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When is the 120th day or has it passed? Not sure if we're counting from Wallace's appointment or the AGM. Also, what's the chances of hearing "the review is over and proposals will be out in 4 week" just to keep us hanging on? It's clear the majority of fans don't trust the board so I'm not sure how they can win hearts and minds without making a magnificent gesture which is tangible to us. Even then it'd be viewed with suspicion but our fans are easily led from the Blue Room. Obviously there's talk of a new share issue but is that realistic when they know King might walk in and scoop up the shares, assume control, and go about clearing the decks for his own people? Wallace might welcome this but I highly doubt Easdales and Laxey will. The small matter of BPH and Margerita most likely objecting to their holding and future earnings dwindling is another factor to count in which could scupper any new share issue. Negative loyal!
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Genuine question because I think Dave King could get blamed for something he is not totally responsible for. I honestly believe, after speaking to hundreds of other fans, that they have had enough of the complete and utter dross being served up on the park. Nothing to do with boardroom stuff. -
GRAHAM WALLACE, the Rangers chief executive, has revealed that manager Ally McCoist will learn his budget for next season before his review of the business is concluded. Wallace is coming towards the end of his 120-day analysis of all aspects of the club's business, and with Rangers promoted to the SPFL Championship, the manager had revealed a desire to make signings, despite the club's precarious financial position, as highlighted by the release yesterday of their interim results. Now Wallace plans to give McCoist an indication of his likely budget before his review is concluded next month. "In terms of the overall financial number [for the playing budget] we will agree what that is and then work within that on the playing side," said the chief executive. "In terms of determining our football player needs and squad needs that does not wait until the end of the 120 days. "Ally McCoist and myself are in constant dialogue in terms of assessing the current squad. He has his views on areas he would like to strengthen for next season and we are working on looking at the alternatives in terms of meeting that need. Once we finalise the overall financial budget that will give us a clearer indication of what we want to do. It would be wrong for anybody to think that everybody is sitting on their hands waiting on the outcome of the review." http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/wallace-plans-early-budget-for-mccoist.23814048
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Didn't look good and does not make good reading either ... Sky Sports News @SkySportsNews 32 Min. Hull expect goalkeeper Allan McGregor to miss the rest of the season with a kidney injury #SSN
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http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail.html?announcementId=11905464 Full results and report here: http://rangers.g3dhosting.com/regulatory_news_article/375
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MARCH 25, 2014 UNION OF FANS STATEMENT 25TH MARCH 2014 by Union of Fans The Union of Fans (UoF) is delighted that Dave King has publicly stated his impressive plans for Rangers via a number of newspaper interviews. His vision for the club is extremely welcome as is the personal financial commitment he is willing to make. Like all Rangers fans, Dave King and UoF want to see the club back operating to high standards on and off the pitch and in the boardroom. We firmly believe that the involvement of Dave King is the best chance of those standards being attained in the short, medium and long term. It was clear from our discussions with him last week that the £30m+ Mr King is willing to invest is crucial to take the club back to a competitive level and improve the infrastructure and facilities. The club has been neglected, that cannot continue. Only once this investment has been made will Rangers be able to live within its means, something we all want for the longer term future. Until then Dave King has made it clear he will do what is necessary to get Rangers back to where we belong and where we can be self-sustainable. It is also important that Dave King chose to make his views public to the widest possible range of Rangers supporters by conducting interviews with four different newspapers with a combined readership of over 2M people. There can no longer be any criticism of him only speaking privately to supporters groups, though he has pledged to continue that important dialogue in order that the Union of Fans can keep people updated on events. We would now ask the board to indicate publicly, as a matter of urgency, whether they are prepared to accept Dave King’s offer of massive investment. The ball is firmly with the Rangers PLC board, in particular with Chief Executive Officer, Graham Wallace and Chairman, David Somers. Dave King has put a figure on what Rangers need and has shown his commitment to, and ambition for, the club he has supported all his life. Do Mr Wallace and Mr Somers agree with his figures and if they do, how do they propose to raise this large sum of money without Dave King? These are extremely serious corporate matters, therefore they are matters for the PLC board and not for any small, minority shareholder who is not a member of that board and who has no such high level corporate experience. The corporate reputations of Mr Wallace and Mr Somers now rest on their next move. We also note with dismay that Rangers director Sandy Easdale is continuing to pursue what we consider to be a confrontational and frivolous course of legal action against Sons of Struth. We would ask him to remember what it means to be a Rangers director and act accordingly if he wishes to enjoy the privileges of that position.
