Search the Community

Most Rangers fans face a bit of a quandary when it comes to our defensive line up. Whilst Weir currently forms our strongest available centre back partnership with summer signing Madjid Bougherra. However it is suggested that playing the veteran Scot leads to some of our troubles against better quality opposition. Due to Weir's advancing years, whatever pace he once had is beginning to dessert him. Weir was never an exceptionally fast player. But with his reading of the game he was not often exposed for a lack of pace. Weir has performed admirably for the club since Walter Smith brought him back upto Scotland and can be proud of his performances for the club. He formed a water-tight back line with Cuellar and has struck up an excellent understanding with Bougherra already. However many fans have questioned whether his lack of pace causes a back line to sit too deep and invite pressure onto our defence. However Saturday's game at Hamilton exposed another potential issue for our defenders. Hamilton forward Offiong gave both Weir and Bougherra a torrid time with his strength. Every high ball played upto Offiong stuck. Any ball chest or head height was won by Offiong and played off to a team mate. Fortunately Hamilton didn't have the squad to take advantage. Unusually for Weir, who normally relishes the physical battle, and Bougherra who looks like a big strong centre back, they just could not match him for strength. I was actually relieved and a little confused when billy Reid decided to withdraw him when he'd had so much success in the first half. It reminded me a lot of a game in the past few seasons when we played Hearts and the centre backs, I believe they were Weir and Cuellar, again just could not compete in the physical battle. He ran amok and it's not the only such incident. Kenny Deuchar won a move to MLS football off the back of a a bustling centre forward performance against us were he bruised our defence all game and managed to get on the score sheet. Whilst many are worried about David Weir, his lack of pace and who his successor is I think we also need to look at why our back line struggles so much against big bruising centre forwards? With the game in Scotland being very much a physical battle you have to match the work rate and commitment of the opposition before your superior tecchnical and tactical ability can win through. It is also worrying when you look at the forward options available to Celtic, the only other contenders for the league title. Samaras, Hesselink and even Killen are all big guys. And whilst none of them should unduly worry us, if Strachan identifies this potential weakness in our team and lines his team up appropriately we may find ourselves struggling in the OF games.

Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc is found guilty of improper conduct for a gesture made towards Rangers fans. More...

As there is no Rangers related football to discuss as the Dundee UTD game was (rightly) called off due to the sad death of their Chairman Eddie Thompson I was going to, surprisingly perhaps, direct my weekly rants exclusively at Walter Smith. Firstly for his cowardly and ill informed comments regarding internet bigots, but bmck and Calscot not only beat me to it, but penned far more eloquent articles that I could ever muster : http://www.gersnetonline.net/vb/showthread.php?t=8519 http://www.gersnetonline.net/vb/showthread.php?t=8511 However, Uncle Walter doesn’t escape my attentions thanks to those excellent articles, I have a tantalising question to set you regarding Walter : If We Had A Theo Walcott, Would We Witness Is Wonder? Over the course of this season, nobody who has witnessed the mercurial skills of Theo Walcott could fail to marvel at the guile and genius of this young and raw talent. Walcott has not only starred for Arsenal, but has burst onto the international stage and set England on their way to automatic World Cup qualification thanks to brilliant displays and fantastic goals. I watching in wonder last night as a youthful Arsenal put Fenerbache to the sword in their own back yard and Walcott was at the centre of everything that was good about Arsenal. It is easy to forget just how young this lad is and his tender age can be used as an excuse (if any are needed) for when his form, inevitably falls a few percentage. So, this question that I’d like to pose is, if Rangers had a ‘Theo Walcott’, would Walter Smith play him in the starting 11 – not just in the mediocre SPL, but in European games? Now, I understand that Wlacott is a ‘one off’, the best talent to come out of England since Wayne Rooney, and don’t think for a minute that we have anyone on our books with the talent that Walcott processes. However, we might have, as when was the last time a ‘youth’ player was given an extended run in our team? I’d guess at Alan Hutton who as soon as he showed any sign of ability, was swiftly dispatched to White Hart Lane. The only young players currently that are being ‘talked up’ at Ibrox are / were John Fleck, Dean Furman and Aaron. Furman has gone on lone and the remaining pair are semi-permanent fixtures on our substitute bench. From the admittedly little that I have seen of the above trio, Fleck is without a doubt the most gifted and hopefully likely to cement a place in the Rangers team in the near future. Fleck was introduced into the dieing embers of last years Scottish Cup Final and along with the return of Beasley, Flecks fleeting appearance was the highlight of that day. Simply put, he didn’t look out of place. I don’t think I was the only Rangers fan who left Hampden that day convinced that I would see a lot more of Fleck this season. Sadly, me and a few others have been left disappointed. Given Walters record at Rangers, he doesn’t appear to be the type of manager to bring youth players into the team and give them an extended run. During the 9-in-a-row years, we saw glimpses of players like Sandy Robertson, Gary McSwegen, Stephen Pressley, Neil Murray et al who contributed to some fantastic Rangers performances both domestically and in Europe, but none were given extended runs in the team. So people, I am convinced that we have or own ‘Theo Walcott’ (in context) sitting at Murray Park but remain unconvinced that we’ll see him get an extend run in the first 11 – much to his, and our detriment. Green With Envy Yip, I’ll admit to being green with envy as I sat down last night to be entertained by Europe’s finest in the Champions League, and I’ll be just as envious as I settle down in front of the TV tonight. I’ll also admit that I am envious of our green foes participation in the CL, and yes, even given their drubbing last night, I am still a little envious of them. In fact, I’m even a tad envious of their 1 point from 50+ available away from home – Christ that’s what you call consistency (ok, ok, ok, that was a big tongue in cheek)…… There is nothing better than an European night, especially at Ibrox, or when you enjoy a fantastic trip to a foreign land. I think we’ve all got stories to tell of our expeditions and of the friends that we’ve made on our travels, both within the travelling Rangers support and friendly locals. For long-term GersNet readers this next statement will come as no surprise, but to newer readers and ‘younger’ Bears it might. Whilst I have no ‘love’ of Manchester United, I do not hold any hatred for them either. I, for a while, took delivery of Man United fanzines (some of the best zines around). I applauded and continue to applaud the Man United fans fight for their club (something we could learn from). I met a fair few Man United fans when I was down for our CL game, and every last one of them were fantastic company and the one thing that I noticed was their burning love for their club – in that respect, they reminded me of US, the Rangers support. For them, its Man U first and Man U last – they have no time for ‘2nd teams’ and no time for ‘love-ins’. Lastly, I believe that we have much in common with Manchester United. Both our clubs are deemed the most successful in our respective countries (although Liverpool would have something to say on that matter), both clubs have overcome terrible disaster and tragedy in their long and illustrious history. Both clubs are ‘hated’ in their own country due to their dominance and both clubs draw fantastic support from out-with the city and country that they belong to. So, its fair to say that I have no qualms regarding Manchester United or their fans. Some Rangers fans will point to the supposed love-in between Man United and Celtc – lets get this straight, this is a one-way street. If you read any Man United fanzines or books written by fans (or their casuals) you’ll understand that they don’t like Timmy at all. Why would they? Timmy sing a Liverpool anthem and sing songs about a terrorist group who targeted Manchester killing citizens and destroying the city. Also, it is worth noting that Manchester United pull a large section of their fanbase from the loyalist and unionist communities of Northern Ireland. Anyway, apologies for digressing, back to the point in hand. At this stage next season, I don’t want to be a mere spectator when the business end of the Champions League comes around. I want Rangers in their and fighting for the right to progress to the knock-out stages of this prestigious tournament. However, after watching some of the awesome performances last night, we have a vast amount of improving to ensure that we can compete annually at this level. To make CL qualification assured we must win the SPL title this year and that is not a formality or a foregone conclusion. Oh, I’ve added a clip from the infamous ‘you-tube’ site (you know, the one UEFA and the media use to try us) of what can only be described as an altercation outside Old Trafford last night – not much love on show here : [ame]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bo3C4FoJ0Mk[/ame] Know Your Enemy At the moment, being a Rangers fan, especially one who uses the internet to discuss his team and on occasions, history, politics and religion, it isn’t hard knowing who your enemy is. However, until recently, you wouldn’t have put the manager of your team into the enemy camp. Some of us understand that the Chairman and his lap-dog Bain are well entrenched in the enemy camp and like nothing more than feeding the frenzied media with ‘own goals’ and attacks on Rangers fans. Walter Smith has decided to pitch in with SDM and Bain and thus, must accept the ire that will be directed at him. Now he has opened himself up for criticism relating to topics out-with squad selection, signings and tactics. He has entered the big, bad bigoted Rangers fans debate and hang his colours to the ‘establishments’ mast. I can take the agenda driven media having a go at me (as I don’t except anything else, it goes with territory). I can take agenda driven politicians having a go at me (as I don’t except anything else, it goes with territory). I can take agenda driven organisations like NMB having a go at me (as I don’t except anything else, it goes with territory). It may hurt me to the core, it might drive me to despair, but I can take SDM and Bain having a go at me (as I don’t except anything else, it goes with territory). But I’m sorry Walter, I expected better from you. Cammy F -

