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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-29050877 Former Rangers commercial director Imran Ahmad has returned to court for a third time in a bid to have £620,000 of club assets frozen. Lawyers acting for Mr Ahmad claim he is owed a £500,000 bonus for the time he spent working at the Ibrox club. The Court of Session in Edinburgh heard Mr Ahmad is worried about the potential prospect of Rangers becoming insolvent. Lord Stewart continued the case to Friday when lawyers for Rangers will address the court. Mr Ahmad, who has twice lost court bids to have Rangers' assets ring-fenced, claims he is owed £500,000 for negotiating deals and wants another £120,000 to cover legal expenses. Advocate Kenny McBrearty QC told Lord Stewart that Mr Ahmad is concerned about the current state of the club's finances and fears Rangers would not be in a position to pay up if the court eventually rules in his favour. He told the court Rangers have sold 23,000 season tickets this season, down 15,000 on last season. Mr McBrearty said the Rangers board's latest plans for a share issue may only raise £3.6m and cover part of the club's obligations. He added: "There is a significant hole in the club's finances for the forthcoming season."
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Looks like 3.6 million shares were traded today or rather transferred , could this be in part payement for either outstanding loan
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http://sport.stv.tv/football/video/3755311980001/? I have to say, i may not be his biggest fan but i support him here completely. The press in this country are an absolute disgrace. Ally gives them all the sound bites they want, all the time and interviews and when he asks for a little bit back they can't afford him it. Well played Ally, well played.
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http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail.html?announcementId=12066370
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From Richard Wilson: HMRC granted leave to appeal upper tier tribunal decision at the Court of Session. "We are pleased that the Upper Tribunal has given HMRC leave to appeal to the Court of Session," said a spokesman. "We continue to believe that schemes using Employee Benefit Trusts to avoid income tax and NICs do not work.'
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THE displays of the Rangers team on the park last week were cause for optimism down Ibrox way. Ally McCoist's side netted 12 goals in their two competitive outings and put their shaky early-season form well and truly behind them. The size of the crowds in the home games against both Clyde and Dumbarton, however, were reasons to look towards the future with trepidation. And the attendance at the SPFL Championship fixture with Dumbarton on Saturday afternoon was particularly alarming. For the league meeting with the Sons was perhaps the best chance so far to gauge what the turnout will be like at Rangers home games in the 2014/15 campaign. The Petrofac Training Cup matches with Hibs and then Clyde were always going to attract smaller crowds due to the stature of the competition and the size of the opposition. Much was made of the fact that only 11,190 supporters filed through the turnstiles in the 8-1 victory in the latter game last Monday. It was the lowest Ibrox attendance at a competitive fixture for 29 years. Yet that encounter with part-time opponents from the bottom tier of Scottish football was - despite Gers great Barry Ferguson being in charge of the opposition - expected to draw that sort of response. There were 43,683 in the Championship opener against Hearts a fortnight ago. But there were special circumstances surrounding that fixture. The League One flag was unfurled and the Govan Stand was renamed in honour of Sandy Jardine before kick-off. Plus, the first game against age-old adversaries Hearts after two long seasons of often uninspiring outings against our national game's lesser lights was guaranteed to put a fair few bums on seats. No, the Dumbarton game at the weekend was a far better barometer of what size the attendances - and, in turn, the gate receipts -will be for Rangers in the weeks and months which lie ahead. And the fact that only 31,175 turned up on a perfect afternoon for football must be worrying for both those who follow the fortunes and those who control the purse-strings at the troubled Glasgow institution. It was the lowest turnout at a league game at Ibrox since 24,177 fans watched Rangers defeat Falkirk 4-0 thanks to a Robert Fleck double and goals from Davie Cooper and Terry Butcher on December 13, 1986. A home game against Methil minnows East Fife around this time last year drew 42,870. No company can have nearly a quarter of their customers