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  1. 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
  2. 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!!!
  3. 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 ??
  4. 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.
  5. 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
  6. 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.
  7. On this afternoon at New Broofield. We're 4-1 down at halftime. Was thinkingof hweading along, glad I didn't
  8. 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.
  9. Wouldnae mind seeing Celtic winning this one. A wee Old Firm Scottish Cup final to round off the season would do me nicely!
  10. 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!
  11. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/7284560.stm Been a while since this was mentioned. It'll never happen
  12. Happy birthday, gaffer! Exclusive by Lindsay Herron WALTER SMITH should probably be cautious when he goes into the dressing room on Sunday ahead of the Gretna game - if he has learned anything in nearly 30 years of dealing with Ally McCoist. Walter is 60 on Sunday and there is bound to some form of high jinks with people like McCoist and partner in crime Ian Durrant about! Ally McCoist, Walter Smith and Kenny McDowallThe two of them were the kings of the Rangers dressing room in Smith's first period in charge and when he was assistant to Graeme Souness. Now they are his valued lieutenants in his second term as boss and deadly serious about their business. However, few people can lighten up a room like McCoist or Durrant and there are bound to be a few laughs before the day is through. McCoist said: "We have to wish him a happy birthday although I think there is many a time he didn't think he would make it! "It's a great birthday and behalf of the staff and all of the players we hope it's a happy one. "Knowing the Gaffer as I do, the best thing to make him happy would be a win against Gretna!" The relationship between Smith and McCoist stretches back further than the trophy-laden years they spent together at Ibrox in the 1980s and 1990s and their more recent jobs with Scotland and Ally McCoist and Walter SmithRangers. McCoist revealed that Smith had the misfortune to have a youthful Ally under his charge when the Scotland under-17 team when to the French Riviera. Smith, then a blossoming coach with Jim McLean's Dundee United, had been appointed assistant to Andy Roxburgh in the youth set-up and was well thought of in football circles. Unfortunately, he fell for a trademark McCoist gag - although Ally soon learned the angry side of Smith! McCoist told me: "I first came across Walter when he was assistant to Andy Roxburgh with the Scottish youth team. "We took a side to Monaco. I was still at school at the time and was playing with St Johnstone. "I was rooming with big Davie Moyes and I made the mistake of locking Walter on the balcony of our hotel room! "He made the mistake of falling for the old 'what a good view we have here' routine and walked out onto the balcony and the door was promptly locked! "Twenty minutes later I was terrified to unlock the door and big Davie had to let him in and, funnily enough, I never locked him out on the balcony again after that!" It was to be 1986 before McCoist and Smith were fully connected when the latter joined Rangers as assistant to Graeme Souness in the ground-breaking move which rocked the football world. Nacho Novo and Ally McCoist arrive in SpainSmith had been part of the most successful period in Dundee United's history, helping them win the Scottish Premier League title in 1983 and reaching the European Cup semi-finals the following year. United and Aberdeen had attacked the Old Firm's dominance of the game and won with the Dons also winning the title in 1980, 1984 and 1985. Tannadice was a place to be feared and that was not lost on Souness who had got to know Smith through the international set-up. Following the death of Jock Stein in 1985, Alex Ferguson had taken over as Scotland manager on a temporary basis and he made Walter his assistant. McCoist revealed: "I remember being at a Scotland get-together at the Grosvenor Hotel prior to the Mexico World Cup and Graeme was there as a player and Walter was there as assistant manager. "That was the first time we heard that they were coming to Rangers and what a transformation that proved to be, not only for Rangers Football Club but for Scottish football in general." It is well documented the impact the appointment had and Rangers fans could not have imagined the riches that lay in store. A first title in nine years along with the League Cup came in year one and the new Rangers were off and running.Walter Smith and Ally McCoist Celtic won the crown back in 1988, but it was fleeting success. The nine in a row era was about to start and the League Cups kept coming. McCoist, though, never had the best of relationships with Souness who, having signed Mark Hateley in the summer of 