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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24737531 Not to mention this is actually completely wrong (it was 2011), this article is yet another example of BBC Scotland blowing a raspberry to their Trust and editorial guidelines.

Anyone going and fancy meeting up for a few pre match scoops?

For your Sunday morning consideration. Just like the best newspaper keech, brought to you the night before! Unseeing seems to be the order of the day, alright. From the lights going out at Ross County, to the media blackout of celtc's 'Oranje Bastard' ditty, to media and SFA Prophets of a New Dawn, proclaiming Great Days Ahead. Those of you who played the music above will no doubt be reflecting on the stirring, rousing tune which inspired so much hope, fear and ultimately despair, as the Soviet Union sank from revolution to eventual collapse in 1991. I imagine those with no time for the doctrine of Marx and Engels can concede that, coming from Tsarist Russia, it was a noble attempt, even if it failed in gallons of the blood of its own people. What does this have to do with Rangers, I hear you ask? Hunners. Images of the old Soviet Union rushed back into my mind last week when the Pacific Quay CSC, in a move of unparalleled daftness even for them, decided to ask Jim Spence to cover the latest Rangers story; and then Josef Vissaronovitch Rhegan himself emerged on the back on some decent results for the national team to laud his latest useless initiatives. Perhaps Spence was being tested to see if the he could actually manage to report on Rangers without being inaccurate; perhaps it was to punish the listeners by making them listen to his awful ,stuttery, regional accent more than usual; perhaps it was an 'up you' to the Rangers fans who apparently lined themselves up with those other emblems of totalitarianism, the Nazis and the Stasi, by invoking the feared, Gestapo like tactic of emailing the BBC complaints department. Many of the survivors of world war two have, now you think about it, mentioned in their memoir the resemblance between the BBC and the authoritarian regimes they had help destroy, so this should come as little surprise. Who can forget Airey Neave's classic 'Colditz? A Holiday Camp Compared to the Beeb', or Douglas Bader's 'No Legs is Nothing Compared to No Freedom at the BBC'. Anyhow, those images of communist days. As a young leftie, I often watched with open jaw as representatives of the USSR came on the screen to tell us how everything there was wonderful and the western media were lying. That this was so obviously untrue left one wondering what it was they were trying to do; and the obvious answer was, of course, that they were trying to cover up the truth. Those old enough to recall the Chernobyl disaster will perhaps also remember the special, English language edition of Pravda which was on sale in Britain, and which sought to limit the consequences of this aged nuclear reactor blowing up to roughly akin to those of Kirk Broadfoot microwaving his breakfast. No-one was fooled. All the more nostalgic then, that Soviet Jim Spence should wind up his piece last week with a heartfelt op ed about how wonderful things were in the Scottish footballing garden, and that only Rangers were kept inside, locked in a permanent argument with its mum and not being allowed out to join in. Pravda got nothing on you, boy. No doubt the fans of Dunfermline & Hearts, going through their own miseries, felt a trifle piqued at being lumped in with the everybody happy! gang. It's unlikely many premiership treasurers are licking their lips at the thought of Hamilton winning the championship and bringing the bonanza that is the Accies travelling support (last home games, attendances 1,113 against Raith and 1,059 against LIvingstone) to the behemoth that is the SPFLP. Big Money!!! Kilmarnock fans, fighting their board to see who can hurt their club the most, might take issue with his comments; it goes on and on. Aberdeen close stands; the game is vibrant, apparently. celtc hide empty swathes of seats with banners; never been better! If only Pravda still existed, a job would be made for Spence instantly. The lights going out at Ross County during their game against ICT the other week says it all - if you don't want to see it, you don't need to see it. You can't help but think of Zaphod Beeblebrox's 'danger glasses' in The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which black out whenever danger threatens. Cool facewear, and great writing, but no basis to plan the future of the game. And what about us? A tartan version of Trotsky, exiled to the Mexico that is the fourth division, one can sense the ice-picks being readied lest we attempt to get back to what it known, apparently without irony, as the top of Scottish football. This expression seems to me to be akin to trying to find the top of your arsehole, but let that pass. The terror among some media commentators lest someone with money to invest get inside the doors of Ibrox is palpable; Rangers, the betamax to the SPFL's VHS, the Oracle to it's Teletext, the Scott Brown, if you will, to their Mezsut Ozil, are going to face some serious barricades which are being hastily erected to hold us back. Red Rhegan has broken his recent and extremely welcome media silence to re-assure the fans of other clubs that should Dave King try to get a job at Rangers, well, blimey, he will certainly have a good look at it and by gum, there will be no hiding places! Only the best of people for us! No doubt we'll all sleep better tonight knowing Stewart is looking out for us. Only a churl would recall his total lack of action when not one but two shysters bought our club, and conclude that he's more afraid of Rangers getting themselves organised than he is of any more damage to the club. We certainly have our problems and some our fans are probably as blinkered as Spence on some issues. But at least we don't pull the commissar's cap down over our eyes and insist that paradise is just around the corner. The bad news for Rhegan and his media mouthpieces is that our eyes are well and truly open now...we see you, and we know what we're looking at.