disappear in the space of 12 months without drastic consequences. Even if all of the 34,000 fans who bought season tickets to see Rangers in League One last season had renewed this summer, the club would still not have had enough money to see them to the end of this term. So for just how long will the Light Blues be able to limp along with just over 20,000 season book holders and fewer than 10,000 turning up and paying at the gate on match days? There are ambitious plans for Rangers to hold another share offering in the very near future and the hope is to raise in the region of £4million of much-needed capital from that. But with shareholder Sandy Easdale and wealthy fan George Letham due to have loans totalling £1.5m repaid, financial experts have predicted that will only sustain the club until the end of the year. The ongoing lack of clarity over Rangers future off the field is overshadowing the fact that on it they appear to be getting their act together after some poor performances. They brushed aside Dumbarton with ease at the weekend thanks to strikes from Lee McCulloch, Darren McGregor and Nicky Clark. An own goal from Chris Turner aided their cause considerably. Bilel Mohsni, who was highly fortunate not to be red carded by referee Brian Colvin for his trip on Scott Agnew, also turned the ball into his net late on to give the sizeable travelling support a reason to cheer. That lapse of judgment by the Tunisian, though, could not wipe the smile from McCoist's face after a highly satisfactory performance by his charges from front to back. He said: "The skipper played in central midfield and chipped in with a goal, Nicky got a good goal and our right-back played well and scored a great goal. "To be scoring goals is always good. But to be scoring goals from different areas is an added bonus for us. "I was annoyed we didn't keep a clean sheet, but I thought the football was of a high standard. We created a lot of chances, scored four good goals, hit the post and had a goal disallowed. "It is consistency that is going to win us the league this year. That is what we have to work hard to get. "There are going to be a lot of difficult games for us in the months ahead and we have to be at our best every week." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/deserted-seats-show-reality-of-angry-rangers-fans-voting-with-their-177533n.25139848 -
(Tom English – The Scotsman 25.11.2012) (Tom English - Twitter 21.08.2014) Its good to know that Tom English has found some sort of journalistic morality of late, however it may present a conflict of interests with his new employer, BBC Scotland. Or does the morality of source over story only apply in certain circumstances ? After all, Tom is now working for an employer who were happy to utilise not just stolen property, but stolen evidence from the Rangers Tax Tribunal, if Lord Nimmo Smith's conclusions are correct. But in his new found morality Tom has excluded himself from the knowledge that Vanguard Bears appear to have successfully cultivated a mole, perhaps within the SFA itself, as previous revelations, including documentary evidence, suggest. And could this latest expose, while perhaps lacking in documentary evidence, be a clear signpost to of a course of unedifying, unprofessional and negligent conduct involving our footballs higher echelons of administration ? Especially when viewed in the context of previous disclosed e-mails and agreements. Nope of course not – nothing to see here – move along please. But should we really be surprised ? After all there seems little excitement in journalistic circles that those in charge of Scottish Football were prepared to find Rangers guilty prior to trial as well as inflict draconian type punishments on a club which had yet to be found guilty. Morality ? Perhaps some of those journalists, and there have been many of late, who remind us of the impoverished state of our game via their daily columns, care to consider if perhaps they have a role to play. After all if the head of our game is more worried about being on time for a dinner date rather than what was probably one of the most critical meetings in the history of our game, is there not something fundamentally wrong ? What is particularly alarming in this whole episode are those gleefully re tweeting Tom English's original tweet. It does not matter that journalists will ignore story over source, it does not matter that it contains allegations of incompetence, of lack of prioritisation, of utter disdain for the game of football in Scotland (ironically affecting their own clubs) – so long as Rangers or Rangers fans get it in the neck - then that makes it okay. But let's not be too harsh on Stewart Regan – I’m told there is a certain restaurant in Leeds which does a succulent lamb to die for. It looks like football in Scotland will be the sacrificial lamb.