Walter Smith’s recent outburst decrying Rangers fans for spouting bile on websites has come as a huge slap in the face for decent majority of Rangers fans who use modern technology to discuss the club they support and allow them the freedom to express opinions and facts to fellow supporters. His words seem clichÃ?©d from other sources, such as those that have a perpetual agenda against Rangers fans, and the press who fuel this as it is easy to sensationalise twisted, negative interpretations of Rangers fans actions to sell newspapers with highly provocative headlines. It seems obvious to some he has been press-ganged into making this statement to give an impression that Rangers are actively fighting what to some self interested quarters is perceived as a great social issue. However, it is also obvious that he is very ignorant of the facts and has not personally experienced any of the forums that he is quick to demonise. He is jumping on a bandwagon he knows nothing about and allowing himself to be influenced by what is clearly a propaganda exercise. The anti-web slant could also be influenced by the fact that the freedom of exchange of knowledge and opinions, had allowed many supporters to be far more informed about the running of the club as well as clearing up many misconceptions. This has subsequently led to a melt-down of his employer’s popularity among the general support, making life for Sir David Murray much more difficult and less enjoyable. The recent pressure on the chairman to answer difficult questions at the AGM is an example, showing a complete contrast to the stage managed, party convention-esque affairs of the past, that used to massage his ego. It’s no wonder the once greatly admired figurehead would like to eradicate his dissidents, and demonising them and their communications medium is a first step. I'm sure there are plenty of bigots on around the forums for all clubs but I'm even more sure from experience, that by far the majority are very decent. To hit out at fans and slander the majority for simply communicating with other is ludicrous and only serves to alienate a huge number of good fans who feel totally insulted. Not only that Walter’s comments also seem to be lacking in any understanding of the medium and what the fans are actually saying, chanting or singing. He should learn this before making ill informed comments and when he does comment, he should word it carefully to be targeted instead of tarring so many with the same brush. He needs to be clear who and what he is talking about and give proper and valid examples. There are countless Celtic fans who seem to take offence at pretty much EVERYTHING Rangers fans do or say, and actively look for ways to interpret everything in an offensive light, and then report them to whatever authorities they can get to listen to them. This is then taken up by the media and blown out of all proportion. What no-one does is stop to think what the words of chants and songs, actually mean - what is the intention and what they are aimed at? No-one even thinks to actually ask Rangers fans these kind of questions: as demonstrated on a BBC news article about what is being labelled the “Famine Song,” where a highly offended leader a Celtic supporters group was interviewed, but no Rangers supporter who actually sang the song was questioned. The reporters were happy to tell the public what the song was about without any inside knowledge of the semantics which, when looked at objectively, are too sparse and ambiguous to interpret without proper understanding of the context. But as they say, “Why let the truth get in the way of a good story.” Unfortunately, it seems that it is this style of reporting that Rangers officials are acquiring all their knowledge of the subject from. The powers at be at Ibrox subsequently seem to have no finger on the pulse and come across as not only a bit dim at times, but totally out of touch as well as lacking any interest or sensitivity to where the fans are coming from. Comments like Walter’s really need to be fully informed and highly qualified, instead of woolly demonising using clichÃ?©d buzz words, presented to him with prejudiced views either designed to harm the reputation of Rangers fans, or to sell sensationalised news stories. I always believe that you cannot criticise anyone unless you have some understanding of what they are actually doing and what their motivations really are. For those who are interested, the Famine song is a satirical reference to the strange way that Scottish Celtic supporters with British passports rebrand themselves as Irish, and falsely claim to be descendents of immigrants that came from Ireland due to the famine. This is despite the fact that immigration from Ireland was very low during that terrible and very sad disaster. Their songs contain irrelevant references to the famine and many other songs attack the United Kingdom as a country. The Famine song reminds them that although they hate the UK, they no-longer need to live here if they don’t want to, as their reason for leaving their beloved homeland no longer applies. Basically the song takes the Mick out of “Plastic Paddies” who claim to hate their own country. How that can be interpreted as sectarian or racist is beyond me - even if “Plastic Paddy” was a bona fide religion or race, effectively saying, “It’s ok now, you can go home,” is about the most gentle of rebukes you will encounter in a football stadium. For those that pick up on the word "famine", and tell us that Rangers fans are sick for mentioning it, are only displaying the same kind of over-sensitivity that had people decrying "Baa Baa Black Sheep" as racist. I used to think WS was a wise and intelligent man, but now he appears like an old sheep or out of touch senior citizen, who believes whatever propaganda is put in front of him. The club should definitely be fighting against real sectarianism, but patronising lip service is never going to work and only going to wind up the decent fans and even have a negative effect on the less enlightened minority who verge on casual 90 minute bigotry. You will never get anyone to change for the better by chastising them when they know they have done nothing wrong. You will only succeed in insulting their intelligence. Proper dialogue is necessary between the club and fans on these issues, as well as an extensive, open-minded, national debate that clarifies the real demarcation between sectarianism and what is just club rivalry.

Rangers and Coca-Cola today unveiled a new six figure sponsorship deal which will extend their long-running and highly successful partnership for a further three years. Assistant manager Ally McCoist was on hand to help make the announcement at Murray Park. Coca Cola have been official drink suppliers to Rangers since 2000 and provide the first team with sports drink Powerade, which plays a major part in the player's hydration and replenishment programme. As part of the deal a range of Coca-Cola Enterprises products will also be served at Ibrox Stadium and supporters will continue to benfit from a series of promotions and competitions to win great prizes. Stuart Cain, Head of Commercial Affairs at Rangers, said: "Coca-Cola is one of the world's biggest brands and a major investor in football so we are delighted that they have decided to renew their partnership with Rangers. As the world economy gets tougher and brands have to make difficult investment decisions, it's pleasing to see Coca-Cola's previous experiences with Rangers have resulted in them deciding to continue for another three years." Alan Halliday, Regional Director of Coca-Cola Enterprises, said: "This deal takes us to over a decade of support for Rangers and we are delighted to be renewing our partnership. We look forward to a fantastic three years and there will be some exciting opportunities for Rangers fans to win some top prizes through out 'Coke' zone website." Both Coca-Cola and Powerade will also be advertised on the LED screens at Ibrox.

Never saw the game but by all accounts both players played well and both on the scoresheet too. Hopefully KL will be over his injury problems as Id love to see him get a decent run in the team.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/motherwell/7670641.stm Now �£15 a ticket for Rangers fans...

Apologies for not penning these on a regular basis, I promise to make more of an effort..... When Will The Inconsistency End? If we are to be successful in the SPL this season, and we MUST be, we must strive for a level of consistency that has been sadly lacking in our erratic start to the season. Having gone out of Europe tamely, coupled with our jittery start to the SPL campaign, I probably wasnââ?¬â?¢t the only Rangers fan who believed that the impressive performance at The Piggery was the turning point of the season. In truth, that performance has turned out to be the exception rather than the rule. The only other performance that matched the mauling of the MOPEs was the performance at Fester Road which was one the most impressive in Leith for a while. Hibs created a few chances, but in truth, we ran out easy and convincing winners on the day. Those two performances apart, we have been ordinary in our performances this season and this must improve and improve soon. I was surprised to hear Walter Smith claim that he still doesnââ?¬â?¢t know what our strongest and best 11 is or what our strongest formation is, or which 11 and which formation will be utilised this season. Again, this is something that has to be resolved and resolved soon. Some of the concerns for this Bear include the fact that we are still employing 4 centre halves in our back four (due to injury and lack of strengthening in this area), no leadership on the pitch (Davie Weir is a great player with wonderful experience, but a leader he is not), we have no natural width in our midfield (again due to injuries and lack of strengthening in this area) and our forwards havenââ?¬â?¢t found their shooting boots (on a consistent basis) as yet. Hopefully the fullback areas will become less of an issue if and when Stevie Whittakar and Stevie Smith regain full fitness. In saying that, you canââ?¬â?¢t fault Sasa Papac and Kirk Broadfoot for their effort in the full back areas, but they arenââ?¬â?¢t natural full backs. Hopefully either Sasa or Kirk will become the ââ?¬Ë?long termââ?¬â?¢ centre partner to Bougherra who has fitted seamlessly into the heart of our defence. The wide areas of midfield are a little more difficult to fill at the moment and Walter appears to be keen to use ââ?¬Ë?forwardsââ?¬â?¢ for this role ââ?¬â?? Novo and Lafferty. The natural selections would be young Aaron and Beasley, but a combination of injuries and ââ?¬Ë?fitnessââ?¬â?¢ has curtailed this area of the team as well. As for a leader, well all this Bear can say is ââ?¬Ë?hurry back Barryââ?¬â?¢. Ferguson isnââ?¬â?¢t everyoneââ?¬â?¢s cup of tea, but the team is badly missing him at times. When the team require a ââ?¬Ë?shakeââ?¬â?¢ and ââ?¬Ë?urged onââ?¬â?¢, we currently donââ?¬â?¢t have anyone that will drive the team forward like Ferguson can. As for the forwards, credit where credit is due, Kenny Miller has been the most consistent forward in our team (performance level) and heââ?¬â?¢s scored 4 very decent goals this term. Kris Boyd remains an enigma, Lafferty has been plagued by injuries, JCD is just rank rotten at the moment, ditto Nacho Novo (although no one can fault his passion) and Velicka has turned into the invisible man. So hopefully from today onwards, we can see a level of consistency that can ensure that we regain our title from the MOPES as we simply canââ?¬â?¢t allow them to win another league title this season. Racism and Sectarianism ââ?¬â?? Main Offenders. Yip the MOPES have re-instigated their moral campaign on racist and sectarian songs sung at football games, whilst completely ignoring the fact that they are in fact the worst offenders. Since the mauling of the MOPES they have turned the spotlight onto the ââ?¬Ë?famine songââ?¬â?¢ and even politicians have gotten involved in the debate about this ditty. Now, take away all the hysteria and hyperbole surrounding this ditty, there is no way that it can be classed as racist or sectarian. However Bears, watch yourselves on this one. As this song has been elevated to the new ââ?¬Ë?Billy Boys, and whilst our club dithers around not defending us (in fact, they prefer to make public statements claiming that we are to blame as we constantly sing and post bile), this song could come back to haunt us big-time. There is no way on Gods Earth that the ââ?¬Ë?unbiasedââ?¬â?¢ Scottish media are going to douse the flames fanned by the MOPES, John Reid and the politicians, they are more than happy to portray us as the big, bad bigots ââ?¬â?? it is their agenda after all. However, it appears that we have some support in some quarters, including Southern Ireland where the Irish Independent penned the following : http://www.independent.ie/opinion/co...y-1491629.html UM, SLIGHT DISCONNECT, ANYONE? Two scenarios -- two different results. Rangers fans are reported to the police, politicians go mental and everyone is upset after they sing, to the tune of Sloop John B, "The famine's over; why don't you go home." It's quite funny and, in the context of the poisonous atmosphere between the clubs, verging on the affectionate. Spurs fans, on the other hand, have a chant about Sol Campbell which makes out that he is mental, has HIV and should be lynched. So, one chant about an event that happened over 100 years ago becomes a political hot potato, while another one which manages to evoke slavery, is racist and homophobic and threatening, is treated as little more than an unpleasant example of fan passions. It is indicative of Scotland at the moment that we are continually dragged over the coals for perceived indiscretions whilst the MOPES can sing their vile and repulsive songs and have banners commissioned and made by a convicted IRA terrorist with impunity. Why will no one ask for clarity on the above, or take them to task? F*** You Celtic Youââ?¬â?¢ll Never Win Away I understand that we are in no position to slate anyoneââ?¬â?¢s woeful European record this season given our nightmare against Kanuas, but this is more about the press reaction to the MOPES latest CL away defeat, rather than a gloating at another away day defeat. I was down in deepest, darkest Staffordshire when the MOPES travelled to Villarreal for their latest CL defeat, sorry game. Given this, there was very little pre-match coverage and I had to make do with listening to Paul Dumbertââ?¬â?¢s commentary of the game on ââ?¬Ë?SKY Sportsââ?¬â?¢ football programme. For the duration of the game, Dumbert was praising the Spaniards and claiming that Celtc were in for a ââ?¬Ë?tonkingââ?¬â?¢. When the goal eventually came, Dumbert proceeded to state that Celtc couldnââ?¬â?¢t get back into the game as they couldnââ?¬â?¢t get the ball back from Villarreal. Given this, I was astounded to read on my return of how unlucky Celtc were and that this was their best CL away performance of all time. Now imagine the fun the media would have if we had their CL away record. Hell, we got to the UEFA Cup Final last year and got WORSE press for our performances that they have received for 1 solitary point from 18 CL away games. Cammy F ââ?¬â?? Support The Dublin Loyal - We Are The Peopleââ?¬Â¦.

