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__________________ I wish i was as confident as him

Review of the Season so far: Main site link: http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=711&Itemid=1

As discussed in yesterday's article, today was the annual general meeting of the club's shareholders at Ibrox Stadium. The main topics of debate are listed below. JJB Retail Partership SDM admitted JJB were not contributing to their part of the deal well enough but if they went bust the rights would return to the club immediately. Chairman also confirmed bonus financial targets were not reached but blamed JJB for their poor performance as opposed to club. Media Negativity While Martin Bain agreed that there did appear to be a lack of objectivity within parts of the media, SDM also blamed web-culture for embarrassing the bulk of supporters and urged everyone to be vigilant in that regard. Staff Safety G4S Security are currently protecting Nacho Novo's residence while patrolling other employee localities. Ticketing Arrangements Continual problems with Ticket Office operations were blamed on unprecedented demand due to UEFA Cup run last season. Complete review of match ticket distribution also promised by Martin Bain. Stadium Development Delayed development proposal will be rubber stamped by GCC tomorrow (see other article). No stadium capacity increase at this time due to economic downturn. Shouts of derision were heard as chairman attempted to end Q&A early to discuss topic. Player sales SDM could not guarantee players would not be sold in future to help address long term debt increase. Cuellar and Cousin were both sold because they wanted to invoke clauses in their contracts. Chairman reaffirmed his commitment to the club saying he acted in its best interests at all times.

RANGERS goalkeeper Neil Alexander today confirmed Fairbridge in Glasgow as the Rangers Charity Foundation's new Community Charity Partner for season 2008/09, which will see the Foundation work with the organisation to raise �£25,000 for projects set to benefit the city's young people. Neil AlexanderFairbridge in Scotland provides support and training to young people in some of Glasgow's most deprived areas, dealing with issues such as homelessness, unemployment and problems at home and at school. The Fairbridge team help to develop young people via a personal programme which combines learning new life skills with challenging activities and one-to-one personal support. The Rangers Charity Foundation will fund new sports equipment for the charity, including canoes, kayaks and a new trailer - adding an exciting and challenging new activity for young people at Fairbridge to experience. The funding will also pay for a residential canoe course and part of a series of healthy living courses. Neil Alexander said: "It was a great privilege to meet some of the young people who are currently working with Fairbridge here in Glasgow. "I know the organisation offers invaluable support to the city's young people in areas such as job interviews and educational opportunities and builds their confidence and practical life skills with a range of outdoor activities and challenges." Charity Foundation Manager, Connal Cochrane, said: "We are really looking forward to working with Fairbridge to raise their profile and boost the opportunities available to young people. "As a Club we have a responsibility to work with the local community and this partnership, together with our Community Grants Scheme, demonstrates our commitment to the people of Glasgow."Connal wants you to raise money for the Foundation Scott McAlpine, Fairbridge in Glasgow Manager, said: "We are delighted to be appointed as Rangers Community Partner. "This partnership will not only help provide vital equipment for our centre but will also help to promote a more optimistic and positive attitude for Glasgow's young people. "Furthermore, the platform Rangers will offer us means we can take our message and an understanding of the work of Fairbridge in Glasgow to a wider audience in the hope that every young person in Glasgow can be given a fair chance in life." The appointment of Fairbridge in Glasgow as Community Charity Partner will be followed in the coming weeks by the announcements of the Foundation's new International and National Partners for season 2008/09. These new partnerships have been instigated following a strategic review of the Foundation's activities as a result of the growing success of its charitable and fundraising concerns.

Part 1 Overview In a year when Rangers qualified for the group stages of the Champions League and then went on and reached the UEFA Cup final the club made a loss, before the sale of players, of Ã?£1.1 million. The sale of Alan Hutton was required to show a profit for the year. This highlights the financial plight of the club, being as successful as we were in Europe we still need to sell players to make a profit. Why did we not make a higher profit? Income increased by Ã?£23 million over 2007 ââ?¬â?? This including Ã?£11 million from UEFA for the Champions League/UEFA Cup and Ã?£10 million in additional gate receipts due to the number of games played. Net Operating expenses increased by Ã?£13.7 million - This is mainly due to a Ã?£10 million increase in staff costs (see next section). Amortisation (write-off) of playersââ?¬â?¢ values increased by Ã?£3.2 million ââ?¬â?? the cost of players is written off over the period of their contracts and the purchase of players costing over Ã?£10 million at the start of the season resulted in an increase in the write-off over the prior year. With the increase in income being offset by the higher operating costs and higher amortisation of players it resulted in the prior yearââ?¬â?¢s operating loss of Ã?£5.1 million becoming an operating profit of Ã?£641,000. Interest payable of Ã?£1.7 million, an increase of Ã?£454,000 over the prior year due to the increase in debt, is then deducted which results in a loss before the sale of players of Ã?£1.1 million. The sale of players, primarily Hutton, generated a profit of Ã?£7.7 million which meant that we made a profit before tax for the year of Ã?£6.6 million. The bottom line is that profits were lower than everyone predicted due to higher wages paid to the players. Staff costs Staff costs increased by Ã?£10 million, from Ã?£24 million to Ã?£34 million, with Wages and Salaries increasing by a whopping 60%! The reasons for this are that average salaries were increased when the squad was strengthened (the new players must be on relatively higher salaries), and there were huge bonuses allegedly totalling Ã?£7 million paid to the players due to the successful run in Europe. The club apparently made practically no money from one of the rounds in Europe as most of the cash generated from the financially hard-pressed fans had to go in bonus payments. Murray and Bain must take a large degree of criticism for this as it suggests that the bonus levels were allowed to be negotiated at too high a rate, possibly because their own expectations of success were low. The accounts try and justify this by pointing out that wages to turnover ratio fell from 58% to 53%, but with turnover increasing by 54%, I would expect a much larger fall in the ratio, and the relatively poor results have to be partly blamed on the badly negotiated playersââ?¬â?¢ bonuses. Net debt The net debt has increased by Ã?£5 million to Ã?£21.6 million. Why did this happen when we made a profit for the year? There are a number of factors, but the main reason is that we spent more on players than we received. In terms of actual cash incomings and outgoings we spent Ã?£10.6 million on players and only received Ã?£3.9 million. The Hutton deal is spread over a period to June 2010. Part of this is due to timing with a most 2007/8 purchases being included in this yearââ?¬â?¢s accounts, but they also include 2008/9 buys of Lafferty, Miller and Velicka. The sale of players Alan Hutton and Filip Sebo were sold during the year. It was widely reported that Hutton was sold for Ã?£9 million and Sebo was sold for Ã?£1 million. The clubââ?¬â?¢s website states that ââ?¬Å?It is understood that the (Hutton) transfer fee could top Ã?£9millionââ?¬Â. The strange thing is that the proceeds reflected in the accounts only come to Ã?£8.7 million. What has happened to the missing Ã?£1.3 million? Perhaps the widely reported ââ?¬Å?pay-offââ?¬Â to Hutton of around Ã?£1 million was made by Spurs as a ââ?¬Å?golden helloââ?¬Â and they reduced the transfer fee by that amount? Perhaps the actual fees were previously exaggerated, or there were payments to third parties which required to be netted off? There are no further amounts to be added to the Ã?£8.7 million dependent on games etc, as there are no contingent assets disclosed in the accounts. Any payments to anyone in the club, Hutton pay-off bonuses to directors relating to transfers received would be included in Staff Costs and not netted off against income. If there were such payments then it shows the income from transfers in an even worse light. Whatever the reason, it appears that we got less than was expected. Martin Bain Martin Bainââ?¬â?¢s emoluments for the year were Ã?£668,000, an increase of 87% over the previous year! In last yearââ?¬â?¢s review, I commented that his salary was too high based on the size of the company, but this point is obviously being ignored by SDM. It continues to be far too high for the size that Rangers are. Peter Lawwell earned Ã?£393,000 in 2007, which was a big increase on 2006, possibly because of a comparison with Bainââ?¬â?¢s package, with Lawwell arguably having greater responsibilities and autonomy. It is presumed that the large increase in Bainââ?¬â?¢s salary is due to a performance based bonus. It is rumoured that this is based on income (which would appear to make sense as his large bonus in 2006 appears to have been due to the JJB deal), which implies that it is due to the Hutton transfer. If that is the case I fail to see why Bain should get a percentage of it as he is only doing his job, and had nothing to do with the vast majority of the amount received. If Murray is serious about wanting to keep expenditure under control, he should start by reviewing the package of his Chief Executive. Fixed assets Over the last few years the freehold property owned by the club (the Stadium and Murray Park) have been valued based on a ââ?¬Å?depreciated replacement costââ?¬Â basis. While this is allowed under accounting standards, I have been critical of this approach. Imagine you owned a house that you could sell for Ã?£100,000, but it would cost Ã?£150,000 to rebuild it. The cost to rebuild it is fairly irrelevant to you, and you would generally think of the house as being worth Ã?£100,000 but itââ?¬â?¢s this approach that has been used in previous years. There has been a change this year, with the property being valued based on its ââ?¬Å?recoverable amountââ?¬Â (although this value is exactly the same as the amount in last yearââ?¬â?¢s accounts). I do not know much about property, but I would not be confident in the ability to sell the stadium and Murray Park for Ã?£120 million. A valuation was carried out using last yearââ?¬â?¢s method, but this was not used in the accounts. It is not known whether this showed a (likely) increase in value which the directors have decided to hold back for another year or a decrease in value that they did not want to put through as it would weaken the balance sheet. JJB deal It appears that the club only received their standard Ã?£3 million from JJB in respect of the ongoing agreement, which is surprising following the huge amount of shirt sales in the run-up to Manchester. How many more strips need to be sold for the bonus payments to kick in? It looks like it is an impossibly high target, despite the optimism given by the Rangers Board at the time of the initial announcement. Related party transactions This section of the accounts highlights the amount of business that Rangers do with the other parts of the Murray Group. Murray has been criticised in a number of quarters for this over the years, but it should be noted that services provided this year of Ã?£1.2 million are less than the prior year of Ã?£1.9 million, and this has been a steady trend of reduction in services from the peak of Ã?£4.3 million in 2004. The services provided relate to call centre (tickets) and mail order but I am unaware of why there is a reduction in the charge in a busy year, other than the fact that IT services were mentioned last year but not this year. It should also be noted that Rangers would have to pay someone for these services and as long as we are paying what we would be charged by a third party then I do not see an issue with it being done by a company within the Murray Group. Share issue There were Ã?£50,000 of shares issued during the year in respect of the Rangers Supporters Trustââ?¬â?¢s Gersave scheme. Five year summary The average attendance is shown as 46,278, which is a drop of 2,239 from the previous year. This is the lowest average attendance since 1995/96. This is surprising but appears to be due to the low attendance at domestic cup games resulting from financial pressure put on fans following the record number of games that were played last season.