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RANGERS have moved to re-sign keeper Lee Robinson – five years after he quit the club. Manager Ally McCoist is in talks to land the 28-year-old, who is a free agent after leaving Raith Rovers at the end of last season. Robinson, who has also had spells at Kilmarnock, Queen of the South and Swedish outfit FK Ostersunds since departing Ibrox in 2009, is mulling over a one-year contract offer to provide cover for first-choice keeper Cammy Bell. Bell will be out for two weeks after fears that he had dislocated his shoulder and needed surgery were allayed. Veteran Steve Simonsen has been deputising but McCoist believes Robinson can eventually push Bell for the No 1 spot. McCoist’s hopes of doing further business this month could hinge on fringe players Sebastien Faure and Arnold Peralta being moved on. http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/501685/EXCLUSIVE-Lee-Robinson-offered-Rangers-return
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Taken from FF "It has come to our attention that the Rangers board are considering a move which could see Mike Ashley underwrite the £4m share issue they previously announced. This has been necessary due to understandably poor take up from existing investors. We believe the SFA have been approached to find out what would be required to give clearance for this, due to Mr Ashley’s ownership of Newcastle United. We would question the wisdom of approaching someone who, despite his obvious wealth, cannot significantly invest in the club without removing himself from his ownership position at Newcastle. Why are the board persisting with these short term, desperate measures? The club needs urgent, substantial investment - not a short term fix which will be lucky to see us past Christmas. Even if they are successful in raising the £4m, almost half the money will immediately have to be used to repay overdue loans. The board indicated to us that they could raise this money "at the push of a button". Sandy Easdale also indicated that investors were lined up. Clearly neither of these statements have turned out to be true. Also, the vast bulk of this money could have been raised by greatly increased season ticket sales if the board had been prepared to properly safeguard the club’s assets. If the SFA give special dispensation to Mr Ashley to up his stake in Rangers will it be irreversible and without any possible future sanction? Will the board get an unequivocal assurance that the SFA will not use this issue as a stick to beat the club with further down the line? The SFA have a track record of attempting to impose draconian sanctions on Rangers using tenuous methods. It would be extremely unwise of this board to unnecessarily put the club into a situation that allowed the SFA to act in this manner again. We are also concerned that, under UEFA regulations on dual ownership of clubs, Mr Ashley cannot have a “decisive influence over decision making” at Rangers without it leading to the possibility of us not being able to compete in European competition. He could find himself holding around 20% of the shares in our club, having control of all club merchandise and being the largest single shareholder if he underwrites this share issue. Will the board clear this unequivocally, and in advance, with UEFA to ensure that Rangers will not miss out on European football in the future because of Mr Ashley’s ownership of Newcastle? It would be negligent of the board not to gain the above assurances from the relevant football authorities. We would ask them to publicly confirm that they will have full written clearance for Mr Ashley from both UEFA and the SFA before moving ahead with any plans for him to underwrite this share issue. We would also ask them to confirm that any such clearance is free from any caveat which could negatively affect Rangers in the future. Finally, Mr Ashley’s initial purchase of shares in Rangers appears to have been linked to his Sports Direct merchandise deal. The only man inside Rangers who liked that deal at the time it was put in place was Charles Green. We hope that any possible assistance given to the board by Mr Ashley at this time will not see him clinch another favourable deal, perhaps to rename Ibrox at a knock down price. Can the board confirm that renaming of Ibrox will not be part of any underwriting deal with Mr Ashley and that we will not be seeing garish Sports Direct signage defacing our iconic Main Stand?"
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Madey Up McCoist Meeting Edition By Chris Graham | Contributor Recently, CRO pulled some of Phil MacGiollabhain’s fantasies apart in a highly amusing article. Whisper it though, the bold Phil has been at it again in an article entitled ‘Regarding Alistair’ which contains less facts than the script of a Harry Potter film. I’ve debated how best to do this but probably best we just work our way through his latest act of fiction. His latest tale is set at Ibrox where a meeting is taking place, following the Hearts game, on the future of manager Ally McCoist….. (It isn’t). http://www.thecoplandroad.org/2014/08/you-talk-some-amount-of-shite-phil.html
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http://www.vanguardbears.co.uk/ More revelations
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info greatly appreciated
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Gonna charge up the phone. Have a feeling there might be some Rangers breaking news to come tonight as well! https://twitter.com/tedermeatballs
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Richard Wilson has tweeted.