1990, chose to partner the big Englishman with Mo Johnston rather than Ally. McCoist was on the bench more often than not, earning him the nickname of The Judge. Being a man who thrives on humour, Ally accepted the tag but, again, there was a serious element to it all which almost resulted in him leaving Rangers. It was Smith who, by his actions, convinced Ally to stay and the rest, as they say is history. When Souness left for Liverpool, Smith made McCoist and Hateley the most terrorising strike partnership of the period McCoist explained: "Walter put faith in me in his first season in charge and that was important for me. "I have to be honest and say that I was at a bit of a crossroads at that time. We had competition for places the previous season and it's well documented that Graeme wasn't that too sure of me, which is a polite way of putting it. "Thankfully, when Walter took over he played me. I managed to go on a good run with big Mark and it worked out wonderfully well. "One of the first games that season was against Hearts at Tynecastle and he gave me my chance and I scored that night. Kenny McDowall, Walter Smith and Ally mcCoist"So I was very thankful that he gave me the opportunity to play and it snowballed from there for me." Those who were around Ally during his playing days at Rangers would be the first to admit that they did not foresee a day when he would lead training sessions and organise tactics on a grand scale. However, he has proved in the last three years that he has this ability in spades and, of course, Walter Smith was the catalyst by recruiting him for the national team. He said: "I was thrilled to bits when he gave me the opportunity with Scotland. It was a massive move and a massive chance for me. "In many ways it was better than going somewhere else full time. It was a perfect experience and learning curve to come into a part-time environment. "And it proved to me that I wanted to do it full time." McCoist got that chance last January when Smith returned to Rangers to replace Paul Le Guen, steadied the ship and now has his eyes on all of the major prizes this season. So, what's it like now all these years after locking Walter out on a balcony in Monte Carlo? He said: "My relationship with him now is not that much different from when I was playing for him. "He is still the boss, and that's the way it should be, but we are obviously closer in the sense that we talk about things and talk about the team a lot more on the coaching side. "I am very respectful of the relationship we have and thankful of the relationship we have and it's one that I value very highly. "It is different in the sense that as a player there are things your manager would not discuss with you but now we are open with each other on so many things." There is a family celebration of Walter's special birthday coming up which will undoubtedly be a great affair but it is unclear what the coaching staff and players have planned. McCoist, with that impish smile he has never lost, said: "There will be something in the dressing room for him, but I'm not sure it will be a birthday cake!" Many happy returns, Walter.
  13. pete

    Mad March:

    MAD MARCH: Eight games in 28 days could hit Gers title bid RANGERS IN MARCH 1 Aberdeen (h) SPL 6 W Bremen (h) Uefa 9 Hibs (h) Scottish Cup 12 W Bremen (a) Uefa 16 CIS Cup Final 19 Partick (h; tbc or SPL) 22 Hibs (h) SPL 26 Scotland v Croatia 29 Celtic (h) SPL by Darrell King Rangers' dramatic win in Athens last night could seriously impact their dreams of winning back the SPL title this season. Nacho Novo's equaliser against Panathinaikos took Rangers through on away goals to a last 16 meeting with Werder Bremen. It also added to a hectic mad March of games for Walter Smith's side. Rangers face a punishing schedule of eight games in 28 days next month. advertisement And the Scotland players in the squad - such as Barry Ferguson, Lee McCulloch, Kris Boyd and Allan McGregor - could play NINE games, with the national side also having a game against Croatia. The 1-1 Athens draw last night also means that, with every midweek now filled, it is almost certain the Old Firm derby - originally scheduled for January 2 - won't take place before Celtic visit Ibrox on March 29. That would result in three Old Firm derbies being played in the last six weeks of the campaign - with the last two of them at Parkhead. The chances of a delay to the 33-game split in the SPL is also likely as Rangers also have rearranged fixtures with Motherwell and St Mirren. Rangers survived a few anxious moments in Athens last night. And Christian Dailly today relived the debut moment he feared would send Rangers crashing out of the Uefa Cup. The Scotland man was thrown on as a right back sub in last night's 1-1 draw with Panathinaikos in Athens, a result that sent Smith's side through to a last 16 showdown with Werder Bremen on the away goals rule. Bremen went through 4-0 after a 1-0 win at Braga, and will be at Ibrox on Thursday, March 6 with the return game six days later. But