TRUST ADVICE TO MEMBERS ATTENDING GAME AT CELTIC PARK, SUNDAY 31 AUGUST Over at least the last five years, many dozens of Trust members have expressed concerns about aspects of both policing and stewarding at Celtic Park. These concerns include: being threatened with arrest or ejection from the stadium for spurious, trivial or unexplained reasons; flags, banners and clothing with no offensive or sectarian connotations confiscated or not allowed into the Stadium; a gratuitously hostile, unfriendly attitude displayed by a handful of police officers and, more worryingly, a large number of stewards; intimidation and threats of arrest or ejection for singing ââ?¬Ë?sectarianââ?¬â?¢ songs, despite said songs having no sectarian content or connotations. These concerns have been aggravated by the obvious double standards on display, where the home support is seemingly at liberty to throw missiles at players and club employees, sing sectarian bile about ââ?¬Ë?Orange b*stardsââ?¬â?¢ and ââ?¬Ë?H*nsââ?¬â?¢ and display offensive and sectarian banners and flags. In advance of the game on Sunday, the Board of the Rangers Supportersââ?¬â?¢ Trust offers the following advice to our members: 1. Letââ?¬â?¢s conduct ourselves as we usually do, in a manner which accurately reflects the best traditions of our support and our Club and our pride in them. 2. The Club, the RST and other supportersââ?¬â?¢ groups are united in opposing racism, prejudice and sectarianism and have recognised the huge strides made by the Rangers support in recent seasons. Regardless of the inevitable provocation, do not hand our enemies any excuses for their behaviour or a propaganda gift by inappropriate singing or chanting. 3. Report any instances of provocative or inappropriate behaviour from opposition supporters to the police. Be polite, sensible and ask what, if any action is being taken. 4. If approached by stewards or police officers be calm, polite and avoid unnecessary confrontation. If asked to do something you believe unreasonable, ask precisely why or under what law or ground regulation this is being requested, and if necessary take note of names, police badge numbers and any witnesses in the vicinity. 5. If necessary use camera phones to record incidents of concern. If you or your fellow supporters are threatened, bullied, harassed or arrested unreasonably, ensure that you have witnesses to hand and note the location and time of any such incidents. The Trust Board will be meeting this week, in advance of the RST AGM next Saturday, and will review the conduct and outcome of Sundayââ?¬â?¢s game. We have had informal discussions with the Club on this and have also previously raised the issues with Strathclyde Police. We remain concerned at the lack of clarity in the responses from the Constabulary and the refusal of a high profile public service to either engage with or explain themselves to the public they profess to serve. The Trust AGM provides a perfect opportunity for the issue of conduct and treatment at Celtic Park to be debated and for Trust members to decide collectively how we take this forward. Stephen Smith RST Chair, on behalf of the Trust Board

I hope we don't sign him on the basis of 500.000 after 50 games. We know after 49 games he will never play again.