An magnificent example of how the sport should be played......if that sport is running around, chasing after where the football used to be 5 seconds before you got there for 90 minutes and then kicking people when they're lying on the ground. Even more magnificently, they managed to restrict Barcelona to a mere 82% of the possession - a huge improvement on the 88% Barcelona had last year. I'm looking forward to wee neil explaining how, despite being made to look like a shower of talentless tits for an hour and a half, Celtic were actually the better side, how Brown didn't deserve to be sent off for kicking Neymar in the back and how they can still qualify for the knockout stages.

Our happy go-lucky, main site correspondent Andy Steel asks if Rangers starting afresh was ever a realistic possibility: http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/177-myths-of-rangers

Despite the madness and chaos it inevitably brings in its wake, writers down the years have tried to theorise War. Perhaps this is a natural human response, when one bears witness to destruction and carnage, to try to find some logic behind it. Since the days of Herodotus, the 'father of history', literary types have wrestled with the concept and after effects of this organised insanity, refusing to believe in the oldest explanation of all: we are just like that. No-one ever claimed there was much logic in sport, either, and few writers have tried to unearth a theoretical concept behind it. We still wait for the equivalent of Sun Tsu's Art of War; there are no indispensable coaching texts to rank alongside Guderian's Achtung, Panzer! or Liddle Hart's Strategy. These weird thoughts have arisen because war and sport have clashed in the rumblings over the supposed offensive behaviour by some soldiers at Ibrox last weekend. Although the language used by the people who claim to be offended reveal the nature of the game - standard issue complaint kits have plainly been rushed to the front, replete with 'vile', 'disgusting', and 'offensive' cluster phrases - let's treat it with a seriousness it does not deserve and examine whether or not these soldiers merit chastisisment for their actions. The charges against them? Singing, your honour. Even by the standards of two things which lack logic - war and sport - this is a belter. You decide - what's worse, killing or singing? When Lt. Wm. Calley was hauled over the coals for the massacre at My Lai during the Vietnam War, it's just possible that his punishment - a couple of years house arrest, according to Wiki - may have been harsher had it been known that he and his men were giving it side A of 'Are You Experienced' as they fired the village. Elderly Nazis, hauled from their dotage and made to answer for their appalling crimes in eastern Europe and elsewhere, tend to be treated leniently on grounds of age. Personally I would have them shot regardless, the swine, but I doubt if I could convince many to join me in that stance with the evidence that many an einsatz gruppen went into action merrily belting out the Horst Wessel. I should probably point out here that no, I am not comparing the soldiers at Ibrox last Saturday with these historical debris of humanity. But in war, things like My Lai or the Katyn Forest massacre happen. Societies tend to accept that and, with a few exceptional ocassions, tolerate it as a necessary price. Some commentators have pointed out how much more difficult some of the images would make it for the army to return to Ulster. Unlike many Rangers supporters I'm not greatly interested in Northern Ireland and make no pretence at being an expert, but I've no doubt that, during the conflicts there, many unpleasant things happened too. I understand the point and I probably agree that ideally, soldiers wouldn't present such an image, but really...after suffering for decades from your actual violence, are we to believe that songs are the new bombs? The Army protects its soldiers. All armies do. They ask their staff to do a job most people would baulk at (killing fellow humans) and must create a sense of loyalty and camaraderie the better to do so. So, how insane would it be to train your staff to kill terrorists, then discipline them for singing about it after the fact? Outside of the upside down worlds of Gulliver's Travels (or the even more appropriate but lesser known Erewhon by Samuel Butler) anyone considering such a policy must be required to suspend their logical faculties completely. Shoot to Kill! Sing for Peace! Utter fantasy, a grimy attempt to smear Rangers and the army with the feeblest (and, in my book, the maddest) of complaints. In the present days of madness which have engulfed the game in Scotland, this tawdry little episode probably merits only a footnote. But it adds to the hate which the game seemingly runs on nowadays. Dispiriting and unpleasant stuff, but then again...maybe we are just like that.

