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When Kevin Thomson acrimoniously departed Hibs last January many expected his close pal to follow him along the M8 from Easter Road to Ibrox. During the following summer Scot Brown did indeed follow Thomson along the M8, but instead ended up at Celtic Park. The media took great delight in ridiculing Rangers as being the new owners of the biscuit tin as we were seen as being unable to compete with Cetlic's package to take the young Scottish international to Parkhead. Were Rangers unwilling or unable to match the �£4.5 million pound fee plus �£25k per week in wages? The two midifelders complimented each other well in an exciting Hibs team which regularly chalked up victories against both half of the Old Firm, stimulating the bidding war to take the two youngs stars to Glasgow. Brown took many of the plaudits from those who are not quite as appreciative of the nuances of effective midfield play as his all action combative style and marauding runs were more easily noticed. Keener students of the game tried to educate that Thomson was the better of the pair, with a more cultured game. Rangers won round one as Walter convinced Thomson to become one of his first signings as he rang the changes in Govan following the disastrous Le Guen experiment. Round two was given as a resounding victory to Celtic. Many in the media felt it was a knockout blow in the summer transfer duels. Brown was hailed as a "blue chip" signing along with other players such as Donati the former AC Milan player. So Thomson has had an extra half season to settle on the West coast. The Scottish press, and indeed some fans, were underwhelmed by his early contributions. A waste of �£2 million was the consensus. However towards the end of the season and most notably in the 2-0 Old Firm victory Thomson showed promise as Rangers dominated the mdifield contest. His ex partner in the youthful Hibs midfield then made to many the suprising choice of joining the green half of the city. Celtic fans and many journalists revelled in the bloody nose Celtic had dealt Rangers in securing his services. As Thomson said "It's Scot's decision, he'll have to live with it". Prophetic words as Thomson turned in a man-of-the-match performance scoring the only goal of the game after an incisive run and one-two with Darcheville put Rangers on course for victory at Ibrox on Saturday. Whilst in the early part of the season Brown's uninspiring performances had him bizarrely singled out as the best midfielder plying his trade in the SPL, murmurings of discontent about Thomson continued from the stands and on the back pages. It was only really once Thomson was kept out of the side through injury that those with an active interest in Scottish football and particularly Rangers fans appreciated what he brought to the team. Tenacity, aggression, tough tackling and a great engine. Our midfield looks a lot stronger with the young Scot in it. Conversely as the season drags on, the tide of opinion has turned on Scot Brown. A waste of �£4.5 million according to the disgruntled Celtic fans who watched in agony as he wasted several good chances as they succumbed to another crushing defeat to Smith's Rangers. Again failing to find the net. Yesterdays game could prove pivotal in the two player's Old Firm careers. As Thomson goes from strength to strength, Brown increasingly comes udner fire from those of the green and grey persuasion. As Thomson continues to grow into a true Rangers midfielder the fans demand more and more. And Thomson delivers. He has begun to step out of his captain's shadow. Fans now suggest he should be getting forward and providing some kind of goal threat. And what better time for a Rangers player to bag his first goal for the club than against Celtic. How he has yet to join his more illustrious team mate and club and national captain in the Scotland set up is beyond this fan. Before those from the east end cry bias at this peice let me be frank. Brown undoubtedly has the talent to be a top class midfielder. Not many Rangers fans can honestly say they did not want him at Ibrox. However the focus of this peice is to honestly assess the contributions of the two players many thought joined at the hip. Thomson did not move solely for the cash. He came to Ibrox to play beside and learn from the best Scottish player of the last decade, and maybe more, and under the guidance of possiblhy the most dominate coach in Glasgow. In an era in which Celtic have prided themsleves on the fine business conducted both on and off the field, you have to ask yourself how they allowed themselves to pay an inflated fee for Scot Brown when his more effective former team mate was signed for less than half the price and most likely wages. Ask yourself, would you be happier with Kevin Thomson at �£2million pounds or Scott Brown at �£4.5 million and �£25k a week. Yet again the wily Walter Smith appears to have gotten the upper hand on Celtic. And whilst it has taken most of the media the best part of 7 or 8 months to realise this, it is unlikely Smith was ever in any doubt about who was the more prodigious talent. Hopefully Thomson's first goal for the club in this powderkeg fixture will see his somewhat meteoric rise continue and identify himself as potential successor to the current Rangers captain. A role that many fans worried would be impossible to replace when Rangers number 6 hangs up his boots. Edit: Touched up the typos and a few errors to save Frankie a job before he posts it. Hope there's none left.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs7z_n5Vejo

