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There are a few issues spliting the fans at the moment. Some are calling it a negative attitude yet some call it plain facts. The season has not even kicked off yet but this far we have looked very untidy in pre season and in our first competitive game of the season. On Tuesday we have a huge match against Kaunas to make it into the final qualifying round of the hugely important Champions League. I'm going to try and elaborate on a few topics that the fans have issues with. 1) Summers Signings In / Out: Plenty eyebrows have been raised because WS brough in 3 strikers and then concentrated on the defence when the midfield is the most obvious position needing filled. We have forked out near on 10 million on 4 players for upfront and defence yet we are reluctant to spend a penny on the midfield. We have recouped a small fee for Buffel and Sebo thus far. I still question the Buffel sale when all we needed to do was pay a fee of approx 400k which makes more sense than paying 3-4 million for another player of this type. Its ok bringing in strikers but so far none of the current forwards have left the club leaving us with a large forward line. There is still 28 days left of the transfer window so in no way can this topic be concluded yet although its imperative we sign some midfield players soon. 2) Style of football: Last season this was brought up on many occasions. Some want to see total football yet others are perfectly happy with a grinding 1-0 win as its winning that matters at the end of the day. For me a bit of both would be better. I dont expect 5-0 thumpings of teams every week with playing out of our skins, but with the level of SPL opposition we really should be seeing off teams by 3 or 4 goals on a more regular basis. Going away from home to the tougher teams is when we should be happy to grind out 1-0 wins. Some put direct blame on Walter Smith, but for me the dead wood has been there before he arrived. In McLeish's latter days most of PLG's matches we were dreadful to watch at times. Walter Smith hasnt changed much other than the fact we are very difficult to score against. Basically Walter sets out not to lose a match rather than win it. I think we are bit away from knowing our first choice XI and I actually think WS doesnt have that. He prefers to have maybe 14 players who will be shifted around in a few positions every week. 3) Loyality to players: Fans will never agree on team selection and we dont have any right to have a say in team selection - thats what the manager lifes and dies by, but we are certainly in our right to an opinion and currently a number on here picked out the Walter is very loyal to certain players. He was like this in his first reign also. You have to wonder is he happy to play safe or just to afraid to change things. Maybe its personality clashes with other players like the rumours suggest. But IMO that shouldnt come into, if a player is good enough he should be given a chance. Im not afraid to name names, but the likes of Broadfoot, Adam, Burke and Boyd will never be good enough for Rangers and having average run of the mill SPL players is a huge reason behind our lack of championships this decade. Johnny Foreigner doesnt hide from this aswell, we have had too many guys picking up a nice wage packet and not doing it on the park. 4) The threat of going Backwards: Despite last seasons run on all fronts where winning and not was a thin line, we are on the threat of moving backwards. The squad may look stronger in numbers than last year but the starting XI doesnt. I was hoping for 3 or 4 players who would come in and be definate starters but so far it seems our signings are no better than what we have. Add that to the fact if the unthinkable happens on Tuesday and we dont make the CL then we are in for a long season with not much incommings. Nothing has been decided yet and the season hasnt kicked off but the concern is there. 5) Board level: The main 2 issues here is the stadium and the lack of a ticket office at the club. Ibrox: Its still a fantastic arena but at 25+ years old the Copland, Govan and Broomloan are feeling a bit dated. When your inside them they feel it aswell compared to when you visit a modern new stadium. The rumours are for a super complex to be built, that would be fantastic but I for one wouldnt mind Ibrox just getting modernized and not to any great length. The insides of the stands could be developed along with the screens being taken out and replaced by seats bring the capacity up to near 60,000. It the roofs of those 3 stands could be raised a little and say 10 rows added then that would be fantastic also. Ticket Office: I find this embarrassing. A club who gets 50,000 people at every home match does not have a ticket office. I remember the mid 90s in my teens before I had a season ticket Id go along to Ibrox regularly and at times picked up tickets from the old ticket office across from the Copland stand. I would be in and out of the que within 5 minutes. Now we have a shed with 2 ladies handing out envelopes to 1000s of people and causing fans to miss there first competitve kick off of the season - horrendous stuff!! I can only say - Bring Back the ticket office!!! Feel free to add the other issues at the moment and as Gersnet always does we will debate them openly and maturely.