Posted by Roy Greenslade It will be interesting to see if any newspaper covers the fact that members of Britain's armed forces appeared to join in with Scottish football fans as they sang sectarian songs at a match yesterday. Initial reports suggest not. Some 400 uniformed soldiers, seamen and air force personnel attended an armed forces day at Ibrox, the Rangers ground. After a formal march and band music, a group of soldiers (they were in khaki) were filmed dancing, clapping and singing along with the crowd. Although it is difficult to make out the exact words on the video posted on YouTube, people have identified sectarian songs and chants celebrating the death of the IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands. Rival Celtic fans were quick to point to songs that are supposed to be banned from all Scottish football grounds under a new law passed by the Scottish parliament. One commenter to the YouTube site wrote of it being a "disgusting vile and tawdry spectacle". Another wrote: "Shocking stuff. I hope this vid is forwarded to the footballing and army authorities." Two media reports about the events that have been published - one here on the STV site and another here on the Daily Record site - make no reference to the soldiers' antics. The STV report mentioned that an army band "entertained fans" and quoted Major General Nick Eeles, general officer commanding Scotland, as saying it was hoped to make it into an annual event. The Record did write that "the match-day experience began in dramatic circumstances" but only because two marines "abseiled down the Govan stand ahead of kick-off, before delivering the match ball to the referee." How odd that both outlets missed the story? Or do their reporters think soldiers chanting jingoistic sectarian songs in unison with football fans is unworthy of comment? Incidentally, Saturday was not the official armed forces celebration day in Britain (that falls in the close season). The club, with the full approval of the military, decided to stage its own separate event. http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade

I would like to ask fellow fans their feelings on the quality of football kits from Puma as opposed to the kits from Nike and Adidas , me i think the Puma kit is pretty dire and how long are we tied to this company .

I was wondering if any Gersnetters knew the name of Jum Spence's 'zine? He founded and Edited it for several years and his current designation at BBC Scotland is as a direct result of this particular publication. It was a case of BBC Scotland wanting to be seen to embrace the new media. I would like to peruse a copy/copies to how Jum referred to Rangers and Rangers supporters? Further, as Editor; what content was approved?

