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Mass debate all season but after 2 telling games can Ally lead us back to the top??? Not for me. Lets get a percentage view.
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Steven Simonsen @SteveSimmoGK 1h Ive taken the unfortunate decision that as of 5pm tomorrow this account will be deleted,I won't accept mindless abuse of my family & son.1/2 I understand this spoils things for the thousands of genuine fans & followers out there, but I will not accept the idiots who resort, To abusing someone's family & particularly children, thankyou to everyone I've interacted with over the years!!! Met some wonderful people! My Son comes on twitter to follow his heroes including his dad, & ends up having idiots abusing him. He's 11 years old.. His first ever Trip to ibrox to watch his dad ends up with him receiving abuse because I included him in a tweet, I'm sorry but I'm not tolerating it!
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Enough with Rangers based navel gazing! Here's some golf based navel gazing. Football is a funny old game, said Saint and Greavsie in their inexplicably popular lunchtime show of the 1980's. I guess it showed how stuck in its ways Football Focus had become that such a dismally unfunny programme could actually be made, let alone become popular. At least it allowed Jimmy Greaves some later life rehabilitation, which given his abilities (before my time, I admit) and drink troubles counts for something. Takes a lot to justify inflicting Ian St. John on the nation, though. There's never been any accounting for football with logic, though. Or sport, in general. As the weekend draws to a close, the annual circus that is The Masters adorns our screens, the stunning flora of Georgia only matched by the stunning crassness of a set up which reduces golf to little more than hit and hope, a well paid version of the fabulous crazy golf course next to the ferry port at Brodick. One of the holes features a miniature version of the Forth Rail Bridge - Brodick, that is, not Augusta. Some may see this assertion as heresy, but it's ever harder to defend The Masters as anything but golf for people who don't get golf. Galleries made up of a-whoopin' and a -hollerin' Bubba lardos, about as unreflective of golf's horribly overdue racial diversity as you can get, greens which appear to be devoid of grass, golf's risk-and-reward ethos eliminated and replaced by pure luck: The Masters isn't golf, it's stick and ball based comedy. Such an opinion, alas, found me in the company of the awful Peter Alliss, about whom I feel bad being mean since he plainly is not long for this world. I won't miss his commentary, though, which is ever more a talking obituary column and less about the golf. Alliss has dared incur the wrath of Augusta's organisers by publicly, on air, calling out their tournament for the shambles that it is: 'Bobby Jones never played golf like this', he said this evening, and he was right: you probably couldn't have fitted Bubba Watson's ludicrously oversized driver into Jones' golf bag. How I would have loved to be good enough to get an invite! I would be torn between declining on the grounds that it isn't real golf and that to endorse such a bastion of sexism and racism is unethical, or turning up in full clown outfit, with wig, squirting flower in lapel and sporting giant shoes. The only worry is that, in the world of pro golf, such attire might not be thought unusual. I do often think, sardonic smile on chubby face, how Spiers can reconcile his decades long attendance at Augusta with his crusade on diversity in Scotland. Or how the BBC as a body justifies it. Or their coverage of our Open. However, golf is changing, and broadcasters no longer need be embarrassed to cover it. They can move on, so can golf. Be nice if they extended the same courtesy to us, but no matter. I fear to keep such conservative company as Peter Alliss, who is out there in the land where that Inverdale oaf is acceptable. Queer bedfellows, indeed. I am far more comfortable cuddling in with someone like Peter Tatchell, of Outrage, or gay rights group Stonewall. Like Nil by Mouth on golf, such people have been loud in their denunciation of football as a hotbed of homophobia, but although they have my every sympathy in their general aims, when it comes to football I just can't see it. Football must be the least macho sport around, replete with much mano-a-mano hugging, shorts which are again, after two decades of repressed, baggy shorts, showing signs of becoming short shorts again, more unconvincing acting than Rory McIlroy in that Santander ad (once more I wonder how some ad executives both get and keep their jobs) and - the final clincher, this - people who are always threatening violence but who never, ever actually throw a punch. Footballers are the weediest