BBC Scotland will have extensive coverage of the second leg of Rangers' Champions League second-round qualifier against FBK Kaunas on Tuesday. The match will be screened live from 5.45pm on BBC Two Scotland and on the BBC Sport website. Kick-off is 6.05pm. There will also be full commentary on Radio Scotland's Sportsound 810MW. Rangers and Kaunas are locked at 0-0 from the first leg. The winners will almost certainly face Aalborg of Denmark in the final qualifying round. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/7538015.stm

Exclusive by Andrew Dickson ERIK BO ANDERSEN believes the way has been paved for Rangers to take a place in the Champions League - but has warned them not to underestimate Aalborg. Bruce Rioch, manager of Aalborg BKThe striker played for the Danish side before leaving them for Ibrox in a �£1.5million transfer in February 1996. Although the 37-year-old is now working in politics rather than football, he has continued to monitor the progress AaB have made in recent times. The Jutland club, which appointed Bruce Rioch as its new manager in the summer, won the league by nine points from FC Midtjylland last season. Despite that win, Andersen thinks Walter Smith's Gers will have too much for them if they get past Kaunas and into the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Of course, Bosnian outfit Modrica could yet beat AaB to the final preliminary stage if they can overturn the 5-0 defeat they suffered in midweek this Wednesday. But it is almost certain the Superligaen outfit will progress, giving Rangers a potential chance to take on a team from Denmark competitively for the fourth time. Although Andersen is sure the Scots would then advance to the group stage, he has stressed it won't be easy for them to get so far.Thomas Augustinussen of Aalborg BK Aalborg beat Sampdoria on away goals last season to reach the group phase of the UEFA Cup then drew with Anderlecht and only lost by a single goal to Spurs and Getafe. Andersen said: "This is a good draw for Rangers. They will be the favourites if the teams meet, there is no doubt about that. "If the teams played each other 10 times, there is no way Aalborg would win at least five of those matches. "At the same time, it would be stupid to think this will be a walkover for Rangers because Aalborg have a good side. "Collectively, they are a team that works hard with no real superstars in it and that is their big quality. "On their day, they can compete with a lot of big sides. They were unlucky to lose at Tottenham last season and with a bit of luck, could have had a better result there. "Aalborg also went through on away goals against Sampdoria after drawing 2-2 with them in Italy to get to the group stage. "If they are on form, they are a hard team to beat. I would still expect Rangers to see off Aalborg but they will have to work hard if they are to win overall." Jeppe Curth of Aalborg BKAndersen has picked out forward Jeppe Curth as the man Gers need to be wary of if they find themselves pitched against the Danes. The 24-year-old was the leading scorer in his country's league last season and he is someone Smith will want his men to snuff out. Andersen added: "Curth is a good striker. He is not the tallest but he is a dangerous player. I think he scored 15 or 16 times last season and has shown a lot of potential. "He went abroad to play for Feyenoord when he was quite young but is back in Denmark now and is making good progress. "In midfield, Thomas Augustinussen is one of Aalborg's best players too. He is very tall and creates a lot of things. He holds the team together very well."

And the crazy amount of fixtures just keeps on coming!!! 1st - Liverpool (H) - Friendly 5th - FBK Kaunas (A) - CL qualifier 9th - Falkirk (A) - SPL 13th - Potential QL 3rd qualifier 16th - Hearts (H) - SPL 23rd - Aberdeen (A) - SPL 27th - Potential CL 3rd qualifier 31st - Celtic (A) - SPL