Not only will Saturday 28 September see Rangers take on Stenhousemuir but fans will see the launch of the new Ibrox Bar. The fully licenced Ibrox Bar will be open for match/season ticket holders and hospitality ticket holders from 2½ hours prior to kick-off to enjoy the pre-match build up. With a capacity to hold 250 people and large flat screen’s streaming live Sky TV Premiership and Scottish matches, it’s perfect to get to the stadium ahead of the crowds and use as a meeting point for friends before the game. Team sheets will be announced by an in-house MC as soon as they are confirmed so any last-minute pre kick-off bets can be made by our betting partner Ladbrokes and there’s the chance to catch any pre-match First Team or Ex-player appearances or interviews. Drinks and food will be available to purchase and programme sellers will be on hand to make sure fans don’t miss the opportunity to catch all the pre-match facts for the game ahead. Fully licensed cash bar Open 2½ hours pre & 2 hours post-match Capacity to hold 250 people Music and live match streaming Food available to purchase First Team pre-match interviews/appearances Team sheet announcements by in-house MC Ladbrokes betting facility and announcement of latest odds Programme sellers pre and post-match Broxi Bear pre-match visits Kids are welcome when accompanied by an adult at all times and Broxi Bear will be making an appearance before kick-off for any young fans. Located in the Ibrox Suite, adjacent to the Rangers MegaStore access to the Ibrox Bar will only be granted when presenting a match ticket, season ticket or hospitality ticket. Open to all fans when presenting a match ticket, season ticket Smartcard or hospitality ticket and although closed at half-time, the Ibrox Bar will re-open post-match for up to 2 hours after the whistle has blown. For more information, click here. Opening Times: Saturday 28 September: Open 12.30pm - Rangers v Stenhousemuir KO 3pm http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/club-news/item/5139-the-ibrox-bar-official-opening

TO add to matchday experience, season holders and match ticket purchasers can now enjoy pre and post-match drinks in the Ibrox Bar, located in the Ibrox Suite, adjacent to the Rangers MegaStore. Opening 2½ hours prior to kick-off, it’s a great way to beat the crowds and meet friends for all the pre-match build up. With food and drinks available to purchase, large flat screen TV’s streaming live games and the chance to catch any pre-match First Team interviews and appearances, it’s the perfect way to enjoy your stadium visit and get the most from your ticket. Open to all fans when presenting a match ticket, season ticket Smartcard or hospitality ticket and although closed at half-time, the Ibrox Bar will re-open post match for up to 2 hours after the whistle has blown for those of you who aren’t in a rush to get home. Fully licensed cash bar Open 2½ hours pre & 2 hours post-match Capacity to hold 250 people Music and live match streaming Food available to purchase First Team pre-match interviews/appearances Team sheet announcements by in-house MC Ladbrokes betting facility and announcement of latest odds Programme sellers pre and post-match Broxi Bear pre-match visits Kids are welcome when accompanied by an adult at all times and with Broxi Bear popping in to visit before kick-off; it’s great for young fans to get the chance to get their photo taken. Opening Times: Saturday 28 September: Open 12.30pm - Rangers v Stenhousemuir KO 3pm http://www.rangers.co.uk/tickets/the-ibrox-bar

from 26 mins in http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03b2vty

Scotland manager Gordon Strachan has called up four players ahead of their World Cup qualification double header. Craig Bryson, Chris Burke, Kevin Thomson and Lee Wallace have been added to the squad after West Brom's James Morrison and Graham Dorrans withdrew. Strachan's side host Belgium on Friday before a trip to Macedonia the following Tuesday. Morrison withdrew with a groin problem while Dorrans's injury has not been disclosed. West Brom midfielder Morrison, who scored in Scotland's 3-2 defeat by England, suffered a groin injury in Sunday's defeat by Swansea. "He felt a pain in his groin just before half-time, the last couple of minutes in the first half," said Albion boss Steve Clarke. "The medical people will assess it but I would imagine he is doubtful for the Scotland trip." Scotland currently sit in fifth place in qualifying Group A with five points from seven games.