Fuck me , am nervous :fish: The build up to this game has started since early this week, everyone has been more intrested in this game than the Scotland international My stomach is in knots right now Playing football later, that will take my mind of it for a wee while. Actually makes me more determined to do better, get a harder challenge in when an Old Firm game is going to happen. After it it's going to be murder until tomorow at 12.30 COME ON THE GERS

Saturday will be my fourth Old Firm game that i will be attending My first one was a few seasons ago at Parkhead when we drew 0-0, Burke missed an open goal from 6 yards out Second one was last season was when Mr Hemdani scored on the last minute to get us a draw Third was this season when we pumped them 3-0, what a day that was So i am un beaten in Old Firm games, hopefully this will stay the same even if it is a draw we manage on saturday My Fifth will be at Parkhead in a few weeks

Guess who is in the studio for that game Big Dado, will be getting someone to tape the game so i can watch his reaction when i come home from the game. I can just imagine him having a big massive smile on his face

As the title says, lets have a wee sing song before the match FUCK ALL, YOUR GONNA WIN FUCK ALL

Is anyone else finding it distasteful and bordering on cheating, the way Celtic are acting over the possibility of a league extension? I hear they are planning a tour of Japan straight after the end of the season to force the SPL not to allow the proposed extension. It is obvious that if Rangers have a worst case scenario of fixtures then this could benefit Celtic if it affects Rangers' performances in the league. Now, it's not just the unsporting nature of their attitude which sticks in my craw, it is the fact that Rangers had the decorum to agree to postpone a game against them which they requested for very tenuous emotional reasons. Now this to me is akin to Rangers stopping an attack to kick the ball out of play in an Old Firm game while a Celtic player over acts on the ground after a very mild knock - then Celtic use the throw in to create an attack on Rangers' goal. Any sense of integrity and fair play at Celtic park should at least result in their support of a one game extension in the league to play the game that they postponed. However, I just can't see any integrity coming from Snake Mountain...

have any bets on at work with any thims on the old firm game? ive got a fiver a goal bet with one which paid off rather handsomely the last time and have 30 quid on the league with the same guy. he also bet me a tenner that lyon would cuff Rangers in france and gave me the benefit of the draw and a goal start! just wondered if anyone else had anything on the go.

