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In the thread of world class players I found myself thinking about the standout players we have had in recent history and he stood out to me and always will. Nobody will ever say he was world class or even close to it. However, in the 02/03 season he was pretty much as great a player I've seen us have and he also showed his ability at a young age in Europe. The Bayer Leverkusen manager famously said he was worth £15m. After us he went to Blackburn and struggled in a poor side that was going nowhere, particularly after selling their star asset Duff to Chelsea who helped fund the move. A collision with Gary Speed resulted in a dislocated knee cap that held his career back massively but Ferguson still had what I believe is still a record streak of man of the matches on the trot (5, 6 or 7 was it?). He came back to us and just wasn't the same player but had a performance at home to Porto (3-2 win, was it in 04/05??) that was unbelievable. He was strangely anonymous in many games though most likely down to poor man management but he went to Birmingham and soon became a standout again. He was in a very struggling side but stood out in many matches, particularly at home to Liverpool where he bossed the game and was man of the match. I recall Martin Tyler waxing lyrical about him in that match. He had hugely impressive pass completion stats at a terrible team as detailed here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1323450/Barry-Ferguson-pass-master.html I just feel that it's a shame what became of his career. I wish he stayed at us for 03/04 and I felt he should have held out for a better move. At that point he was better than 95% of Premiership players. He's the only real standout Scottish player of the past 10 or so years and I just wonder if he had the benefit of Spanish, Dutch or Argentine coaching, he might just have realised his potential.

http://www.therst.co.uk/meeting-with-paul-murray-and-jim-mccoll/

How many truly World Class players have played for the club? Jim Baxter for one. Any others?

We are under investigation from glasgows finest as to armed forces day daily record page seven the police report is now complete amazing the speed of the investigation when you think that the same police are dragging their heels into those who wronged our club .

Folks, What are your favourite memories of Dutch Rangers players of the past, both Advocaat era and non-Advocaat era? Favourite Dutch player (or players), combinations of players in the team, favourite games? Just basically looking for fond memories, anecdotes, memories of a favourite game (or games) and any specific stuff you care to mention! A quick recap of some of the Dutch players: Dick Advocaat era: Ronald de Boer, Michael Mols, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Artur Numan, Bert Konterman, Fernando Ricksen. Outwith the Advocaat era: Frank de Boer, Theo Snelders, Ronald Waterreus, Pieter Huistra, Peter van Vossen. (If I've missed any players please chime in!)

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

Whilst I am very happy with the statements released tonight I do however have one major concern. That is the return of a certain Martin Edward Bain. This man in my opinion has done some serious damage to our great club, a lot of which has been hidden by the media and not discussed. This includes negotiating with Strathclyde's finest "not" to charge a certain manager of another club for racial and sectarian abuse. Allowing most media outlets to have a free for all against our club and its supporters without defending them once in a court of law. Vastly increasing his salary when our club had to downsize and reduce debt. Forcing the sale of certain players and lying to them personally about it. (Pedro Mendes being just one example). If Dave King returns there is a strong chance that this chancer will be making an appearance as well. Whilst Craig Mather may have put the nail in one coffin we must always be very aware of another return of the living dead. Please don't let this idiot ever get his feet under the table again.