WITH the success of Pedro Mendes this season, many Rangers fans have asked whether Barry Ferguson will feature when he fin-ally regains full fitness. Mendes and Ferguson are, after all, almost identical central midfielders; they like to get on the ball, dictate play and weigh in with a few goals. Portuguese star Pedro has been outstanding for the Gers since clinching a �£4million move from Barclays Premier League club Portsmouth in the summer. The 29-year-old netted a sensational long-range goal in the 4-2 demolition of Celtic on his Old Firm debut at Parkhead back in August. advertisement And the ex-Porto ace also sent the Glasgow giants into the quarter-finals of the Co-operative Insurance Cup with a well-taken extra-time winner against Partick Thistle last month. After such a blistering start, Ibrox boss Walter Smith will find it impossible to leave him out when his talismanic captain is available again. So where, then, does that leave Ferguson, who is on the brink of returning to action after undergoing major ankle surgery back in July? Well, after the 1-0 defeat by St Mirren at Love Street on Sunday, Fergie will be welcomed back with open arms by his manager, team-mates and supporters alike. The Buddies' 3-5-2 formation stifled the creativity of former Champions League winner Mendes. But the ability and experience of Scotland skipper Barry alongside Pedro could have freed him to focus on the playmaker role. Former Rangers centre-half and captain and current BBC pundit Craig Paterson feels Smith will strive to accommodate both men in his starting line-up - and succeed. "Good players love to play with good players," Craig argued. "For me, the prospect of Ferguson and Mendes playing in the same starting line-up is a mouth-watering one. "Yes, both players are good at keeping the ball, are great passers and like to get up the pitch and into the final third. But Walter will find a way to incorporate the two of them in his team. "Rangers, and Celtic as well, are going to have games like the one against St Mirren on Sunday this season. Teams will set out to defend and frustrate them and sometimes they will succeed. "In those situations, Rangers will need all the good players the can get. Barry and Pedro have the ability to win the ball and grab a game by the scruff of the neck. The manager will want them both involved. "Rangers have done tremendously well to produce the run of results they have done without Barry in their team. But he will go into the side alongside Mendes as soon as he is ready." The defeat by St Mirren - the first they have suffered in Paisley in 22 years - meant Rangers failed to reclaim top spot in the SPL from Celtic. The unexpected loss has also led to an inevitable post mortem among their thousands of brassed-off fans - with many believing their team lacked any width. Off-form DaMarcus Beasley was benched as substitutes Kris Boyd and Kyle Lafferty tried and failed to make the breakthrough up front. Paterson, though, feels Smith was correct to go with the same group of outfield players who had dismantled Hibs in the league at Easter Road the previous weekend. He feels Buddies boss Gus MacPherson deserves tremendous credit for leading his bottom-placed side to a deserved triumph over Smith's team. Craig stressed: "Defensively, St Mirren were different class. They set out with a definite game plan and it worked. "Some fans are saying Rangers didn't have width, but it wasn't a problem at Easter Road. The full-backs, Kirk Broadfoot and Sasa Papac, did a lot of the damage against Hibs. "Gus has to be praised for identifying that as a danger area and ensuring his team snuffed out the threat." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/display.var.2458139.0.0.php

FURIOUS Rangers fans have forced soap bosses to drop anti-Gers jibes. They flooded ITV switchboards after Coronation Street's Tony Gordon, played by Gray O'Brien, had a go at the Ibrox team. Now the producers of the long-running soap have dropped plans for Celtic-supporting Tony to return to the attack in next Wednesday's episode. Last week, "dozens" of Gers fans rang in with complaints after Tony told fiancee Carla: "I could no more be interested in Rosie Webster than I could support Glasgow Rangers." Chiefs at the soap were stunned by the hail of complaints last Monday. And they have reacted by deleting a line recorded for next Wednesday's episode. Ayrshire-born actor O'Brien had been scripted to tell Tony's bestman Liam Connor that he's allergic to "warm beer, the English national anthem and Glasgow Rangers". The producers' decision to edit the show to delete the Rangers reference is highly unusual. But Corrie producers were keen to avoid antagonising fans further. Internet messageboards on both sides of the Old Firm divide went into overdrive following the scene, with Ibrox fans incandescent that their team were taking a kicking on national TV. But online Hoops fans celebrated and even composed a song about the Celtic-daft Corrie character. The controversy comes just months after scenes of Rangers fans rioting in Manchester at the UEFA Cup Final brought shame to the Glasgow club. But ITV denied the jibes in the Manchester-based soap were in any way connected to the scenes of violence on the city's streets. A spokeswoman for the channel confirmed they received "dozens" of complaints from angry fans following the scene. She said: "Both comments were in keeping with the character of Tony Gordon. But we have to bear in mind that it does seem to have caused some upset, so the decision was made to take the line out. "It doesn't compromise the drama of the episode, and if it did, then the line definitely wouldn't have been taken out. "We also felt in the absence of a character balancing things up on the other side of the Old Firm, it was a line not worth repeating." O'Brien, a Celtic fan in real life, who quit Scottish soap River City last year for Corrie, last night admitted he was surprised by the uproar. He said: "I have no input into the scripts, but I've had to explain the implications to people at Corrie. I certainly wasn't going out of my way to antagonise any Rangers supporters." http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/10/04/exclusive-coronation-st-bosses-drop-anti-rangers-jibe-from-script-86908-20771780/