Just posted this up on a football forum i am part of, thought i would share this with you lot as well First of all i think this is shocking that there is a game getting played tonight, fair enough it will be Burley's first game but there is an Old Firm game this Saturday which is of great importance. Five regular Rangers players are not in the squad, four of them pulled out Ferguson ( Scotland Captain ), McGregor, Dailly and McCulloch. David Weir was left out the team by Burley to give him a rest due to his age and how many games he has played for Rangers this season. One Celtic player has pulled out which is Barry Robson. Another two call offs have been the magician McFadden and the back up player of Stephen Pearson. This leaves Scotland short of 7 players. I think it's good to see that the Rangers players have been told to pull out , as i am a Rangers fan, i don't wan't any the players running the risk of injury to such an important game coming up. Only Rangers player left in the team is Kris Boyd. Celtic have 4 players in the team, which are Mcmanus ( who will be captain tonight ), Hartley, Brown and Caldwell. Lets say Brown and McManus get injured tonight, Celtic fans will go into meltdown that they were playing. This game should never have been arranged, especially when the SFA knew there was an Old Firm game happening the following Saturday. They could of had one of the meet up things they normally have at their training camp, SFA got this one totally wrong. Anyway enough of that, another farse has been the tickets for this game. Go on have a guess how much a friendly will be to watch Scotland ................................................................�£25 for a friendly, its a joke, last week i went to Hampden for the League Cup Final, that cost me �£24, �£24 for a cup final, �£25 for a meaning less friendly, makes no sense at all. Why doesn't the SFA reward the loyal Scotland fans that followed them in the Euro qualification, Hampden was full every game. Reports are saying that Hampden will be only at the most half full, what would Burley rather see on his first game in charge, Scotland flgs flying around the whole stadium, or red and blue empty seats. Obviously he would rather see the stadium full with flags everywhere, Scotland fans singing , SFA have got this one totally wrong again with the pricing of tickets. Will be a proud moment for Burley tonight, but seeing the stadium half full, lets all agree, it's not a pretty sight. Yes i still bought a ticket for tonights game, was stupid enough but thankfully i have managed to get rid of it. For one costing me �£25 , plus to get me to/ back from the game and something to eat etc etc, looking at least me spending �£40 for a friendly. For me that is alot of money, especially with alot of important Rangers games coming up i will give this one a miss and watch it on the tv. Also only 1 Rangers player in the team, will be paying to watch Celtic really with a few Premiership players I got �£20 for it which was good a suppose Anyway with all that done with , looking forward to the game. Will be intresting to see what lineup/formation George Burley plays in his first game in charge for Scotland. I would like to see him go 4-4-2. In goals will be the 9 million man of Craig Gordon. I haven't seen much of him at Sunderland this season, as much as i seen him at Hearts. Apparantly he has had a few dodgy games, he hasn't done anything wrong for Scotland though. Allan McGregor the Rangers goalkeeper has been having a magnificant season, was pushing Gordon all the way for tonights game to be in between the sticks, but thankfully for Gordon, McGregor has pulled out the squad. At right back will be another 9 million man ( Scotland has got some great talent ) of Allan Hutton. He has only broke into the Scotland team this season, ut has rightly made that positiong his own, he will probably have that position for his own for the next 10 years. I haven't seen him play much since he left Rangers to join Tottenham, but he must be alright down south if Tottenham are winning , especially winning cups. We definetly know that McManus will be playing at centre back, he will be captain tonight due to Barry Ferguson's absence. McManus is also the Celtic captain and will take huge pride by leading Scotland out tonight. Yes he is a Celtic player but i think he is a good player and a decent proffesional. The question is though who will partner him at the heart of defence. Christophe Berra the Hearts captain has been called up and could be giving his first cap, while the Sunderland centre back Russell Anderson has been called up as well. Or will Burley play Gary Caldwell, both McManus and Caldwell play at theback together for Celtic, but they can be a liabilty at times. I would throw in Christophe Berra to see how he gets on. George Burley has called upon somebody to make the left back position their own, as we don't have alot of good left backs. The man who has been doing the job for us is Gary Naysmith, he has done a good enough job but we need someone better. James McEveley might fill in at left back tonight, played a few times for Scotland, maybe he could be the player who can hold down that position on his own. Midfield looks fairly simple to pick from since the amount of call offs we have had, with Darren Fletcher being called up after re covering from injury and Gavin Rae the ex Rangers and Dundee midfielder now playing at Cardiff has also been called up. Although Gavin probably won't play, he will probably be starting on the bench. I think the midfield will be made up of Celtic duo Hartley and Brown, along with Darren Fletcher, with probably Gary Teale ( hope not ) or Shaun Maloney Up front will be intresting. Kris Boyd the only Rangers player in the team is a favourite to start up front. Kenny Miller the Derby striker might play up front along side him. Although all the talk has been about Steven Fletcher getting his first call up. The Hibs youngster has been impressing everyone this season, there has also been talk about Real Madrid wanting him. Would be great to see him start up front tonight to see how he would get on in the big stage. So i think the team will look something like this ____________Gordon_____________ Hutton___McManus___Berra___McEveley Brown___Hartley____Fletcher__Maloney __________Boyd____Fletcher______ Although i can see Caldwell playing instead of Berra and Miller ahead of Fletcher I can see Scotland getting beat tonight of a quality team in Croatia, will be good if we got a draw and great if we managed to get a win. Don't see it happening though with many important players missing 3-1 Croatia i think

http://www.rangerssupporterstrust.co.uk/rstsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=185&Itemid=1 Without wishing to trigger a sense of deja vu amongst the Fanzone's loyal devotees, Rangers won at the weekend without playing particularly well. I really do wish I had a pound for every time I'd said that this season. On the positive side, Thomson and Papac were outstanding, and Thomson's return to form could prove very useful with Dailly picking up an injury. Kudos to the Chairman for an excellent gesture by cutting juvenile season tickets (and the freeze on adult tickets was welcome too.) Scottish football as a whole doesn't do enough to attract the next generation, so credit where it is due to Murray for leading the way. Can't say I was quite so impressed with the gesture to buy the away tickets for Lisbon. The cynic inside me says that has been paid for and more by the over-the-top price rise for the home game. Still, overall, a decent week on and off the park. So, the small matter of the Old Firm game. While it would take a braver man than I to predict the outcome, I'm happy enough with our place and form going into this game. And after last season, that'll do for now! And, who knows, we may even be talking about the football after the match rather than the ref/fans/goalkeeper antics! How great would THAT be? David Edgar