Dailly revealed how he feared German ref Felix Brych would point to the spot after his superb goal saving tackle on Dimitris Salpingidis as the Greeks pursued a killer second goal. The hitman had raced clear of Davie Weir before the 34-year-old made a last-gasp tackle, clearly taking the ball. But Dailly said: "What was going through my mind? You are always worried that the referee maybe doesn't see it properly and gives a penalty. "I did fear that might happen and that would have been a nightmare debut. "I saw their lad bursting away and my first reaction was just to get over and try to close him down. I kept my eye on the ball and when I slid in I thought to myself: That's a good contact'. "But you see the boy going down and the reaction of the crowd and sometimes refs give a penalty. That would have given them a chance for 2-0 and it would have been very tough for us then with 20 minutes to go. "So I was relieved, although the bottom line is that it was never a penalty. But things don't always go for you. "I was just happy to make that tackle, and it was maybe similar to the one big Carlos Cuellar made in the first half in terms of stopping a clear shot on goal." Porkhead twice in the last six weeks could be a nightmare. I would hate them to win the league against us at home. I hope we have a cushion to stop that. if we still have a lead they will hit us with everything. Including the kitchen sink. Nightmare scenario!!
  14. http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=600&Itemid=1 Don't know if Gersnet members have seen them but as usually happens when Celtic are trailing in the league, the usual conspiracy theorists are out in force telling us how the officials and Mike McCurray in particular are biased in favour of Rangers. Allow me to post a few stats to dispute these claims. I'm sure each reader will make up their own mind whether or not a Baptist Pastor is capable of going against his faith and profession to cheat. In the emails/forums, the main bone of contention for paranoid Celtic fans is the fact McCurry booked 9 of their players in one match (which supposedly helped Rangers win 3-0 that day) and the fact there is an anomaly with regard to how many Rangers games he's officiated this season. Please don't laugh as I help these poor people with their arithmetic - using a suitable compairson in Dougie McDonald who has actually refereed more Celtic games than McCurry has Rangers so far this term (percentage wise). As it stands this season we have the following stats: McCurry 15 SPL games 5 (33%) involving Rangers (4 Rangers wins - 1 defeat) 4 (27%) involving Celtic (2 Celtic wins - 1 defeat - 1 draw) McDonald 13 SPL Games 5 (39%) involving Celtic (5 Celtic wins) 3 (23%) involving Rangers (2 Rangers wins - 1 defeat) Let's add in discipline for these refs: McCurry Rangers games: (8 Rangers players booked - 17 opposition players booked) Celtic games: (12 Celtic players booked - 6 opposition players booked) If you remove the old Firm game where 9 Celtic players were booked as they again lost their discipline in such a match (I can't remember any obvious officiating mistakes other than McDonald being lucky to stay on the park and a perfectly legitimate Rangers goal chalked off for offside), then you have very similar stats for both clubs. Certainly nothing worthy of genuine concern IMO. McDonald Rangers games: (6 Rangers players booked - 6 opposition players booked) Celtic games: (8 Celtic players booked - 6 oppositions players booked - 2 sent off) Again, very similar stats for both clubs. Certainly nothing worthy of genuine concern once more. Also just for argument's sake it is worth looking at McCurry's direct Old Firm discipline record in a bit more detail. Including the OF game you obtain the following data already posted above: Rangers games: (8 Rangers players booked - 17 opposition players booked) Celtic games: (12 Celtic players booked - 6 opposition players booked) Take the OF game out of the equation (an understandable statistical spike given the volatile nature of the match) you get this data: Rangers games: (6 Rangers players booked - 8 opposition players booked) Celtic games: (3 Celtic players booked - 4 opposition players booked) Now, that means despite only refereeing one more Rangers SPL game so far this season he has booked 2 times as many of our players compared to Celtic. Conclusions Now, I think we will all agree that some of the decision-making by the officials this season has been nothing short of scandalous, inconsistent and generally of a poor standard. However, for anyone (Celtic or Rangers fan) to suggest someone is cheating deliberately (especially McCurry who has presided over more Celtic wins than Rangers wins in Old Firm matches over the years (and booked more Rangers players in these games); is not only laughable but dangerous when one considers how the Celtic support have behaved towards officials in the recent past. What happened to the 'No Excuses' mantra - did that disappear with O'Neill and Sutton a few years back?