Posed by the RST on Facebook, if this is in the wrong place or it's already been started... feel free to move or delete. Minutes of meeting with C Mather and B Stockbridge Minute of meeting between the Rangers Supporters Association, Rangers Supporters Assembly and the Rangers Supporters Trust had a meeting with club Chief Executive Craig Mather, Finance Director Brian Stockbridge and Director of Communications James Traynor. Ibrox Stadium 10 October 2013. SEDERUNT C Mather, B Stockbridge, J Traynor and J Hannah (Rangers FC). Fans reps - D Roberton, J Kirk, T Green, M Dingwall, R Johnston, A Sheppard and G Letham. INTRODUCTIONS CM - Introduced himself, keen to be open with the fans. Brief introduction of fan groups and rationale. IPO ISSUES GL - Queried the excessive £5.6m costs from fundraising, can we get a breakdown. BS - pre-IPO fees are high. Large cost to secure the club - at time of acquisition there was no license to play football and it was risky private investment and that attracts high costs. GL - normally fees would be 5% - why are these as high as 25% BS - fees paid were commensurate with normal legal and professional fees but the other costs were high. I came in on 14th June by which time these costs were already fixed. Payments agreed by the club prior to my joining were only paid if I considered they were properly incurred and constituted proper commercial contracts. Intends putting together a more informative analysis of historic costs ref the IPO before the AGM - this sort of information is not normally in the public domain. Will have to liaise with investors and advisors that they are happy to have fees disclosed. Hope to be as transparent as I can be. You must remember there were Inherited costs - in terms of wages these were around the £30m mark for example and will not remain at that level. GL - £450,000 arrangement payment to Zeus - is this transaction included in the cost of the IPO? What about refunds to investors such as Laxey, Eurovestech and Alan Mackenzie? BS - Yes, it is included. But there were no illegal returns of capital. CM - as far as fees are concerned I'm happy to state a £50k - 5% commission was paid on my introduction regarding investing in the company. GL - why have the costs of finance raising been so high? Charles Green assured Rangers fans that fundraising would be easy. BS - can't be responsible for CG statements or contracts. Only invoices club pays out are those which are contractual, reasonable and binding. We have cut costs considerably going forward. STAFF REMUNERATION The staff costs appear massive and should not have been incurred for the level of football or the amount of work undertaken. CM - certain salaries are in the Annual Report and some scrutiny is valid. My own salary is £300k and the major institutional investors are aware of that and happy with it. The structure of my bonus has been discussed but it will not be linked just to winning the league. Lots of other factors will have to come into play, meeting player and financial budgets. Both McCoist and myself are content to work together to ensure that we reach a balance on incentives regarding the PLC budget for players and saving money so that one part of the club is not working against the other. We're looking at reducing the historic level of professional costs - for instance, we are considering an in-house legal department to cap the level of expenditure there. We need to restructure and define cost centres. We are looking at the efficiency for example of Murray Park and wish to make that measurable in setting remuneration/bonuses. BS - the terms of my contract are public - £200k bonus for each of the next three years. I voluntarily agreed to remove my bonus payment that had been agreed for those years. It's about delivering financial performance, I'm not taking an automatic bonus. Expect that post-AGM my remuneration and bonus will be announced. I joined the company on 14th June and wasn't salaried until September. Paid a £50k electric bill form my own resources. Banners and chants do not reflect the reality of the situation. I have no outside interest and I have no 1p shares. BS paid 70p per share at the IPO. TG - why give up bonuses now? BS - with hindsight I should have been rewarded for financial performance not football basis. CM - I want Brian looking over my shoulder as finance director controlling spending. BS - the club is financially secure. We have a completely clear audit from Deloittes. We have no debt. CM - McCoist package - we've almost got it signed off. An agreed reduced package will be put in place soon. GL - termination payments appear very generous - for example Charles Green. BS - Green's package was decided by the Remuneration Committee. I sacked Imran for gross misconduct, he received no compensation. DR - I thought Green had resigned? CM - it was a compromise agreement to protect the club. Employees have rights they can exercise. BS - The Remuneration Committee contains no executives - it contained Malcolm Murray, Phil Cartmell and Ian Hart. CLUB ACCOUNTS GL - We don't want to dwell too much on the historical numbers, we would rather focus on the future. We would however record that the accounts just released were an appalling set of figures. CM - We recognise the losses. These were predicted and investors knew there would be a substantial loss in the first year. GL - pre-IPO research note issued by the broker Cenkos predicted a £1m loss compared with a £14m actual loss. Half-year forecast predicted a £7m loss. BS - We've seen leaks of price-sensitive information from illegal leaks. It's difficult to form an accurate opinion on partial information. We've removed £2m costs off operational expenditure. GL - your December management accounts predicted a £6.8m loss but the loss was £14m. BS - we've had problems with the retail division - the JJB contract going and the Puma deal being late. A lot of one-off costs - £1m for the Pinsents investigation. Pay-off for Green, etc. GL - do you have a monthly phased plan for the current year and are actual results reviewed against this plan by the Board on a monthly basis? CM - yes, and regular Senior Management meetings. GL - can you tell us what the budget revenue and operating profit/loss figures are for the current year 2013/2014? BS - I can't give price-sensitive info and hence can't give profit forecast numbers. However, Daniel Stewart are working on a research note for insitutionals. We do things by the book - we'll note non-recurring items and will break them down. RJ - what about provision for similar costs for next year? BS - difficult to predict as we did have a lot of non-recurring fees this year. RJ - but we keep losing executive and non executive board members on an almost regular basis and incurring associated costs. CM - unusual year of change. For instance we had season ticket sales on course as of 1st August but then the requisition for the EGM came in and killed confidence. Sales went from 174 a day to 6. But that's based on perception not reality. We're ahead of budget in many areas. I want to sort the club - the Board have to be able to look at themselves and if I am not the right man I will go. If I haven't performed then I deserve to be voted off at the AGM. I have successfully bought businesses out of administration before - I know what I am doing. What happens if we are voted out at the AGM and there is no alternative? BS - the Stock Exchange will suspend the company from the market.