Was talking to a workmate today regarding the growing excitement and expectation as we are now well into Old Firm week. Now, my new workmate is a lot younger than myself and said that since the final whistle on Saturday, she has thought of nothing else other than the impending visit from the hooped horrors. I must admit that I feel envious of my workmate, as it appears that I have lost that buzzing feeling (no sick jokes please!). Donââ?¬â?¢t get me wrong, come Saturday my stomach will be like a washing machine on a full cycle and Iââ?¬â?¢ll bite my finger nails to the quick (no matter how the game is going). However, I can remember the days where I would be feeling like my workmate is. I would be laying bricks all week, thinking of little else that the game. I would be plotting out in my head the way I thought that the game would go. If we lost, Iââ?¬â?¢d be like a Bear with a sore head ââ?¬â?? I wouldnââ?¬â?¢t speak to anyone for days. Donââ?¬â?¢t get me wrong, Iââ?¬â?¢ll still be raging if we lose on Saturday. But, I wonââ?¬â?¢t be as bad as I used to be. I am sitting here trying to remember that last time I got the buzz ââ?¬â?? the Bremen game at Ibrox springs to mind ââ?¬â?? as does the CL games this season, especially the Barca games. I very rarely get the buzz now for domestic games and I donââ?¬â?¢t know why? Maybe itââ?¬â?¢s my age? Maybe Iââ?¬â?¢ve been going to see the Rangers for too long now? Maybe I take Rangers and the whole experience of follow following for granted? I hope it is not the later as I realise that I am one of the lucky ones. I an lucky that I can get to Ibrox every other Saturday and that I am able to attend away games, European ties etc. It is something that I try not to get blasÃ?© about as I understand that I am privileged and try to remind myself of this every time I set out to see The Rangers. Maybe Iââ?¬â?¢ll never get the same buzz back (it reappears on occasions like Helicopter Sunday ââ?¬â?? I just knew something special was going to happen that day ââ?¬â?? like Big Marv, I kept believing) but I hope that it does return as listening to my work colleague today, I bloody miss that buzz. Cammy F

