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Amongst the hyperbole and sensationalism over legal tax loopholes (yes, I did say legal), last night's result in France where Bayern Munich routed Lyon over two legs means Rangers have now qualified for next season's Champions' League Group Stage. Currently we're third seeds but we could easily make it into the second group of seeds given the right results. However, future performance aside, the main issue for those who control the club and, for many of us who support it, will be the associated finance with this competition. Up to �£17million of income could be secured if, as expected, Celtic fail to negotiate a difficult qualifying route to the group stage. In an era where our future participation in the competition will be far from guaranteed, that money could well be the last pot of genuine gold at the end of the UEFA rainbow. Moving back to the hysterical coverage in the media then and the debate turns to how will that income be used. Will it be ring-fenced to reduce debt or will it be reinvested into the club to address such crucial issues as the loss of out-of-contract players and, erm, the broken big screens? To be honest, despite the protestations of the club yesterday evening, the former is most likely with a bank ever wary of a club (and parent company) sailing close to the rocks in recent times. Of course, panic aside, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The club debt may well be reducing but it is certainly agreeable to use any future income to reduce it further and/or prepare in advance for less lucrative seasons. After all, without a decent run in European football, an annual loss is probable to be reported. Years of cuts in playing staff and wages, along with savings made elsewhere may signal efficiency but perhaps still not enough to break even without the UEFA cash cow. And this is where the harbingers of doom have some sway. With various players out of contract or likely to be sold and the management team similarly non-committal, just what is the competitive future of the club? After all, while the bank has every right to expect its debt to be repaid, why are they so keen to dispense with already agreed and perfectly reasonable repayment structures? The plight of the crumbling MIH empire may well be casting a dark shadow of influence and their delayed annual accounts will be interesting reading when finally released this week. However, Rangers remain in profit and, unlike other teams in Glasgow, our fans have shown they will not desert our club even when success may not be imminent. As such, the immediate future is not as bad as some would like to paint. Nevertheless it appears the battle-lines have been drawn. Potential owners and sources within the club itself are lining up to leak information to all and sundry - from internet mischief-makers, to tabloid journalists, to phone-in hosts and more. Suddenly - less than 48 hours after securing our 53rd title - the muck is being thrown and the 'Rangers in Crisis' headlines are of a huge gauge on the street paper-stands. Once again, the average Rangers supporter is left worried and bewildered as opposing camps fight it out in the media. Hardly the dignified approach our loyal and committed support deserve. Ever since the ownership issue suddenly appeared to be the main topic of the club's immediate future, some fans have called for clarity and leadership from those who purport to buy and represent us. Unfortunately, there has been little evidence of this from any party involved. Fingers are pointed, accusations are thrown and blame is cast as the poker game gets very dirty indeed. It seems everyone has had their say but few in a positive sense. From Dave King, to Douglas Park, to Andrew Ellis, to Graham Duffy, to the RST, to Sir David Murray, to Alistair Johnston, to Walter Smith, to Donald Muir and to all the journalists choosing their side of the fence to stand on; all should be asking themselves just what this very public battle is doing for our club. This should be a time of celebration and oneupmanship as we break our own world record. Instead division is again rife, and those who matter most at the vital time of season ticket renewal, are treated with disdain and disrespect. To a man, Rangers fans care passionately about their club but the 'political' sleaze currently surrounding it is as distasteful as the spin we see mirrored in the General Election debate. But, at least we're given a vote and debated with in that arena. As its stands, not one of the main names mentioned above has had the honesty, the integrity, the transparency and the leadership to actually come out and show why they should own the club and why their plans will ensure our world record will be maintained in future years. Not one has come to our support and said this is why you matter to me and why your opinion will form an important part of the club for its future. That is nothing short of a disgrace and is just as worrying as any financial issues we may face in the coming years. Rangers need leadership - it is well beyond time for those who think they're capable of that to show it.