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Alasdair Lamont @BBCAlLamont 1m Rangers transfer Laxey £1m loan to fan and shareholder George Letham at a reduced interest rate.
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Exclusive Dave King interview in @TheEveningTimes and @TheHeraldPaper tomorrow. A must read for #Rangers fans Can't give too much away mate sorry. £m are mentioned for the first time and good stuff on his motivation for getting involved. From Chris Jack on twitter. For those interested.
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Friday, 21 March 2014 16:00 Glebe Is A Special Place Written by Andrew Dickson ALLY McCOIST says Rangers are heading to a ‘special place’ on league business this weekend and expressed his gratitude to Brechin City for their friendship. The Light Blues will come up against Ray McKinnon’s side in their final meeting of the season before promotion to the Championship. Each of the three meetings between the teams this term have been close, with the Angus team scoring but losing on every occasion. McCoist feels the clashes have been about more than just football, however, thanks to the encouragement Gers have received from the Hedgemen in recent times. Of course, their Glebe Park home is where the Ibrox outfit played its first game after being voted out of the SPL following the move to a new company. That match came in the Ramsdens Cup and it was the very first step on a journey back to Scottish football’s elite which is now in full flow. McCoist said: “On Sunday we’re going back up to see Ray and the lads and Glebe Park is effectively where it all started for us after administration. “We played our first game since that in the Ramsdens Cup a couple of years ago and it is a special place. “It will be a special place for Rangers now as well. Ken Ferguson and everyone who runs the club up there is fantastic. “As I go on in my life, I’ll always look back with great fondness to Glebe Park and Brechin because it was where our journey back began after the disaster of administration. “I’ll always remember the welcome we got from everybody up there and that hasn’t changed. Ken is running a great club up there. “He very kindly sent us a message of thanks and congratulations on our league win and Brechin is a good friend of our football club from a time when we needed friends.” McCoist is hoping for a more straightforward match than his men got when they last went to Brechin five months ago. Back then they trailed 2-0 after just 10 minutes and 3-1 at the break before digging deep and coming back to sneak a 4-3 win. McCoist added: “With respect to Brechin, they looked like they were going to score with every attack in the first half never mind anything else. “We came in 3-1 down at half-time but thankfully we had a terrific reaction from the players and managed to score three goals and win. “There were many periods in the first half where it didn’t like we were going to get any points – never mind one point – and we were thankful to win. “As we saw from our last trip there, they fight as soon as the first whistle goes and that was an incredible game. “It’ll be the same this weekend as well. They’ll want to get three points and bring our undefeated run at the moment to an end.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6587-glebe-is-a-special-place
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The quality and passion of posters in my Comments section is well-known. The haters gnash their teeth but many Rangers fans admire the community of loyal bluenoses we have on here. Every now and then we get a belter post that simply has to be given a wider platform. Here is one from The Kilty – a regular poster who always has something constructive to say. If it were me, I’d get 30,000 leaflets printed with this on it for the next home game:- For some ungodly reason Rangers fans all see themselves as corporate business men and tax experts. Rangers fans, unless they are shareholders, have no inherent right to be given any transparency. The business dealings of the club have nothing whatsoever to do with any season ticket holder or ticket buying fan unless they have, as I said, become a shareholder in Rangers International Football Club plc and that is the bottom line. The Board only need answer to the shareholders. For some reason this notion of fan power and a false importance have been placed on the rank and file, along with their lust for knowledge that quite frankly many could not understand, including myself. This may spring from bad business conducted by the club in the past but it still does not give any fan the right to have any commercially sensitive information divulged to them. I am sick hearing phrases like “Who are BPH?