Calm Before The Storm So in Rangers terms, we have a quiet week ahead. After a hard fought victory over Hibernian, we have a weeks break (thanks to a meaningless and badly timed international friendly) before setting our sights on the small matter of the 2nd Old Firm game of the season. Once again, we did just enough to secure the three points against Hibs on Saturday and whilst the performance wasnââ?¬â?¢t entirely convincing, we are at the stage of the season where results are far more important than performances. JCD started the ball rolling with a fantastic finish from a tight angle (what a pass from Papac) and then Nacho Novo came off the bench to secure the points with a well taken goal of his own. As I said above, next up is our second encounter of the season with the hooped horrors from the East End. It should be the third and penultimate Old Firm game of the season, but we now face the prospect of three Old Firm games in quick succession and the league title is the only avenue now open to our bitter rivals as a source of silverware (no laughing at the back). We are still in pole position in the race for the SPL leading by 3 points and having a game in hand. The timing of our next league games may go a long way to deciding the destiny of the league title, so a victory on Saturday takes extra significance. As we showed in the previous encounter at Ibrox, we have the squad and the mentality to defeat the hooped horrors and go into the game with confidence and expectancy. Walter Smithââ?¬â?¢s team selection will also be crucial as I firmly believe that if we attack Celtc from the start, take our chances and nullify them we will emerge victorious. Given that, I would start with the 11 below and will try to explain my thinking in their selection : Alan McGregor ââ?¬â?? A no-brainer ââ?¬â?? Scotland and Rangers best keeper at the moment. Kirk Broadfoot ââ?¬â?? has silenced his critics with some very decent and consistent performances. David Weir ââ?¬â?? All the experience in the world and appears to have put a shaky spell behind him. Carlos Cuellar ââ?¬â?? Simply outstanding ââ?¬â?? Player of the year by a country mile. Sasa Papac ââ?¬â?? Unspectacular, but very consistent in a position that is not his own Christian Dailly ââ?¬â?? A perfect guard for the back four and has plenty of experience. Also a threat from set-pieces. Stevie Davis ââ?¬â?? Been a great loan signing and will be busting a gut to be unleashed against the HHââ?¬â?¢s. Barry Ferguson ââ?¬â?? on his day the best player in Scotland by a country mile. Need his leadership qualities, drive and determination to shine on Saturday. Nacho Novo ââ?¬â?? His pace, trickery and directness will trouble Celtcs back line ââ?¬â?? has a fantastic knack of scoring in Old Firm games. JCD ââ?¬â?? Again, his pace and power will upset the Celtc defence and he knows where the goals are Now, the wide left position is the hardest to chose. In my opinion we have three options and all three have their own merits for starting the game : Lee McCulloch ââ?¬â?? his strength and power will upset their back line ââ?¬â?? dangerous from set-pieces and gives 110% Charlie Adam ââ?¬â?? not everyoneââ?¬â?¢s cup of tea, but undoubtedly our best deliverer of set-pieces. An area that can win you Old Firm games Stevie Naismyth ââ?¬â?? Pace and trickery would unsettle their defence So there you have it, but no matter what team WS picks (I can see him going along the same lines as the Bremen game at Ibrox where heââ?¬â?¢ll pick an 11 not to get beaten first and foremost), we as fans must get right behind them from the first minute to the last. As a wee prologue, here is a video of the day we turned Parkhead into a sea of Red, White & Blue - The Big Announcement Was out in Glasgow after the Hibs game on Saturday and was inundated with texts telling me that there was a ââ?¬Ë?huge announcementââ?¬â?¢ imminent from Ibrox. I then starting ââ?¬Ë?serial textingââ?¬â?¢ a few folks (sorry Del!!!!) asking if they knew anything about this announcement. As the night progressed, it appeared that this announcement had captured the imagination of the assembled Glaswegians as it the topic of conversation in most drinking establishments that we visited. I have to say that some were more interested that others though! Well, imagine my disappointment when I awoke (rather hung over I may add) to a text on Sunday morning from Rangers telling me that my season ticket would not be increased next season and that Rangers were giving away free tickets to the Sporting away leg. Now, donââ?¬â?¢t get me wrong, both are significant gestures by the club (I just hope that the hardy lot that follow follow Rangers all over Europe get first dibs at the Sporting tickets ââ?¬â?? I am not sure this will happen as 2 guys from our RSC who have 8 points with the TC were refused tickets for Bremen but guys with two points were successful.). The most significant part of the season ticket announcement is the decrease in prices for children. This is a wonderful gesture by the club as the children that go to games now (for as little as Ã?£7 per game as of next season) are the future of the club. For once, Rangers have actually gotten this correct. Anyway, I actually believed for one drunken moment that I would wake up on Sunday morning to the announcement that SDM had sold Rangers to someone who actually cares about us and who would invest in the club with a long-term goal. It was a brief and fleeting moment, but nice whilst it lasted. At least it wasnââ?¬â?¢t more ââ?¬Ë?moonbeamsââ?¬â?¢Ã¢â?¬Â¦.. The Dublin Loyal For every decision that our board gets right, they get another 10 wrong. One such example was the banning of the Dublin Loyal banner from Ibrox. I have just reading on another forum that the Dublin Loyal met with the club today regarding the atrocious decision to ban their banner. Sadly, but predictably, Rangers are standing by their initial decision to ban this banner. However, the guys from The Dublin Loyal have stated that the campaign to have this ridiculous ban overturned will continue and will distribute leaflets at the game on Saturday. I have said this for over 5 years, I really despair at the idiots that are currently running our club ââ?¬â?? as Frankie and the RST state, it is time we, the fans get representation on the board to ensure decisions like the above are rectified in a quick and efficient manner. Come on Rangers, overturn this decision now. Cammy F ââ?¬â?? Support The Dublin Loyal - We Are The Peopleââ?¬Â¦.

It's so embarrassing seeing all our players pull out of the squad yet none of the Celtic players have pulled out ??? I can see both sides of the argument here; fresh for the Old Firm match this weekend and we are still in Europe unlike Celtic meaning we will have more games to play than them now. However, should the Scotland match have been arranged so close to an Old Firm match ?? It's also a shame that playing for your country doesn't seem to matter any more.