Live on uefa.com at 11am BST RANGERS go into tomorrow's draw for the 3rd qualifying roud for the Champions League knowing they could land massively difficult opponents if they are able to overcome Kaunas. Of course, with the 2nd round only at the halfway stage there could be an either/or scenario for Rangers but there are some real heavweights in the non-seeded section. Rangers could get Altetico Madrid, Galatasaray, Sparta Prague, Slavia Prague or Dinamo Kiev, for example, and any of these would be extremely tough. The draw ceremony takes place at UEFA headquarters in Nyon at 12.30pm tomorrow SEEDS Liverpool ENG) Barcelona (ESP) Arsenal FC (ENG) FC Schalke 04 (GER) Juventus (ITA) Rangers FC (SCO) / FBK Kaunas (LTU) Marseille (FRA) Steaua Bucharest (ROU) Panathinaikos FC (GRE) / FC Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO) IFK Gothenburg (SWE) / FC Basel 1893 (SUI) Olympiacos CFP (GRE) Fenerbah�§e SK (TUR) / MTK Budapest (HUN) RSC Anderlecht (BEL) / FC BATE Borisov (BLR) ACF Fiorentina (ITA) FC Spartak Moscow (RUS) NON SEEDS Atl�©tico Madrid (ESP) FC Sheriff (MDA) Sparta Prague (CZE) Drogheda United FC (IRL) / FC Dynamo Kiev (UKR) Levski Sofia (BUL) Slavia Prague(CZE) Galatasaray (TUR) Inter Bake (AZE) / FK Partizan (SRB) Vit�³ria SC (POR) NK Dom?ale (SVN) / Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) Beitar Jerusalem FC (ISR) / Wisla Krak�³w (POL) Standard Li�¨ge (BEL) FC Twente (NED) Tampere United (FIN) FC Artmedia Petralka (SVK) Aalborg (DEN) / FK Modri?a (BIH) SK Brann (NOR) / FK Ventspils (LVA) Anorthosis Famagusta FC (CYP) / SK Rapid Wien (AUT)

RANGERS Football Club offers sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused to our fans at Ibrox last night. Unprecedented demand for tickets on matchday itself, via the hotline and website, resulted in huge numbers of supporters uplifting tickets at the stadium prior to kick-off. Consequently, standard Ticket Centre services were also affected, including ticket sales and the resolution of Smartcard issues. The Club fully accepts its responsibility to deliver efficient ticket sales distribution, but would appreciate if supporters requiring to uplift their tickets on matchday, could do so at least two hours prior to the match. Supporters who uplift within two hours of kick-off may encounter queues due to the high volume of tickets sold for every home game. The Club always endeavours to minimise inconvenience and provide an efficient uplift service for all home games, and will place specific focus on the imminent Liverpool match. Rangers Football Club appreciates the vast support it enjoys at all home games and once again regrets any inconvenience caused to fans. The highlighted paragraph basically sums it up that this apology is a load of bollocks. In plain English: 'We're sorry.. but it's your fault'.

RANGERS go into tomorrow's draw for the 3rd qualifying roud for the Champions League knowing they could land massively difficult opponents if they are able to overcome Kaunas. Of course, with the 2nd round only at the halfway stage there could be an either/or scenario for Rangers but there are some real heavweights in the non-seeded section. Rangers could get Altetico Madrid, Galatasaray, Sparta Prague, Slavia Prague or Dinamo Kiev, for example, and any of these would be extremely tough. The draw ceremony takes place at UEFA headquarters in Nyon at 12.30pm tomorrow SEEDS Liverpool ENG), Barcelona (ESP), Arsenal FC (ENG), FC Schalke 04 (GER), Juventus (ITA), Rangers FC (SCO) / FBK Kaunas (LTU), Marseille (FRA), Steaua Bucharest (ROU), Panathinaikos FC (GRE) / FC Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO), IFK Gothenburg (SWE) / FC Basel 1893 (SUI), Olympiacos CFP (GRE), Fenerbahce SK (TUR) / MTK Budapest (HUN), RSC Anderlecht (BEL) / FC BATE Borisov (BLR), ACF Fiorentina (ITA), FC Spartak Moscow (RUS) NON SEEDS Atl�©tico Madrid (ESP), FC Sheriff (MDA) / Sparta Prague (CZE), Drogheda United FC (IRL) / FC Dynamo Kiev (UKR), Levski Sofia (BUL), Slavia Prague(CZE), Galatasaray (TUR), Inter Baku (AZE) / FK Partizan (SRB), Vit�³ria SC (POR), NK Domzale (SVN) / Dinamo Zagreb (CRO), Beitar Jerusalem FC (ISR) / Wisla Krak�³w (POL), Standard Li�¨ge (BEL), FC Twente (NED), Tampere United (FIN) / FC Artmedia Petrzalka (SVK), Aalborg (DEN) / FK Modrica (BIH), SK Brann (NOR) / FK Ventspils (LVA), Anorthosis Famagusta FC (CYP) / SK Rapid Wien (AUT)