“ and “We want transparency” as well as “Where did the money go?” We also hear “The Rangers performance was rubbish – we need better players” which then leads to “These players are getting paid too much” and the old favourite of “The board are ****s” with moans that they took bonuses. Unless you are a shareholder, none of that is any of your business. I have heard the standard excuse: “Well ah paid ma season ticket money so am entitled” but sorry, thats not the case. There are a vast multitude of Rangers fans that spend more per week from their wages in Tescos and Asda and some on beers and spirits so by the same argument if I spend £50 a week on Tennents lager I should say who is on the board of the company. My Mrs spends easy £80 a week in Tescos – do you think they would tell me who their investors are ?? Or that I could get a group of my pals together and stand outside with blue cards waving them so that they would listen? As for King, what he is doing is nothing short of trying to muscle his way in using blackmail. Is that what the norm is now? Get off to a great start, take control by default but when he doesn’t do as the fans want, is he a **** or does he have to go too? It has been said often and ignored just as much that you can take a whale out of the pool and put it in a bowl; it’s still a whale with all the needs of that whale. Rangers are that whale, stuck in a fish bowl. Did it cost any less to run Ibrox last year compared to the year before? Did Murray Park suddenly become a free enterprise zone ? We are in the same position as many companies are in and that is experiencing temporary cash flow problems. Many forget with all the transparency gurgling and ****s out pish that these men on the board have ensured we are debt free. All that on the back of reduced season ticket prices due to the division that was being played in. Rangers don’t need transparency, they need STABILITY. That’s what makes teams win by good margins and that’s what makes the share price rise. It’s what gets sponsors, it’s what makes individuals and corporate investors want to part with their investment cash. At the present time no one wants to put money in just to get told what to do by delusional fans or have pathetic displays of disloyalty to men who put their hands in their own pockets to buy into our Club. Im sorry but at the end of the day your ticket gets you in to be entertained at a football match – that’s where it stops unless, as I said, you are a shareholder in the management company. If you are not entertained, don’t go back; that’s your choice. I know that emotions etc complicate things but that is the bottom line.
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So sayest the Scottish Sun Can't say I have seen much of him, FFers rate him as good talent (though the Yahoos were linked with him in January). Like Gavin Gunning (whom we'll see in April) of the Arabs a freebie this summer. Cribari is for the off, as are probably Perry and Hegarty. We have to see how any youth player shapes up in these last few months as well, but competition next season will be more demanding and getting experienced freebies on two-years deals et al is still No. 1 option.
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Scottish Cup success would mean Rangers have had a better season than Celtic
Guest posted a topic in Rangers Chat
http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/19/scottish-cup-success-would-mean-rangers-have-had-a-better-season-than-celtic-4642294/ Thoughts? -
http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2986&newsID=13171&newsCategoryID=1 In response to recent speculation and comments made by Dundee United officials, the Scottish FA is compelled to clarify the club’s ticketing allocation for the forthcoming William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final between Rangers and Dundee United at Ibrox. At the pre-operations meeting held on Tuesday, 11th March, Dundee United were made an initial offering of 11,063 tickets, allocated in the entirety of the Broomloan Road Stand, the Govan West corner and a section of the Govan Stand Front and Rear. The number was offered on the basis of Dundee United’s ticket sales for recent semi-finals. For last year’s semi-final against Celtic at Hampden Park, with a 12.45pm kick-off, Dundee United received an allocation of 10,686 tickets and sold 6783. For the 2010 semi-final against Raith Rovers at Hampden Park, with a 3pm kick-off, Dundee United were allocated 11,806 tickets and sold 9969. The Dundee United official present stated that in order to ensure a maximum attendance, in the first instance the club would not require the additional allocation in the Govan West corner, Front and Rear and, instead, would prefer the Broomloan Road stand, capacity 8012. He was invited to revert to the club for confirmation but declined. Notwithstanding the present allocation of 8012 – as requested by the club – Dundee United retain first option on the Govan West corner, and a section of the Front and Rear, an additional 3051 seats. Should the club a) request that additional allocation and b) sell it, then there remains the opportunity to extend the allocation subject to agreement between the clubs and the relevant police and stewarding advice.
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Yep Ally, full pre-season this year, good winning momentum at the moment, settled team by the looks of it. Now just 'go for it' in this game. There would be nothing worse going out of this tie at a wimper. If we give all and play fast attacking football but go out I would accept it as it gives a measure as to where we are but going out in poor fashion just turns attention onto Ally's ability to put a good team out again.
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According to The Sun. They're contracts won't be renewed but Cribari will be offered a role in youth development. Apparently both are on £5.5k a week. Can't say I'm bothered with this news.