New Pitch Laid At MP WRITTEN BY ANDREW DICKSON http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/5251-new-pitch-laid-at-mp

​​Tycoon Dave King set to return to Rangers as chairman and is expected to plough cash into the Ibrox coffers straight away 10 Oct 2013 07:12CHIEF executive Craig Mather flew to Johannesburg at the weekend for talks aimed at bringing millionaire King, 58, back on board. King could be back in charge before the club’s AGM on October 24. ALLY McCOIST last night welcomed the move to bring exiled millionaire Dave King back to Ibrox as chairman. And the Rangers boss hailed King’s return as a masterstroke that can help steer the club back to the top. McCoist knows South Africa-based King well from his previous stint as a director of the club under Sir David Murray and he accepts the 58-year-old will do his all to bring back the glory days. Record Sport understands King is ready to complete a sensational comeback as chairman before the annual general meeting on October 24. He has been locked in talks with chief executive Craig Mather, who flew to Johannesburg for a face-to-face meeting at the weekend in a bid to bring the businessman on board. Those discussions appear to have borne fruit, with an announcement expected soon that King – who poured £20m into the club during the Murray era and lost it when the club went into administration – will invest significant sums of money which will effectively see him take the reins at Ibrox. McCoist believes that having a “Rangers man” in a position of power can only be good for the club and praised the board, which has been under fire from fans, for making the move. He said: “Dave has already invested vast sums of his own money into Rangers and that tells me he’s the kind of investor we need at this club again. “The recent accounts have been well documented and the fact is we will need reinvestment at some stage in the future. If we are going to get reinvestment it would be good to get it from someone who has the best interests of the club at heart. “Dave has and clearly the board also believe that to be the case. “The fact a member of the board has flown to South Africa for talks would indicate they feel it would be hugely beneficial to have Dave back on board. It can only be a good thing for Rangers. “I believe the board deserve credit for making such an effort to attract someone like Dave back to the club. “This is a message that they are trying to do their best for Rangers. “They have a difficult and important job to do and it is encouraging to think we are talking to someone who could help move the club forward. It would be a great thing for us all.” Despite losing a fortune in the club previously, Castlemilk-born businessman King has never hidden his determination to return when a long-running tax dispute with the South African government was resolved. That issue came to an end last year and King is now free to become a director. Record Sport understands King has decided that the time is right, although a number of conditions have still to be met. But last night it was looking increasingly likely King was on his way back and with a shareholding and influence that would dilute the power of the directors, who have been under fire for the manner in which the club has been run since Charles Green arrived in May 2012. The Ibrox support has been protesting fiercely against the current board and stepped up their campaign following the publication of accounts last week which showed Rangers had lost £14m over the past 13 months. That is the period in which Green, who has now left the club, and finance director Brian Stockbridge took massive executive salaries and pocketed huge bonuses for winning the Third Division. Fans want the removal of the current board and shareholders are expected to call for dismissals at the agm. But if as expected King joins as chairman, many of their fears may be allayed. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/tycoon-dave-king-set-return-2356060

