy sing a Liverpool anthem and sing songs about a terrorist group who targeted Manchester killing citizens and destroying the city. Also, it is worth noting that Manchester United pull a large section of their fanbase from the loyalist and unionist communities of Northern Ireland. Anyway, apologies for digressing, back to the point in hand. At this stage next season, I don’t want to be a mere spectator when the business end of the Champions League comes around. I want Rangers in their and fighting for the right to progress to the knock-out stages of this prestigious tournament. However, after watching some of the awesome performances last night, we have a vast amount of improving to ensure that we can compete annually at this level. To make CL qualification assured we must win the SPL title this year and that is not a formality or a foregone conclusion. Oh, I’ve added a clip from the infamous ‘you-tube’ site (you know, the one UEFA and the media use to try us) of what can only be described as an altercation outside Old Trafford last night – not much love on show here : [ame]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bo3C4FoJ0Mk[/ame] Know Your Enemy At the moment, being a Rangers fan, especially one who uses the internet to discuss his team and on occasions, history, politics and religion, it isn’t hard knowing who your enemy is. However, until recently, you wouldn’t have put the manager of your team into the enemy camp. Some of us understand that the Chairman and his lap-dog Bain are well entrenched in the enemy camp and like nothing more than feeding the frenzied media with ‘own goals’ and attacks on Rangers fans. Walter Smith has decided to pitch in with SDM and Bain and thus, must accept the ire that will be directed at him. Now he has opened himself up for criticism relating to topics out-with squad selection, signings and tactics. He has entered the big, bad bigoted Rangers fans debate and hang his colours to the ‘establishments’ mast. I can take the agenda driven media having a go at me (as I don’t except anything else, it goes with territory). I can take agenda driven politicians having a go at me (as I don’t except anything else, it goes with territory). I can take agenda driven organisations like NMB having a go at me (as I don’t except anything else, it goes with territory). It may hurt me to the core, it might drive me to despair, but I can take SDM and Bain having a go at me (as I don’t except anything else, it goes with territory). But I’m sorry Walter, I expected better from you. Cammy F -

Only cowards insult people who don’t have an opportunity to defend themselves. The papers have turned this into a fine art –offended on behalf of imaginary people; offended at imaginary people. Every politician, newspaper hack, football club owner with their own little renegade-denouncer-of-great-evil fantasy has jumped on a bandwagon of their own creation to stand up for the Sectarianly Oppressed against the Sectarian Oppressors – getting to be the Goodie in a sea of Baddies. Politicians and newspaper hacks earn a living off this – it’s the very controversy that pays the bills. For Murray it’s a convenient way of sooking up to the liberal snobberies of broadsheets and hence deflecting any possible criticism of himself from there. But, Walter Smith? Now he’s standing up against this magical, mystical, barely tangible sectarianism as it vaguely exists in flux out on the internet? I’m not sure what the fuck is going on, but I’ve spent more time than I should on Rangers fansites and there isn’t bigotry tolerated anywhere. The battle is imaginary, and the only victims are the people who don’t have mass-media at their disposal to defend themselves. This racist, sectarian, oppression that everyone’s standing up against simply doesn’t exist. I know a fair bit of Catholic history – it’s had its ups and downs, but there is an undoubted recurrent theme of genuine martyrdom. Their founder, Jesus Christ, history attests, willingly died for what he believed. There’s disagreement about what he believed, of course, but that he died for it is argued only by a lunatic fringe of scholars. The first Catholics happily walked into the actual jaws of actual lions for what they believed. Through the lives of the Saints you see the recurrent themes of persecution, and an almost supernatural humility. Catholics have dished out their fare share of oppression, certainly, but they’ve also endured it. To dare to be an actual Catholic in the modern world, serving others and trying to live unselfishly and in the persual of goodness in a world of money and hate, I think, is a noble sort of persecution. In Glasgow, they have been historically persecuted, and as disagreeable as separate schooling may be to some, there is a genuine argument for it being a battle to retain a tradition people still find important, despite it not being