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RANGERS are set to swoop for St Mirren midfielder Kenny McLean — but fear they could lose him to English football. Ibrox boss Ally McCoist has drawn up a list of targets for next season’s Championship campaign and the Scotland Under-21 star, is on it. McLean, 22, has also been targeted by several English clubs who know his Buddies contract expires this summer. Ipswich gaffer Mick McCarthy watched McLean in action against Hungary earlier this month. Leeds, Blackburn Rovers and Huddersfield have also been north to run the rule over McLean. Paisley gaffer Danny Lennon has admitted the highly-rated kid is unlikely to sign a new deal, but Saints will hope he decides to head south. If he does they would pick up around £350,000 in compensation as McLean has been with them since he was 14. If he moved to Gers or another Scottish club, a tribunal would decide Saints’ fee for developing the player. McLean grew up a Gers fan and was discarded by their youth system as a kid. But the prospect of joining his boyhood heroes might sway his decision. Ibrox boss Ally McCoist, has yet to find out what funds — if any — he’ll have to strengthen his squad this summer. But the deals of fringe men Kyle Hutton, Emilson Cribari and Steve Simonsen are all up and that could free up some cash. from the sun
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......Rovers have got more class. HUGH says Albion Rovers' display helps put Ibrox title win in perspective and says Old Firm fans should be asking why their teams are not in today's League Cup Final. THEY tell me Ian Black drives to and from Murray Park in a bright red Bentley. It should go with his bright red face because the painter and decorator turned midfield huffer and puffer has managed to alienate himself from the Ibrox support in the same week that Rangers won a title. That takes a bit of doing. The process of alienation, that is, not the title success. When squad members are earning enough to drive Bentleys while playing against part-time teams it’s hard to see this championship as a triumph to be discussed in the same breath as others Ally McCoist has been associated with. But disaffected season-ticket holders? That’s another matter altogether. Former Ibrox director Dave King hasn’t moved a rebellious muscle yet and he’s beginning to look like a shoo-in to win the battle for hearts and minds in the debate over where Rangers go from here at board-room level. And if his trump card is the backing of the fans then a Bentley driver asking the support what more they want after successfully “earning” a replay against Albion Rovers is a perfect start in the propaganda stakes. That and Rangers director Sandy Easdale talking about taking fans to the Court of Session for abusing him. There’s commercial suicide and then there’s commercial cynicism, of course. Celtic have lulled their fans to sleep on the back of a season prematurely ended by a championship won with the same unbalanced ease with which Rangers have dismissed their so-called challengers. The Hoops have beaten what is put in front of them and done exactly what they should’ve done in the Premiership. No more, no less. Just like Rangers. But Celtic can always keep their support on side by ticking the begorrah box. The latest edition of the club’s magazine, published last Wednesday, has Neil Lennon super-imposed on the flag of the Republic of Ireland. Above this image is a message wishing everyone a happy St Patrick’s Day from the champions. St Patrick’s Day doesn’t actually take place until tomorrow but who’s counting? And before those who are always waiting to be scandalised reach for the laptop to send the abusive email, my grandparents were from Ballymote in County Sligo and I’m as proud of my family roots as the next member of the Irish diaspora. But no matter where you’re from I’m sure a lot of Celtic supporters would rather their club magazine was talking about this weekend’s League Cup Final instead of camouflaging the fact they won’t be there. The reason why neither Celtic nor Rangers will be there this afternoon is that the former couldn’t get past the mighty Morton at home with the additional benefit of extra time. And even a team with a Bentley driver in it couldn’t find a way past part-time Forfar Athletic – after Rangers also got an extra half hour at Station Park to see if they could find the right gear. So good luck to Aberdeen and Inverness for having made it to the final and selling almost 50,000 tickets to remind us that there’s still life outside the Bentleys and the begorrahs. And well done to Albion Rovers for earning a replay against Rangers and a host of admirers at the same time for deciding to share their financial windfall from that match with the less fortunate. The idea of the Coatbridge club giving away £10,000 to Radio Clyde’s Cash For Kids charity appeal would once have been thought preposterous. But when they came into a few bob by dint of their own efforts on the park the Rovers asked “What do you need ?” instead of “What more do you want?” like a member of the other team annoyed by people having the audacity to criticise their performances. I got a text from someone anxious to point out that Rangers drew with Albion at Ibrox in 1935 when Bill Struth was the manager. My reply to that is, it was an embarrassment then and it’s an embarrassment now, begging Albion Rovers pardon. So sue me for having an opinion. -
"The Union of Fans and it's representatives would like to take this opportunity in wholeheartedly thanking the many volunteers who helped distribute the Blue Cards for today's display in support of new investment from Dave King. We would also like to thank the overwhelming majority of the support who took the decision to participate and show their support in the display. (To the naked eye well over 80% of those in attendance). In the main the cards were very well received and even those of dissenting voices were civil in either not taking cards or as is their right, not participating in the display. Once again your support & participation is very much appreciated. Union of Fans" ** Blue Card thread locked again* or I would have put this there. *I can hear conspiracy clogs whirring into action even as I type