bunch ever. Why the game gets a homophobic name is beyond me: if we're going to accept 1970's stereotypes of homosexuality, you'd have to chalk up fitba as the game of Queens, on the pitch at least. I suppose it's like all those rockers who used to worship Freddy Mercury without either knowing or turning a hair about his rampant queer identity. Well, I can't work out people who want to make us all different anyway. Gay or straight, most of us are boring, dull people who don't differ all that much - work, sleep, work, shopping, complain, work and so on. Fetishists, those are the freaks we should be marginalizing, like fans of rubber or nihilist East Fife fans. The half-cut beer bellies who are presently intoning 'Kooooooch' in order to worship a lanky, inoffensive golfer aren't doing any more harm than some half-cut Weegie twat calling a footballer 'a big poofy bastart' because he shirked a tackle. But the lads in Georgia sound like wallopers, and so do unthinking or conscious homophobes at football games. It certainly doesn't take a PC totem like Spiers or Cosgrove, working to a highly selective agenda of inclusivity, to realise that this ain't the 70's, and that neither tartan flares on the golf course nor nasty jibes about what other people get up to in the bedroom are really on. Anyway, I'd bet that the idea that gay people indulge in a non-stop festival of sweaty shagging is as far from the mark as the idea that I, married 15 years, am doing likewise with my missus. Like I say, work, sleep, and so on is much the same regardless. But one of these days, like Augusta, we in Scotland will catch up with the rest of the world. Even St Andrews allows women in to the clubhouse now! Everyone, everywhere is in a flux, a process of change, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse, like in Ukraine. This idea that of the entire globe, only Rangers FC can never change has to be consigned to the bin, whether it comes from LUMP fundmentalists within our own support or everyone else who are ironically more puritan in their distaste of us than we, with our imaginary Calvinist identity, could ever be: look at the effort they have put in to demonising us over the last few years! We can only dream of such ideologically driven energy. Here's to the golf, anyway. No doubt I will watch again next year, as Westwood demonstrates that not being able to putt means you'll never win a biggie, and that golf should not really be allowed away from Scottish links. Perhaps it will help me forget another week of enormous letdown brought on by eleven men in shorts. It's a queer old game, right enough.
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Simonsen - A catalog of errors from him today. Partially at fault for the second goal, gifted the 3rd goal like someone who was match fixing and was extremely lucky on other occasions where he made mistakes coming off his line. Criminal goalkeeping, so I highly doubt if he'll play for Rangers again. Foster - He's a trier, but we have a young French center back who's better at right back than this guy. Peralta would be better at right back than Fozzy too. Jig - Sniffing for a new contract? Hopes to play for us in Europe again? Eh? He's having a laugh. Never a defender in a million years and not good enough to keep playing for Rangers at the age of 36 (he's 36 in a few weeks). Mohsni - Nowhere near good enough and a total clown. Thankfully he only got a two year deal. Smith - Sell Wallace in the summer and keep Stevie Smith as first choice left back until we're back in the top flight and can afford better. Worth having on the team sheet for his free kick taking ability alone. We don't currently need someone of his quality just as a 2nd choice left back. Peralta - The lad's a grafter and actually not that bad a player despite the stick he gets, but a four year deal? Eh? If he has a good World Cup and we get offered money for him we should probably take it. Black - Good enough for next season, but I'd let him see out his contract next season and replace him with better quality for our top flight return. Law - Is it just me or is this guy over-hyped and over-rated? Good enough for next season, but he's going to need to be replaced by a quality playmaker for our return to the Premier League. We need to find a first class central midfield partner for MacLeod and Law isn't the answer. Aird - Another one who comes into the grafter category. He's got pace, but his passing and decision making at times is woeful plus his first touch is often a pass to the opposition. Good enough for next season, but good enough for a Rangers team challenging for a top flight title? I don't think so. Shiels - Way way too inconsistent a player for my liking and too injury prone as well. Odd moments of magic in amongst hundreds of hours of looking like a balloon disguised as a headless chicken. Daly - TAXI !!