RANGERS Chief Executive Martin Bain has spoken for the first time on a number of important topics as the new season opens. He revealed record season ticket sales, explained the reasoning behind the five per cent charge on the sale of away tickets and insisted work is still being done to bolster the squad ahead of the new campaign. During the interview, the Chief Executive also announced exciting plans for Ibrox that will make it amongst the most cutting-edge in European football. He said: "We are well on target to set a new record of 44,000 season ticket holders which has been achieved as a result of our new ticketing strategy enabling a higher saleable capacity within the stadium. In the past four seasons we have reached highs of 42,500 but on the back of last season, the demand for the coming campaign has been such that we will hit the new record figure. "Last season was a journey beyond all expectation for Rangers supporters and was what we all aspire to, which is Rangers competing at the highest level in Europe and on all fronts domestically. The last day of the SPL season was our only downside. "Our new strategy aims to make football more affordable to families, and to maintain and create a great atmosphere in the stadium where supporters are safe. It wasn't just about pricing however, we also wanted to provide some additional benefits to season ticket holders. The first of these takes place on Friday with a free training day which will be a great day out for families. "To date the initiative has resulted in an 11 per cent rise in juvenile season ticket holders with many more on the waiting list and we are absolutely delighted with the ongoing response from the fans. "We had 19 European games last season and with the financial pressures in our economy today we could not have asked for more from our supporters, their commitment has been second to none. Tickets for tomorrow's Kaunas game are going really well and the Liverpool match on Saturday is fast approaching sell-out. "Last year we identified the need to address the playing surface and other aspects of the stadium infrastructure, resulting in the commitment of capital expenditure for an interim overhaul. We have ensured that the items invested in are easily transportable should our long term development plans come to fruition. "First on the agenda was restructuring the pitch and Walter Smith told me yesterday that he is delighted with the new playing surface. "Despite the inclement weather in Scotland we are confident we will have no problems with our pitch this season and let's hope it is the same scenario at every other SPL ground. We have invested in our pitch and it would be good to see the other clubs investing in a similar way to avoid the problems of last season. "Our next priority was to introduce a fully integrated stadium entertainment system. This will be phased in from the first SPL home game where our new state of the art LED perimeter advertising system and LED scoreboards will be unveiled. "The perimeter advertising will run the complete length of the Copland, Broomloan and Govan stands. In September we will install LED jumbotrons, giving Ibrox one of the most ambitious media and entertainment systems in British football. We plan to introduce the system into the concourses thereafter. Even the dugouts, uniforms and Club ties are changing!" Rangers begin the SPL campaign on August 9 against Falkirk, one of four clubs who have refused to accept the Old Firm plan of a five per cent charge for the sale of away tickets. Bain remains unrepentant at the approach taken and commented: "It is incredulous that despite our attempts to explain this rationally to other clubs, some of them continue to refuse to accept our approach. Rangers supporters travel the length and breadth of the country, often paying premium prices for grounds which are often found lacking in their overall facilities. This is about our fans. I believe they more than pay their way in Scottish football and we want to alleviate some of the financial pressure. "I am also disappointed at the other clubs lack of understanding of our continual efforts to make it as easy as possible to distribute their tickets with minimal cost and effort on their behalf. We help maximise ticket sales for SPL away grounds to the region of �£2.5million, but accept that this comes at a cost, hence our proposal for the reciprocal arrangement. This would allow us to remove the costs currently borne by our fans. "I am surprised that other clubs have failed to realise that we have maintained a core fan base for away matches and that base may drop off given the convoluted systems they are operating to sell tickets to Rangers fans. "The actions we have taken have been in the best interests of our fans and the Club and we hope this is recognised by our travelling support, despite the complicated and difficult route that may now exist to obtain tickets for fixtures that were once easy to obtain." The Rangers Chief Executive hopes that those who choose to sell to Old Firm fans directly will ensure that they take all the responsibilities which accompany this decision. He said: "The SPL guidelines are such that every person who buys a ticket has to supply their name and address, and I now look to the SPL to ensure that while these other clubs have taken it upon themselves to sell these tickets that they record all these details. That said, it is unfortunate that I won't have the same level of awareness of whom the tickets are now being sold to. "At this stage Falkirk, Hibs, Hearts and Dundee United have indicated that they will sell tickets to our fans themselves and we await confirmation of the official response from the remaining clubs." Although the signing deadline has passed for tomorrow's Champions League qualifying match with Kaunas, the Chief Executive insisted that work is still being done on the playing front. He said: "We are still working hard to make sure we have a squad capable of challenging on all fronts. "The nature of Rangers is such that we are constantly linked with players with no foundation. But we are used to that and know what our priorities are. I am confident through experience of transfer windows in recent years that there will be movement, both in and out, in the weeks ahead. Walter has a core squad to meet the immediate challenges, although we are disappointed to have picked up a couple of injuries at this early stage." http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,5~1353740,00.html