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.....players must prove they belong at Ibrox after dismal display in Cup. BARRY believes Ally McCoist's men are now playing for their futures at Rangers in the wake of the shock draw with Albion Rovers. EMBARRASSING. The word has attached itself to Rangers for one reason or another over the last few days and I must admit I don’t like it one little bit. Like when Ally McCoist said it wasn’t embarrassing to draw at home to Albion Rovers in the Cup, some people had a go at him for it and thought the manager’s reaction was an embarrassment in itself. Not me. Then Ian Black asked the fans, ‘What more do you want?’ To tell you the truth, I could see where he was coming from too but there was something about the way he said it that did make you want to cringe. And all this over the space of a few days when the team has just won another title. Maybe people will say it was embarrassing for Rangers to be seen to be celebrating that success too because right now it seems my old club just can’t win, even when they are winning. But you can count me out of that camp right away. Yes, it might only be League One and, I agree, there is a big difference between lifting that championship and beating Celtic to the big one in the top flight. Of course there is. But a title is a title all the same. When Coisty and the players started out this season they had a job to do – to win the league and get the hell out of the division as quickly as possible. Well here they are seven months later, job done. With nearly three months to spare. Yes, I know it hasn’t always been great in terms of the quality of the football that has been played along the way. But that will be forgotten about over time and the record books will show that Rangers chalked up two straight promotions on the journey back up through the divisions. So don’t tell me these guys don’t deserve to celebrate what they’ve done. That’s just mean-spirited and spiteful. But – and yes, there is a but – these players must also realise that some of their displays over the course of the season have left a lot to be desired. And I’m talking here in particular about the performance against Albion at the weekend. Because if any of the boys in the team think that was acceptable then they are at the wrong club. I watched the game and it wasn’t great. Look, there were some mitigating factors. I’ll give them that. For instance, these Albion Rovers kids were having the day of their lives. They went to Ibrox knowing they might never play at a stadium like that again. It was a one off and they gave everything they had for their team and their manager, who went there with a game plan. At times it was five at the back and five across the midfield. But good luck to them. They did what they set out to do. Was it embarrassing for Coisty? Knowing the way he thinks I’m sure that inside he was hurting badly. But he did the right thing by not saying so in public. He was absolutely correct when he said that. Had he done so he would have been showing complete disrespect to his opponents. He certainly doesn’t deserve to be criticised for good manners. I understand Rangers fans expected a lot better. I understand because I am one of them and I did too. But no one will have felt more let down by that performance than the manager. He might not say so outside the dressing room but he knows more than anyone what is required and expected of Rangers. Yes, they should be skelping Albion Rovers by four or five goals. So scraping a 1-1 draw WAS probably embarrassing. But it happened and it’s the manager’s job to deal with it and move on. I have no doubt he’ll have given his players a very different message in the privacy of that dressing room. He’ll have been furious and, from personal experience, I know he won’t have missed his targets behind closed doors. Put it this way, he won’t need a long team talk before the replay. If anyone in that team doesn’t know what is at stake on Monday night then there is something wrong with them. In fact, maybe it’s not just the Albion Rovers boys who might never play at a stadium like Ibrox again because a few of Coisty’s own players will now be playing for their futures. A lot of these guys are on good money and the truth is they have not been giving value back to the club, the manager and the supporters. I am positive Ally will have already made his mind up about some of them. He will know which of them needs to be replaced in the summer. The problem he has right now is that he still doesn’t know if he’ll have enough of a budget to make the changes he’d like to ahead of next season in the Championship. And that uncertainty makes it hard for him to be as honest about these players as he might like to be. You can’t throw a guy under the bus one week then ask him to go out there and play for you again the next. They are all he’s got right now and, at this moment in time, he needs to do whatever he can to bring them with him and get them to up their game. I’m learning myself about how difficult life can be as a manager. Thankfully I won my first game as Blackpool manager on Tuesday but I realise there is a lot of hard work ahead if we are going to turn our own season around. I know how hard I am working on the training field in trying to get my message across and to get the team to play in the manner I want. I changed my game plan completely on Tuesday night and it worked for us but when you send them out across that white line you are a hostage to fortune. You ask players to do a specific job and sometimes it just does not happen. That’s why I have some sympathy for Coisty. We both know the buck always stops with the manager but there comes a time when the players must take their share of responsibility too. When I came back to Rangers after my move to Blackburn I knew there were a lot of fans who didn’t want me back. I knew because they weren’t slow in telling me. So it was down to me to go out there and prove my worth. Every time I pulled on that shirt, I knew my own reputation was going on the line. Maybe it’s about time some of the guys in that dressing room started to see things the same way. If their attitude isn’t right then there is no place for them at Rangers. It’s not too late to save themselves – they could end this season as heroes if they go on to win the Scottish Cup. But to do that they need to give themselves a shake and accept there is more to being a Rangers player than just turning up for training at Murray Park. And I expect to see them prove it emphatically on Monday night. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/barry-ferguson-title-win-great-3240280