Rangers in safe hands - Johnston There's a 16 minute audio interview with him as well - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/8356754.stm

Published on 1 Nov 2009 Talks have been held about inviting thousands of Rangers supporters to help fund a rescue package for the financially-stricken club. South Africa-based millionaire Dave King remains the leading contender to buy out current owner Sir David Murray, with his intentions expected to be revealed this month. Scotland-based businessmen Douglas Park and Paul Murray have also been linked to a joint bid with Mr King to rescue Rangers, who are Ã?£30million in debt, but no moves have yet been made. But the Sunday Herald can reveal that tentative talks have taken place involving parties interested in taking over Rangers about creating a revolutionised club answerable to "members", who would pay an annual fee on top of their season ticket costs. This is the successful and popular model of "social ownership" found at leading clubs such as Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain. Essentially, this could be ââ?¬Ë?Plan Bââ?¬â?¢ if Mr King, or others, donââ?¬â?¢t emerge and firm up their interest in the club. The proposal would mean thousands of rank-and-file Rangers fans investing to lend financial muscle to some of the parties interested in taking Turn to page 2 Rangers out of the grip of Lloyds Banking Group, which has stepped in after the club fell into heavy debt under Sir David Murray. In return, the fans could have perhaps 33% or more of the shareholding as well as a couple of representatives on an entirely new board of directors. With money being poured in by thousands of fans, as per the Barcelona model, Rangers could become the first major members-owned club in British football, albeit that a handful of significant investors would have large individual stakes and would occupy some of the office-bearing positions. The extent of Rangersââ?¬â?¢ financial crisis was revealed last weekend when manager Walter Smith claimed the bank was running the club. Lloyds subsequently denied that but the bankââ?¬â?¢s interests are now represented on the board by new director Donald Muir. Rangers will not sign any new players in the January transfer window and may have to sell a senior one such as Steven Davis if Lloyds is determined to claw back Ã?£3m of the Ã?£30m owed to it. Sir David still owns 92% of the shareholding, but essentially Lloyds is dictating the terms of any eventual takeover. Mr King is uncomfortable about the current asking price and is now involved in a game of poker with the bank, which is believed to have been left reeling by the reaction from the Rangers support at large after our sister paper, The Herald, revealed the extent of their influence, the threat of administration and plans for swingeing cuts. Mr King is worth up to Ã?£300m but he is reluctant to meet the asking price of Ã?£1 for every Ã?£1 of debt ââ?¬â?? Lloyds is holding out for Ã?£30m ââ?¬â?? in the hope that it will eventually drop. Nothing will happen until Lloyds or Mr King change their stance. But if Mr King eventually walks away from a potential deal, others could step in and then ask fans to become fee-paying "members" in order to build a serious reserve of cash. The success of the venture would rely on the businessmen demonstrating that they were answerable to the fans who pay to become members. Fans spokesman David Edgar last night told the Sunday Herald that opening the club to ownership by members was an exciting, innovative idea. He claimed supporters would answer the call. "We have been exploring various avenues towards this with some of the potential investors," said Mr Edgar, of the Rangers Supporters Trust. "I think there is an interest and a desire in a sort of joint initiative, where you would have a major shareholder and also the fans playing a significant role in the club. I know this is something people are investigating. "Any new regime coming in has to understand that the fans do want to work with them. "But I would say that from the people we have been speaking to there are positive noises about that. "They understand that having the fans onside ââ?¬â?? via a membership scheme where people can invest and contribute to the football club, and have a say in the football club ââ?¬â?? works well abroad." Rangers fans could, for example, be asked to pay Ã?£1,000 each to become members, with payments spread over five years. At that level 30,000 fans buying membership would raise Ã?£30m. Sir David tried a share flotation in 2004, when Rangersââ?¬â?¢ debt soared to almost Ã?£74m, but it was snubbed by supporters. Of the Ã?£51m raised at the time, Sir David himself contributed Ã?£50m. "That was effectively a referendum on David Murrayââ?¬â?¢s performance," said Mr Edgar. "That was the fans saying ââ?¬Ë?you got us into this, you have to do something about itââ?¬â?¢. "If there was a new, dynamic, go-ahead regime coming into Rangers the fans would want to get involved and theyââ?¬â?¢d want to back it." Meanwhile, supporters upset by how Lloyds has introduced an unforgiving budgetary plan at Ibrox will protest with banners during todayââ?¬â?¢s SPL match against Dundee United at Tannadice. The banners will refer to new director Donald Muir as "the enemy within". http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/rangers-rescue-plan-b-ask-fans-to-help-buy-the-club-1.929642

f fortune favours the brave then it surely follows that the converse also rings true. Rangers' misfortune in Sunday's Co-operative Insurance Cup final stemmed largely from their own faintheartedness. Walter Smith has never been one to gamble recklessly with team selection but it is one thing to be cautious and respectful of the opposition, and quite another to be ultra conservative to the point of strangling all creativity. For Smith, the fear of losing has now overtaken the desire to win. Simply put, Rangers should not be lining up in a 4-5-1 formation at a neutral venue. It is a system just about acceptable away from home against one of Europe's leading lights, or in a league match at Celtic Park. A national cup final at Hampden against Celtic is like heads up at poker. Smith assessed his hand, calculated what Gordon Strachan had on the other side of the table, and effectively folded. It spoke volumes about the Rangers manager's evaluation of his squad that he did not entrust them with the task of taking the game to their opponents, preferring instead to try to nullify Celtic and hope to sneak something on the counter-attack or from set-pieces. The irony, of course, is that both Celtic goals arrived from dead balls and that they similarly lined up 4-5-1. Gordon Strachan, though, turned the problem of a misfiring strikeforce into an opportunity by playing an extra midfielder, and allowing Aiden McGeady to roam free in a supporting role beside Scott McDonald. He