A long read but have fun... http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=645&Itemid=1 It’s cold and wet outside, the transfer rumours are starting up again and tennis/cricket seem to be taking over the sports bulletins – the football season must be over again! Let’s have a look over the season that, in Spring promised so much, but by last week delivered so little… Firstly, I think it’s important to say that last August, if we’d been told we’d qualify for the Champions’ League Group Stage, draw with Barcelona, beat Lyon 3-0 away, make it to the UEFA Cup Final, take the SPL title to the last day and win both domestic cups, I feel most bears would have been happy with that given the dearth of quality/success in recent years. Unfortunately, when one considers the way we threw away the chance to win the SPL title, our poor performance at home against Lyon and a pretty tame UEFA Final display, then that positive outlook starts to become a wee bit more unrealistic. Some will choose to point to fixture congestion, dubious game call-offs, key players becoming unavailable and/or numerous officiating mistakes but generally we have no-one to blame for not winning the league but ourselves. The season started brightly enough. We made several decent signings in the summer on a budget that we hadn’t seen for a long time. The jury was out on some of them but by early September after a faultless start in the league and CL Group Stage qualification secured, the signs were already there that we could provide a decent challenge to Celtic in the SPL while testing ourselves in the toughest club competition abroad. In contrast, the next two months actually foretold what would happen in 2008. September and October showed exactly the kind of inconsistency that would belatedly curtail our chances of league success. Defeats and draws against Hearts, Motherwell, Dundee Utd and Hibs suggested our squad wasn’t strong enough to compete in Europe while maintaining a high enough quality domestically. Was our league challenge already stuttering? Fortunately, we managed to improve our league form as the year closed while Celtic also struggled to match their reasonable CL form with domestic results. By Christmas we were top of the league again and on an unbeaten run that would cement our status as genuine challengers. Meanwhile, in Europe, we had lost our early advantage in our group by losing away to Stuttgart (DaMarcus Beasley injured for over 6 months as well) and eventually went out in disappointing fashion at home to Lyon – that game actually in some ways being decided by our striker’s late miss, just like what would happen in Manchester the following May. However, UEFA Cup qualification was a decent alternative and this gave us a few months to concentrate on the league. Our form improved in that regard and even although the impressive Alan Hutton had moved south to Spurs for a club record fee, the fans still felt confident we could regain the championship. After all, we wouldn’t do much in the UEFA Cup, would we? Yes, we could actually and soon the debate was what trophy we preferred to win or could we do the unthinkable and win a quadruple? Certainly, the initial signs were very positive – impressive, but unglamorous, wins against Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen and Sporting Lisbon, coupled with important league wins against Celtic, Hibs and Hearts meant we were suddenly in a position none of us could have dreamed of just 6 months earlier. By early April, we were effectively 10 points clear in the league and in the semis of the UEFA and Scottish Cups! Of course doubts remained about whether or not we could cope with the punishing run of games that we now faced. Earlier in the season, we had already struggled badly to juggle our European commitments with league matches. Again, these cracks were starting to show with replays needed to beat Partick and Hibs in the Scottish Cup while we just managed to win the CIS Cup with a penalty win against Dundee Utd. Nonetheless, March had been a good month and April was upon us. Indeed, this was the month that would prove crucial in determining the league title. Two games away to Celtic, extra time needed in both cup competitions and an away game against a Dundee Utd team aggrieved by the league cup final loss the previous month amongst the difficult schedule. Two points dropped at Tannadice early in the month was the first sign that perhaps we were struggling. Our defence didn’t look as sound as it had previously and fan confidence took a hit. This was compounded by back-to-back losses away to Celtic in two games affected by some strange officiating decisions. Further pain was literally inflicted with injuries to Allan McGregor and Lee McCulloch in the first match while Chris Burke and Steven Naismith had also fallen in the Scottish Cup semi. Not only were Celtic back in the title hunt but our squad was stretched further, creative players almost non-existent and the SPL adding to our woes by refusing to extend the season. The writing was on the wall. Suffice to say May was little better. Our incredible run in the UEFA Cup was ruined by an impressive Zenit side in Manchester (not to mention the actions of a few thugs amongst a historic 200,000 fans who travelled down for the game). Meanwhile, two positive wins at home with superb backing from the real Rangers fans couldn’t precipitate enough confidence and energy (mental or physical it seemed) to catalyse the players into managing any further wins in the games that mattered. The league was gone, our UEFA Cup achievements seemed distant and the Scottish Cup win against a determined QoS outfit little consolation for our woes. It was easy to become depressed and react overly negatively to this extremely disappointing end to the season. However, I think it’s important to concentrate on the positives – even if the above wasn’t easy reading. [CONTINUED]

That Was The Week That Was As we motor into the business end of the season, it gets tougher and tougher to dismantle the previous weeks results and performances, and I donââ?¬â?¢t know about you, but you require a degree in statistical analysis to understand and programme what games we have pending in any given week. Hence, please forgive me if my memory plays tricks on me and I review the wrong bloody week! Last week saw us chalked up two consecutive 2-0 away victories and whilst both were welcome, one did outshine the other. Looking for words to describe our performance in Lisbon isnââ?¬â?¢t hard, but if I had to use just one word to describe the performance and result, it would be AWESOME. What we witnessed against Sporting was an unbelievable performance and one which we witnessed happening AGAINST us on so many European occasions. We dictated the tempo of the game, we passed the ball brilliantly, defended stoutly and converted our chances when they presented themselves. I canââ?¬â?¢t be the only one who still canââ?¬â?¢t quite grasp the fact that we are in a European Cup semi-final, with a very decent chance of progressing. Now, Iââ?¬â?¢ll say this upfront, I donââ?¬â?¢t think we will win it, but we have a great chance. We will NOT change or personnel, tactics of formation for the semi-final. We will look to stifle the game at Ibrox with the priority not losing an away goal. Sunday saw us progress into the Scottish Cup semi-final with a ââ?¬Ë?regulationââ?¬â?¢ victory over Thistle. We deserved our victory and hats off to the fringe players who came in and produced a decent performance and result. I would also like to take the opportunity of offering my congratulations to Queen Of The South after their brilliant 4-1 victory over the Abergreen on Saturday. They deserved their victory and what about the JCD-esque celebration after the winning goal? Hopefully weââ?¬â?¢ll meet QOS in the final as I would like to thank them for knocking out Abergreen and Linlithgow Rose (in an earlier round)! So Whatââ?¬â?¢s On The Agenda This Week So after last weeks drama of UEFA and Scottish Cup quarter finals, this weeks fixtures throws up the little matter of an Old Firm SPL game at Parkhead on Wednesday evening and a Scottish Cup Semi-Final against St Johnstone on Sunday. We will know what to expect in both fixtures (lets not forget that St Johnstone knocked us out of the CIS Cup last season ââ?¬â?? at Ibrox) and we will have to be at our best to secure victories in both games. As the fixtures are coming think and fast, Walter and his staff may be thinking of altering the starting 11, but I canââ?¬â?¢t see much tinkering for the Old Firm game. Thomson is suspended which will be a big loss, but Hendami will slot into his position. I fully expect all the ââ?¬Ë?big-gunsââ?¬â?¢ to be back and the only position that isnââ?¬â?¢t cemented at the moment is whoââ?¬â?¢ll play the ââ?¬Ë?lone strikerââ?¬â?¢ role. In my opinion, JCD will start with Cousin replacing him ala Sporting on Thursday. As long as we come out of the 2 OF games ââ?¬Ë?levelââ?¬â?¢ (i.e. 2 draws or a victory and defeat ââ?¬â?? at worst) then we will have taken a huge step in securing the title. Letââ?¬â?¢s hope that we go for it as we have shown that we know how to defeat the forces of evilââ?¬Â¦..! Sunday may be the fixture that has the potential to trip us up on our quest for the quadruple. I know that may sound silly given that we have an OF game on Wednesday but I feel that if we get the desired result on Wednesday, WS will tinker with the team ahead of the St Johnstone game. That is not a bad option, but we mustnââ?¬â?¢t underestimate St Johnstone and we mustnââ?¬â?¢t not make the SCF given that we have gotten so close. As I said above, I canââ?¬â?¢t believe that the quadruple is so close, it is tangible, you can almost taste it. We MUST strive to win all 4, but the league is the priority. I know its greedy, I know its almost impossible, but please, please, please Rangers, lets make history, lets win all four!! Cammy F ââ?¬â?? Support The Dublin Loyal - We Are The Peopleââ?¬Â¦.