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I am hearing that both Keevins and Guidi have been rationalised, let go, elbowed, received their jotters, .................... etc from the Mirror Group. More to follow.
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Today Dundee United fielded a side with an average age of 23. It's fair to say they will develop and improve. Conversely, our average age was 28. I think the most depressing thing about that is our current squad isn't going to be improving at all. It needs gutted, no long term vision or intelligence has applied. All we can really hope for now is a change of ownership to gut the club from top to bottom. The football is shite, we aren't playing youngsters and the future does not look bright. Also, someone on here suggested that the reason we are not just playing the kids now with nothing to play for was to keep them fit for the cup games. Well we will soon see that this is nonsense. Our average aged squad approaching 30 will saunter on until the end of the season with the club achieving no progression. Dundee United 01 Cierzniak - 30 16 Wilson Booked (Watson - 61' ) - 29 26 Robertson (Gomis - 85' ) - 20 08 Rankin - 30 20 Souttar - 17 05 Gunning Booked - 23 19 Gauld (Dow - 67' ) - 18 06 Paton - 26 21 Ciftci - 22 10 Armstrong Booked - 22 11 Mackay-Steven - 23 Average age: 23 Rangers 1 Simonsen - 35 02 Foster - 28 05 Smith - 28 08 Black Booked - 29 06 McCulloch - 35 03 Mohsni - 26 04 Aird (Clark - 63' ) - 19 07 Peralta Sosa - 25 09 Daly - 31 10 Shiels - 29 11 Law - 26 Average age: 28
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The Rangers board and I issued separate public statements following our meeting last month. I made one correction to the RangersÂ’ statement but the Rangers board saw no cause to correct my statement. The board recommitted to issue the business review within the original 120 day deadline and, importantly, committed that the fans will have access to this review prior to advancing funds by way of season ticket renewals. Despite strong reservations from fan groups I asked the fans to give the board time to honour this commitment. Part of my motivation was that any public company board is bound to act in good faith and that breach of such a share price sensitive commitment would be an ethical, moral, and probably criminal breach. I followed up on this commitment with the board after the recent announcement on season ticket renewals. The Chairman has advised me that the board will now only issue the review at the end of the season ticket renewal period and it will consequently not be timeously made available to fans. Disturbingly, the Chairman has advised me that the true intention of the board had always been to delay issuing the review until funds had been largely collected. I apologise to all fans for wasting time by lending credibility to the board’s false representations. I was wrong to give them the benefit of the doubt. At least we now can no longer have any uncertainty about governance at the club. It is common cause that the club is not a going concern without access to the season ticket loan from the fans. It is also common cause that the season ticket money will only provide partial relief in advance of a more permanent recapitalisation. I have hitherto urged restraint in dealing with the board, however due to this extreme act of bad faith I believe that it is vital that fans now withhold season ticket money from this board and similarly refuse to support the club by way of the purchase of replica kit or any other retail product. An announcement will shortly be made providing details of a bank account that season ticket money can be paid into as an interim measure. The specific terms and conditions of this account will be made available to fans, including the basis on which funds will be advanced to the club and the basis on which funds will be returned to fans. As a minimum, the board must provide the club property as security against the season ticket money. I recognise that fans will have anxiety about “betraying” the club and the risk of loss of a cherished seat at Ibrox. However, the time has come when the trade-off is a potential loss of a seat against the loss of the club. That would be the real betrayal. This board has lost its right to be dealt with on a good faith basis. Richard Gough has agreed to join me as a custodian of the bank account that will be established and fan groups can nominate additional members.