At last a statement that make's sense. POSITION STATEMENT ON ââ?¬Ë?THE FAMINE SONGââ?¬â?¢ Friday, 03 October 2008 POSITION STATEMENT ON ââ?¬Ë?THE FAMINE SONGââ?¬â?¢, ACCUSATIONS OF ââ?¬Ë?RACISMââ?¬â?¢ AND DR JOHN REIDââ?¬â?¢S SEPTEMBER 2008 LETTER TO THE CELTIC SUPPORT BACKGROUND The Board of the Rangers Supportersââ?¬â?¢ Trust believes that Celtic Chairman John Reidââ?¬â?¢s letter to his clubââ?¬â?¢s supporters in September 2008 referring to a four-line chant sung by Rangers fans (colloquially known as ââ?¬Ë?The Famine Songââ?¬â?¢) deserves a full and public response. We view Dr Reidââ?¬â?¢s letter as the latest salvo in a campaign largely based on misinformation and driven by a sectarian political agenda. Ideally a response to this nonsense would come from the Chairman of Rangers Football Club, but in the absence of this the Rangers Supportersââ?¬â?¢ Trust has no hesitation in absolutely rejecting accusations of ââ?¬Ë?racismââ?¬â?¢ made by Reid and other prominent Celtic apologists. RACISM Most impartial observers understand that racism is what was aimed at England player Emile Heskey in Zagreb on 10 September. Or closer to home, the shameful racist abuse aimed at Mark Walters at Celtic Park on 2 January 1988. ââ?¬Ë?Racismââ?¬â?¢ is not a wind-up, however distasteful, aimed at Scottish Celtic fans and in rejecting these specious accusations the Trust restates our opposition to racism and sectarianism, which stands comparison to any other similar body: The RST sponsors the Walter Tull Trophy, named in honour of the 1st black commissioned officer in the British Army and contested by Rangers and Spurs: The Trust has close links with the local Asian Community and sponsors a number of season tickets which give local kids the chance to attend and support Rangers; The Trust organised and hosted the 2007 ââ?¬Ë?Gers Prideââ?¬â?¢ Conference at Ibrox, involving high-profile speakers from Northern Ireland, Germany, academics and MPs in debate around positive aspects of identity and support; The Trust was closely involved in the successful ââ?¬Ë?self-policingââ?¬â?¢ initiative and has consistently sought to engage Rangers in meaningful dialogue with the Rangers support about culture, identity, behaviour and tradition; The sole external link on the RST website front page is for ââ?¬Ë?Show Racism The Red Card Scotlandââ?¬â?¢. SCOTS-IRISH COMMUNITY ISSUES Dr Reid is entirely wrong in stating that ââ?¬Ë?The Famine Songââ?¬â?¢ is ââ?¬Å?directed against the community of Irish descent in Scotlandââ?¬Â, if for no other reason than many of those Rangers fans who sing this song are themselves of Irish descent. That such an obviously fallacious statement is unchallenged exposes the sheer poverty of public debate on this issue. The Trust asserts that Dr Reid has no right to appoint himself as a spokesperson on behalf of Scots of Irish descent, or to speak for anyone except himself or the Football Club he works for. Dr Reidââ?¬â?¢s statement; ââ?¬Å?the Famine is non-sectarian and millions of people who died or were forced into mass emigration were from all faiths and traditions within Irelandââ?¬Â alsocontradicts his own assertion that the Famine Song is ââ?¬Ë?racistââ?¬â?¢. If a song refers to a ââ?¬Ë?non-sectarianââ?¬â?¢ event which affected ââ?¬Ë?all faiths and traditionsââ?¬â?¢, how can it possibly be racist ââ?¬â?? or sectarian, for that matter? The historical reality is that Scotland received relatively few immigrants from Ireland as a result of the Famine, the vast majority havingarrived before or long after.[1] Notwithstanding, Celtic FC choose to play two songs over the stadium PA on home match days referring to the Famine: ââ?¬Ë?The Fields of Athenryââ?¬â?¢ and ââ?¬Ë?Let the People Singââ?¬â?¢. The reasons for this are puzzling, but Dr Reidââ?¬â?¢s inflated rhetoric condemns a song which, far from being some sick ââ?¬Ë?celebrationââ?¬â?¢ of human tragedy is actually a mocking response to Celtic fans' tenuous, borderline obsessive, affiliations with the Republic of Ireland. As we demonstrate below, this is based predominantly on support for violent Irish Republicanism, the crudest anti-British rhetoric and a mentality rooted firmly in victimhood, regardless of the evidence. We believe such a position is no basis for making objective assessments about racism. TACKLING SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES 1) CELTIC FC The Trust believes that Dr Reidââ?¬â?¢s efforts would be better spent putting his own house in order. We note with great interest his statement that he will ââ?¬Å?condemn, without equivocation, the use of any chants or songs which can be interpreted as support for religious or ethnic hatred, or for acts of violence.ââ?¬Â The Trust fully supports Dr Reid in this laudable aim and believes it would be helpful to detail the following. Large sections of the Celtic support regularly indulge in vile chants celebrating the deaths of Rangers players such as Davie Cooper; laud the IRAââ?¬â?¢s sectarian murder gang with songs such as ââ?¬Ë?Boys Of The Old Brigadeââ?¬â?¢, ââ?¬Ë?Roll Of Honourââ?¬â?¢ and ââ?¬Ë?Sean South of Garryowenââ?¬â?¢; have Celtic Supporters Clubs named after IRA members such as Tom Williams; sing sectarian abuse at Rangers fans, employees and players, using phrases such as 'orange b*stards', 'huns' and 'animals'; celebrated the death of 66 innocent people in January 1971; sing ââ?¬Å?soon theyââ?¬â?¢ll be no Protestants at allââ?¬Â in their version of ââ?¬Ë?On The One Roadââ?¬â?¢; sing ââ?¬Å?and when the music stops, F*ck King Billy and John Knoxââ?¬Â and ââ?¬Å?Oh itââ?¬â?¢s great to be a Roman Catholicââ?¬Â in their version of ââ?¬Ë?Roaminââ?¬â?¢ In The Gloaminââ?¬â?¢; abuse members of the Royal Family; and sing that they hope a Roman Catholic Rangers player, Nacho Novo, is murdered in his bed by the IRA. These are not the actions of an inclusive organisation ââ?¬Ë?open to allââ?¬â?¢. This behaviour would, in any normal society, be worthy of at least the same level of political comment and sustained media scrutiny as the song at issue. Despite the best efforts of Messrs. Reid, Lawwell and their cheerleaders, these are far from the actions of a small minority and the Rangers support wishes Dr Reid every success in taking the ââ?¬Å?stringent actionââ?¬Â needed to tackle this abhorrent behaviour. 2) RANGERS FC We believe that if the Club had treated the original complaints about ââ?¬Ë?The Famine Songââ?¬â?¢ with the contempt they deserved, emanating as they did from the lunatic fringe of the Celtic support, ridiculous charges of ââ?¬Ë?racismââ?¬â?¢ would have evaporated. Dr Reidââ?¬â?¢s letter is not in our view about tackling problems of racism and sectarianism. It is a thinly-veiled attempt, supported by the usual suspects, to beat Rangers FC and Rangers fans with a convenient stick. Nor have Strathclyde Police or the Procurator Fiscal given any cogent reasons why this chant breaches legislation. The Trust takes this opportunity to make a public appeal to both the Chairman and the Chief Executive of Rangers FC. It is regrettable that a week after the Chief Executive issued an eloquent written plea for supporters to stop singing ââ?¬Ë?The Famine Songââ?¬â?¢ at the home tie against Motherwell, the away support sang the song loudly and frequently at Easter Road. Our view is that this is yet more evidence of the absence of meaningful relationships between the Clubââ?¬â?¢s senior leadership and the wider support, and the Trust repeats the offer it has made many times in private, to help build and develop such a relationship, essential if Club and support are to move forward together. We firmly believe for all those who love Rangers that self-regulation, an engagement based on shared values, around an inclusive common identity celebrating the best of our traditions and built on mutual respect, represents the only viable way forward. The sooner we start to identify that common ground and move together, the better for all parts of the Rangers family. (1) Brenda Collins in 'Irish Immigrants And Scottish Society' states that between the 1851 and 1871 census years, the number of Irish-born Scots remained virtually static at around 207,000. In the period 1876 to 1921, she states that some 94,000 Irish immigrants came to Scotland, with a considerable number from Ulster. In Graham Walker's book, 'Intimate Strangers', the 1931 Scottish census showed that the total number of Irish-born was then 124,296, 2.5% of the total population, with 55% of these born in what was now Northern Ireland. Immigration to Scotland during and following the First World War was heavily from the Republic. http://www.rangerssupporterstrust.co.uk/rstsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=234&Itemid=43