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

..........over cut price deal for Celtic fans THE Killie chief has been branded a “desperate man” after offering travelling fans cut-price briefs for this weekend's game at Rugby Park - while charging home punters full price. BUNGLING Killie chief Michael Johnston last night sparked outrage among his own fans AND Celtic supporters after offering cut-price briefs for Saturday’s league clash for the away section only. Johnston was branded a “desperate man” and accused of fleecing his own club’s support after only allowing travelling fans to buy cut-price briefs for the fixture at Rugby Park while charging home punters full price. Celtic announced on their website yesterday that season-ticket holders could buy briefs for just £20. That is a £6 less than Killie fans are being asked to pay. And while the move was welcomed by some Celtic fans it resulted in a furious backlash from those who had already purchased tickets and paid the full price before yesterday’s offer. Many are threatening to hand back their tickets unless they are issued with a £6 refund and vowing to stay away when their club head to Rugby Park again next March. While Celtic fans are outraged, relations between Johnston and the Killie support are already at an all-time low and this latest offer has only served to further antagonise matters. Kilmarnock Supporters’ Association chairman Sandy Armour described the offer as “madness”. He believes it will only fuel more calls within the Killie fanbase for boycotts of their own club. Armour said: “This defies belief. The fans are raging. “I’ve never known a situation where a chairman has shown so much contempt for his own fans. “If this isn’t the actions of a desperate man then I don’t know what is. I’ve no idea what he’s thinking. Every action he seems to take damages the club and this is the biggest own goal yet. “If you’re a Kilmarnock fan swithering about whether to go then why would you when you know the away fans are treated better? “I’ve never heard anything like this in my life before - it’s absolute madness. “The only thing I can think of is he’s under pressure to get money in. “For me, it’s the last act of a desperate man. I heard the ticket sales from Celtic fans was poor so it’s another case of trying to make a quick buck short term. “It looks like he’s just trying to get money in from anywhere. But if that was his thinking would he not have been better making it £20 for everyone? “What he doesn’t realise is he’ll get little take-up from the Celtic fans because it’s a live TV game on a Saturday lunchtime so taking a few quid off isn’t going to make the difference between fans going and not going. “In the long run he’ll lose far more from Kilmarnock fans walking away because of his actions. I think very few people will turn up on Saturday on the day. “Season ticket holders will be there but even some of them say they won’t go on the back of this. “There will be a meeting with fans in the next few weeks and some are looking for boycotts to be organised but the message is clear – we need rid of Johnston now.” And Ann McElhinney, secretary of the Affiliation of registered Celtic Supporters’ Clubs, was also fuming. She said: “The Affiliation have already taken over 800 tickets at £26. “It’s ridiculous and unfair on the fans who have already bought their tickets. “My phone hasn’t stopped with people saying they want the £6 refunded and if it isn’t going to be refunded then they’re asking if they can give the ticket back. “Historically, there isn’t a big uptake of tickets for Rugby Park and Killie have just made the situation worse with this. “The next time Celtic are there I’d be surprised if we even half-fill one stand due to this. They’ve shot themselves in the foot.” Killie, who are £9million in debt, were unavailable to make any comment on the move but Armour added: “I hope the bank can see what’s happening and take action before Johnston does any more damage to the club.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/kilmarnock-fans-rage-desperate-chairman-2298798

Richard Wilson SELF-EXPRESSION, whether borne of exuberance or exasperation, was a recurring theme during this latest procession at Ibrox. Protests against the board, gaining momentum through old-fashioned leafleting campaigns as well as the now-inevitable use of the internet, reached a new level on Saturday with the grandest exhibitions of dissent yet being shown in the 18th and 72nd minutes, nods to the club's foundation in 1872. To suggest this is akin to the storming of the Bastille is premature, but more and more Rangers fans, never ones entirely comfortable with demanding necks on the guillotine, are warming to the idea of one way or another forcing out those inhabiting the boardroom. The centrepoint of the demonstration was the corner of the stadium between the Main Stand and the Broomloan Road Stand - and the unfurling of banners which read 'Spivs Out', 'No More Lies', 'Action Not Apathy' and 'Give Us Our Rangers Back' was well orchestrated. What may worry the likes of chief executive Craig Mather, as the temperature builds ahead of next month's AGM, is that these messages were not restricted to that area of the ground. They were raised throughout all four stands at the appointed time, with one or two perhaps a little too close for comfort to the directors' box and the stoic types in the posh seats. It would be disingenuous to suggest the chants of 'Sack The Board' and 'Get Out Of Our Club' emanated from all corners of the arena, but there was enough widespread applause to suggest the views expressed are gaining enough support to be taken seriously. This was not all clenched fists, stern faces and 'Wolfie' Smith politics, though. Passions are running high but they come out in positive ways, too, and the wonderfully chaotic half-time parade in honour of the armed forces was quite something to witness. Around 400 servicemen and women marched into the ground in perfect order behind a massed pipe band. But the minute they set foot on the hallowed turf all semblance of order dissolved. Squaddies were bouncing up and down on the trackside with the spotty adolescents of the Union Bears fans group, RAF pilots were queuing up for photos beside the substitutes as well as Broxi Bear, and there were a couple of Navy men you would swear were trying to get up the tunnel. One fellow who certainly shared the enthusiasm and joy of those soldiers and sailors revelling in their moment in the spotlight was central defender Bilel Mohsni. The 26-year-old French-Tunisian completed this rout with the most spectacular overhead kick in stoppage time and decided to embark upon a one-man lap of honour after the final whistle. Channelling the spirit of the afternoon, he was in no mood to keep his thoughts to himself. Despite being just in the door, he is already talking of the possibility of at least matching Rangers' record league win of 10-0 against Hibernian in December 1898, and more. "It's possible we could score double figures in a game at Ibrox this season," he said. "Stenhousemuir have some good players and try to play football, but they caught us on a great day. "That was the best goal I've ever scored and it was a special day, because my parents, my brother and some friends had travelled over from France. I enjoyed my celebrations. All I want to talk about with regard to the fans, though, is the relationship we have with them. There is a very close bond between every player and the supporters. If we play our best, we could win every game as we have good players in every position. I think we have the team to win every game." Mohsni did not hold back either when criticising last week's award of the SPFL League One manager of the month prize to Stenhousemuir's Martyn Corrigan. "It's just a pity Ally McCoist didn't get it," he said. "How many goals do you want us to score in one game before he gets recognised - 100? I know the Stenhousemuir manager got the award, so this was a good way for the manager to respond to that. People seem to ignore the job that Ally McCoist is doing and he should get more praise." His side did him proud here. Jon Daly scored four goals to complement other efforts of varying quality from Andy Little, Lee Wallace, substitute David Templeton and Mohsni. Ian Black also made an effective return from his suspension for gambling against his own team and will have been happy to emerge from the 90 minutes without any perceptible criticism from the stands. "I lost seven goals to Rangers in the cup when I was with Dunfermline and also lost seven at Parkhead, but I'd never lost eight before," said visiting goalkeeper Chris Smith. "It was, without doubt, my worst ever day."