Funny the stand from Peter Lawwell,when the cancellation of the New year OF fixture was his doing. They are shaking in their boots. We are the people!!!

Isn't it about time the SPL shook itself up. Is is any wonder why we lose all the best players to the Premiership, I mean the thought of possibly playing teams 6 times a season (4 league and 2 cups) is ridiculous. Even Old firm games now, apart from this season with the fixture chaos are becoming a bit tedious. Another thing might be to have the pre-season break in Winter and play through the summer instead. How are the Old Firm meant to mount a serious challenge in the Champions League when we have a backlog of fixtures due to winter postponements ? Another thing that's annoying me, Gretna !! Why move up the leagues so fast when they weren't ready ??

Was wondering if anyone had a spare for the match against the mighty unwashed next week? My season tickets in the Broomie and I can't get one. I know its unlikely but its worth a try

Saturday, 22 March 2008 -------------------------------Time------TV Dundee United v Motherwell-----12:30----*** Aberdeen v St Mirren------------15:00 Hearts v Falkirk-----------------15:00 Kilmarnock v Inverness CT-------15:00 Rangers v Hibernian-------------15:00 Sunday, 23 March 2008 --------------------------------Time-----TV Gretna v Celtic-----------------14.00-----*** The great thing for Motherwell this week is they don't have to play at fir park, which gives them a bit more certainty that the game will go ahead. This game can probably be classed as the best of the rest as Dundee utd, Motherwell and Hibs fight it out for the third position. Motherwell haven't really hit the same heights as they did before the turn of the year and the tragic loss of Phil o"Donnel. Dundee Utd played brilliantly in the CIS cup final against Rangers last week and were only minutes away from winning before a lethal mistake from Mark Kerr threw Rangers a lifeline with United losing out on a penalty shoot-out. If United play anything like last week they should make the best of their home advantage. United win. Aberdeen have been on a free-fall the last few weeks and will be struggling to get in on a top six place.From what seemed to a good season for them suddenly went pear shaped. Knocking Celtic out of the Scottish cup could offer them a platform to bounce back. St Mirren have given some gutsy performances this season but with the reduction of points from Gretna their season is as good as finished. nothing to lose and nothing to gain. Aberdeen still have things to play for and should be more hungry. Aberdeen win. Hearts v Falkirk is the topper in the fight for the last place in the top six. Falkirk are holding all the aces at the moment but there are only three points between them ,Hearts and Aberdeen and who would not expect Hearts to make a final sprint. I expect Hearts to win this one but Falkirk will stay top on goal difference, although that will also be minimal. Hearts win. Kilmarnock v Inverness CT has again lost any real interest with the demise of Gretna and Killie have only really pride to play for. Caley could still fight to top the bottom six but in reallity these two teams can start to look to putting things in place for next season. I can see this ending in a draw. Draw. Rangers v Hibernian is surely the top game this weekend and why setanta have chosen to show Gretna v Celtic beats me. Surely a case of pure inflexibility in programming. This is one of the most important games we will get in the run in to the title. As i believe that the old firm will roughly share the points in the head to heads the games against the sub-top teams will become more important.Barry Ferguson will return from injury putting off an operation on his ankle to the summer months. Whether you like him or not he certainly has a great Rangers heart. I will surprise everybody and say i am glad he is back as i don't think this is the game to experiment. Hibs beat us last time round at Ibrox but we have stepped up a notch since then and we will hopefully return to form for this one. I can't go against Rangers as it is a must win game for us. Rangers win. Gretna v Celtic. can't really say much about this game as i think it is a non-event and only good for celtic to take advantage and build up their goal difference but we live in hope. Celtic win.