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Here's the Daily Record on Craig Whyte in November 2010: "Financial whizzkid Craig Whyte stands on the brink of pulling off the biggest deal of his life... Record Sport understands self-made billionaire Whyte has entered into the final stages of negotiations to buy control of the club he loves from Sir David Murray... A deal worth around £30million is now believed to have reached such an advanced stage that sources say Whyte, a high-roller who splits his time between a home in London and the idyllic Castle Grant in Grantown-on-Spey, could even have the keys to Ibrox in time to fund a major refurbishment of Walter Smith's top-team squad in January... By the age of 26, Whyte was already Scotland's youngest self-made millionaire. Now, 13 years on, and in charge of a vast business empire, his wealth is off the radar." Here's the Daily Record on Craig Whyte in October 2012: "A private investigation commissioned for Rangers showed Craig Whyte had a record of tax avoidance, failed companies and double dealings – before he was sold Sir David Murray's majority shareholding... The report, prepared by private investigators Titon, described Monaco-based Whyte as a 'fuyant' – French slang for an evader or manipulator. It warned there was no evidence to back claims circulated by Whyte's spin doctors that he was a billionaire with plenty of cash to finance Rangers. In fact, it said, there was no evidence he was even a multi-millionaire. The report talks of "the questionable source and extent of his reported wealth". And here's the Daily Record on Craig Whyte in August 2014: "The taxman was chasing Craig Whyte for £3.7million before he took over Rangers. HMRC focused on Whyte's personal finances and made several failed attempts to get him to pay his dues before, during and after his catastrophic reign at Ibrox... Documents seen by the Record show: * The authorities instructed debt enforcers to chase Whyte with a bill for almost £4million and threaten him with bankruptcy in May 2011, the same month that he bought Rangers... * Yet when he struck the notorious deal with Ticketus for funds to finance his Rangers takeover, he gave the firm a personal guarantee he was worth nearly £33million... At the same time he was able to run up a further £15million in unpaid taxes and penalties during his nine months in charge of Rangers. Whyte had bought Rangers for £1 from Sir David Murray in May 2011, while agreeing to wipe out the club's £18million debts... A sizeable proportion of Rangers fans still hold Murray at least partly responsible for the club's demise, arguing he should not have sold to Whyte, whose reputation had already been questioned." Perhaps the fans should be holding the Record to blame as well. When the paper was reporting on Whyte's hyped wealth it failed to mention the fact that serious questions were being asked in the blogosphere about the veracity of his claims. How could the Record know that Whyte was a billionaire with "a vast business empire" and wealth "off the radar"? And when it did know otherwise, why did it take so long to inform Rangers' fans? And why no apology to its readers? Note that 2012 reference to spin-doctors, as if it was all their fault rather than that of the paper's journalists for accepting what they were told without checking. The age-old problem of sports reporting was the willingness of journalists to act like "fans with typewriters" (or, nowadays, fans with laptops). The reporting of the Rangers' saga over the past five years has been a classic example of reporters being no more than stenographers for PRs offering them stories they didn't care to verify. http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/aug/06/daily-record-rangers
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Rangers Football Club is inviting applications from Club Members to join the Official Rangers Fans Board – a body that will help fans shape the future of their Club through regular and constructive dialogue with the Board and Senior Management. The Nominations Committee – Reverend Stuart MacQuarrie, former Rangers Captain David Weir, international rugby star Alastair Kellock and supporters Tom Mowbray, Mhairi McKenzie, Melville Curry, Ross Hardie and Holly-Jade Johnston – will evaluate applications from a number of supporter categories with Club Members then asked to vote on the 12 candidates they feel will best look after their interests. Club Members – which includes all Season Ticket Holders for 2014/15 who receive complimentary membership - can complete the online application form at fansboard.rangers.co.uk and the deadline for submissions is 9am on Tuesday 19th August, 2014. The Committee, chaired by Reverend Stuart MacQuarrie, will then evaluate the candidates and create a shortlist of Nominees for each category which Club Members will vote online for thereafter. The Club is totally committed to improving and enhancing its relationship with fans and the ultimate aim is to take this 142-year-old institution back to the very top of Scottish football together. The Official Fans Board will be created to benefit all supporters and is an important step forward as we strive to improve communications. • The Fans Board will provide a platform for supporters to communicate directly with key Club staff in a structured manner • Give the Club greater insight into the topics and issues that most affect and concern the wider Rangers fanbase • Allow supporters to better understand the Club’s decision-making process on key issues • Enable supporters to play a crucial role in helping the Club achieve success on and off the pitch • Provide transparency regarding the key issues that affect supporters The