Tam Cowan dropped by BBC Scotland after sexist newspaper column (Herald) Saturday 28 September 2013 Tam Cowan was ousted today by BBC Scotland from his normal Saturday lunchtime radio show after the publication of a newspaper column that was widely seen as unacceptably sexist. His article in the Daily Record belittled the Scottish women's football team's 7-0 win Bosnia Herzegovina at Fir Park, which was shown on BBC Alba TV. Cowan's column, which included a number of crude jokes, caused a storm of angry reaction on social media networks, and prompted the paper to add an editor's footnote to the online version, saying it should be "taken with a large pinch of salt". However, BBC Scotland decided to ban him from Off the Ball today. Management are thought to have seen the column as unacceptable. It is not known yet if his absence is temporary or permanent. Cowan, 44, was taken off air before the show went out at lunchtime, and was replaced at short notice by Annie McGuire, who has previously worked with Jim Traynor on his BBC Radio fans' call-in. At the start of Off the Ball, co-host Stuart Cosgrove made no reference to the Daily Record column, but explained Cowan's absence by saying: "Alas, Tam's been delayed today…we're looking for him. He's out there somewhere." Cowan's Record column began: "If I had my way, today's Premiership fixture between Motherwell and Ross County would have been cancelled. That's because Fir Park should have been torched on Thursday in order to cleanse the stadium after it played host to women's football. Why do they still persevere with this turgid spectacle? And why was it allowed anywhere near Motherwell's hallowed turf?" He added: "Admittedly, I've not seen a lot of women's football…and I'm not having a pop at the people taking part. Just the other week, I bumped into a couple of women footballers (I've still got the bruises to prove it) and they were honestly two of the nicest blokes I've ever met… "…Face it, folks, nobody cares about women's football. There was barely a thousand inside the ground, shocking for an international in ANY sport, and I guess putting the girlies head-to-head with Emmerdale and Eastenders was a bit daft." Among the critics on Twitter were Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, who tweeted: "Fire up the Hillman Imp, Tam Cowan's going back to the 70s with his views on women's football." SNP MSP Humza Yousaf added: "Invite Tam Cowan to come watch Glasgow Girls FC with me one day - he'll eat his words! Top quality football and great atmosphere too!" Comedian Janey Godley said: "I like Tam Cowan but am disappointed he turned into a 70s misogynist ranter & tried to pass it off as 'comedy' Jim Davidson would be proud." Leading novelist Ian Rankin added: "I wonder if anyone's told Tam Cowan that Charlotte Green read out the football results tonight (on Radio 5 Live - the first female to do so)." After the backlash, the Record's online article was amended with the inclusion of an editor's note, which read: "Folks, we would like to point out Tam is a professional funnyman and what he has to say should be taken with a large pinch of salt. Also, his views are not necessarily those of the Daily Record as a whole." The Record then tweeted: "Tam Cowan's piece today is HIS opinion. Read it and make up your own minds. Not publishing would be censorship." Cowan is an ardent Motherwell fan and Daily Record columnist since 1998, producing a bi-weekly sports column and a weekly restaurant review. He has presented Off The Ball for many years in tandem with his friend Cosgrove, who holds a senior position with Channel 4. In February 2010, Cowan presented a six-part STV documentary series on literacy and numeracy difficulties among adults. In 2011, Cowan was also a co-presenter for STV's lifestyle magazine show The Hour, with Michelle McManus. The programme was axed four weeks after a move to a weekly prime time slot and a revamp led to low ratings.

c&P from FF Disappointing. Unbelievable.