Finally the date for the Old Firm game at Parkhead is decided, it will take place on the 16th of April. http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,5~1270812,00.html

On this afternoon at New Broofield. We're 4-1 down at halftime. Was thinkingof hweading along, glad I didn't

Its time the SFA, SFL and SPL got together along with a number of ex players and current managers and worked out what to do about the joke that is Scottish Football. The backward trend that has been going on for the last 15 years has to stop now. I dont think its a coincidence that the a 4th league was introduced in the country around this time and in that time period new clubs such as Inverness, Ross County, Livingston, Peterhead, Elgin and Gretna have all entered the professional game. Dont get me wrong there was always a good shout for a highland team and Inverness have not been bad for the game but Im not so sure Ross County and Elgin are justified and could have been part of the original Highland merger. But the fact of the matter is there are too many teams and divisions in a small country meaning games have attendances that you see at Shinty matches. The Gretna scenario has to be the wake up call for all 3 football bodies in the country to sort something out. Its time tradition was put out the window and clubs were made to merge. If it means upsetting a few hundred fans from each small team then so be it for the state of the game. Soon enough the traditionalists would miss football and be bite the bullet and want to see football again at some grounds and if it means they change the team they follow then thats not a bad thing as they would still be turning up a a game somewhere. It may take a generation or so to get used to mergers but in the long run this would be benefical. After all we have been going backwards for 1 generation already, so whats 1 more when its for the good of the game and the trend would be on the up rather than decline. There is no over night solution for the game anyway. You could name a few ways to improve the structure but a maximum of 3 leagues is the way. Personally id like to see 2 top divisions with the lower regional leagues being brought back and then play offs at the end of it between the top teams from each region. A trip from Montrose to Stranraer on a Wednesday night has absolutely no point to it at all and I cant work out where the travelling club would profit from this. The stadium issue also has to be addressed following the state of Fir Park lately. Clubs must submit all details of stadia well in advance to make sure only severe weather conditions can force games off. Obviously tragic circumstances such as the Phil O Donnell situation this year are exceptions. One of aspect to improve the game is either having summer football or a winter break. During the winter break all clubs would have to re-lay there pitch. But Id be a fan of moving to summer football. There is no doubt in my mind having midweek games on a summer night would bring much more fans out than to midweek nights on a cold December. The Christmas period also means fans have to dip into there pockets more and some just have to give up going to the footy on the odd week. On the bright side of the Scottish game at the moment is the Old Firm seem to be improving when playing in Europe. Both sides have held there own against supposed bigger teams in the last few seasons. Not only that the national team are improving and we're very unlucky not to qualify against the 2 World Cup finalists. So the product is there in the country, we just need to tighten it up and run things better. We have a number of superb footballing brains from our country - that is shown with the amount of success stories down south from Alex Ferguson, Davie Moyes, Kenny Dalglish and all the way back to greats such as Shankley and Busby. Its just a shame they are cancelled out by a group of men who seem inept of doing there job with a hint of common sense in there system and just seem happy sitting a nice desk at Hampden during the week. One final point is the media in the country dont help on occasion. They continue to fault and criticise and show bitterness to certain clubs in Europe rather than rally behind them when these clubs are flying the nations flag. But these journo's are easy to ignore and are certainly not worrying about. The way they act is more a social problem than a footballing one. But the game needs someone to stand up and drive the ideas forward so we are not having a top flight football team going bust during a season making us a laughing stock.