Charlotte Fakeovers ‏@CharlotteFakes 3 Sep Despite the 5 way agreement published earlier, the SPFL are considering transferring the 250k fine from oldco to newco. https://twitter.com/CharlotteFakes

Published on September 2nd, 2013 by Andy Muirhead With all eyes on Rangers football club currently, due to the continued ‘political’ infighting between shareholders and the fan base, public relations for the club is needed more than ever. However, even the PR company used by Rangers – Media House – has come under much criticism and increasing calls from Rangers supporters to be sacked due to comments attributed to Jack Irvine, executive chairman of Media House. Scotzine editor Andy Muirhead caught up with Jack Irvine, amid a busy schedule for the PR guru, to discuss his time at Rangers and those who are criticising him. AM: When did you start working with Rangers Football Club? JI: 2006. There had been huge sectarian issues and the football authorities were going to hammer Rangers. There was a danger the team would be playing in empty stadia and face crippling fines. We worked with the legal team to articulate the initiatives from Martin Bain’s management team to curb the sectarian excesses which in turn lessened the possible draconian punishments. AM: We heard from Sir David Murray that he was duped by Craig Whyte in purchasing Rangers from the former Rangers owner – from your point of view and of working with Craig Whyte would you agree with Murray’s statement? JI: Yes I do agree with Sir David. He was led to believe that Craig Whyte was worth in the region of £80million and he had no reason to doubt that. The Bank of Scotland and their boardroom representative saw no problem with Whyte as a buyer and, in fact, couldn’t get the club sold quickly enough. Craig Whyte appeared to be the answer to all of David Murray’s problems. AM: You represented Rangers under Craig Whyte’s tenure at the club which ended with it going into administration and subsequently liquidation – looking back what are your thoughts on your role and Media House’s role during that time? JI: It was a surreal time. I tried to explain to Craig Whyte that he couldn’t possibly run the club himself and I even introduced him to the former Newcastle United Chief Executive Freddie Fletcher who was also a former Rangers man. Freddie would have been magnificent but Craig decided he could do the job himself. Like many businessmen he was totally consumed by The Blue Mist the minute he walked into the boardroom. Media House’s role was what it had always been. Represent the club and its board and attempt to present the good side of the club to the media and public at large. Of course the bad started to outweigh the good very quickly and it was like pushing water uphill. AM: There has been allegations made that Media House and Rangers used friendly journalists to publish positive stories about Rangers and Craig Whyte in particular hiding the truth about the Motherwell businessman – what do you have to say about those allegations? JI: Of course we promoted positive stories – that’s what PR people do the world over. However it didn’t take long for my old newspaper colleagues – and more importantly certain influential bloggers – to find out the truth about Craig Whyte and tell the world. There is no way I could have covered that up or would even have tried to. The dam had burst. AM: Many Rangers fans are now seeing Media House and yourself as culpable in the demise of Rangers under Whyte and are against your continued involvement at the Ibrox club – claiming that you are not there to represent the club but elements on the board? What is your take on this – what is your role at Rangers? JI: That is utter nonsense. We can only work with the tools we are given. Craig Whyte ran the club into the ground although you would