  15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_of_wales/7253826.stm Just saw this, that means Cardiff take part in the English and Welsh FA cups - how can that work!!! They are going well in the English Championship and in the FA cup quarter finals. Surely there is a legal case for the old firm to use this and get into the English leagues.
  16. May been discussed to deatb but I thought it was a good read. Can anyion e think of ANY other team in the SPL that wouldn't hav Boyd as a starter?
  17. Thought this was a great read. We've all debated the pro's and cons of Boyd on here. Some are for and some are against. Im a huge fan and would love to see him starting every game. 15 goals in 17 starts is phenomanal.
  18. It seems ages since we last played Celtic back in October. We have only had 1 OF game in the last 10 months. Roll on the next one. Has there been a date set for the game that was cancelled at New Year? We've got them at Ibrox on March 29th which is still over 6 weeks away!!! Hopefully we are spoiled by them - 3 league games in a short space of time and hopefully we can stuff them in the Scottish cup also!
  19. http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=590&Itemid=1 The morning after the night before, eh? Iââ?¬â?¢m sure Iââ?¬â?¢m not the only football fan nursing the equivalent of a hangover this morning as the hype of January transfer window closes for another season. Internet forum server issues, ridiculous radio-phone rumours and around-the-clock satellite sports news excitement ââ?¬â?? coupled together they make for quite a cocktail of commotion and emotion. Hence the hangover this morning; especially when our team havenââ?¬â?¢t been as pro-active as weââ?¬â?¢d all like. Despite my article of Tuesday morning warning all Rangers fans of the unlikelihood of substantial investment in the wake of the Alan Hutton transfer, movement occurred nonetheless and it seems we werenââ?¬â?¢t far off securing the services of Italian striker Andrea Caracciolo from Sampdoria while we did manage to sign the Fulham and Northern Ireland midfielder Steven Davis on loan from the Premiership. Davis is actually a decent signing and although Iââ?¬â?¢m not personally a huge fan of loan deals, he will provide the kind of genuine back-up and depth required for Barry Ferguson and Brahim Hemdani as Kevin Thomson sits out for another two months. Obviously the Ã?£4million deal for Caracciolo was the most exciting rumour of the day and every Rangers fan waited with baited breath as we heard Walter Smith and Martin Bain were in Italy. Unfortunately (or as it may have turned out ââ?¬â?? fortunately) the huge striker chose to stay in his homeland and drop a division to Serie B to play with his former club Brescia. Itââ?¬â?¢s ironic that in the week one Rangers player leaves to realise his ambitions what seems to be our main transfer target lacks the same aspirations in his career to move to the UK ââ?¬â?? instead blaming a lack of self-confidence and the weather for his decision. Hardly the mental and professional discipline you want to hear from a player you want to spend the total of around Ã?£7million on! A lucky escape then perhaps? Unfortunately what this debacle does highlight is the further incompetence of our Chief Executive. Martin Bain quite simply is not up to the job. I bear the man no ill-will and in his Rangers career (over 10 years now) heââ?¬â?¢s done some good work in the face of constant criticism and financial downsizing while being the stereotypical lamb to the slaughter while his boss relaxes in France. A well paid ââ?¬Ë?yes-manââ?¬â?¢ nonetheless though and the way weââ?¬â?¢ve conducted our business this January (and in the past) shows just how out of his depth he is. To avoid any confusion Iââ?