Official Rangers Fans Board will consist of 12 supporters who will represent all the major stakeholder groups in our fanbase to discuss key issues and ask the questions that most affect the supporters they represent. The Fans Board will meet a minimum of 4 times per season and further meetings will be held between Club executives and the Fans Board throughout 2014/15. Who can apply for the Official Rangers Fans Board? To apply for one of the 12 positions on the Official Rangers Fans Board you must be an adult Rangers Club Member. All Season Ticket Holders for 2014/15 are automatically Founder Club Members*, if you are not a season ticket holder you can become a Club Member by visiting rangers.co.uk/membership. Applications will be welcomed from supporters wishing to represent the following categories: • Season Ticket Holders • Female Fans • Families • Overseas Fans • Fans in Glasgow/Govan Community • Disabled fans • Ethnic Minorities • Under 18s • Ibrox match ticket purchasers (non-season ticket holders) • Corporate fans (fans who have enjoyed corporate facilities watching Rangers) • Fans who attend away games • Rangers Official Members (non-season ticket holders) Many supporters will fall under more than one of the above categories however it is important to ensure all our fans feel represented on the Official Fans Board. Fans can apply to represent any group they qualify for however only one application is permitted per person so supporters should only apply for the category they feel they best represent. How to apply for the Official Rangers Fans Board Club Members are welcome to submit an application to join the Official Rangers Fans Board. Supporters must have a membership number, which for season ticket holders is the same as their Rangers number. To apply visit fansboard.rangers.co.uk enter your Membership/Rangers number and password and complete the application form by 9am on Tuesday 19 August, 2014. If you do not have a password or valid email address you can update/register your login details on the fansboard.rangers.co.uk website. You will also be asked for a reference from someone who can support your application and suitability for this role. Fans should read the recruitment pack, terms and conditions and the constitution (all of which are available to members at rangers.co.uk/fansboard)before completing the application form. The Selection Process An external, independent Nominations Committee has been set up to help ensure the Official Rangers Fans Board is independently and democratically elected. The Nominations Committee will review all applications and nominate a shortlist of supporters for election to the Fans Board. The shortlist will be selected based on evaluation of all application forms against the criteria listed within the recruitment pack - job description and personal profile. A shortlist of nominees in each of the 12 categories will be identified by the Nominations Committee. The application forms for each of the successful shortlisted nominees will be posted publicly on fansboard.rangers.co.uk for Member consideration. Members, including all season ticket holders, will then be given the opportunity to vote on the shortlist of nominees in each of the 12 categories. Voting will be online in early September. The votes will be counted and verified and the 12 member Fans Board finally announced thereafter. Selection as a candidate for the election process to the Official Rangers Fans Board will be at the absolute discretion of the Nominations Committee. The role of the Official Rangers Fans Board Member As a Fans Board member each individual will have a responsibility to liaise with supporters from the group they represent and ensure they best serve their interests at meetings with the Club. The 12 elected members will have a public profile on the official Rangers website and fansboard website. They will be clearly identified as Members of the Rangers Fans Board and will be contactable by the wider fanbase via email to allow them to obtain feedback and questions from the group they represent. They will also provide those fans with updates after all meetings. Elected representatives will be required to regularly attend Fans Board and other relevant meetings, potentially participate in sub-fan working groups and any other requirements outside meetings. The Official Rangers Fans Board will give supporters the voice they have been craving and a genuine say in the running of their Club and further information is available on rangers.co.uk/fansboard now. All Season Ticket Holders for 2014/15 receive complimentary Club Membership unless they choose to opt out. If you do not wish to be automatically enrolled as a Member, please e-mail membership@rangers.co.uk. * If you do not indicate that you do not wish to be enrolled as a Member of the Official Rangers Club Membership, then you will be deemed to have granted your acceptance to the terms and conditions and adoption of the Constitution both available from rangers.co.uk/membership
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Suspect the Daily Record will make for interesting reading tomorrow. Will make us even more frustrated though. #justicefortherangerssupport Glad to see what looks like some things HMRC would rather stay unsaid are going to finally come to light. A couple of tweets tonight. Story here: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ex-rangers-owner-craig-whyte-being-3992415
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I'm not clear on what is classed as repetition so perhaps we can have 1 topic where we can say what we like (within reason) and let off steam. Also, certain people can just stay away from this thread and then they won't be offended.