I'd say we need to move on other players first but interesting news nonetheless... http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/4983-zaliukas-trains-with-gers

Following on from a thread in Footie chat about Morton knocking Celtic out the league cup, I thought had we still been in the competition then the trophy would be there for the taken. But my comment was Id still be happy to settle for a League One and Ramsden's Cup double. It got me thinking about the Scottish Cup. Oh yes I'd love to win that but are we ready to compete with the SPL sides? On paper we are. I wouldn't be swapping our squad for any in the SPL right now including Celtics as I think we have the basis of a good squad to compete. Add in a few quality signings when we are back to the SPL then Id say we will be top 2 for sure. It boils again down to our style of play and management ability as to how good we can be, as last season we were easily beaten by Inverness and Dundee Utd. But we are probably far more prepared this season. As we are more prepared with a stronger squad that have had a full pre-season: What is our realistic expectations in the Scottish Cup? Of course the luck of the draw will always come into it. Are some fans still wanting to boycott it in protest towards the SFA and anti-Rangers SPL clubs? I know I could understand that point of view. Does anyone want to avoid playing an SPL side yet in case a) we get turned over and b) assist in financing them? The jury is still out for me. I don't want to return to Tannadice nor head for Pittodrie to satisfy the vile hatred from elements of those places. But if we were to draw Ross County or Kilmarnock I'd take that right now as a) it would be a good test and b) I think we could beat those. I do think the sticky balls will be in play this season and we will get Celtic.

By Rob Maclean Who's running the show at Rangers? It's a frequently-asked question without an instantly obvious answer. The battle for power in and around the boardroom appears never-ending and there's a desperate need for clarity to replace confusion. Out on the pitch, though, there are no such doubts about leadership. Rangers may be a team in transition but some things never change. Like Lee McCulloch's steely determination. And all the 35-year-old club captain's playing passion is directed at getting his team back in the big league. He doesn't need to roar from the rooftops about his burning desire to have Rangers playing in the Premiership in two years time. You just have to watch him play. I did just that from the BBC Radio Scotland commentary box at Palmerston as Rangers ended Queen of the South's hopes of repeating their Ramsdens Cup shock of almost exactly a year before. And McCulloch was a standout performer as the League One leaders got the job done in Dumfries. Not just for two towering headers, one which put the opening goal on a plate for Bilel Mohsni, the other which took his individual goals tally in the first couple of months of the season to an amazing eight. No, it was the general quality of his play - in central defence that night - which made him the top player on the pitch by a distance. Just as impressive was his attitude. If he's in any way underwhelmed by playing in Scottish football's third tier, it doesn't show. And there's no doubt that rubs off on the players around him. He demands full focus and total commitment. Even in his mid-thirties, former Wigan and Scotland midfielder McCulloch could be playing at a much higher level if that's what he wanted. It's not. What he does want - badly - is to see the club he loves back where he reckons they belong. A former Rangers captain, Davie Weir, was still playing for the club into his forties and that was in the SPL. It wouldn't surprise me if McCulloch did the same in the Premiership. I'm sure he'll be around for the next couple of promotion parties and, beyond that, it's all down to his physical wellbeing. If big Lee's body can stand the strain, he could emulate Weir's achievement in extending his football life beyond forty. The influence of McCulloch can't be overstated and more and more of his team-mates - as manager Ally McCoist continues to upgrade his squad - clearly share the skipper's vision. Rangers don't need to be signing up so many Premiership-quality players to win promotion to the Championship. A sentence containing the words 'nut' and 'sledgehammer' springs to mind. Are they pressing the gamble button (maybe not a great idea in the current climate) in the hope of making a money-spinning Scottish Cup run? Certainly their playing performances have been easier on the eye, with one or two obvious exceptions. And even allowing for the odd stutter, they'll cruise to another promotion with the minimum of fuss. Leading from the front, or the back, or in midfield for that matter, is the impressive and inspirational figure of Lee McCulloch.