With the start of the new season galloping over the horizon, the title of this article should actually read, Read! We Better Be. We have a very tough start to the season both in the CL and the SPL. Kaunas arrive at Ibrox on Wednesday evening and present themselves as the first hurdle in our race to reach the Champions League group stages. They will be a very tough proposition and weââ?¬â?¢ll need to be at our best to overcome the Lithuanian champions over two legs. The fixture list and injury curse could have been kinder to us as we enter the season without the injured Barry Ferguson and are without Carlos and Beasley for the first leg on Wednesday. Worryingly, there is a doubt over Kevin Thompson for Wednesday so we are VERY short of options for the central midfield role that is essential to our chances. Lee McCulloch is also a doubt but the official website states that both ââ?¬Ë?shouldââ?¬â?¢ be ready for the game. Looking beyond the CL qualifier (if we dare), we have a very hard start to the SPL race with only one home game in the opening four and with visits to Falkirk, Abergreen and Celtc ââ?¬â?? the SPL couldnââ?¬â?¢t have given us a harder opening if they had tried. Reflecting on the abysmal end to last season and the scarce additions to the squad, it is hard to find any evidence that points to us being a decent shape for the obstacles we face in the next 4-5 weeks. We are at least 5 players short in my opinion especially in the full back and creative midfield positions. It doesnââ?¬â?¢t look like these glaring gaps are going to be addressed or filled prior to the start of the season and weââ?¬â?¢ll just have to go with what resources we currently have starting on Wednesday. Even given WS splashing all of his apparent transfer budget on strikers, it is hard to see him deviating from his preferred 4-5-1 formation or his ultra-cautious approach especially in European ties. Given this, it looks like the tried and tested formation and personnel on Wednesday and I believe the team will line up as follows : McGregor Whittikar Daily Weir Papac Novo Hendami Thompson Adam McCulloch And pick one from the numerous strikers WS has at his disposal (if pushed, I think heââ?¬â?¢ll plump for Cousin). Personally, I wouldnââ?¬â?¢t play McGregor in goal as he has looked rusty in pre-season and doesnââ?¬â?¢t look back to his best. I can also see WS playing Broadfoot alongside Weir, pushing Daily into midfield and dropping Adam to the bench. I would play Lafferty out wide left as we are at home and have to take an (large) advantage to Lithuanian. So my starting 11 would be : Alexander SW Daily Weir Papac Novo Hendami Thommo Adam Lafferty And again, pick one of the many strikers to play the lone front man ââ?¬â?? if pushed, Iââ?¬â?¢d also go for Cousin with JCD a close 2nd. All in all, it will be a nail-biting start to the season and the opening fixtures will go along way in deciding how successful (or otherwise) season 2008 ââ?¬â?? 2009 will be. Winning the league is a MUST, nothing can detract from this fact ââ?¬â?? we simply canââ?¬â?¢t let them win the league again. So are we ready? Well only time, results and performances will tell. We have to hit the ground running. Cammy F

What is it with our club and injuries? Is it just me or do we seem to get much more than other clubs? The law of averages would seem to say that these things even themselves out over the season, but we seem to get much, much more than anyone else. If so, why? I'm seriously worried about the Kaunas game, now.

We'vejust got away with a decent penalty shout apparantly. It is attacking though but still no creativity, says a lot when Adam is probably the one getting more of a mention....