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It may turn out to be an attempted payback for Operation Tango or disappointingly a damp squib but the possibilities behind the statement here are tantalising, to put it mildly: http://www.vanguardbears.co.uk
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Bit off topic for a gers site, but how do people here view the future for scottish clubs? The top five leagues are now so far in the distance that any future european success for a scottish club now appears to be fanciful. England are never going to allow us to play within their leagues. The bottom english club now earns more than a quarter of a billion from tv every five years whilst SPFL winners will receive around 10 million. Personally, I'd approach the dutch and belgian leagues and try hammer out a northern european amalgamation before the damage done to these countries is irreparable, with promotion and relegation from national setups. The old firm both made a second tier euro final last decade. Both clubs spent 30 million (on debt) or so achieving it. Now I'm not so sure that 30 million will come close to providing the squad capable of euro success. IMO the football landscape has changed into a place we have never been before. We are in danger of being permanently left behind, despite the fact our fans are possibly the best in the world. Our grand children will grow up as barca / munich / arsenal fans first, scottish clubs second, if we don't arrest the situation.
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RANGERS will compete in their first game of this year’s Dale Farm Milk Cup when they take on County Armagh at the Riverside Stadium in Drumahoe tonight, kick-off 7pm. The young Light Blues, who are in the under-15 Junior section, will then face a mouthwatering test against Liverpool on Tuesday at Ballymena Showgrounds (ko 8pm) before their third game against O’Higgins from Chile on Wednesday at the Riada Stadium in Ballymoney (ko 3.30pm). It is 21 years since Rangers participated at the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland and Jim Sinclair, Rangers Academy Director, believes it's an exciting opportunity for the up and coming talent in Craig Mulholland and Andy Kirk's squad. He said: "We are delighted to be renewing Rangers' long association with the Milk Cup having won the event during the 80's and 90's and we're hopeful that our group will enjoy the experience again this year. "The Milk Cup has over many years developed a fantastic reputation for providing a strong tournament with competitive clubs from all over the world and the quality of opposition will prove a great test for our young team. "We always look forward to taking teams to Northern Ireland where the club has a large supporter base and we know we will participate in an event which has a reputation for first class organisation." This year’s tournament kicked off yesterday with an Opening Ceremony and Nicky Byrne was the special guest. The former Westlife singer, who played at the Milk Cup on three occasions, also led a parade of competing teams through Coleraine. In total 56 teams from the world's leading professional clubs, famous football academies and National Associations from all five Continents have descended on the five local authorities of Coleraine, Ballymena, Limavady, Ballymoney and Derry City to battle it out over five days hoping to end the week as Dale Farm Milk Cup champions in the Elite (under 19), Premier (under 17) and Junior (under 15) sections. The Rangers squad in Northern Ireland is as follows: Kieran Wright, Aidan Wilson, Scott Gray, Kyle Bradley, Jason Krones, Kieran Balfour, Grant Nelson, Jamie Barjonas, Sam Jamieson, Liam Burt, Andrew Dallas, Jack Thomson, Lewis Mayo, Jordan Houston, Stephen Kelly, Zak Rudden, Matifadza Zata, Lewis Muir. For more information on the Dale Farm Milk Cup click here. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/item/7327-young-gers-face-county-armagh
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He lost the vote but I'm surprised that seems to have been the end of it? I don't think much of him but it seems odd he has gone completely quiet. Am I missing something?