Now I am one for being pesamistic. Always have been but I always thought we could do this mob. After a poor display against Bolt-on, I thought at Ibrox we would get at least 1 goal. Ibrox last week was dire, by any standard that we as Bears set.. Tonight it was backs to the wall for the first half. And we did it very well. The first 15 of the 2nd half were all Sporting, and then we started a move that frankly was clinical in movement, touch and finish. I think the commentators (1 a tink diehard with no Scottish bitterness) JCD needs something to finish... when he thinks (the 1st half miss) he fails, but when he has to bury it, it is done and dusted. Davis was superb. Movement, and pass were sublime. The second was Whitaker doing a great holding job whilst others pulled players away, and the finish was an executioners axe.... Bazza was not on song, and he misses the next game as does Davis....(need to check that). The ref was quick to book our boys, but left many a challenge from them unpunished. Fiorentina it is chaps. A very good team, and with Munchen getting a late win, the favourites are still in to win it. We are the people.... Spelling Mongness

Submitted by BlueDell The club made a �£2.3 million profit in the first 6 months to 31st December 2007. Sounds good, particularly compared to the loss of �£1.5 million for the same period in the previous year, but is it really? During the last 2 years we have made losses of �£5m and �£6m during the second halves of the year. The extended run in the UEFA Cup may be negated by the increased costs, so we probably make a loss of a similar amount this year. A loss of �£5m added to a profit of profit of �£2.7m means that we would have been looking at a loss for the year of over �£2m (being very conservative), and thatâ��s AFTER we have qualified for the Champions League (CL). What kind of loss would we be looking at had we not qualified for the CL? Given that turnover increased by �£10m due to the CL then we could have been looking at a loss of well over �£10m for the year. The figures show why it was vital for the Chairman to have the Hutton deal go through. This will take us into profit for the year, and will avoid the potentially embarrassing position of making a loss despite qualifying for the CL. The profit of �£2.3m was lower than the �£4m that I had expected due apparently to a higher than expected increase in salary costs, due to more players and it would seem that some of the new players may be on relatively high salaries. Our debt has increased but this is not surprising given the fact that our season ticket money mostly comes in before the end of June and the purchase of Cousin, Cuellar, Whittaker, McCulloch and Naismith will all have had a negative effect. Again the Hutton cash and perhaps some of the CL money still to come the position will be improved at the year-end, but itâ��s too difficult to speculate where we will be by then given the limited information available. So, overall, we are still reliant on both the CL and selling players to keep our head above water. Not a particularly reassuring place to be from a financial perspective. How do our results compare to Celticâ��s? Firstly their half-yearly accounts give a lot more details than our due to their stock market requirements. Rangers are quoted on the PLUS Markets Exchange which requires only a limited disclosure with no balance sheet and only a very limited profit and loss account supplied. It is therefore difficult to any sort of meaningful analysis of our accounts. Celtic made a profit of �£10m but if you strip out the �£4m profit that they made on the sale of players (I believe that we had very little in this area in comparison as the Hutton transfer will be shown in the second half of the year) then they made a profit of �£6m compared to our �£2.3m I believe that the 3 main reasons for the difference are their bigger capacity, our bigger write-off of players due to our purchases and that they have had one more game domestically than us. I believe their profit made on the sale of players was from the likes of Miller and Beattie, and goes to show how important it is for our Chairman and CEO to maximise return from the sale of our players, something that we appear to be guilty of not doing. Their bigger capacity may have added over �£2m to their profit for the 6 months and is something that we are going to have to live with unless steps are taken to increase the capacity of Ibrox.

No harm IMO and should be brought back within reason. Probably best not allowed it to be taken to the seats but allow people to have a pint (in plastic cups) down while eating a pie.

The Rangers Football Club plc today (Wednesday, 20 February 2008) published its unaudited interim results for the six months to 31 December 2007. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Ã?· Ã?£10.0m (43.6%) uplift in turnover to Ã?£33.1m (2006: Ã?£23.1m). Ã?· Increase of Ã?£3.8m in profit before interest and tax to Ã?£3.1m (2006: loss of Ã?£0.7m). Ã?· Retained profit increased by Ã?£3.8m to Ã?£2.3m (2006: loss of Ã?£1.5m). Following publication of the interim results, Rangers chairman Sir David Murray, said: ââ?¬Å?These results are satisfying in that they reflect the progress the Club is making both on and off the pitch. ââ?¬Å?We invested significantly in our playing squad at the start of the season and, as we are leading the SPL and have qualified for the CIS Cup Final, that investment has been fully justified and we are very satisfied with the performance of the team to date. ââ?¬Å?It is also particularly pleasing to see the Murray Park investment producing returns, both in footballing success for our younger players and in the progression of home grown talent to the first team.ââ?¬Â Sir David Murray said: ââ?¬Å?We are pleased to see the Club return a profit in excess of Ã?£3 million and a significant uplift in turnover. Participation in the UEFA Champions League was, of course, highly beneficial to the Club. ââ?¬Å?It is very important to pay tribute to the commitment made by our supporters in the last six months. They travelled extensively in Europe at considerable cost and, at the same time, ensured excellent attendances at Ibrox and at away domestic fixtures. We are very grateful for this continuing support. ââ?¬Å?While playing in the Champions League was important to the Club, it is also essential for us to continue investment throughout the business in order to deliver long-term stability and success.ââ?¬Â CHAIRMANââ?¬â?¢S STATEMENT IN FULL The first six months of the financial year saw us qualify and participate in the UEFA Champions League Group stages against the champions of France and Germany together with the pre-tournament favourites Barcelona. We narrowly failed to qualify for the last 16 in what many termed the toughest qualifying group in the competition. The glamorous ties against Barcelona were enjoyed by our supporters, whilst the result in Lyon was one of the best in the Club's European history. Attention then turned to progression within the UEFA Cup. Domestically our participation in the CIS Insurance Cup Final is assured and qualification has been gained into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup. Our prime focus is however on winning the Clydesdale Bank Premier League. Turnover for the six months to 31 December 2007 increased by Ã?£10.0m to Ã?£33.1m primarily due to the UEFA Champions League performance and market pool income, and the positive impact on ticketing and hospitality sales. As well as benefiting the Club financially, qualification to and competition in the spotlight of the UEFA Champions League has also increased the profile of the playing squad, with many enhancing their reputations in a wider arena. Operating costs have increased on the prior year as we have strengthened the number, composition and overall competitiveness of the playing squad. Profit before interest and tax in the current period of Ã?£3.1m is an improvement of Ã?£3.8m on the six months to 31 December 2006 and reflects the performance in Europe. The interest charge of Ã?£0.8m is higher than the same period last year due to the increase in the net debt over the period following the summer signings to strengthen the football squad. The resultant retained profit of Ã?£2.3m for the six months to 31 December 2007 compares to a retained loss of Ã?£1.5m for the equivalent period last year. Participation in the UEFA Cup will provide some financial benefit in the second half of the year although this is not as financially lucrative as the UEFA Champions League. It is satisfying once again to see the investment in Murray Park producing returns, both in terms of footballing success and in the progression of home grown talent into the first team squad. In January, media speculation forced the Club to comment on potential development and regeneration initiatives around Ibrox. We are continuing to review our options on this project, in conjunction with a number of other parties, and no proposals will be finalised until a full evaluation exercise has been undertaken. In the 2007 Annual Report I commented that we had renewed confidence and momentum heading into the new season. This has, as expected, proved to be justified and credit must be given to Walter Smith and his management team for the performance and effort of the playing squad in the current season. We look forward to the remaining months of the season with anticipation as we compete to bring silverware to Ibrox. Sir David E Murray