Graham Spiers Even when things get as mad and agenda-driven in the sectarianism debate as they did last week in Scottish football, some aspects remain crystal clear in their need of condemnation. That is, if people have the courage to say so. Celtic, streets ahead of Rangers when it comes to cleaning up their act, nonetheless will find it hard to fully divorce themselves from their benighted city rivals unless that clump of idiots in their away support who croon about the IRA can be silenced. The Celtic Park club, and in particular their chief executive, Peter Lawwell, have spoken out about it before, but perhaps another public push on the matter is essential. The fact is, the IRA chanting is galling for Celtic, given that the club have led the way over the past 15 years in eradicating bigotry from the vast swath of their support. For years now Celtic Park ââ?¬â?? unlike Ibrox ââ?¬â?? has been largely free of sectarian or racist chanting. Over at Ibrox, the latest favoured chant to pollute the air deserves open condemnation from Martin Bain, the Rangers chief executive, if only he can find the guts to do it. The so-called Famine Songsmacks of a brain-dead racism of the type too many Rangers fans simply cannot leave behind: antiIrish and antiCatholic. No wonder Strathclyde Police are now threatening to make arrests at Ibrox for racist behaviour. And it is inconceivable that, in private, Bain does not deplore the song, though he canââ?¬â?¢t bring himself to say so publicly. I have only one measure of sympathy for Bain, who in every other sense is a decent man and a talented football executive, and it is this: he must be weary of the prejudices of the white underclass which continue to infect a large minority of the Ibrox support. Rangers have suffered humiliation upon humiliation in recent years ââ?¬â?? in Villarreal, in Pamplona, in the Uefa prosecution over bigoted chanting, and most recently and shockingly in Manchester. Just what must it be like being this clubââ?¬â?¢s chief executive? That, however, does not excuse Bainââ?¬â?¢s timidity last week over the Famine Song. Of it, without a word of condemnation, he said: ââ?¬Å?Clearly some of our supporters feel aggrieved that a song they believe to be no more than a ââ?¬Ë?wind-upââ?¬â?¢ of Celtic supporters should be singled out like this...ââ?¬Â Iââ?¬â?¢m sorry? Unfairly ââ?¬Å?singled outââ?¬Â and a mere ââ?¬Å?wind-upââ?¬Â? Given the recent tradition of the bigotry problem at Rangers, I fear this latest dirge about ââ?¬Å?Irishââ?¬Â or ââ?¬Å?******sââ?¬Â being sent back to Ireland deserves something slightly more withering than Bainââ?¬â?¢s folksy ââ?¬Å?wind-upââ?¬Â claim. The song is trash, it is racist, and he should find the guts to say it. Back in 1972 ââ?¬â?? yes, it goes this far back ââ?¬â?? when the Rangers fans rioted in Barcelona and got the club flung out of Europe, you didnââ?¬â?¢t find the then Ibrox manager, Willie Waddell, indulging in this sort of obfuscation. On the contrary, facing his own supporters and with the steam coming out his ears, Waddell went straight for the jugular in condemning those who embarrassed his club. ââ?¬Å?It is to these tikes, hooligans, louts and drunkards that I pinpoint my message,ââ?¬Â Waddell said. ââ?¬Å?It is because of your gutter-rat behaviour that we [Rangers FC] are being publicly tarred and feathered.ââ?¬Â Every football club chairman or chief executive, like Bain, needs to keep reasonably ââ?¬Å?on-messageââ?¬Â with his own customers. But racism and sectarianism need to be condemned, not shirked. The madness of last week, involving BBC Scotland headlines and pages of the fall-out in many Scottish newspapers, had its own peculiar evolution. We have now reached the stage where organised bodies of Celtic and Rangers fans, often via those modern lunatic asylums called fans websites, are in a race to land the first propaganda blow. I must admit, when last weekââ?¬â?¢s story first broke about alleged ââ?¬Å?Irish diplomatsââ?¬Â poking their noses in by ââ?¬Å?getting in touchââ?¬Â with the Scottish Government about the chanting of Rangers fans, something wasnââ?¬â?¢t quite right about it. Just who was stirring which large pot here? There was something strained and farfetched about the way the story developed. Personally, it made me suspicious, and it only fed the now-rampant paranoia that goes with wearing a Rangers scarf. Then, predictably, something even more ludicrous happened. A group of Rangers fans, voraciously casting around to find someone ââ?¬â?? anyone ââ?¬â?? to make a similar complaint about Celtic, came up with the dubious figure of Gregory Campbell, a Democratic Unionist MP from Northern Ireland, who duly expressed his inability to venture to any Celtic game due to some supportersââ?¬â?¢ unsavoury singing. You could almost hear the underground clamour: ââ?¬Å?Quick lads, weââ?¬â?¢ve found an equaliser, get this Campbell bloke on to the TV stations!ââ?¬Â And so the whole daft scenario unfolded, tit for tat, jibe and counter-jibe. In terms of addressing sectarianism, last week was not one when our media covered itself in glory. One other fallacy needs to be debunked here. No one is suggesting that football chants should have either a squeaky, Mary Poppins air about them, or that they should be strictly football related. On both counts, of course not. Football largely enjoys the colour and daftness of its fans, and any killjoys in this regard should be kept well away from the debate. But neither bigotry nor racism is funny. If only someone, somewhere, could teach a section of the Rangers fans to love themselves, rather than hate others, a huge step forward would be taken. And another thing... Quiet times are over for Calderwood at Pittodrie Are we not about due another Aberdeen FC crisis? Itââ?¬â?¢s almost four years now since we had a thoroughgoing palaver at Pittodrie ââ?¬â?? far too long a period for those of us who had been accustomed to one every 18 months or so. Aberdeen managerial crises often had their own unique quality, with a venom unmatched even by the Old Firm. Iââ?¬â?¢ve seen the environs of Pittodrie positively spluttering with invective on such occasions. There were the dramas of Roy Aitken, Paul Hegarty, Alex Miller and Stevie Paterson ââ?¬â?? all managers who came a cropper amid a hot-breathed northeast lynch mob. It is quite a spectacle. Now Iââ?¬â?¢m starting to worry if this might not be around the time for ââ?¬Å?Jabberingââ?¬Â Jimmy Calderwood to fall into the trough. Calderwood, notwithstanding the odd close shave, has had quite a serene time of it these past four years, but I smell a set-to on the horizon. In their four home Premier League games now, Aberdeen have won none, drawn one and lost three, and their fans were haranguing Calderwood on Saturday following the 1-0 loss to Dundee United. On top of everything, more than a few of them still begrudge him his alleged Rangers leanings. It may be time to look out the hard hat, Jimmy. Lawwell shows how to survive at top table Peter Lawwell, the Celtic chief executive, left, surprised quite a few last week by turning down the offer of the same position at Arsenal to stay at Celtic. But one thing Lawwell did get right in his decision-making was avoiding the nightmarish real estate problem at their former ground at Highbury, which Arsenal are struggling to resolve, and which would have fallen Lawwellââ?¬â?¢s way. I still say Lawwellââ?¬â?¢s longevity at Celtic is amazing. Thatââ?¬â?¢s five years heââ?¬â?¢s clocked up now, in a job where, previously, the men in white coats arrived with the strait-jacket roughly every three years to take them away. Weââ?¬â?¢re talking here of a born survivor.

When Glasgow Rangers fans sang the lyrics 'from Ireland they came, brought us nothing but trouble and shame' at an Old Firm derby, they never thought it would cause so much trouble. But the song, which goes on 'well the Famine is over, why don't they go home?' angered one fan so much he put in a complaint that led Irish diplomats to raise the concerns with the Scottish government. Now anti-censorship campaigners have stepped into the row, claiming this weekend that any attempt to curb the fans from singing the lyrics would be a 'dangerous' assault on freedom of speech. It is the Rangers fans' right, they say, to insult the Irish over the Great Famine if they choose. Index on Censorship's Irish-born spokesperson, Padraig Reidy, said he was concerned about the state intervening. 'Considering we all know that there have been nasty, offensive songs at Old Firm games for years, making it into a national issue seems absurd and dangerous. It's trying to set a legal limit on speech that isn't incitement to violence. Rangers and Celtic have an agreement between themselves to sing what they want,' he said. Reidy said that, while the song about the Famine is undoubtedly offensive, behaviour should be controlled by the two clubs rather than the state. 'It's different to anti-discrimination laws, which are a very good thing, but seeking to outlaw any kind of insulting or offensive speech/songs does become very problematic, because someone will always take offence,' he added. A complaint was made after Rangers' victory over Celtic last month. Irish diplomats raised concerns with the Scottish government over chanting by a section of the Rangers support at the Old Firm match. Rangers FC said it has asked its fans to refrain from singing the song. The controversial song refers to the Irish famine that killed an estimated one million people in the 1840s. Tens of thousands of Irish people emigrated to Scotland's central belt to find work. Four decades later these emigrants and their descendants helped to create Glasgow Celtic in 1888. Rangers Football Club has approached Strathclyde Police for guidance, a spokesman for the club said, adding fans had been actively discouraged from singing the song at games. A spokesman for the Scottish Executive said the government in Edinburgh was working with both Glasgow clubs to lower sectarian tensions. Meanwhile Northern Ireland's Sports Minister has rejected an invitation to Celtic Park. Democratic Unionist MP Gregory Campbell had been invited to a Celtic home game by the club's chairman and former Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid after Campbell and his wife were subjected to sectarian abuse by Celtic fans on a ferry between Scotland and Northern Ireland. Campbell wrote to Dr Reid last week calling for Celtic to take more robust action against fans who sing pro-IRA songs at away games. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/sep/21/rangers.celtic1

This is the statement being released to the press about Sunday: We would like to start by saying that we as Rangers fans fully welcome the sectarian issue being tackled in Scotland. What we will not accept is the blame for sectarianism in Scottish football and Scotland's society starting and ending with Rangers or Rangers fans. Over the years we feel people have manipulated the sectarian debate for their own agenda's, career's and public profiles. This includes politicans, journalists and even the media bodies they work for. We accept many genuinely have good intentions but there work is undermined by profiteers. Recently the BBC Scotland main news bulletin had a report lasting several minutes highlighting "the famine song" under "a new sectarian storm" headline, which included highlights of the recent Old Firm game and karaokoe type lyrics across the screen so people could identify what was being sung by Rangers fans. To start with never before has this method of reporting been used when the issue of sectarian singing arises. Over the following days the story grew and evolved, this included Celtic fans Pro-IRA songs being clearly sang on the Saturday previous at Motherwell, statements from Rangers supporters groups and Rangers themselves being released. We also then had the Spanish consulate looking into death threats against Nacho Novo from Celtic fans. In the days that followed the BBC reported none of this. The BBC is paid for by the taxpayer and when reporting on all matters Political, Religious or Racial are duty bound to be impartial and give a whole account of the story. They failed on every point and not for the first time and for these reasons we will be protesting on Sunday outside their BBC Scotland HQ, the protest will be silent with protesters only having banners or placards calling for equality and non-bias when reporting on these matters. In the days that followed we had a "journalist" appearing on several radio stations as the guy who broke the story in Ireland, a Glasgow born self confessed Celtic fan now living Donegal with a background that is more than questionable for his credibility not to be questioned. The guy is no stranger to Rangers fans and often appears on media outlets especially if there is criticism to be had of Rangers fans. If any journalist worth his salt had to dig into his background as we have done, they would find that his motives are driven by his Political Religious and Football beliefs. The journalist is also happy to use pro-IRA slogans and derogatory terms for Rangers fans i.e "huns", we have proof of all of the above that can be reviewed by anyone. From now on anyone or anything that attempts to use the Sectarian issue in a non constructive or balanced manner will be targeted like the BBC. We WILL picket, lobby, protest and expose these people even if it means standing outside their offices for days on end. In a society where our schooling tells us were different from the age of 4, Rangers fans will not be held solely accountable or used by profiteers no more on the sectarian debate. Craig Wilson On Behalf of Rangers Equality.