¬â?¢m not criticising the club about not spending the ~Ã?£10million from the Hutton/Cousin deals per se. As I wrote the other day, not spending it is understandable to a degree and Iââ?¬â?¢d much rather we were prudent and efficient in our dealings. However, if there was around Ã?£5million to spend, surely the old adage of not keeping all your eggs in one basket applies here? Weââ?¬â?¢re told that the club have scouted Caracciolo for months, yet we leave it to the absolute last minute to try and negotiate our way through the confusing world of the Italian transfer system ââ?¬â?? three clubs involved directly, other clubs interested, translators required and agents hovering with their claws as sharp as ever. Yet, ex-catalogue model Bain is deemed to have the tactical nous to navigate his way through such a tough deal ââ?¬â?? all in a few hours!? I certainly donââ?¬â?¢t pretend to be some sort of finance guru or transfer expert but time was never going to be on our side so instead of wasting time taking last minute flights to Genoa, we should have moved onto our next target. We do have one Ewan Chester, donââ?¬â?¢t we? Or was Willie McLies too busy hawking wee Broon again to furnish us with his usual brand of short-term client information? Certainly Martin Smithers and his merry band of under-achieving assistants are not justifying their inflated wages while the rest of us pay for the privilege of watching them let us down time after time. But, and this is the crux of the article, all the above does not mean we have a convenient get-out clause for not winning the league (or the other competitions weââ?¬â?¢re in). Yes, we should have strengthened while Celtic have done so (to a degree) but we still have more than enough talent at Ibrox to compete on all fronts. Losing Alan Hutton is a big blow and Daniel Cousin (if he does actually leave ââ?¬â?? more crazy dealings by our staff given the obvious FIFA rulings) is a similar loss. However, we have deputies more than capable of taking their place. Steven Whittaker has shown he has the game to develop into a fine player while a fit Darcheville and a determined Boyd would keep out most strikers out of many teams anyway. Christian Dailly and Neil Alexander may not be the most glamorous of signings either but both will provide competition for places and much-needed experience as we proceed towards our goals. As such, despite all the valid criticism aimed at the likes of Bain and despite all the obvious disappointment of not capturing another player or two, itââ?¬â?¢s vital we keep our eyes on the prize. A four point lead is a good one and should be able to defend this over the coming months with the existing squad. Three Old Firm games in two months will be the ultimate decider but we have nothing to fear in that regard either. So, confidence should remain, support for the players and manager should remain and no excuses will be accepted. The SPL is attainable and nothing less will suffice.
  20. Cup Game Is Off RANGERS' Scottish Cup clash with East Stirling has become a victim of the weather and there could be consequences for the rearranged Old Firm game on January 23. Ibrox is waterlogged after torrential rain all night and this morning and a decision was taken to call off the fourth round Cup tie with the Third Division side. Rangers officials are talking with the SPL and SFA right now to find out when the East Stirling match can now be played but January 23 is a Scottish Cup date. We will have more on this story as soon as we can.
  21. Linky Cannae beat a midweek OF game. Hutton won't be suspended for the OF game as we play Gretna and ICT away before we play the dhims on the 23rd.