have to say he inherited a pretty leaky vessel. Our role at Rangers is crystal clear. We carry out the wishes of the board in an attempt to help the business survive and prosper. However much I sympathise with the agonies the fans are going through, and I speak as one of the original Bond holders, it is not they who instruct me. It is the board. It is naive to think otherwise. AM: A twitter account called Charlotte Fakes has been publishing emails and other correspondence involving you, Whyte, some journalists and Rangers officials – which seem to paint all parties in a bad light. What is your take on what this person is doing? JI: It is illegal. It is a breach of the Data Protection Act and the perpetrator faces serious consequences when he is caught. It is frightening some of the stuff that is going on nowadays on the web. I often wonder what it would have been like in the early 90s when there was the coup to unseat the Celtic board. How would social media have treated that? Would Fergus McCann with his bunnet and squint been given a chance to mount his brilliant strategy or would he have been slaughtered by the fans with laptops? AM: Rangers fans have claimed that the ‘dignified silence’ approach was perpetrated by the likes of Media House and that instead of keeping quiet, you should have gone in all guns blazing. Making demands, threatening legal action etc. What was your approach during Whyte’s reign when negative articles were published? JI: I seem to remember we banned the BBC and if you knew me at all you would know that I am not slow to tell editors and journalists when they are talking bollocks. Lawyers were regularly involved . Do I go out and announce this in the Copland Road to the fans? What do you think? I worked with or trained a lot of the current crop of journalists. I’m not going to publically traduce them although I will make an exception for some of the more stupid ones. AM: Whyte met with several Rangers supporters groups and bloggers who were very friendly to him and backed him to the hilt during his reign at the club – they have now turned on him as if he is the anti-Christ. What is your take on this u-turn by said prominent groups and bloggers? JI: I presume you have certain groups in mind. I can’t think who you are talking about but let’s be fair. The fans loved David Murray then grew to hate him. Ditto Craig Whyte, Ditto Charles Green. So it’s not only bloggers who changed their minds. The economist John Maynard Keynes is alleged to have said, “When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?” If that concept was good enough for him I hardly think we can criticise the bloggers. AM: Given the amount of flak, hassle and abuse you have taken – if you could do it all again would you still represent Rangers and Craig Whyte? JI: I have taken flak, hassle and abuse since May 1987 when I launched The Sun in Scotland. I thrive on it and the more I get the stronger it makes me. The answer to “Would you still represent Rangers” is obviously yes as I have just signed up for another season. I come from an East End Rangers family so I guess I’m stuck with it. Would I represent Craig Whyte? Not if I had known what I know now but it’s easy to be clever after the event as I keep reminding certain fans and journalists. Hindsight is a wonderful gift . AM: If you could stand in front of the Rangers fans today and talk to them what about the club and the way it is working and those wanting to take over – what would you say? JI: Give the board a chance. The Chief Executive has sunk a million of his own cash into the club. Fellow director James Easdale and his family have put in even more. Let’s all be mature. I know Frank Blin and Paul Murray are passionate about the club but to quote Mr Churchill: “To jaw jaw is always better than to war war.”