Following the BBC's most recent attempt at inciting sectarian hatred in Scotland. Rangers fans have organised a protest against the BBC outside their Scottish headquarters at Pacific Quay on Sunday 21st September at 1.00pm, 2 hours before the kick off at the home game against Motherwell. As stated, BBC Scotland are guilty of inciting sectarian hatred, supporting anti-British terrorist organisations, and in general are against all things considered British and Protestant in this country. More and more often we are seeing the media and politicians of this country twist facts to suit their own agenda's. They will think nothing of labelling something as being sectarian or racist even when it can be very easily proven to be not the case. It is time for all people with morals and standards to stand up and say enough is enough! The BBC simply cannot be allowed to get away with this any longer. Your presence at this peaceful protest will be greatly appreciated. This protest is being supported by many other Rangers websites and forums. It is imperative we start to unite as fans and this peaceful protest could be an excellent start.

JT has resigned as President of the Rangers Supporters Assembly. Here is the email that he has sent out: Hello all. Recent incidents have encouraged me to evaluate the ââ?¬Å?relationshipââ?¬Â of the Assembly and Rangers F.C., to say this has given me cause for concern is a considerable understatement. There have been a number of events in recent weeks that I have taken into account and would now like to share my concerns with all of you. 01. Reduced allocation of away tickets to Supporters Clubs. During a brief conversation with the club, I agreed that Season Ticket Holders should be given an increased proportion of away match tickets. Sometime later I was asked if I was happy with the contents of a letter the Ticket Office intended sending out to Supporters Clubs. I rejected the first letter but agreed to the contents of the second attempt. The letter that was in fact sent out differed considerably from the one agreed to. The full details of the very considerable cut in club allocations had not been included in the letter I approved and when I spoke to Jim Hannah, I learned that he too had been unaware of the content of the final letter sent to clubs. Had I been aware of the level of cut back I would never had agreed to the proposal hence my reason for asking the club to reconsider. I have no doubt that the Assembly was mentioned in an effort to deflect blame and criticism and you also have to speculate on the convenience of not providing me with sight of the full letter before sending it out. 02. Rangers demands for a 5% handling fee on away match tickets. Whilst I agree in principal that Rangers are entitled to be compensated for handling away match tickets, I most certainly do not agree with how they tried to force it on other SPL clubs nor their timing in doing so. I also have to say that I find it unbelievable that the club did not see fit to discuss this with the Assembly prior to ââ?¬Å?forcingââ?¬Â the other clubs to agree. Ticket distribution is arguably the most important issue to supporters other than the success of the team and yet they chose not to discuss this with us it therefore begs the question would do they see fit to discuss with us. I have looked at each club who has responded to Rangers demands in turn and would comment as follows: Falkirk . In general appeared to work okay. Aberdeen . They agreed to pay Rangers a handling fee, however for the first time in years, Aberdeen decided to implement a price increase. Conveniently they went up by Ã?£1 which amounted to a 5% increase. I wonder why? To make it clear to all why they did this, they offered a Ã?£1 discount to their own supporters for a future fixture. So who paid the handling fee and which club is looking after their supporters interests? Hibs. They have decided to sell tickets direct as Falkirk did. Yet again we are faced with a price increase which will no doubt mean Hibs have covered their additional costs and again at our expense. To make matters worse, in spite of Rangers stating they would only handle ticket sales if they received a handling fee they have purchased 300 tickets which will no doubt be distributed to those and such as those. The phrase ââ?¬Å?them and usââ?¬Â springs readily to mind. St. Mirren. They have agreed to Rangers request to pay a handling charge and will allow Rangers to distribute as normal. They have however been very clever. The only stand we have sole use of is the West Stand behind the goals and they have increased the price by Ã?£2. Prices for he North Stand, which we share, has remained unchanged at Ã?£20, in other words only Rangers fans will pay increased prices which Iââ?¬â?¢m sure will go a long way to paying Rangers demands. Kilmarnock . Although I have not heard officially, I am reliably informed that Kilmarnock will agree to Rangers demands and to offset the cost, will be increasing prices by Ã?£1. To sum up the situation. Rangers have achieved their goal. Clubs who agree to the demands will pay Rangers and those who donââ?¬â?¢t will cost Rangers nothing but guess who will be paying for all of it? The very fans Rangers claimed they were trying to protect. A job well done I donââ?¬â?¢t think. 03. Worldwide Alliance Expenses. Those of you who attended the Alliance A.G.M. will no doubt recall the Treasurer, Sam Morton, reporting on his balance sheet and highlighting the fact funds were very low and required an injection of money from Rangers F.C. The fact was that Rangers had not provided the Alliance with funds to cover expenses for three years. Jim Hannah informed us that as far as he knew there was no budget for this and that I would have to take this up with the Club. Not long after the A.G.M. I emailed Donald McIntyre requesting clarification. On return from my holiday, I received an email from Jim Hannah, on behalf of Donald McIntyre, informing me that the Assembly would now be responsible for Alliance expenses and that it should come from the Assembly grant. I have responded to Jim stating that in my opinion this is not feasible as it would then legitimately allow the other organisations involved in the Assembly to claim expenses to cover the cost of their own meetings. I have asked that he raise this with Donald McIntyre and await the response. 04. Assembly Grant. During the conversation with regards to Alliance expenses, I learned that Rangers had reduced the Assembly grant from Ã?£30k to Ã?£20k as from 1st. July 2008. Some months ago, I met with Irene Munro who informed me of Rangers desire to reduce the level of support. I refused point blank to accept this and in fact stated that even if I agreed with the request this would not be a decision I could make as it would need to go before a full Committee at our A.G.M. No further discussions have taken place so it would appear as though Rangers are basically saying take it or leave it. They have attempted to soften the blow by saying we can keep the Ã?£10k we did not use last year. Big of them when it is us who have saved the money from being used and in my opinion a totally irrelevant gesture. Each of the above items on an individual basis is in my opinion sufficient to illustrate the lack of respect the club has for the Assembly. When you consider them as a package then I think it is a fair assumption that they only value our input when they need us to show a united front or when trouble is brewing. The Assembly was formed in an attempt to bring the club and its supporters closer together. The above, I would suggest, shows that this is not happening. You could in fact argue the opposite is happening and that indeed the club are driving an ever widening wedge between us with their actions. To be perfectly honest, I do not believe the people involved in making the decisions highlighted above have the best interest of the Supporters at heart. Taking all of the above into account, I wish to inform you of my decision to resign, with immediate effect, as President of the Rangers Supporters Assembly, Chairman of Rangers Worldwide Alliance and Chairman of the Scottish Delegates. I would like to thank you all for the time and effort you put in on a regular basis, I appreciate it even if the club so obviously doesnââ?¬â?¢t, and also for the support you have given me throughout my time in office. Over the next few days, I will clear the Assembly Office of my belongings and also ensure the finances are in order. Obviously as Vice President, Andy Kerr will take over my duties and I would like to offer him my best wishes. Jim

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THEY'RE supposed to stick together. The fabled goalkeeping fraternity is meant to forge ties as thick as any blood ones. But Andy Goram won't be making any effort to put a metaphorical arm around the shoulder of Artur Boruc this week. The Celtic stopper had an excruciating afternoon on Sunday when two mammoth mistakes helped Rangers to their most comprehensive win at Parkhead for 14 years. And Goram loved every minute of it. "I have no sympathy for him," he said. "None at all. If it was Allan McGregor who was in this position, I'm quite sure Artur Boruc wouldn't be feeling anything for him. "It's about what you do for your team. That's it. I enjoyed myself on Sunday. I enjoyed the result and I enjoyed the manner of the victory. It's exactly what Rangers needed and it proved a few points to everyone. "Artur Boruc won't have a good week - but that's of no concern to Rangers." Boruc ought to have stopped the opener on Sunday when Daniel Cousin beat him at his near post, but the biggest howler of the game came when he spilled a Kirk Broadfoot cross at the feet of former team-mate Kenny Miller. Miller, of course, stroked the ball in to the net much to the glee of the visiting support and Boruc's day of misery was complete. He will be sidelined this week as Poland begin their World Cup qualifying campaign as punishment for flouting a curfew when he was last on international duty with Leo Beenhakker's side. Headlines in his homeland of a drunken night out were quickly followed up by revelations that he was fined by Celtic this summer during the Feyenoord tournament for a similar incident and Goram, no stranger to either boozy nights or the wrong kind of headlines, has watched with interest. And the fact that Boruc has become something of a nemesis for the Ibrox support sweetened Sunday's win. "When you want to go down that route of going out and enjoying yourself then you still have to be able to do it on the pitch," said the former Rangers keeper. "When I was at Rangers we all loved a good time. But we could back it up. We knew we had the talent on the pitch to afford to go for a night out and still do the business. "Artur has discovered that he can't. My worst time as a goalkeeper was when I just arrived at Rangers. "I had a hard few months, but the advice I got was that it was all about how I dealt with adversity. "That's what the Celtic people will be telling Artur. It is all about how he reacts to this. He is a decent keeper - but I think he has believed a lot of his own publicity. "If he wants to talk the talk then he has to be able to back it up. He has enjoyed winding the Rangers fans up in the three years he has been at Parkhead, and he has to take it on the chin now that they're enjoying him squirming a bit." The emphatic nature of the win at the weekend will be the biggest disappointment for Celtic to come to terms with, and Goram believes that the result is huge in terms of its psychological significance. When Martin O'Neill's side humbled Rangers 6-2 in the opening Old Firm game of the season back in 2000, it set down a precedent for the season to come. The Ibrox side never really recovered from that defeat, despite hitting back in the next Old Firm game with a 5-1 win. It gave Celtic the belief that they were championship contenders and a shell-shocked Rangers side under Dick Advocaat started to crumble. It's something that Goram can now envisage happening the other way. He said: "There has been all this talk that Celtic are invincible at Parkhead and that is nonsense. "But many Rangers teams recently have been obviously intimidated about playing there. Too many sides in recent seasons have gone into their shells when the time has come to go to Parkhead. That wasn't there on Sunday. "They took the game by the scruff of the neck and could have scored even more. It puts to bed this theory that Celtic are brilliant on their own ground because they're not. "I actually don't think the current team could hold their own against our Rangers team of the 90s - we'd annihilate them. And so would the Celtic team of that time, too. "Tommy Burns' Celtic side were a great footballing team and they'd play the current Celtic side off the park. "But I fancy big things to come from this result. I fancied Rangers at the start of the season for the title and on Sunday they put down a marker to that effect." And Kenny Miller's goals at the weekend were the perfect way to endear himself to a section of the Ibrox support unsure of his credentials. "I was pleased for Kenny because he works his socks off," said Goram. "If Mo Johnston could play for Celtic and then go to Rangers and score plenty goals, why can't Kenny? It's all about what he does for Rangers now. "But the biggest thing for me at the weekend wasn't Kenny, but Walter. He came in for so much criticism last season that was unwarranted. "He knows what he is doing and people have to trust him. I'm sure he'll take the championship back to Ibrox this season and he deserves all the plaudits this week because I'm sure it was a long summer for him."