  22. 5 in a row (not official) the real mccoist (official) eight at the double (official) rangers seventh heaven (official) RTV video diary 4 (official) rangers old firm classics (not official) rangers champions 88-89/89-90 (not official) laudrup the joy of football (official) 9 in a row one more to go (official) RTV video diary 3 (official) rangers the coca cola cup 96 winners campaign (official) i need to clear some room and i thought you guys might like to buy them. �£2 each
  23. Rangers face a fixture backlog after last night's rescheduled Clydesdale Bank Premier League match against St Mirren was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch at Love Street. The latest delay exacerbated a pile-up that already includes outstanding away games against Gretna and Celtic. Walter Smith, the Rangers manager, bemoaned the latest incon-venience as officials at the SPL scoured the calendar to find a suitable alternative date. Ian Blair, the SPL's director of administration, will attempt to address the deepening problem first thing this morning. Finding a new date for the St Mirren game will be the priority since the original match, scheduled for November 10 last year, was cancelled to allow Scotland longer preparation time for their ill-fated Euro 2008 qualification decider against Italy. "Rangers have a lot of midweek games and are also involved in the UEFA Cup," said Blair. "Hopefully, they will be involved in more midweek European games, but it poses a problem for us domestically. advertisement "It is already proving difficult to fit in the outstanding games and this is an added complication for us. We are still trying to find a date for the Old Firm game but we will make the latest cancellation a priority." Rangers will play Gretna - a match postponed from Sunday, December 9 to aid the Ibrox club's Champions League pre-parations against Olympique Lyonnais - at Fir Park next Wednesday and may be permitted to play St Mirren the following midweek, but only if both sides negotiate their Scottish Cup ties without the need for a replay. Tuesday January 22 and Wednesday January 23 are designated as cup replay dates, but the SPL may seek special dispensation to play the match then, provided both clubs are free. Another possibility is to play the St Mirren game on the first midweek of March and delay the league split by playing the outstanding Old Firm fixture, cancelled on January 2 as a mark of respect after the death of Phil O'Donnell, on April 8. Smith will leave it to the administrators to alleviate the increasing burden but admitted that it was an unwanted complication. "There is a difficulty fitting in this game now and we've had enough trouble trying to fit in the Celtic game," said Smith. "We will need to sit down and discuss things again and will just have to fit the two games in somehow." Smith and his St Mirren counterpart, Gus MacPherson, agreed that the referee, Stuart Dougal, was right to postpone last night's game after torrential rain. Dougal made his first inspection at 6.15pm and with no sign of the weather abating decided to call off the match 20 minutes later. "The referee's decision was correct," said Smith. "It was not just a problem with the pitch but driving conditions for the fans on the roads. It is the proper decision." The cancellation has cost St Mirren around �£30,000 in lost television revenue, with Setanta Sports set to screen the match live, but Dougal was more concerned with player safety. "It was a bit of a lottery, or even worse," said Dougal. "It was just about playable after my first inspection but it was clear it was only going to get worse. "I had to take into account player and fan safety. In an ideal world, I would have liked another 15 minutes to make up my mind and but in my heart of hearts I knew it would not have made a difference. "I spoke to both sets of players and they came to the same conclusion." Alan Hutton's future, meanwhile, remains at Ibrox for the foreseeable future after the full- back rejected the latest offer from Tottenham Hotspur. The player and his agent were informed of the improved personal terms of the proposed �£9m transfer but the 23-year-old reiterated his intention to stay in Scotland.
  24. got a ticket for the next clash at castle greyskull. turnstille t 55 - 58. any one know if thats in the corner? the info on the ticket is second rate.
  25. Let me start by apologising. If admin are not fussy for this 'rumour' being discussed and lock it down, i'll understand. I heard it from two seperate guys at work, where they got it from i'm not sure. Seemingly, In the summer Walter was interested in bringing KM back to Ibrox, but thought the immediate old firm switch would maybe hit a few raw nerves on both sides. So there's been a deal done with Derby and Billy Davies for him to play down there until the january window and then bring him back up. Part of the deal was for a certain Gers player(not sure who) to go the opposite way. I just wondered if any of the guys had heard anything regarding this? There is every chance of this being a lot of absolute bollocks. So once again my apologies.
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