Rangers are considering a move to sign Sunderland's Nigerian international midfielder Dickson Etuhu. Etuhu, 26, joined the English Premier League club from Norwich City in July 2007 for �£1.5m and made 20 appearances for Roy Keane's side last season. The dynamic box-to-box player won the first of his five international caps for Nigeria at this year's African Cup of Nations tournament. Etuhu was born in the northern Nigerian city of Kano but grew up in London. He began his career at Manchester City but started just 11 league games before signing for Preston in 2002 for �£300,000. He played nearly 150 games for North End before joining Norwich after a loan spell at Carrow Road. Manager Walter Smith has only strengthened his strikeforce so far this summer, with Thursday's Champions League signing deadline looming. Forwards Kenny Miller, Andrius Velicka and Kyle Lafferty have all arrived at Ibrox. But, with time running out to recruit more new arrivals ahead of next week's crucial second qualifying round against FBK Kaunas, Smith has yet to add to the trio. Press speculation has linked the Ibrox club with a variety of transfer targets, including Portsmouth's Portuguese midfielder Pedro Mendes and Cardiff City's Dutch defender Glenn Loovens. MY SPORT: DEBATE Should Rangers sign a player before the deadline? Highly-tipped Middlesbrough left-winger, Adam Johnson, 21, has also been touted as a possible loan option for Smith. And the Glasgow club are thought to be still locked in discussion with Fulham over acquiring the services of midfielder Steven Davis. The Northern Ireland international enjoyed a successful five-month loan spell in Glasgow last season and, with captain Barry Ferguson missing the start of the new term, Smith is keen on securing the services of the 23-year-old on a permanent basis.

He obviously has not had us spied on yet. Penalties anyone?

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

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

1-4 for Kaunas so i guess we now know who we are going to have to play.

Dissapointing that he will miss the opening qualifier so hopefully he makes a speedy recovery.

http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=657&Itemid=1 After Kenny Millerââ?¬â?¢s debut for his much debated second spell at Rangers, I think itââ?¬â?¢s time for an objective look at what this controversial signing really brings to the table. First off, I donââ?¬â?¢t blame any Rangers fan for not welcoming this player with open arms to our club. In todayââ?¬â?¢s financial climate, Ã?£2million is a lot of money for any player ââ?¬â?? not least one who failed in his first spell and has hardly shown throughout his career to be the kind of genuine quality player the club talked about bringing in over the summer. Add in his ridiculous chest-beating antics after scoring against us at Celtic then his signing was never going to be popular. After impressing at Hibs and winning the ââ?¬Ë?Young Player of the Yearââ?¬â?¢ award in 1999/2000, like many a player before and after him, Miller made the journey along the M8 to sign for Rangers. As he will again later this month, he made his competitive debut at Ibrox against Kaunas and went on to spend 18 months at the club. During that time he actually had some decent games which reflected his potential ââ?¬â?? goals against Monaco in the CL and the 5 goal spree against St Mirren the highlights of his one full season in his first spell at the club. He also played an important part in wins against other teams (including the 5-1 against Celtic) but in a season where the Dick Advocaat era imploded with various senior players (Konterman, Ricksen and Moore) all losing their discipline while the crazy signing of Tore Andre Flo relegated Miller to little less than a bit-part player after Xmas, Miller proved to be an easy scapegoat for the manager and the fans as the Oranje-era fell apart. Since then Millerââ?¬â?¢s career and goal-scoring record has been inconsistent due to a combination of injuries and manager fall-outs with regard to his best position and overall worth to the team. Millerââ?¬â?¢s previous with regard to being quick to run to the media certainly havenââ?¬â?¢t helped his reputation either. As such, itââ?¬â?¢s arguably at international level where heââ?¬â?¢s been most accepted by any fans. No-one can deny that Millerââ?¬â?¢s contribution in a reasonably resurgent Scotland side has been valuable. His industry, working of the channels and the odd goal has shown he can play a bit against decent opposition. His natural game is probably well suited to teams where the pressure of actually scoring goals and winning games isnââ?¬â?¢t of the level of the very best teams (domestic or international). The question remains: is he good enough for Rangers? As with any new signing that question isnââ?¬â?¢t easy to answer. At first glance his striker statistics ââ?¬â?? specifically goals scored ââ?¬â?? are hardly impressive. However, most fans will agree, itââ?¬â?¢s not really goals where Miller excels. His first touch is also poor, his finishing average and itââ?¬â?¢s only his work-rate that allows these flaws to be minimised. In saying that, Miller reads the game pretty well and shows decent awareness in possession also. All in all, heââ?¬â?¢s a difficult player to make an honest and accurate judgement on. Therefore, I think itââ?¬â?¢s fair to say the signing represents a more than moderate gamble by Walter Smith. Itââ?¬â?¢s this gamble that puzzles me though. Why take the risk on a player the fans were never going to accept initially? Smith did enough last season to allow the majority of fans to say his second spell in charge could help take Rangers back to the successes of his previous reign. Latter disappointments in the UEFA Cup Final (yes, thatââ?¬â?¢s final) and losing the league late on did temper that optimism somewhat though. As such the signing of Miller allowed the more sceptical of our fans more room to voice their negativity. And, to be fair, they have a point. So, when the season finally gets going: when the competitive games start; when the CL qualifier lottery begins; and when the SPL battle gets under-way; it wonââ?¬â?¢t just be Kenny Miller needing to persuade many fans that his second spell will be a success - Walter Smith will also have the jury out as well. Thus, was the signing of Kenny Miller a gamble worth taking? Or does it place needless extra pressure on a manager who may find that his legendary status amongst the Rangers support is brought into disrepute because of signing an average ex-Celtic player? The dice have been thrown.