Simple Pleasures As you get older, and hopefully wiser, you learn to enjoy the simple pleasures that life throws you way more than you did when you were a sprightly youth. This may be down to simple maturity, or the fact that at my age, simple pleasures are seen as the little breaks life grants you in the face of accelerating to middle age and beyond. These simple pleasures range from hearing a song on the radio (or it suddenly popping on your IPOD set to shuffle) that never fails to put a smile on you face and a spring in your step (such as Brothers In Rhythm ââ?¬â?? Such A Good Feeling - ). Or watching reruns of The Simpsons on SKY1 and suddenly stumbling across an episode that you havenââ?¬â?¢t seen. It can even be scanning your bookshelves for a new book to read, for your eyes to lock onto a book youââ?¬â?¢ve had there for months and havenââ?¬â?¢t picked up. You decide to give it a read and find out itââ?¬â?¢s one of the best books youââ?¬â?¢ve read in years (Atonement). However, the simplest and most pleasurable is undoubtedly watching your team roll into the home of your bitterest rivals and give them the doings of doings. Yesterday was enjoyable for so many reasons ââ?¬â?? witnessing Rangers steamroller Celtc, witnessing Rangers playing fantastic football and transferring possession and pressure into goals, witnessing Arthur Borat imploding again (more of this clown later) and witnessing one of the finest displays from your team in a long, long time. From the opening OF gambits until the final whistle, our charges ran the show at Parkhead. We had a stranglehold of the midfield, our defence was on top and our strikers were causing their defence all sorts of problems. Our goals were all a joy to behold, Cousin battering their back four for 37 minutes (softening them up) and then bursting clear of the faltering Wilson and firing beyond The Clown. Then after a rare mistake from Sasa Papac let them temperately back into the game, Kenny Miller rammed home an exquisite volley that left The Clown grasping at fresh air. However, this was nothing compared to the ferocity and velocity of Pedro Mendes strike. As Andy Gray would say, Take A Bow Sonââ?¬Â¦.. Kenny Miller then walked home number four after The Clown fumbled the ball 6 yards from his own goal (oh how we laughed). Cousin and Miller looked a very decent partnership and Cousin gave the type of performance that have convinced some Rangers fans that he is the best striker (ability wise) currently at our club. It looks like Cousin will leave before tonightââ?¬â?¢s transfer window closes, so if yesterday was is departing gift, what a gift it was. There were no failures in blue on the day and I have to say that Cousin was very harshly treated ââ?¬â?? both incidents that lead to his cards were 50/50 at worst. I have heard the media claiming that the referee had a decent game, I disagree. As stated above, Cousin was very unlucky to be red-carded. No one has mentioned the decision to give Nakamura a free-kick in the dying seconds when he clearly fell over the ball. OK, it didnââ?¬â?¢t alter the final outcome, but what if the scores were 1-1 when the incident happened? The only disappointment from yesterday is the fact that there are no SPL games this coming weekend. We are on a massive high and it would have been brilliant to carry on the momentum gained from this impressive display / win at Parkhead. Canââ?¬â?¢t finish this article on a ââ?¬Ë?down beat noteââ?¬â?¢ so Iââ?¬â?¢ll end with a huge pat on the back to the Rangers support who were outstanding yesterday. Hotshot Hamish Readers of my age will remember reading tales of gentle giant Hebridian Hamish Balfour in Scorcher then Tiger (http://hamishmac.blogspot.com/) who reportedly had the hardest shot in football. When we signed Jorg Albertz and we started to witness Albertz now legendary left foot, I always used to think back and relating Jorg to Hotshot Hamish. I didnââ?¬â?¢t think we would ever replace Albertz notorious goal scoring ability from distance, but after watching in delight at Pedro Mendesââ?¬â?¢ opening Rangers goal yesterday, we may just have someone who can match Jorg Albertz in the ââ?¬Ë?arse-hole winderââ?¬â?¢ stakes. We havenââ?¬â?¢t had a regular threat from distance since Albertz left so hopefully Pedro can take up the mantle and hopefully yesterdays sidewinder is the first of many strikes from our new ââ?¬Ë?Hammerââ?¬â?¢. Send In The Clowns Well, well, well, another OF game and another Arthur Borat controversy. The bold Arthur decided to give the massed Bears the middle finger after he gifted us our forth goal. As a thanks for this generous gift, we decided to sing his praises, cheer his every touch and generally rub his nose in it. What thanks do we get? The latest in a long line of rude gestures from the not so holly goalie. I read today that is latest intercession has been reported to the authorities, but I fear that this, along with the majority of his other antics will be swept under the (now bulging) SFA / SPL carpet. After all, his fellow clown Neil Lennon was allowed to do this sort of thing at ever OF game and that includes being caught shouting sectarian abuse at the Rangers fans and bench. The not so holly goalie does have his troubles to seek on and off the pitch at the moment. Itââ?¬â?¢s not nice to kick a man when heââ?¬â?¢s down, but hey ââ?¬â?? Get It Right Round You Boratââ?¬Â¦.. Cammy F

After his double today have the Rangers fans taken to him now?

UCF2008 posted the above in the other thread. my original rent-a-cause-reactionaries comment was about their general make-everyone-love-us philosophy. their persecution complex and immediate support for anything, no matter how contradictory, to maintain their romantic rebels image. that being said, i do think his point is worth a debate. recent times have seen ranting as never before. its seen protesting. a whole culture of complaining has developed - but i do think that there are also valid societal reasons for this (information culture/credit crunch/anxieties about pluralism) as well as good arguments for the fact that everything is not as well as it could be within ibrox (murray wants out/rangers fans consistently paying their money to be called bigots by all and sundry etc). that said, i think the anti-murray/anti-smith tone has just got rabid in recent times - a kind of rabid that can only happen on the faceless internet and in small groups. when it takes itself to real life (like the reported protest the other week) it falters. but, then, i begin to think it is all justified again - the protests seem to have spurred the new signings, and it took for mass protests etc for celtic to get turned around. so, all in all, have we become bitter tims?

Firstly I refer to this song as Hullo Hullo and not TBB. But can someone clarify the legal stance on this song for being banned for "Rangers fans" only??? What is it that is actually banned - ie. the tune, song or words?? And why do away fans get to chant the tune or change the words but are not even threatened with expulsion of competitions...and at the same time its a song that is perfectly allowed in other stadiums such as Old Trafford. For me, id love to see Hullo Hullo back with the real Rangers words. This tune was an icon of the Rangers support and certainly the best song for the atmosphere at Ibrox. I cant work out why this song gets singled out and banned yet others which are worse and not even rangers related only seem to get warnings at the worst - and thats not to even mention what our green friends on the east side come out with. Sounds like discrimination to me!!!