Officials ââ?¬â?? Simply Terrible, Or Something More Sinister? Ok, before anyone launches into a rant about ââ?¬Ë?leaving the paranoiaââ?¬â?¢ to Celtc fans, lets unlike The Tims, look at some facts regarding the ridiculous decisions that could have (but thankfully havenââ?¬â?¢t) robbed us of out priceless lead in our quest to regain our SPL title. It would be fair to say that in the vast majority of our SPL games this season we have either had a good goal disallowed or a stonewall penalty denied (and in some cases both). For arguments sake, lets review the major decisions in out last 2 SPL encounters. Firstly against Gretna we were denied one, possibly 2 stonewall penalties at crucial stages of the game. The decision by the ââ?¬Ë?linesmanââ?¬â?¢ to flag Naismith offside as he was pulled back in the box was ridiculous. However, for the same eagle-eyed linesman then to miss the Gretna keeper handle the ball yards outside his area is inexcusable. In fact, it is safe to say that the officials were the only people inside the stadium to miss the incident. Now, you never like to see players red-carded, but by the letter of the law the keeper had to go. Yesterday in Inverness, we once again fall foul to incompetent officialling when Charlie Adams ââ?¬Ë?goalââ?¬â?¢ was wrongly disallowed. Firstly, Cousin never touched the ball and secondly, even though he did, or was deemed to be ââ?¬Ë?interfering with playââ?¬â?¢, we wasnââ?¬â?¢t offside. TV replays showed that he was yards onside and the linesman had a perfect view of the entire situation. Now, the main point here is that there is supposed to be an SFA and Refereeing observer at every SPL match and they report back to the powers that be regarding all aspects of the game, including the performance of the officials. Surely these observers arenââ?¬â?¢t turning up to Hampden today telling the ââ?¬Ë?beaksââ?¬â?¢ that the officials had a great game? If they are, this is were sceptics like myself believe that something more sinister is afoot. If officials are continually getting major decisions wrong, and going by watching Rangers regularly this season, they are, why arenââ?¬â?¢t they being sanctioned? Is it too much to ask that the officials know the fundamental and rudimentary laws of the game and implement these in a fair and sporting manner? I am not for one minutes asking for preferential treatment, but as football supporters we are entitled to have officials that know and implement the laws. If they are failing in their duty then the SFA / SPL must act. If we were supporters of a certain other team in Glasgow (and Iââ?¬â?¢m not talking about Partick Thistle) we would currently be abusing yesterdays linesmanââ?¬â?¢s family, posting his personal details on internet sites and giving his kids a kicking at school. But thankfully, we arenââ?¬â?¢t supporters of that other club. Cultural Differences Thank the lord that we arenââ?¬â?¢t all the same, but I had a fantastic discussion with a friend last week regarding two of our greatest passions outside football ââ?¬â?? comedy and music. My esteemed friend and myself have hugely different views on football (if you get my drift!) but usually like the same comedy shows and musical acts (mostly punk / ska music). Now, where we do differ is if the USA or the UK have / had the best comedy and punk bands, or were the UK simply the best in these categories. My friend stated that the USA couldnââ?¬â?¢t touch the UK when it comes to comedy and punk music, this is what I took exception to! Lets take comedy as a starting point. The UK has had far to many decent comedy shows to list here, but IMO the best the UK has had to offer are Faulty Towers, The Office, Only Fools & Horses (although it got a bit lame in later years), Blackadder (all variants), Not The Nine Oââ?¬â?¢Clock News and The Young Ones (as I said above, Iââ?¬â?¢ve missed out loads, but these are my favourites, youââ?¬â?¢ll no doubt have yours). Across the pond, out American friends have long been accused of not getting ââ?¬Ë?comedyââ?¬â?¢ but shows like (again, too many to mention them all) Married With Children (Kelly Bundy Loyal RSC), Fraser, Friends, The Simpsons (and the vastly under-rated Futurama), Sienfeld are as good as, and in some cases as ââ?¬Ë?ground-breakingââ?¬â?¢ as the list of brilliant UK shows. As for punk music, whilst the UK spawned brilliant bands like The Clash, The Jam, Stiff Little Fingers, Sex Pistols, Angelic Upstarts, The Damned and off course the ââ?¬Ë?post punkââ?¬â?¢ explosion of new romantic and indie music. All these bands came on the back of The New York Dolls, Iggy & The Stooges, Pattie Smith, Talking Heads and The Ramones. The US then had an influx of brilliant punk bands like Bad Religion, The Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Minor Threat, Blondie etc. In Bad Religion, America has a punk band that is still recording, touring and spreading important messages regarding social justice, welfare, war etc as loud and as proud as all punk bands did in the late 70ââ?¬â?¢s and 80ââ?¬â?¢s. So in conclusion and as I stated to my friend, the USA acts are as important, as funny and as ground-braking as the UK ones. In fact, Iââ?¬â?¢ve modelled myself on the lyrics of Bad Religion and try to be a cross between Homer Simpson and Al Bundy. Apologies that these are short and sweat this week but I have the dreaded 'lurgy'....! Cammy F

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770 Words of 'God Save The Queen' are not inclusive and may need changing, says Lord Goldsmith Last updated at 11:03am on 3rd December 2007 Controversial: Lord Goldsmith, the former attorney general, has said that some of the words of the national anthem are not inclusive Some of the words of the national anthem are not "inclusive" and might need replacing, the ex-minister leading a citizenship review for Gordon Brown suggested today. Former attorney general Lord Goldsmith said there was a problem with later verses of God Save the Queen and that some people were arguing for a change. "There's some problem with part of it absolutely," he told Sky News. "Part of it is not actually that inclusive but that's if you go onto the later verses. "Some people have suggested we might think about whether there are different words that might be put in place which would be more inclusive." Lord Goldsmith, who quit the Government when Tony Blair left office in June, said strong feelings about national symbols had to be taken into account. Welsh Labour MP Ian Lucas is leading a campaign to include the principality's Red Dragon in the Union Flag to represent its "true place in the Union". Asked if he backed the proposal, Lord Goldsmith said: "Well I think the Union Jack is understood and there's enough there but it's absolutely right, if there's a strong view about all these different symbols of nationality then they are things that we ought to know about." He also spoke about the search for the British "statement of values" being sought by the Prime Minister - although he said some reports it should be as short as five words were optimistic. In a package of constitutional reforms published in July, Mr Brown called for a citizen's summit to draw up a British statement of values, which would be "a living statement of rights and responsibilities for the British people."