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

Do we as fans get too bogged down on people playing "out of position"? Reading on anther forum and people are going tonto at 2 left backs playing last night. Now granted I missed this one and it may have been atrocious. But I can quite reasonably see Smith playing in front of Wallace or vice versa working quite well based on the individual attributes they have. Gareth Bale started out as a left back. Were Spurs/Southampton fans going nuts about him being used out of position. Mascherano played for a long time at centre back for Barca despite lacking the physical qualities necessary. Rooney and Weelbeck have played wide in midfield for Man Utd. I realise these are exceptional cases or in some cases world class performers. But if I used obscure examples from my local team you wouldn't be aware of them and they would be no more valid. I don't think the issue is always whether someone is in their preferred position but whether or not they have the attributes to do a specific job for the managers game plan in another position. Is it really that big a deal? All that is before you get into the fact that formations are fluid throughout the game and so formations and positions don't define players completely anyway.

You look at yesterday's game and see the result and think everything is rosy but the result doesn't, for me, tell the story of the game. While travelling to Ibrox, you find out the starting 11 and I couldn't believe that Ally has switched the back line around so much just to ensure that our captain could be played. Last game we played, Jig score a hat-trick, his first if his entire career and for that he deserved to start but never at CH but as a striker. Because of Ally's apparent loyalty to Jig, he put a player (Faure) who's only solid position is at CH and moved him to RB & then dropped (not even on the bench) McAusland who has been outstanding. He then forced out a striker (Little) to play on the left wing, a position he excelled in in one half of one game previously. I believe that those tactical mistakes were to blame for our very poor 1st half performance. We had lost our width down the right as Faure would hardly cross the halfway live as that's not his style, although Peralta was excellent at right mid. The Arbroath team were very good for much of the game, played football & only lost it as the game wore on the the fitness did tell. So, to sum up ... Yes, we scored 5 goals but as I said, that doesn't tell the whole story.

Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert has cast the former Rangers right-back into the wilderness. Tonight Hutton hopes he can show everyone that Lambert is in the wrong. ALAN HUTTON last night ripped into Aston Villa for leaving his career in limbo. However, he insisted helping Scotland put the brakes on Belgium tonight will prove he can play at the highest level. The Aston Villa right-back, bossed by former Scotland captain Paul Lambert, enjoyed a successful loan spell with Real Mallorca last term and expected to be allowed to return to La Liga on Monday after his club received three offers from Spain. But Villa refused to sanction another loan move and Hutton, who has been frozen out and told he has no future at the Premier League side, now doesn’t know when he’ll play club football again. The defender will be able to move to a Championship club on loan from next week but at the moment his dream of a return to Spain is over. Hutton said: “I had a few opportunities to go back to Spain – there were a few options. Mallorca want me back but I had three options to go back to La Liga and none of them could agree terms. “It’s left me in a position where I am not too sure what is going to happen. “It is very frustrating. If you could picture me that day I was bouncing off the walls but to actually have options – not just one – to go to different teams and they can’t, or aren’t willing to agree terms is very annoying. “I was desperate to leave and nothing comes of it and you are on a bit of a downer. Monday was a nightmare of a day. “But it’s not just that. Even before pre-season I had options to leave and they still couldn’t agree terms. Then a month down the line they still can’t do it.” Hutton revealed a group of outcasts were forced to train together and expressed his delight that Scotland team-mate Barry Bannan who moved to Crystal Palace on deadline day, managed to escape. He said: “There were lots of us; Darren Bent, Stephen Ireland – I am talking international players. Charles N’Zogbia, who have just been put to the side and for me it is not what should be done. We are not kids. “I was buzzing for Barry that he got out because he is a great player and doesn’t deserve to be treated like that. Unfortunately for myself it didn’t come off and I am angry about it.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/scotland-defender-alan-hutton-rips-2254988

There was a time when I held the not so overly unrealistic desire for a club that was run astutely with a progressive approach to scouting, coaching and youth development. This is something I went on and on about in the early 00's on FF as a young lad when it became clear Murray was leading us into a path of destruction. Develop high quality talent and sell them on for a large profit. An aim to reach the later of the Europa or even CL on a good day. Surely the last 16 of the CL should not be out with the reaches of a club of our stature on a year by year basis? Also, an emphasis on intelligent attacking play with short passing. A club that prides itself on football the 'proper way', with our youth teams to seniors all playing the same brand of passing, attacking play. Now all I want is a club that isn't falling apart. A club that is run by someone who wouldn't be at home in a reality TV show, with daily exploits in the red top tabloids. A club that might occasionally find a half decent player. A club that might make the later stages of the League Cup. A side that can play against half decent teams with something not resembling Wimbledon of the 90's. Things might finally look not overly bleak now that we have a non Celtic SPL XI playing in the third tier but I wonder how we will look when the hands that are dealt are more even. Wake me up when the latter happens.