http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=663&Itemid=1 Carlos Cuellar has gone then and going by recent years it’s extremely unlikely to be a case of ‘The King is dead; long Live the King’. The 21st Century has seen a large number of quality players leave the club with the chairman proclaiming they will be replaced with players of a similar standard. In almost all cases – particularly with regard to our midfield – that has not been the case. From the Van Bronckhorsts to the Reynas, to the Numans, to the Amorusos; the decline in quality has been a steady one since our club’s downsizing began in earnest. It’s now reached the stage where not only the continuity of the team is threatened but the very future of the club is being brought into disrepute. What options does that leave us with? Do we protest or will our apathy contribute to our downfall? Firstly, I think it’s important that we address the issue objectively. It is far too easy to be vocally critical and while that may satisfy for a short while; it won’t do any good without solutions for the problems we face. One of the biggest and most valid criticisms of the Murray reign at Rangers is that of short-termism. We shouldn’t be guilty of the same flaw. Thus, if we are to protest – and I certainly empathise with that view – we need to be careful in how we go about it. ‘Murray out’ is the cry from many. ‘Walter Smith’s time is up’ is even more prevalent. Fair points as both deserve a lot of criticism for their work recently. Unfortunately, neither is likely to be replaced and I see little alternatives offered by those who shout loudest. Quite simply, while it may be agreeable that it’s time for a new owner (none more agree than Sir David Murray), we don’t have a knight in shining armour with a spare Ã?£100million to put into Rangers. Let’s face it – any new owner(s) would need around Ã?£20-30million to buy the club; Ã?£20million to underwrite the existing club debt; and at least Ã?£50million in reserve, to not only supply an annual transfer budgets equalling the last two years but to implement the various improvements we’d all like to see to the club. A new ticket office, a better youth system, a museum, stadium development (not to mention upkeep), improved retail/marketing and a genuine worldwide scouting system would need considerable investment just to get off the ground; never mind run on an annual basis. Not many investors have that kind of money to hand – especially when one considers the market we operate in. Even if we discount the problems we face on the field, the last paragraph shows just how serious things are at Rangers. The most positive supporters can surely now see how the under-performance of the club generally is affecting the general malaise at the club. There’s no doubt while some people may exaggerate some of these issues; there’s also no doubt the challenges we face as a club are serious ones and need urgent attention. In fact, most of them have needed attention for a number of years but it’s only now some supporters are awakening to them. And that’s where my concern is. Realism regarding the financial climate needn’t be an acceptance of under-achievement and inefficiency. Football fans – and particularly Rangers fans – are demanding sorts. Success should be regular, failure is not an option and everything is measured by an SPL title-winning barometer. This is how many supporters view our club but in my view it’s far too empirical and it’s this flawed vision that has helped put us in the position we are today. More seriously though, it’s not just the support that is guilty of this – the Rangers board of directors are similarly short-sighted and far more culpable. My single biggest criticism of Sir David Murray’s Rangers’ tenure is one which goes against how the man made his impressive business reputation. After a successful initial period, investment into the club (out with transfers) wasn’t enough, was only ever based on the short-term and failed to ensure our club’s position as the number one football club in Scotland. Remember we were Ã?£30million in the black around 1998 and only a few short years and Ã?£100million later we were Ã?£83million in the red - with next to nothing to show for it. Sure, at the insistence of Dick Advocaat, Murray Park was built but even that has taken a number of years to deliver while only showing inconsistent performance given it’s not the Youth Academy many believed it would be. Where are we then? Are we any further forward than late 1988 when SDM bought the club? Of course there are lots of positives during those 20 years and they shouldn’t be forgotten or ignored in the haste to vilify. However, the fact remains, the last 10 years of the reign have been inconsistent, lacking in quality, ambition has been lost and our future bleak. Much like what was happening under Murray’s predecessors it could be said. Protest is the answer then? Yes, it is, but probably not in the way some agitators would prefer. Firstly, we need to ensure that our support of the team and players isn’t compromised. While Walter Smith is just as much to blame for our current woes as anyone else and while we all agree certain players are simply not good enough to play for Rangers, difficult times require extra support – not less. I’m not suggesting blind loyalty – that would be equally wrong – but enough support to help the team regain the confidence and form to win matches. After all, not winning the title would only make things much, much worse. However, I’ve already said winning titles should not be a barometer of how successful our club is. After all, we didn’t win the title last season but generally it was a successful one in terms of European performance and incoming finance. Importantly though, it’s how we use this success that really matters. And that’s where we’ve failed this summer and in previous times. We’ve simply not achieved consistent domestic and European success. Ergo, that’s where any protest must be focussed. Thus, while bizarre 60 minute walk outs may indicate our displeasure; and while fans reps in the media provide further obvious methods of channelling our frustration; neither will be successful without constructive alternatives. By all means protest but it has to be done at the right time and place. The status quo is unlikely to change because a few hundred fans walk out unnoticed or because a few congregate outside the front door. That will only result in further division and problems. Genuine protest has to have a goal behind it. While the ultimate goal may be one of regime change, that’s not one that is immediately possible or one that would yield immediate results anyway. As such, any protest should have aims that are possible. Obviously, that is also much more difficult to achieve. What can we do to improve the club? How can we reach the people to responsible for that improvement? Can we catalyse them via workable solutions? That place is the Rangers AGM in the next month or so. That’s where ALL the guilty parties will be present. That’s where ALL the relevant questions should be asked. That’s where ALL the board of directors can be brought to task on their under-achievement. That’s where the manager can be challenged. That’s where positive change can be implemented. That’s where the Rangers supporters can rise to the challenge. That’s where leadership can be sought in the presence of ALL the people who can make the difference. We can help shape our future. We can never be accused of not being loyal or being supportive of the club through difficult times. Let’s continue to do so by cheering the team to victory over 90mins and keeping our criticism for the place where it really matters.

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/sport/football/article-1039747/Leave-Kenny-Rangers-manager-Smith-tells-Millers-critics-grip.html?ITO=1490 One quote here that gets me " That's an opinion - mine is different and it is mine that matters. That is how I look upon it. Every supporter is entitled to think what he wants." Kind of pig headed Walt... considering that should we Rangers fans stop going to Ibrox, Stop buying the strips, Stop Buying the season tickets, then Your opinion wouldn't matter either, whilst in line at the dole office!

RANGERS Chief Executive Martin Bain has spoken for the first time on a number of important topics as the new season opens. He revealed record season ticket sales, explained the reasoning behind the five per cent charge on the sale of away tickets and insisted work is still being done to bolster the squad ahead of the new campaign. During the interview, the Chief Executive also announced exciting plans for Ibrox that will make it amongst the most cutting-edge in European football. He said: "We are well on target to set a new record of 44,000 season ticket holders which has been achieved as a result of our new ticketing strategy enabling a higher saleable capacity within the stadium. In the past four seasons we have reached highs of 42,500 but on the back of last season, the demand for the coming campaign has been such that we will hit the new record figure. "Last season was a journey beyond all expectation for Rangers supporters and was what we all aspire to, which is Rangers competing at the highest level in Europe and on all fronts domestically. The last day of the SPL season was our only downside. "Our new strategy aims to make football more affordable to families, and to maintain and create a great atmosphere in the stadium where supporters are safe. It wasn't just about pricing however, we also wanted to provide some additional benefits to season ticket holders. The first of these takes place on Friday with a free training day which will be a great day out for families. "To date the initiative has resulted in an 11 per cent rise in juvenile season ticket holders with many more on the waiting list and we are absolutely delighted with the ongoing response from the fans. "We had 19 European games last season and with the financial pressures in our economy today we could not have asked for more from our supporters, their commitment has been second to none. Tickets for tomorrow's Kaunas game are going really well and the Liverpool match on Saturday is fast approaching sell-out. "Last year we identified the need to address the playing surface and other aspects of the stadium infrastructure, resulting in the commitment of capital expenditure for an interim overhaul. We have ensured that the items invested in are easily transportable should our long term development plans come to fruition. "First on the agenda was restructuring the pitch and Walter Smith told me yesterday that he is delighted with the new playing surface. "Despite the inclement weather in Scotland we are confident we will have no problems with our pitch this season and let's hope it is the same scenario at every other SPL ground. We have invested in our pitch and it would be good to see the other clubs investing in a similar way to avoid the problems of last season. "Our next priority was to introduce a fully integrated stadium entertainment system. This will be phased in from the first SPL home game where our new state of the art LED perimeter advertising system and LED scoreboards will be unveiled. "The perimeter advertising will run the complete length of the Copland, Broomloan and Govan stands. In September we will install LED jumbotrons, giving Ibrox one of the most ambitious media and entertainment systems in British football. We plan to introduce the system into the concourses thereafter. Even the dugouts, uniforms and Club ties are changing!" Rangers begin the SPL campaign on August 9 against Falkirk, one of four clubs who have refused to accept the Old Firm plan of a five per cent charge for the sale of away tickets. Bain remains unrepentant at the approach taken and commented: "It is incredulous that despite our attempts to explain this rationally to other clubs, some of them continue to refuse to accept our approach. Rangers supporters travel the length and breadth of the country, often paying premium prices for grounds which are often found lacking in their overall facilities. This is about our fans. I believe they more than pay their way in Scottish football and we want to alleviate some of the financial pressure. "I am also disappointed at the other clubs lack of understanding of our continual efforts to make it as easy as possible to distribute their tickets with minimal cost and effort on their behalf. We help maximise ticket sales for SPL away grounds to the region of �£2.5million, but accept that this comes at a cost, hence our proposal for the reciprocal arrangement. This would allow us to remove the costs currently borne by our fans. "I am surprised that other clubs have failed to realise that we have maintained a core fan base for away matches and that base may drop off given the convoluted systems they are operating to sell tickets to Rangers fans. "The actions we have taken have been in the best interests of our fans and the Club and we hope this is recognised by our travelling support, despite the complicated and difficult route that may now exist to obtain tickets for fixtures that were once easy to obtain." The Rangers Chief Executive hopes that those who choose to sell to Old Firm fans directly will ensure that they take all the responsibilities which accompany this decision. He said: "The SPL guidelines are such that every person who buys a ticket has to supply their name and address, and I now look to the SPL to ensure that while these other clubs have taken it upon themselves to sell these tickets that they record all these details. That said, it is unfortunate that I won't have the same level of awareness of whom the tickets are now being sold to. "At this stage Falkirk, Hibs, Hearts and Dundee United have indicated that they will sell tickets to our fans themselves and we await confirmation of the official response from the remaining clubs." Although the signing deadline has passed for tomorrow's Champions League qualifying match with Kaunas, the Chief Executive insisted that work is still being done on the playing front. He said: "We are still working hard to make sure we have a squad capable of challenging on all fronts. "The nature of Rangers is such that we are constantly linked with players with no foundation. But we are used to that and know what our priorities are. I am confident through experience of transfer windows in recent years that there will be movement, both in and out, in the weeks ahead. Walter has a core squad to meet the immediate challenges, although we are disappointed to have picked up a couple of injuries at this early stage." http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,5~1353740,00.html

Youtube Link taken from TBO website - quite interesting, Rangers fans belting out FOS - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uPMZRMFb1Hc&feature=related Some brilliant footage from pre-kick off - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4VGylDaB7cI&feature=related Cammy F