August 31, 2013 The Team We All Adore When all the dust has settled I expect the Easdales to be the power at Ibrox for a considerable time. My understanding is that the Easdales see themselves as being the proprietors of Rangers and are in it for the long haul. Sandy Easdale’s take-up of the remaining Charles Green shares is a big indicator of his intent to become Mr Rangers. Easdale is like a kid in the sweetie shop at Ibrox. He loves the club and has dreams of his boy running out in the Light Blue one day. This love of the Gers, something every bluenose will resonate with, will not cloud Sandy Easdale’s business judgement. He and his brother James have built up a bus and taxi empire nudging towards £100 million by being shrewd operators and ruthless cost-cutters. It is no secret that the Easdales are open to selling this business and this would allow them to concentrate on running Rangers. Sandy Easdale sees Rangers as a club with the potential to be on the same levels as top EPL teams and bigger than even the likes of Arsenal. It is this potential which brought investment from institutional investors at the IPO. Of course, there are those who are not happy at the Easdales’ involvement but that will have zero effect on their determination to turn the club into a formidable force once more. For those detractors, I have bad news and good news. The bad news is I understand that the Easdales want to make a lot of money from Rangers Football Club. The good news is they are in it for the long haul and will likely only cash out when Rangers is the big player in European football the Easdales plan the club to be. Whatever you think about it, the Easdales intend to be the future of Rangers Football Club. It’s a brave man who will stand in their way. What is needed at Ibrox is stability in the boardroom and at the club in general. Manager Ally McCoist doesn’t need the hassles generated by the civil war being waged at Ibrox. This is why I have backed the present regime. Craig Mather and the other directors need to be given time to prove their worth at the club. Now that Charles Green and Imran Ahmad are effectively out of the equation, those left must be given the opportunity to make their mark. It seems incredible that certain people are touting the involvement of three men who probably don’t have £2 worth of shares between them, while decrying people who are investing serious money to have shares in the club. That is the crazy world Rangers supporters are living in these days. It’s time we understood that backing the club means backing everything at the club. Including the directors. It’s a bit like being British. I have said some unkind things about Prime Minister David Cameron on this blog lately and I make no apologies. But I would oppose any attempt to oust him that was based on injustice and lies. And I would back Cameron to the hilt if he was making a genuine stand for British interests. I didn’t agree with everything Charles Green did. If you read my blogs quite some time ago I was both sceptical and critical while others were fawning over him and giving him honorary memberships in their fan groups. There comes a point where you just have to get behind your team and be an actual supporter, not a detractor. This doesn’t mean you must be sycophantic or ignore issues; it just means you learn to deal with things in a dignified manner. Like many other Rangers fans I lament the lack of unity in our support. It saddens me to say it but I think there are some people in our fanbase who thrive on discord and sedition. These people just don’t want unity. They do, however, want power and for other bears to be obedient to them. On this blog I have consistently said my loyalty is to Rangers. While Charles Green was there it was to the Green regime at Ibrox because that was who was running the club. Now that Green has left the building it is to the present regime. As I have said in this piece, I fully expect the future at Rangers to be the Easdales and they will have my backing. That might change and I might not like the way they do things. The point of it all is if you don’t like the present regime there are honourable ways to go about it and dishonourable ways. There are ways that don’t damage the club and ways that do. The present McColl takeover gambit is, for me, a destabilising and destructive move. Hence my opposition. As I keep saying, it should be Rangers first. We pride ourselves on tacking “Loyal” to ourselves as an identity. Time for Rangers fans to really be The Rangers Loyal. Not the Rangers Insurrection. One more thing. Let’s remember what it’s really all about. The eleven men on the park in the famous Royal Blue. ______________________________________________________________________