the popular one. Catholics feel the burden of secular oppression today, and Catholics, as a group of people through history, have, at various points, suffered massive oppression. But modern day Catholics in Scotland are not part of this group. Those complaining are rebels in love with their self created persecution. They have a job; the right to practice their faith freely; an Xbox and massive representation in parliament – the truth is that they're just not oppressed. People being eaten by lions is oppression – enduring the word ‘******’, or being told to fuck off back to Ireland if you love it so much, in a football ground, where you’re shouting and swearing yourself, and flying Irish flags, is NOT oppression. When was the last time, in Scotland, as a Catholic, or as a person of Irish descent, lost a job for their faith or nationality? When was the last time they were publically flogged, or forced to sit at the back of a bus? When was the last time they were spat on, or stuck in a gas chamber? Walter Smith, and the rest of you petty-rent-a-cause-reactionaries honestly think that you’re doing anything other than raping every memory of Actual Opression purely for the purposes of selling papers, appealing to the electorate or deflecting criticism, then you are deluded. Anyone who takes you seriously are their own punishment. I’m quite sure there are a minority of morons of the internet spouting immature pish – this is true of all clubs, and I’m not sure why it is that Rangers feel it necessary to give an account for the goings-on of the internet – a medium that gives the most certifiable of nutters freedom of speech. Are Rangers to be the first regulators of the internet? Are they to succeed in eradicating pretend evil on the internet that the police battling real evil, with their massive anti-paedophelia budget, have failed? I, for one, am fucking sick of being part of the faceless masses consistently brandished as a bigot simply for enjoying talking about my team online. The club are going to have to consider really what these constant, cowardly, jibes are doing to people who dedicate a large portion of their lives and energy to supporting the club. These same ‘bigots’, ‘spouting evil on the internet’ are undoubtedly the same people who buy the DVDs, the new strip every season, get the letters printed on the back for their children. The establishment are quite happy to call these people evil every time the media comes knocking at their door for an interview that will confirm the prejudices of their readership and ensures their profits the next day. The same large, weighty, moral conscience disappears as soon as these same people go and buy a substandard pie from the catering. So, Walter, and the rest of you – let’s stop tarnishing everyone with the same ill-informed brush, shall we? We are these masses of racial oppressors? I haven’t seen them; I don’t talk to them. You’re fighting for an imaginary cause but insulting real, tangible, people. Fuck off and stick to the football please.

http://www.glasgowcitycouncil.co.uk/committee_minutes/public/extdocviewtop.asp?CID=2481&DATE=10/10/2008&TIME=11:00&DAY=&PAGE=1&STATE=Live&FILE=Documents/Live/Executive%20Committee/20084/1100_10_10_2008_2481_Report_Item%206.pdf&DocId=13601&Index=d%3a%5cdtsearch%5cindexes%5cLive&HitCount=8&hits=30+3f+71+b9+177+3f4+440+4b1+ Essentially the Glasgow City Council (GCC) will agree in principle tomorrow to sell Rangers the land the council owns within the planned redevelopment area (plans attached in link). The fee for such a sale is unknown but GCC have a past history of selling land to local football clubs for nominal fees and considering the Commonwealth Games 2014 as well us urgent requirement for Govan regeneration, any agreed fee is expected to be much lower than market value. Furthermore the Director of Development and Regeneration Services will be authorised to enter into an agreement to give Rangers the option to buy the land. It is also likely that Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) will agree to a similar option given the likelihood of improved pubic transport for the area - ie the long awaited return of a train station for Ibrox. Of course, no-one can say with any authority that these plans will come to fruition (especially with the current global economic problems) but it is heartening to note the club are progressing with the venture. Particularly interesting is the overall objective of creating a mixed use, ‘state of the art’ sports, convention and entertainment development destination, whilst assisting the regeneration of the local area. Certainly, yesterday's meeting of business leaders in Edinburgh including Alex Salmond and Ken Ross (chief executive of the Elphinstone Group) would have seen many relevant parties talking about these proposals. Further information may be available at today's AGM.