I think this is brilliant news as Ive always liked Durrant. Not sure of everyone elses thoughts but I thought WS underplayed him when he got back from that horrendous injury. Yet he went onto play into his 30's. Great player and we could have got more from him IMO. Having a player like that must help the kids coming through.

I hope he does come back stronger and better but i would rather he produced the goods before shouting his mouth off.

http://www.sportinglife.com/football/scottishpremier/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/08/07/03/SOCCER_Rangers.html&TEAMHD=scotspremiership Veteran defenders Christian Dailly and David Weir have both signed new deals with Rangers. The Scottish pair have each committed to staying at Ibrox for another year after impressing last season. Dailly, 34, quickly adapted to life at Rangers after joining on a short-term deal from West Ham in January, while Weir, 38, was brought to Glasgow by manager Walter Smith shortly after his own return to the club 18 months ago. Weir insists he was always going to extend his stay after discovering that a new offer was on the table. He said: "I'm delighted, I've enjoyed every minute since I've been up here. "Football-wise there wasn't any decision to make. "As soon as the manager said he wanted me to stay for another year, I was delighted. "I didn't think I'd be here for two-and-a-half years. "In football you can't afford to look that far ahead, especially at my age. "So initially it was just a short-term deal but I'm delighted now that it has stretched and stretched." Weir's partnership with Carlos Cuellar in the heart of the defence was crucial to Rangers' success last season, as they won the Scottish Cup and CIS Insurance Cup and narrowly missed out on the UEFA Cup and Clydesdale Bank Premier League trophies. The former Everton man played a total of 68 games for both club and country in what proved to be an epic campaign for the veteran centre-half. Weir is now hoping to have a significant part to play when Rangers' new season gets under way with a Champions League qualifier against Santa Coloma or FBK Kaunas later this month. He told Rangers' website: "You want to play every game. As a player you want to be in the team week-in, week-out. "I obviously want to be involved and that will be my aim. But it's up to me to try to do that."

http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/news/kind=1/newsid=728337.html A few tricky sides lie in wait... hopefully we'll avoid IFK G�¶teborg, FC Dinamo Tbilisi, Beitar Jerusalem and MTK Budapest...

By Andrew Dickson RANGERS' season will begin in July as a result of their failure to win the SPL title tonight in the final round of championship matches. Because they have finished second in the standings, they now face the prospect of going through two qualifying rounds to reach the Champions League group stage. Consequently, that means Walter Smith's players will get less than a calendar month off on holiday as they return for pre-season training on June 23. David WeirGers will be the highest-ranked club in the draw for the second preliminary stage, meaning they'll avoid the likes of Fenerbahce, Panathinaikos, Basel and Anderlecht. Potential opponents do, however, include former Euro foes IFK Gothenburg, Anorthosis Famagusta and FBK Kaunas. First-leg ties at that point in the competition will be played on July 29/30, with return games taking place on August 5/6. Should the Light Blues progress to the third qualifying round, they will again be seeded with only Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Schalke and Juventus ranked above them. That doesn't mean they'll be in for an easy draw though, with a string of tricky teams lying in wait there too. Among them are Sparta Prague, Dynamo Kiev and Galatasaray and those matches will take place on August 12/13 and 26/27. Should Rangers advance again, they'll go into the group phase for the ninth time in the revamped European Cup's 17th year and pool games will start in September.

In here as affects us directly. 3-1 after 82 mins. Not the foregone conclusion we expected?

Thanks to Gribz and the request to be pinned in a few sections. Hopefully the Mods/Admin can keep on top of further transfer business over the coming weeks. Cheers to Gribz btw