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http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/13/should-rangers-get-the-plaudits-for-the-their-league-one-title-win-4558956/ Thoughts?
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RANGERS Football Club and Media House International Ltd announce that by mutual consent their current business relationship will end on March 11th 2014.
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I have taken off the headline, saying that our league win will be "hollow" as that may have distracted from what, for me, is an inarguable piece. ( http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl-lower-divisions/rangers-title-will-be-a-hollow-victory-1-3335530 ) by ALAN PATTULLO Published on the 11 March Rangers could be hours away from the League 1 title. The last but one objective in Rangers’ projected return to the top tier in successive seasons could be complete. Another mission accomplished if they win tomorrow night against Airdrieonians. It will be deservedly so. Rangers have won 25 of their 27 matches. They have drawn the two others. They have scored 84 goals, conceding only 14. They are doing what we all expected them to do. They are doing what they should be doing. But is the journey proving as gainful as hoped? Are Rangers making enough use of their journey back to the top flight? This question was first posed last season when a team of mostly experienced professionals – in several cases, internationals – made swift work of part-time opponents. Then, the same complaint was heard. Rangers are using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. They are failing to take a prize opportunity to blood young talent in the first team. More than one person has commented on the underwhelming atmosphere at Bayview earlier his month, when Rangers needed an injury-time penalty to secure three points against East Fife. It was a scuffed victory, set against a backdrop of yelps and shouts from the players that were heard from television screens across the land. It was as uninspiring as it was possible to be. Manager Ally McCoist admitted as much afterwards. He was happy enough with the result, just not the performance. It was far from what he had expected, he said. It was certainly far from what should be expected from what is still, at even casual glance, a team of Scottish Premiership-standard players. For those with the health of Scottish football at heart, it is a slightly deflating experience to study the Rangers teamsheet each week. Doing so will stir far more painful emotions for Rangers fans, since it provides plenty of pointers towards why the club are still hemorrhaging money. Well-paid – some would say vastly overpaid – seasoned professionals playing far below their level is not the only reason why the club are reduced to casting around for loans. However, it isn’t helping. Much was made of how Rangers might negotiate their way back up the leagues when it was confirmed that they would begin season 2012-13 in the old Third Division. While clearly traumatic, some expressed the hope that this would at least provide them with the opportunity to rebuild from the bottom up; to resuscitate the club’s youth development programme. Few can claim that Murray Park has been as successful on that front as was hoped. The most successful graduates are now playing elsewhere. Are there many coming through the ranks? Not on the evidence presented to date. Of the players used by McCoist on Saturday, most would not have seemed out of place in the Scottish Premiership. Indeed, several of them are not only Premiership players, but top end ones. Lee Wallace was one of Hearts’ best players before he made the switch to Ibrox, as was David Templeton. Jon Daly was regarded as a significant loss by Dundee United fans when he departed, while Richard Foster is the epitome of a dependable professional, though when he returned to the club he seemed far from essential to Rangers’ ambitions of winning the title. Cammy Bell, meanwhile, had earned international recognition with Kilmarnock. On the bench, of course, is substitute goalkeeper Steve Simonsen, with the younger Scott Gallacher condemned to play reserve team football following his return to Ibrox after a loan spell with Airdrieonians. Defenders Craig Halkett and Lucas Gasparotto, who qualifies for Canada, are two players whom many expected to have been employed by now, but neither has featured yet this season – not for Rangers at least. Fraser Aird and Robert Crawford, who replaced Aird during last Saturday’s match, are sources of some optimism, as, of course, is Lewis Macleod, the currently injured Scotland Under-21 internationlist. McCoist clearly does not believe others coming through at Murray Park are good enough. If he did, he would have fewer qualms about pitching them into the team, the way that Dundee United manager Jackie McNamara has done at a higher level. It is unlikely that McCoist will be persuaded to do so next season either, in a league where teams need to know how to look after themselves, perhaps to an even greater extent than in the Premiership. So has Rangers’ window for youth development now passed? Probably. They have other battles to fight in any case. But when they do take their place in the top flight, probably in two seasons’ time, the relief may well be tempered by a niggling sense of what else might have been delivered over the course of their exile.