Its time the SFA, SFL and SPL got together along with a number of ex players and current managers and worked out what to do about the joke that is Scottish Football. The backward trend that has been going on for the last 15 years has to stop now. I dont think its a coincidence that the a 4th league was introduced in the country around this time and in that time period new clubs such as Inverness, Ross County, Livingston, Peterhead, Elgin and Gretna have all entered the professional game. Dont get me wrong there was always a good shout for a highland team and Inverness have not been bad for the game but Im not so sure Ross County and Elgin are justified and could have been part of the original Highland merger. But the fact of the matter is there are too many teams and divisions in a small country meaning games have attendances that you see at Shinty matches. The Gretna scenario has to be the wake up call for all 3 football bodies in the country to sort something out. Its time tradition was put out the window and clubs were made to merge. If it means upsetting a few hundred fans from each small team then so be it for the state of the game. Soon enough the traditionalists would miss football and be bite the bullet and want to see football again at some grounds and if it means they change the team they follow then thats not a bad thing as they would still be turning up a a game somewhere. It may take a generation or so to get used to mergers but in the long run this would be benefical. After all we have been going backwards for 1 generation already, so whats 1 more when its for the good of the game and the trend would be on the up rather than decline. There is no over night solution for the game anyway. You could name a few ways to improve the structure but a maximum of 3 leagues is the way. Personally id like to see 2 top divisions with the lower regional leagues being brought back and then play offs at the end of it between the top teams from each region. A trip from Montrose to Stranraer on a Wednesday night has absolutely no point to it at all and I cant work out where the travelling club would profit from this. The stadium issue also has to be addressed following the state of Fir Park lately. Clubs must submit all details of stadia well in advance to make sure only severe weather conditions can force games off. Obviously tragic circumstances such as the Phil O Donnell situation this year are exceptions. One of aspect to improve the game is either having summer football or a winter break. During the winter break all clubs would have to re-lay there pitch. But Id be a fan of moving to summer football. There is no doubt in my mind having midweek games on a summer night would bring much more fans out than to midweek nights on a cold December. The Christmas period also means fans have to dip into there pockets more and some just have to give up going to the footy on the odd week. On the bright side of the Scottish game at the moment is the Old Firm seem to be improving when playing in Europe. Both sides have held there own against supposed bigger teams in the last few seasons. Not only that the national team are improving and we're very unlucky not to qualify against the 2 World Cup finalists. So the product is there in the country, we just need to tighten it up and run things better. We have a number of superb footballing brains from our country - that is shown with the amount of success stories down south from Alex Ferguson, Davie Moyes, Kenny Dalglish and all the way back to greats such as Shankley and Busby. Its just a shame they are cancelled out by a group of men who seem inept of doing there job with a hint of common sense in there system and just seem happy sitting a nice desk at Hampden during the week. One final point is the media in the country dont help on occasion. They continue to fault and criticise and show bitterness to certain clubs in Europe rather than rally behind them when these clubs are flying the nations flag. But these journo's are easy to ignore and are certainly not worrying about. The way they act is more a social problem than a footballing one. But the game needs someone to stand up and drive the ideas forward so we are not having a top flight football team going bust during a season making us a laughing stock.

....do something historic this season?? Firstly, credit has to go to Walter Smith, Ally McCoist and the baldy one (KM) for what they have done to Rangers in the last 14 months. They have turned arguably the worst Rangers team in 20 years round into the frontmen in Scotland again and pushed us into the last 8 of europe. Yes it has not been pretty in certain games but recently the moaning has stopped about performances due to the progression the team in making in the competitons we are in. Thats what it is all about from March onwards - winning football matches. We are coming into the business end of the season with finishing lines in sight and still in a wonderful position. Our Green friends from the other side of Glasgow along with a few of the so called "balanced 4th estate" must really be beginning to panic with what we could achieve this season. However there is still a lot of football to be played and as good as getting to the last 8 of the UEFA cup feels we have to come back down to earth as we have not won anything yet. We still have 3 old firm derbies to play which will no doubt decide if the league flag comes back to home to Ibrox. We are in pole position for these games with the next meeting to be played at Ibrox. We also currently have advantage of 3 point lead with 1 game in hand, thus depending on the farcical situation of Gretna. All attentions can be turned to the league cup final on Sunday where we need the lads to produce yet another solid defensive display and do enough in Dundee Utd's half to take the first trophy home. The Scottish cup will come around again and with all due respect to Partick Thistle we should be looking forward to facing either St Johnstone or St Mirren for another date at Hampden. That leaves the UEFA cup. We fear no team in the here. Bayern are the favourties but we'll see what the draw brings us. One game at a time is what is required at the moment and who knows what we will be celebrating in 2 months time. :cheers:

Wouldnae mind seeing Celtic winning this one. A wee Old Firm Scottish Cup final to round off the season would do me nicely!

DANIEL COUSIN has been ruled out of action for six weeks as he needs an operation on a broken jaw sustained against Werder Bremen. The Gabon striker had to come off 15 minutes from the end of Thursday's wonderful 2-0 win over the German side with the injury. Having scored the first goal and been involved in the second, Cousin had played a key part in a victory which leaves Gers just 90 minutes from the last eight of the UEFA Cup. But now he will miss the second leg at the Weserstadion next week, as well as the home Old Firm meeting with Celtic on March 29. The injury is a significant fracture and Cousin, who played so well against Bremen defenders Naldo and Per Mertesacker, will undergo surgery in the coming days. When at the game i thought the big man was just desperate to get off, obviously i was wrong. Bad time to lose him, hes just coming back to form and with Darchey injury prone it doesn't help losing him!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/7284560.stm Been a while since this was mentioned. It'll never happen