http://news.stv.tv/west-central/239433-rangers-ebt-tax-case-hmrc-appeal-to-be-heard-in-public-judge-rules/ HM Revenue and Customs’ appeal against the Rangers tax case will be heard in public, it has been announced. The tax authority is appealing the First Tier Tax Tribunal that ruled in favour of the Murray Group Holdings and its subsidiary, Rangers oldco. In the tribunal decision released last November, a majority of two to one on the panel found that payments made through offshore employee benefit trusts (EBTs) to players and staff at Rangers should be classified as loans and did not attract PAYE and national insurance. There were five cases where the payments made to employees should be classified as wages and were taxable, the panel found. HMRC launched an appeal against the ‘big’ tax case in the Upper Tribunal last year and it is set to be heard on several days between January and March 2014. Colin Bishopp is the Upper Tribunal judge overseeing it and his directions issued at an earlier preliminary hearing in the case were released on Friday. In it, he confirmed that all further hearings in the case will be made in public, after the previous case was held in private. Judge Bishopp said: "It was common ground before me that the presumption is that tax appeals are heard in public, and with no concealment of identity or detail. I accept that, in the past, there was good reason to fear that the personal safety of certain individuals was threatened; but the information now before me indicates that the threats have abated and have probably disappeared. "Even if the identities of some individuals were concealed in the First-tier Tribunal’s decision, the nature of the issues was not." He stated that the original decision to withhold the identities of those giving evidence in the case came about because of the "strong feelings" football can generate. Judge Bishopp explained: "It is undisputed that various threats of a serious nature have been made, and that the Strathclyde Police have been compelled to offer advice and protection to several individuals involved in RFC’s affairs. Some of the threats have come from disappointed Rangers supporters; others from supporters of rival teams who have formed the opinion that RFC’s use of the EBT gave it an unfair financial advantage. "Largely because of those threats the hearing before the First-tier Tribunal was held in private. Some of the witnesses who gave oral evidence were resident outside the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom courts and tribunals, and therefore could not be compelled to give evidence; they did so only on condition that their names were not revealed. The two HMRC officers who had dealt with the matter, too, were believed to be under threat and their identities were concealed. In consequence the decision was released in a heavily redacted and anonymised form." 'No special status' The judge also noted that many of those who gave evidence could be identified by piecing together their First Tier Tribunal evidence with the findings of the independent Scottish Premier League commission chaired by Lord Nimmo Smith that found Rangers breached the rules by failing to disclose EBT payments. After the case last year, former Rangers owner Sir David Murray stated that the decision left the oldco, which is now in liquidation, and his company facing a "minimal tax liability". Originally, HMRC had sought £36.6m from Rangers oldco for PAYE and national insurance for its use of EBTs from 2001 and 2010. It also alleged that four companies related to Sir David - Murray Group Holdings Ltd, Murray Group Management Ltd, the Premier Property Group Ltd and GM Mining Ltd – owed a further £10m in unpaid taxes on the EBT payments. The panel that heard the first case ruled that most of the trusts were "valid" and payments made to players and staff were loans that are "recoverable" by the trusts. Rangers oldco, now known as RFC 2012 plc, went into administration last February with debts of between £50m and £124m, depending on the amount allotted to the big tax case. Duff and Phelps were unable to agree a company voluntary agreement (CVA) among creditors and liquidators BDO were appointed last October. Rangers’ assets, including Ibrox stadium and the Murray Park training ground, were sold to a newco, formerly Sevco Scotland Ltd, which was backed by Charles Green’s consortium last June in a £5.5m deal. Judge Bishopp said he took into account the financial collapse of Rangers and subsequent fallout into allowing the hearings to be held in public. He stated: "Perhaps because of such feelings, professional football clubs are often regarded as having a special status. In some respects that may be the correct view; but it should nevertheless not be overlooked that a modern professional football club is not a 'club', in the sense of an unincorporated association of members who join together in pursuit of a common purpose, but a commercial enterprise whose function is to generate profits for its shareholders. "From that perspective it has no special status, and there is no reason why its tax affairs should not be as open to scrutiny as those of any other profit-making organisation. The players, too, have no greater right to conceal their tax affairs from public scrutiny than any other taxpayer. The fact that they are in the public eye is irrelevant. "Any application for privacy, anonymity or redaction of detail must therefore be supported by the same type and quality of evidence as would be required of another taxpayer, and will be granted only for the same reasons." Under his direction, the HMRC employees who dealt with the case will remain anonymous in the Upper Tribunal hearing, while other witnesses who were not compelled to give evidence during the original case will not have to give evidence.