IT’S not easy being a Rangers fan at times like these. While Celtic spent yesterday with all eyes on Monte Carlo, my old club was trying to get excited about a League One visit from a team from Methil. The club has fallen so far from grace over the past couple of years it has been hard to make sense of it all. Much of it has been a blur, just one heartbreaking episode after the next. You reach the stage where you’ve taken so many kickings you’re just grateful still to be alive. But then you have a week like this one, when you see your old rivals qualifying for the Champions League and gearing up for trips to the Nou Camp, the San Siro and the Amsterdam ArenA. While Ally McCoist and his players are preparing for East Fife at home. As reality checks come, this one makes the eyes water. Since Wednesday night, I’ve been speaking to a few of the boys at Blackpool about it and they were asking me if I think Rangers will ever get back to that level. Or if the Champions League is gone for good. If too much harm and damage has been done for Rangers to ever recover their old status. Now – and I know I’ll be slaughtered for this – but I believe Rangers will be back in the Champions League. And they’ll be back within five years. Yes, I can see why that may seem ridiculous right now but I’m deadly serious. First thing’s first, we need the likes of Jim McColl and his men to take control of the finances and to clean up the mess in the boardroom. And, yes, I know that’ll be easier said than done. But with the right people in charge off the pitch, Rangers won’t need decades to close that gap. They might be in the third tier but as far as I’m concerned, with the new signings available, they’ve got the second strongest team in Scottish football. If they were in the top flight this season they’d finish runners-up. I’m sure of it. So they’ll rip their way through League One this year and it’ll be the same in the Championship. That means in less than two years’ time they’ll be back where they belong. And I honestly believe it’s being realistic to say they’ll be Scotland’s champions again inside of three years. And then these players will have the chance to enjoy what Celtic experienced on Wednesday night. And as someone who knows what I’m talking about, believe me when I say it really doesn’t get any better. I was genuinely pleased for Celtic’s players the other night. Aye OK, maybe that’s pushing it. But as a player I could understand exactly how much it meant to these guys to get through against Shakhter Karagandy. I know Neil Lennon wouldn’t have needed to give them a pre-match team talk. And it’s not just about the finances and the bonuses either. As players, you realise money just can’t buy nights like that. I remember how I felt when that Champions League music started up – it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It was an incredible feeling – totally different from a Saturday. It didn’t matter if it was Barcelona coming to Ibrox, I was so pumped up I truly believed I could go out there and take them. I see a lot of similarities in some of the current Celtic players. That atmosphere does the same thing to them. It’s hard to describe but there’s something electric about these kind of games. I remember driving up to the stadium on the bus and seeing the fans going mental on the streets outside. By the time you walked in through the front doors you felt eight foot tall. You realise the game is going to be televised all around the world. This is your chance to show everyone what you can do against the best. I’ll always remember playing against Lothar Matthaus and Bayern Munich in 1999 when I had just got into Dick Advocaat’s team. I was just a wee boy and had total respect for that guy but as soon as I crossed that line I wanted to destroy him. Anyway, I must have been a pain in the a*** because he poked me in the eye during the away game against them at the Olympic Stadium. I had been in about his ankles from the start and he probably thought, ‘Who’s this skinny little runt from Scotland, running about with the plooks on his chin? What have we got here?’ And I have to admit, I loved it. I knew right then I was giving him a game. Lothar Matthaus, one of the greatest players in the world, had just poked me in the eye. I couldn’t have been prouder. Now I’m older I look back and I see it from his point of view and I laugh at myself. I know what it’s like when you’re up against kids who are trying to fire in about you. But that’s the attitude you need. I turn into a different animal out there and that’s the way it has to be. The downside is that people get a perception of you from what they see on the pitch. And that sticks. I know people still look at me and think this guy’s a wee ned – all because I ran about with my face all screwed up, shouting and bawling. That used to bother me. But you get older and wiser and you learn to accept things. I look back now and say, ‘Look at him, he’s running around like a f****** idiot’. Then I realise it’s myself I’m watching. So I can’t blame others for thinking the same thing. It’s just the way I need to play in order to get the best out of myself. And if you can’t get the best out of yourself in the Champions League then you’ve no business being there. Another big European night that stands out was the qualifier against Copenhagen 10 years ago. I went into that one knowing it would be my last game for Rangers as I would be signing for Blackburn when we got back. And another 48 hours later I remember realising I had just made the biggest mistake of my life. That was a weird night. On the one hand we were celebrating with the fans, and on the other I knew deep down I was away. I remember thinking to myself at the time, ‘I’ve just left Rangers, what am I doing?’ And so now every time I watch a Champions League game it reminds me of that night. It sends a shiver up my spine when the music starts. It’s crazy what that tune does. And I know the Celtic boys would have been feeling the same way. Now they’ve got the group games to come and every one of them will be looking at where Victor Wanyama, right, and Gary Hooper ended up. These guys will be thinking they could be next to get a move to the EPL. That’s what the Champions League offers players, a big-money move. And it’s why Rangers must keep ploughing on through all the hard miles until they’re hearing that music for themselves. Trust me, it’ll be worth the journey.

Shite music, but check out this video of the Malmo fans and their so-called Ultras - [video=youtube;TCC7JcoE-lA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCC7JcoE-lA

Now before I start don't be laughing lol, just heard on the radio that Walter smith will be conducting his last ever interview on Clyde 1 fm, I thought great I'll be listening to that then the music started playing, Bon Jovi's hit never say goodbye' I started filling up, I'm an emotional wreck the best of times but fuck me that hit me like a train the guy has been a god send and an inspiration and turned our club round and like all bears this guy deserves a knighthood, these players stood tall and gave their all in times of need and sent Walter on his way with a championship medal in his final match and that alone is remarkable these players should be proud of themselves and everyone associated with rangers football club. Thanks for the memories Walter