Now, before going on, I doff my cap to the Celtc (Ã?© Green Brigade) PR Machine as it once again roars into action trying to defend the indefensible. If only we had a similar set-up at Ibrox, we wouldnââ?¬â?¢t be subject to weekly complaints from MOPES, TWATS and unbiased media outlets. However, I find the latest spin-doctoring from the east end very hard to swallow. The latest example of Celtc fans encroaching the field during a game is arguably the most ââ?¬Ë?high-profileââ?¬â?¢ but it is hardly the first time they have been guilty of such an offence. In recent years, this has been almost an annual occurrence at Celtc games, especially at Parkhead. Hell, Celtc fans even go to games of their greatest rivals and invade the pitch ââ?¬â?? could it be said that they are not normal pitch invaders? Now, I am not arguing that Dida made a ââ?¬Ë?shop-frontââ?¬â?¢ of the whole episode. In fact, he would have been better served taking the John Brown approach. When a Celtc fan decided that heââ?¬â?¢s seen enough of Rangers papping his team and decided to attack Ally Maxwell, Bomber simply bundled the guilty party into the net and proceeded to ââ?¬Ë?restrainââ?¬â?¢ him until the Police arrived on the scene. However, Didas antics shouldnââ?¬â?¢t be under scrutiny here. The simple fact of the matter is that once again, an opposing player has been attacked by a fan at Parkhead. I found it ironic that Gordon Strachan declined to comment on the issue last night ââ?¬â?? surely someone who has been on the receiving end of a right hook from a Celtc fan would be well placed to comment on how it feels to be attacked whilst plying your trade. I am sure that WGS hasnââ?¬â?¢t forgotten being attacked from the Jungle in his Aberdeen days? Quinn has been quick to tell anyone whole listen that they will be swift to act (although the culprit handed himself over, made his job a bit easier) and the fan has been banned for life. Quinn has also stated that there will be a review of security. Talk about closing the door after the horse has bolted. The whole herd have not only bolted, but escaped down the Gallowgate, onto the Renfrew ferry and were last seen grazing of the West Coast of Scotland. Let me digress here as Quinn is a clever fellow. He has continually stated that Celtc donââ?¬â?¢t have a problem with sectarian (or political or offensive) singing, yet he has felt the need to chair ââ?¬Ë?secret meetingsââ?¬â?¢ (are they turning into Masons?) with fans groups pleading with them to drown out sectarian, political and offensive sung at Parkhead ââ?¬â?? why call meetings Mr Quinn if you havenââ?¬â?¢t gotten a problem? I believe Frankie highlighted the true extent of their problem by posting You Tube clips recently. I wonder why the media and Uefa havenââ?¬â?¢t picked up on these as yet ââ?¬â?? they were quick to find and use You Tube footage of Rangers fans recently? See, this is more spin from the spin-masters at Parkhead. If Liewell and Quinn are to be believed, let them answer this question. How long is it since Fernando Ricksen was struck with a lighter at Parkhead and has the culprit been identified and banned? While we await a response on that incident, I wonder if their PR machine could remind us of how many fans were identified and banned after the Celtc Shame Game where at least 3 fans invaded the pitch and attacked the linesman, referee and Jorg Albertz? Not forgetting the barrage of coins that were thrown at Rangers players and Hugh Dallas, resulting in a head injury to the referee. Again, whilst we are awaiting an update, could they also confirm if the person responsible for rearranging Hugh Dallasââ?¬â?¢ windows ever received a ban? I think youââ?¬â?¢ll find him dining out bi-weekly in the corporate boxes at Parkhead. So in summary, Celtc have ââ?¬Ë?historyââ?¬â?¢ for pitch invasions (I have barely scratched the surface) and are clearly still flaunting UEFA, SFA and SPL guidelines on sectarian, political and offensive songs with impunity. However, given the high profile nature of the opposition and game last night, I can not see them escaping so easily this time. If only the UEFA and SPL representatives would open their ears to the repugnant chanting as well. Cammy F

Itââ?¬â?¢s with great interest this morning that I view the following video of Saturdayââ?¬â?¢s match at Celtic Park. Despite Celtic FC and their fans constantly telling us the problem of sectarianism has been eradicated from their support ââ?¬â?? especially at home ââ?¬â?? here a large cross-section of their fans are clearly heard singing ââ?¬Ë?Go Home Ya Hunsââ?¬â?¢ to the Hearts away support. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft_NLT_kUCM After another weekend of certain journalists telling us how allegedly a small number of Rangers fans were booed by their fans as they tried to imbibe ââ?¬Ë?Follow Followââ?¬â?¢ with an offensive add-on, itââ?¬â?¢s equally interesting that the biggest and most obvious circumstance of such discriminatory singing occurs at Celtic Park and is largely ignored by the very same people. Once again the Scottish media show they will not report Celtic in a negative light despite the most overwhelming of evidence. Graham Spiers, Gerry McNee and Jim Traynor have all been keen to stick the boot into Rangers and their support in recent years but theyââ?¬â?¢ve been strangely quiet over the last few days ââ?¬â?? one even suggesting Rangers fans should ââ?¬Ë?get a lifeââ?¬â?¢ for complaining. I canââ?¬â?¢t remember him telling his peers in the Fourth Estate that or taking that advice personally in the past. Why now? Or is Traynor right? Are supporters of clubs being all too easily offended? Perhaps they are but its bizarre how these intense bigotry crusaders are now backtracking on the nomenclature after the rules are put in place to aid their concerns and stop the kind of thing being sung on Saturday. So, is the term ââ?¬Ë?hunââ?¬â?¢ sectarian? Well, despite doubts about that when one considers its literal meanings(1), when one looks at the background of its usage, there can only be one conclusion. Firstly, several media platforms [including the Observer(2), CBS News(3) and the Irish Political Review(4)] have all showed that the term is used in Northern Ireland with sectarian connotations. Secondly, most (if not all media platforms in this country) have banned its use ââ?¬â?? the BBC, Real Radio(5), Talksport(6), and the Scotland on Sunday(7) are just four examples of this. Finally, and arguably, most importantly, the anti-sectarianism campaign ââ?¬Ë?Nil by Mouthââ?¬â?¢ also describe this abusive term as sectarian(8). Of course, if the story did make the news, weââ?¬â?¢ll get dozens of replies from concerned Celtic fans suggesting the opposite is true. Much in the same way a small number of Rangers fans try to defend the word ââ?¬Ë?fen!anââ?¬â?¢ (which has very similar literal meanings but has been banned by the footballing authorities and deemed criminal by the police) they may actually have a strong argument. After all, how can anyone know what someone means when they use an insult? And thereââ?¬â?¢s the rub. Hun is insulting. Fen!an is insulting. Neither term has a place in footballing stadia nor should football fans want to include them in their songs. Surely, we can have a bit of banter without this kind of crude nonsense? If we canââ?¬â?¢t, then going by previous action against Rangers supporters by UEFA and the SPL/SFA, further problems will arise. All along, itââ?¬â?¢s been obvious that Rangers are not the only club with offensive songs. It will be interesting to note if other clubs will now face the same censure by both the authorities and the media. No excuses. References 1 - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hun 2 - http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2078535,00.html 3 - http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_byrne/20060529.html 4 - http://www.atholbooks.org/archives/pastipr/feb05.php 5 - http://www.rangerssupporterstrust.co.uk/rstsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=80&Itemid=48'>http://www.rangerssupporterstrust.co.uk/rstsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=80&Itemid=48 6 - http://www.rangerssupporterstrust.co.uk/rstsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=80&Itemid=48 7 - http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1855222005 8 - http://www.nilbymouth.org/history.htm

Official match review Only thing we can take from that is the team is essentially our youths. alot of last year's double winning u19s in there. Not familiar with Donal, Gallacher or Michetschlager though.

hullo hullo........ Was it me or did we has a great shape last night? - our defenders held the line well and yon spanish center back was sharp and read the game well... Sun burd's and footie. What a day yesterday was no hold up or traffic right away parked and down to the stadium..... looking at the warm up rangers told me (imo) that this adam owen dude has got rangers in great shape for the start of the season... just looking at the sub's also is another matter a bench full of people who imo can change a game even burk has looked good so far this pre season! and roy carrol's double save !!!!! a fooking cracker so the game started a high tempo! just watching ajax play is superb the way the pass simple yet effective top class side who all ways sell there best players yet pull guys out of no where and get back in to it!! rangers on the other hand were holding them off and keeping shape watching yon spannish dude boss the back line and read the game and watching JCD loose the plot again! the guy is a nutter. good to see the team sprit up and player give a F~@k about the game again ... JCD and McCulloch up fron running gave a pace (that we have not had in a long time) boyd trying hard to get in to the game his flick on and passes and hunger to get involved has improved ...then charlie adams!! had a shit game everthing he tryed went wrong imo (miby just had one of they games) no doubt this boy has tallent buy do you start him this season??? this will be the telling season for him.... and just to wrap it of ..... the BURD'S last night!!! quality only bad point was twisting my back on the way home ... got a nice box of high quality pain killers tho.. Del. Football Is Back Thank God!!!!