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SO that was North America, a place which brought the touring Rangers squad mixed results and mixed fortunes during its stay in the United States and Canada over the last two weeks. Was the trip perfect? With over 14,000 miles flown, a few injuries picked up on the way and goals conceded in three games out of four – one of those a defeat – it’s hard to argue it was. But did it serve a purpose? Absolutely. Scorelines from across the Atlantic might not have been convincing but being there has allowed Gers to keep building well ahead of 2014/15. Despite what the world might think at present following the unrelenting happiness of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, Scottish people are naturally quite pessimistic. The old phrase which claims some are only happy if there’s something to complain about springs to mind and that’s certainly the case with certain Light Blues fans I know. While there are undoubtedly things Ally McCoist will wish had gone differently, he has more positives to reflect on than you might think. Following the intense schedule in Brora at the start of the month, further double sessions abroad – particularly in California – have helped increase fitness levels again. As the pool settles into a more regular training programme after the weekend, any lingering weariness will go and the players will get sharper as they freshen up. Although the team itself still has to click into gear, individuals within it gave enough food for thought during our fortnight away. Kenny Miller’s finishing might not be as consistent as he’s hoping it will become yet but his running and intelligence will help Rangers a lot this season. Nicky Law produced a fine finish to win the game in the final match against Ottawa Fury – Gers’ best display of their four – and he looks alert and hungry too. Ian Black falls into that category as well while Stevie Smith has continued his good form from the end of last term and looks as fast and direct as ever. Lee Wallace has made a strong recovery from the hip problem which ended his campaign early in April as he limped out of the Challenge Cup final defeat to Raith Rovers. But the biggest plus of all isn’t just Lewis Macleod’s return to action but the way he has come in and stamped his mark on the team already off the back of nearly six months out. Few were left in any doubt of how seriously under threat the 20-year-old’s career was when he took unwell at the start of the year. A bad reaction to a virus left him in real danger of having to think of hanging up his boots and there was a genuine chance he’d never have the chance to fulfil his very clear potential. Thankfully Macleod has made a full recovery and so far it looks like he has never been out of the side. Against Sacramento Republic, he grew in stature the more the game went on and I was impressed by his temperament as he kept his cool despite one heavy challenge after another. Four days later at Ottawa, his footwork at times was sublime and you’ll already be hard pushed to find a better piece of skill this season than his turn to set up Law’s goal. The way he stood on the ball then turned away from two men was so elegant and it was the type of move you simply don’t tire of watching. Already there’s a clamour once again in some quarters for McCoist to move Macleod inside and give him a more central role in his midfield. Over time, I fully expect him to take a place there and he’ll both flourish and relish the responsibility such a position entails. But for now, I don’t think it’s a bad thing for him to continue on the left side for the simple reason it’s an area he and the team profits from. Sitting narrower than a natural winger would, he allows Wallace to get forward with good effect and the two combine very well down that side. It’s worth remembering that when Rangers played their best football of last season in the early part of the campaign, those two players got a lot of joy together on the left. I’m not sure having someone else in Macleod’s present position would bear the same fruit and if he was central in a 4-4-2 shape, Wallace certainly wouldn’t get upfield as much. I look forward to seeing Macleod take command and dictate from the middle over time but for now he’s doing a lot for Gers where he is. And as McCoist’s team gets stronger in the weeks ahead, I’ve every faith the club’s most outstanding emerging talent can influence games just as much from slightly wider out. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/opinion/item/7321-best-left-where-he-is An unusually critical piece from Andrew Dickson and he makes a very good point about McLeod playing LMF allowing Wallace more freedom to attack. He may well have been prompted to write this but it is true nonetheless.
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Anyone come across parents dictating were there boy plays with regards position, game time and age group and continually contacting coaches by calls and text messages and getting what they want even if there boys aren't the best Any views would be appreciated.
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Folks, We're looking for some provisional names and numbers for the Gersnet Prediction League ahead of the start of the new season. The winner at the end of the season will get the sought after 'GPL Champion' custom forum rank won by Whosthedado last season and a wee prize as well. So, if you fancy your chances at predicting the results of our games in the SPFL Championship and our games in Cup competitions, then please put your name down by posting "I'm in" (or something like that) on the thread here. Cheers! PS - The exact competition format and rules will be announced within the next week to 10 ten days, but might well follow follow the excellent system put in place and run by Bluebear54 last season.