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The First Annual Gersnet Dinner will be held at Malaga Tapas, 213-215 Saint Andrews Road, Glasgow G41 1PD on 26 April 2014 at 3.00pm for 3.15pm till 7.00pm. NOTE NEW TIMES DUE TO EARLY KICK OFF V STRANRAER http://www.malagatapas.co.uk/ The restaurant is currently ranked in the top 20 in Glasgow on Tripadvisor http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186534-d1087980-Reviews-Malaga_Tapas-Glasgow_Scotland.html MENU FOR THE FIRST ANNUAL GERSNET DINNER (THE BEARS PICNIC) Primer Plato (First Course) Selección del chef de varias tapas, por ejemplo (Chefs Selection of Various Tapas e.g.): Pescados (Fish) – Pescado en Adobe ( Spanish Marinated Fish in a combination of paprika and spices) Fritura de Pescado (Fried Mixture of Fish & Seafood; king prawns, squid & white fish, served with garlic mayonnaise) Carnes (Meats) - Albondigas en tomate (meatballs cooked in a rich tomato sauce) Pinchos Morunos (Authentic Spanish Skewers of Sizzling Pork, marinated with cumin, garlic & red wine) Verduras (Vegetables) – Pisto Manchego (Mixture of roasted vegetables: peppers, potatoes, eggplants and onions mingled with tomato sauce) Bravas con salsa Picante (Malaga Tapas own take on the quintessential Spanish patatas bravas) 3 tapas per person Segundo Plato (Second Course) Paellas: Marisco (seafood), Valenciana (mix of chicken & seafood), Montana (chicken and dry-cured chorizo); Verduras (vegetarian) (the selection on the night will depend on numbers) Postres (Deserts) por ejemplo (e.g.): Crema Catalana (Spanish version of crème brulee fired at the table!) Copa Malaguena (Ice cream, honey coated peanuts, raisins and topped with Pacharin liquor) NB: The above are examples from Malaga Tapas’ current menu (see web site); as the owners import a high percentage of the ingredients from Spain, the actual dishes available on the night may vary from the above. £18.00 por persona (per person). All those wishing to attend please post in this thread. I am proposing to collect a deposit of £9/10 per head and in order to avoid any possible suggestion of impropriety, I intend opening a bank account with two signatories, specifically for that purpose. Frankie has approved the opening of a Gersnet Dinner account with me and Andy Steel as signatories. I'll PM the details to all those who sign up when I get it organised.
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We are delighted to announce that we have managed to secure two of the most well liked Dutchmen to have played for the light blues Tickets £20 and include a bite to eat and are available at http://www.thelouden.co.uk/events.html Doors will open at 7pm for the event with the Q&A scheduled to begin at 8pm. We are really looking forward to the event and hope to see a good number of our fantastic support there! Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis and all ticket sales are final and will be collected on the door on the night. One Rangers… No Factions – http://www.thelouden.co.uk, @TheLoudenTavern We Are The People God Bless The Rangers The Louden Tavern: Ibrox Stadium - More than a Pub Official Partner of The Rangers Football Club *We are responsible for The Louden Tavern: Ibrox Stadium, 111 Copland Road, Ibrox, G51 2SL solely and are not involved in the operation of any other premises
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http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/mccoist-to-meet-wallace-to-discuss-summer-signings.23632214