http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines/display.var.1446738.0.0.php Going nowhere fast ââ?¬â?? why political slow play has to stopMARTIN GREIG June 05 2007 Jimmy Sinclair, the Rangers head of youth development, has launched a scathing critique of the Scottish Football Association's Youth Action Plan and blamed political short-termism for its lack of progress. His comments, which focus on the role of the Executive and consultancy firm PMP, have particular resonance in the wake of new SFA chief executive Gordon Smith's assertion that he will hold a meeting with First Minister Alex Salmond to seek assurances on the government's commitment to new facilities for Scottish football. Three years ago, the SFA, in conjunction with the Executive, launched a Ã?£31.1m investment in youth football throughout Scotland. advertisementThe basis for the 10-year action plan came from a damning report by the independent consultancy, PMP, which recommended 55 changes to improve the structure and development of youth football. However, Sinclair, head of youth development at the SFA until last summer, dismissed PMP's findings as "a lot of rubbish" and claimed that former Scotland manager Walter Smith was on the cusp of "going to the highest possible level" to try to shake things up politically. The much-vaunted 10-year programme of investment was branded the "inaction plan" in this newspaper recently, prompting a stout defence from Jim Fleeting, the SFA's head of youth development. However, Sinclair claims that Fleeting's hands are tied by the paltry political funding and misguided recommendations of PMP. "In some cases PMP's findings are not even debatable, but fanciful. And yet, we were bound by the figures," said Sinclair. "PMP would say things like: increase participation by 15%'. So you would say: are there enough children out there who are able and willing to do that?' "Or they would say: improve results by 10% - qualify for more major tournaments'. There was no strategy which says: we need to do X, Y and Z to achieve that.' It was the most frustrating period of my time at the SFA, it was dreadful. "Along the way they were always, to our absolute disgust, trying to pin us down to actions and targets and achievements. We were saying: Well give us the money to do it.' In my view, it was a cop-out." The initial figure of Ã?£31.1m does not look as impressive when broken down. The SFA are dedicated to Ã?£1m a year and the Executive's commitment is to Ã?£12m over 10 years, with the rest made up from grants. The Herald also understands that government cash was not forthcoming for the first couple of years. "A lot of that money isn't new money, continued Sinclair. "The money at the top is going to be spread over 10 years. "In the greater scheme of things, it's a nonsense and nothing which is going to impact to any sufficient degree to make a change. The irony is, by putting that money on the table, they shut down the route to all the grants you were able to access previously. There was a wee bit of smoke and mirrors there." So does Sinclair think that a root-and-branch review of youth football in Scotland is still required? "There's absolutely no doubt about that. I just don't know, over time, how much the Executive will be able to stand by the targets. I think they're a lot of rubbish. "The SFA will now need to manage the expectation of the Executive to say: We've tried all this, but this is what we have ended up with.' Walter Smith was right on the cusp of going to the highest possible level and really shaking things up when he was international team manager but things didn't get that far because he left. He was ready to point out to politicians first hand just how paltry the funding was." Twelve years at the SFA, including spells as children's programme director, head of youth and head of football development, prior to joining Rangers last summer, has left Sinclair well qualified to comment on the most efficient way of developing young footballers. Club academies, such as the one Sinclair is now in charge of at Murray Park, have the greatest responsibility for hot-housing promising talents. With development contribution payments now due for youngsters aged 11 upwards who move between elite clubs, the recruitment age for bringing children into academies is becoming ever younger. Sinclair believes that, in an ideal world, it would be the governing body, rather than the clubs, who take responsibility for the development of youngsters. "The perfect scenario, and we're 100 miles away from it in this country because of lack of investment, is that the governing body have the resources to put a programme in place which allows all young kids to participate," said Sinclair. "And programmes then exist to fast-track the better ones. Sadly, that doesn't exist. As a consequence, through necessity, clubs have to select, but selection at that age is roulette. Clubs are forced into choosing young kids. The consequence of that is, if these kids don't perform, then the club has to let them go. That, in itself, is a sad state of affairs." John Collins, the Hibernian manager and former Monaco player, recently expressed strong views on the deficiencies in the Scottish and English academy systems, compared with the set-up in France. There, elite youngsters are brought into academies at 13, where their football development is intrinsically linked with academic achievement courtesy of on-site education facilities. "They need to get their marks in the classroom to be allowed to train, so if they don't make it in football, they still have their education," said Collins. "Scottish players only come in here to club academies at 16, so already the French have three years head start. That's two or three years of touching a ball every day - that's millions and millions of touches. So by the time they hit 16 they are better technically and physically because they are stretching and eating a proper diet." Sinclair believes that the first step towards the continental model would be a re-configuration of the school day in Scotland to allow for the development of elite young sportsmen and women. "The school curriculum should allow for elite performers to practise and develop within their sport," he said. "A lot of it is to do with access to the kids. In Holland, France and Germany, the school day accommodates the kids working physically. They do something in the morning, something in the afternoon and again in the evening. That alone is a massive bonus. "We in this country are nowhere near that. We are trying to cram in four nights a week here at Murray Park, one-and-a half to two-hour sessions. All of that energy and time and effort is getting taken into kids' bones as much as anything. "We have kids bused here from Dundee after having been in school all day. So they leave school, sit for an hour or more on the minibus, do their training, an hour or more back up the road. The system is actually fighting against them. They are prevailing despite it. "When we see the content of what is delivered on the continent, it is not rocket science. it is not as if we would go to France, Germany or Spain and see coaching methods that were completely and utterly out of this world. "There are very few factors, other than the school one, which you could readily point to. Access to the sport is such a key thing." -- the emboldened bit above is a sentiment expressed quite regularly on here. good to know we've got someone who knows the score.

Some of you will already have received your season ticket renewal notices this week. As usual, it comes with an accompanying letter from our esteemed chairman. Just in case you can't isolate the truth from the spin and the smoke, have a look at the results of our BabelFish translation of the letter. Dear customer/bigot, I am writing to you after a regretfully disappointing season draws to a close, yet once again Rangers supporters have continued to demonstrate unwavering allegiance during another year of me taking your money and investing none of my own huge personal wealth or time into the club. Incredibly, despite our awful performances on and off the field we still manage to keep season tickets high ââ?¬â?? even I am surprised at how loyal you guys are. Just in case though, hereââ?¬â?¢s another 3 new (and low quality) strips for you to spend another Ã?£30 per person on. That should really test your allegiance. The immediate priority however, is bolstering the first team squad and I am committed to backing Walter because no-one will buy this club off me yet. This will enable him to mount a challenge for 2nd place next season and to secure Champions league qualifier participation ââ?¬â?? if we can get past Hearts, Hibs and our friends from the North East in the SPL. Donââ?¬â?¢t the Ultras from Aberdeen back their team well when they are here? In order to achieve these objectives we will need to strengthen the squad, but it is vitally important that we continue to operate within our financial means, which in an increasingly competitive market will require prudent management. As such, we have been working extremely hard going through all the DVDs, videos and letters from our agent friends to ensure we spent the least amount of money while making sure the names are strange enough to call them the next Laudrup, Albertz or Gough. Walter has also made it clear that players, both new and existing, will have to earn their place in the Rangers first team squad. On the field commitment, spirit, quality and pride isnââ?¬â?¢t necessary on match days but as long as we donââ?¬â?¢t get beat you guys will be happy surely? Off the pitch we continue to rely on voluntary fansââ?¬â?¢ organisations ideas ensuring all revenue streams are maximised to facilitate the required investment in the team and the stadium. That being said, we will not be increasing season tickets by a substantial amount next season. Just enough to emotionally blackmail you into another year while getting the most out of you. Following a pricing review we have decided to rationalise our prices across the stadium, stand by stand, to ensure that your season ticket continues to offer value for money. Well, value for money in the sense of you pay to get in and thatââ?¬â?¢s about it. Isnââ?¬â?¢t Andy Cameron a hoot? I am determined as ever to ensure success (no buyers yet?) and I am confident that next season we will fight to regain 2nd place and to ensure we can beat the odd Israeli team by a few goals to appease my European ambitions. Thank you for your continued and loyal support for the club ââ?¬â?? sign the form now or my lads from the protest last year know your address. Yours Faithfully Sir David Murray Chateaus Routas oops Rangers FC. PS: Stop singing those sectarian songs ââ?¬â?? (MediaHouse)