has also shown a willingness to indulge his flair players like McGeady, Shunsuke Nakamura and Scott Brown in the knowledge that it is better to try to win a game, rather than simply attempting not to lose it. McGeady, Nakamura, and Brown may lack defensive discipline on occasion but they at least offer a regular spark in attack. Rangers, in contrast, were lifeless. advertisement They, too, had players at Hampden capable of offering an injection of ingenuity. Unlike Celtic's, however, they were all dressed in suits and seated in the stand. It would be unfair to lambast Christian Dailly, who has been a fine servant to many clubs as well as the national team throughout a distinguished career, but his inclusion on the bench aged 35 and without an appearance to his name for six months, was baffling. With just five substitutes permitted in this competition, Dailly's inclusion, presumably in case Kirk Broadfoot succumbed to the foot injury that had been troubling him in the build-up, used a berth that could have been taken by Steven Naismith, John Fleck, DaMarcus Beasley, or Aaron Niguez. Granted, none of that quartet has posed a consistent threat this season, but up against a Celtic defence shorn of its best operator - Gary Caldwell was redeployed in midfield - any one of them would surely have created at least a handful of chances. Denied any real service from the wings and with Kenny Miller utilised as a lone(ly) striker, it was little surprise that Rangers failed to score for the third Old Firm game in succession. Kyle Lafferty was his team's best player on the day but was given only half an hour in his preferred position through the middle before he was taken off. Kris Boyd and Nacho Novo made next to no impact from the bench, Pedro Mendes did little to suggest he should be a contender for Player of the Year, while Barry Ferguson's days of dominating the midfield battles seem increasingly to be behind him. Smith, reportedly, had prepared all week to play 4-4-2 with Lee McCulloch stationed wide on the left behind a front two of Lafferty and Miller. On receiving Celtic's teamsheet, however, Smith had a change of heart. Sensing the need to go like for like in midfield, McCulloch was moved inside, Lafferty shunted to the wing, and Miller left to go it alone up front. The reshuffled unit contained Celtic for 90 minutes before Darren O'Dea made the breakthrough early in extra time. Rangers had precious few resources with which to respond and paid the ultimate price. Smith now has 10 league matches left in which to make amends and shape his legacy. Should Rangers fail to win the title, it seems unlikely he will be given another season to try to end the championship drought. Another season without success and Celtic would be halfway towards 10-in-a-row. Should Smith win the title this season he may decide, aged 61, there will not be a better time to walk away. Ever the pragmatist, he will realise that one cup final defeat does not signal a need for panic. Until the shock loss to Inverness Caledonian Thistle recently, Rangers had gone through their opening 10 games of 2009 undefeated, conceding only two goals in that time. Madjid Bougherra, injured on Sunday, will return this weekend to further fortify the defence. A case could also be made for Steven Davis to be given an overdue opportunity to play in the central midfield role he so craves at the expense of either Ferguson or Mendes. Lafferty has done enough to earn an extended run at centre forward, while Fleck will return hungrier after dropping out of the side following a stellar start. Navigating the closing weeks of the season will be a real test of nerves for all involved. It will take strong hearts and minds. Sometimes it will also require a sense of adventure and a willingness to take a gamble. Fortune does favour the brave, after all. http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines/display.var.2495904.0.Time_for_Smith_to_abandon_his_conservative_instincts.php

I like to play poker. Not for bags of money, just a couple of quid. But wether your a high roller or just playing for small change the principles are just the same. Im no superstar either. I can though read a game and see whats going on and generally can tell when the best time to put my chips in. Ill wait till i get a good hand or identify when my opponent is weak and use that to my advantage. But if i dont do anything one thing will happen. My chips will slowly dwindle as the blinds go round the table and go up as time goes on and ill be left with nothing. Basically if you dont put my chips in the pot you wont win. You have to at some point take a chance. you have to bully your opponents on the table and let them know whos boss. Yesterday was the Ideal time for Walter Smith throw his chips into the pot and show his hand to our bitter rivals on the other side of the city. It was time to show them whos boss, to up the stakes and let thm know we meant business. Our bitter rivals have been showing weakness for quite some time now and we should have been taking advantage of the situation. But we didnt. Instead we opted to half the pot when we did in fact hold the better cards. We were weak when we should have been strong. and let our opponents live to play another hand into the bargain. and that is a dangerous game to play. you wont get the oppertunity to dispose of you oponents all that often so when the opertunity arrives you have to take it with both hands. Walter Smith is playing a very dangerous game. his over causiousness borders on gutless when we should be stepping up to the plate and stating our intent. He opts for saftey when we should be showing tact and guile leaving a side void of skill and imagination. But the real price is being paid by the players and you have ask what effect Walters negative tactics have on them. When you ask a player to continually play in the defensive mode that Smith so much desires for so long it must surely affect his ability and style in the long term. Basically I believe Smith is draining the life out of our players. guy like Whittaker, Beadsley, McCulloch etc came and were pretty decent players who looked to be good prospects but over time their form has deteriorated to nothing. Even ferguson seems to be suffering too. There are just far too many off form player at Ibrox at the minute and for me it is no coincidence. you dont get so many players turning bad for no reason. I blame Smith and his negativety. nobody shines in our team anymore. There are no standouts. nobody catches the eye. nobody flourishes. What future lies for the likes of fleck in Walters tacticle nightmare? If our first team players are being dragged into the myre by our manger what chance in hell do our kids have? How are they going to expand their game and realise their potential in the current setup? The truth is they wont, and that is the most worring thing of all.