http://www.rangerssupporterstrust.co.uk/rstsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=96&Itemid=1 http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,5~1004155,00.html RANGERS' supporters groups today announced the launch of a major 'self-policing' initiative in a continued effort to eradicate sectarian behaviour. The groups, with the full agreement of the Club, intend to immediately undertake a range of self-policing measures in an attempt to isolate and shame so-called 'fans' who are 'bringing the Club into serious disrepute'. It was agreed last night that Supporters' groups will self police at domestic away matches until the end of the season and will then meet the Club to review the behaviour at these away games. If there is unsatisfactory behaviour at domestic away matches then the suspension of ticket allocations for away games in Europe will be considered jointly. Rangers and the supporters' groups have been engaged in positive and productive talks since the UEFA Cup match against Osasuna in Pamplona on March 14. Following their latest meeting this week, Rangers Chairman Sir David Murray, Chief Executive Martin Bain, the Board of the Club and supporters' organisations agreed the following joint statement: "The match in Pamplona turned out to be a watershed for the Club and supporters. At that game, Rangers encountered the poorest safety and security arrangements for a match for many years which gave the Club deep concern for the welfare of supporters there to enjoy the game. "The poor arrangements led to questionable policing and shambolic segregation that was clearly visible to all attending the game and those watching on TV. "This Club knows better than most the tragic consequences that can result at football matches and we believe the arrangements in Osasuna were a recipe for disaster. We continue to pursue this matter with UEFA in the strongest terms. "We accept there were a small number of so-called Rangers fans who let themselves and the Club down during this match and we condemn them out of hand. That said, much of the distress and injury suffered by many supporters could have been prevented. "Quite rightly, clubs in the UK have to adhere to the strictest safety regulations and it is disappointing to see this is not the case in countries which are regarded as advanced footballing nations. "We are grateful for the support of the First Minister, MPs and MSPs who have expressed their concern at events on the night and have agreed to raise the matter through appropriate channels. "Regrettably, we also witnessed sectarian singing at the Pamplona match by some of our fans and we are united in our condemnation of this. It is deeply disappointing since we have achieved so much on sectarian behaviour, particularly at Ibrox this season. "We all agree that we still have some way to go on this issue and we are very grateful to the fans who have embraced the Club's Pride Over Prejudice policies. "We are agreed that the strongest possible action should be taken by the Club and supporters against people who continue to indulge in sectarian behaviour. This kind of behaviour will simply result in a doomsday scenario for the Club and the vast majority of fans. "Since Pamplona, we have held exhaustive and constructive talks on finding the best way forward. It is clear to everyone that the future of fan behaviour lies in the fans' own hands and real improvement in fan behaviour will work best through self-policing. "This, of course, will be done in addition to the stringent policing and stewarding measures already enforced by the Club and the police. "The issue of ticket allocations for away matches has been discussed at length. Although this sends out a strong message to those who let the Club down, it was agreed that, in general, it is not the people who use Rangers ticket allocations who cause the most problems. "However, we will review this position again at the end of this season. We remain deeply concerned at Clubs willingly selling tickets to fans at away matches in Europe on the day of the game. fans in osasuna"This is a matter we will be raising again with UEFA and with clubs Rangers may play in Europe next season. We do not want Rangers fans to travel to away European matches without officially endorsed tickets. "There is complete unity between the supporters groups and the Club. We agree there are people who refuse to come on board with our anti-sectarian campaign who are bringing the Club's reputation to the brink of ruin. "The supporters have pledged to do everything in their power to isolate and shame these people. It is time for everyone to move on. They cannot and will not be allowed to spoil the enjoyment and pride so many take from being part of the Rangers family. "Our message to them is clear - come on board and show pride in yourselves and your Club. Remember what being a real Rangers supporter is all about. It is about setting standards that should be the envy of clubs around the world. "Collectively we will also work together to devise a code of conduct for Rangers supporters which we hope to develop into a fans' charter. "This work will go on over the next few weeks. We intend to present this to UEFA who may wish to use it as a guide for good practice, as they have done with the work we have done on racism. "This has been a difficult time for Rangers over the past few weeks but we feel now we can go forward together. "There is a renewed determination to eradicate sectarianism and the supporters have an opportunity to demonstrate that this great club - whose pedigree is respected throughout Europe - has a great support that does the Club proud." The measures to be undertaken include: > Supporters groups to issue anti-sectarian guidance to all supporters clubs > Anti-sectarian messages to be featured on all possible websites including Follow Follow fanzine > Supporters groups and the club to urge fans not to travel to away matches without officially endorsed tickets > The Club will undertake a major review of the Rangers Travel Club operations > Supporters to inform fans on songs and chants that 'do Rangers proud' > Code of conduct to be produced by supporters for supporters > Players to deliver anti-sectarian messages to supporters' clubs "Supporters' representatives and the Club agreed at the start of the season a list of songs in the Wee Blue Book and we would urge fans to focus on these at all matches." Signatories: Jim Templeton, President,The Rangers Supporters Assembly Jackie Robertson, Secretary, The Rangers Supporters Assembly Alex Milree, Scottish Delegate, The Rangers Worldwide Alliance Roddie Maclean, Scottish Delegate, The Rangers Worldwide Alliance Ryan McNamee, Scottish Delegate, The Rangers Worldwide Alliance Mark Dingwall, The Rangers Supporters Trust Jim Kirk, The Rangers Supporters Association Sir David Murray, Chairman, Rangers Football Club Martin Bain, Chief Executive, Rangers Football Club

Found the above video in a box up in the loft earlier today and decided to watch it. I used to sit and watch it nearly every day when I was younger. Woods, Stevens, Munro, Butcher, Gough, Wilkins, Spackman, Walters, MoJo, Super Ally, Ian Ferguson, Brown, Souness etc etc. What a superb bunch of players we had back then. I can't really remember Spackman playing for so can some of the older bears tell me if he was good, bad or indifferent? He scores at The Pigsty in the video from a McCoist pass but that's the only bit you see of him although Souness rated him higher than Ray 'Razor' Wilkins. I also found the seaon review of 1988-89 so I'm going to watch that tomorrow. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Seems pretty positive to me. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/tm_objectid=17435662%26method=full%26siteid=66633%26headline=gaul%2dsystems%2dgo-name_page.html I'm looking forward to seeing Clement play.

BEGINS There has been some speculation as to the reasons behind the public safety concerns that led to the decision of Greater Manchester Police not to provide policing services at the match between Bolton Wanderers and Glasgow Rangers On Tuesday 25 July. The agreed ticket allocation for Glasgow Rangers was 5,000. However, the club subsequently provided information that Bolton Wanderers should expect 12,000 fans to turn up for this event. A review of intelligence surrounding the event indicated that these numbers may be further swelled by holidaymakers from the Glasgow region attending Bolton on the day from Blackpool. Information provided by Glasgow Rangers indicated that in excess of 120 coach parties would be attending, which were not capable of being received at the Reebok stadium. A normal full Premiership fixture would attract no more than 17 coaches. Given the uncertainty around accurate numbers of supporters attending, and the probability of many thousands of fans without tickets descending upon Bolton, it was not possible to further plan for this event within the margins of public safety that we normally employ. Greater Manchester Police is highly experienced in policing football, having some of the largest teams in the country and the world based here, and our expertise in policing such events safely is outstanding. It is in this context therefore that this decision not to provide policing services was made. ENDS Jackson is looking rather silly now.