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Another injury concern, although Simonsen coming in to play would be too alarming.
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http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/current-affairs/321-rangers-hearts-and-the-case-of-wee-thistle
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To view this email online, click HERE Thank you for volunteering to continue to be involved in the Rangers Ready to Listen Fan Engagement Initiative. You told us you would like to have your say as to how the Club could and should shape Fan Engagement. Please find a link below to a short survey which could form the foundations of Fan Engagement. You will also be asked at the end of the survey if you would like to continue to be involved in developing this area through more in-depth research. Your input into the questions outlined in this survey is invaluable in helping us to shape Fan Engagement at Rangers moving forward. If you would like to continue to be involved in the development of the Rangers Ready to Listen Fan Engagement Initiative, please ensure you complete your contact details at the end of the survey in order for us to contact you. Click here to start the Rangers Fan Engagement Survey. Thank you again for your continued support for the Club. Rangers.co.uk To unsubscribe, please follow this link: Unsubscribe The Rangers Football Club Ltd, registered in Scotland with number SC425159 registered office Ibrox Stadium, 150 Edmiston Drive, Glasgow, G51 2XD
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http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail.html?announcementId=11905464 Full results and report here: http://rangers.g3dhosting.com/regulatory_news_article/375
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I'm not wanting to start an 'Ally bashing' thread as such as right now I don't think there is any point. We could argue all day about decisions, tactics etc. After speaking to/texting all of my mates/family during/after the game yesterday it was clear than NONE of us wanted Ally to remain in charge. And a few of us were complete Ally defenders of late. Some may have been just a knee jerk reaction to the result I'm not sure. Which led me to this, is there anyone that actually wants Ally to stay? And if so why?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26959101 Every football club launches a season ticket renewal campaign. No club other than Rangers is likely to find it such a fraught process. Price rises, ranging from between 15% to 25%, were inevitable and had been indicated at the annual general meeting of shareholders last December. For fans, though, the decision on whether or not to renew is complicated by the club's state of affairs. Dave King King believes Rangers need significant investment if they are to challenge for Scotland's major honours Even the timeframe has drawn attention, since the renewal deadline is 6 May, less than four weeks away. In the context of the discontent that has gathered around Ibrox, the sense is of supporters being given little time to make their choice. There is always an emotional element to the commitment, but Rangers fans have generally become more wary, even before the prospect of the Union of Fans - a coalition of supporters groups - opening a trust fund as an alternative for supporters who don't want to renew under the current circumstances. In meetings last month with the former director Dave King, who wants to invest in the club, the Ibrox board had agreed to complete the business review being undertaken by chief executive Graham Wallace before the season ticket renewal process. King will consider the launch as a breach of that agreement and is likely to respond firmly. The results of Wallace's review, and subsequent funding plan, will determine how Rangers approach the attempt to gain promotion from the Championship next season. They will also go some way to determining King's approach. He wants to provide funds to invest in the team and the football infrastructure now, to enable Rangers to return and then immediately compete in the top flight. In his view, this should be done through the issuing of new shares, which could grant him overall control. The board agreed to similar sporting aims, but do not have the money to finance it since the cash reserves have run out. Wallace needs to cut around £3m from the current running costs, and increase the revenue streams, just to bring the business to an even keel, but the season ticket money is also required just to keep the business going. This is the backdrop to the renewal campaign, which is symbolic of the lack of unity that abounds. Wallace announced at the AGM that his business review would take 120 days, which ends on Thursday 17 April, yet in the notes accompanying the interim results last month he indicated that it might be the end of April before the review and report to the board are completed. The business's going concern status was also only signed off on the basis of the price rise and a modest uplift in renewals. Despite Rangers embarking on their bid for promotion back to the Premiership, in a second tier that will contain Hearts but also possibly other leading clubs, it seems a stretch to believe that more than 37,000 will sign up for season tickets. As well as uncertainty about what funding will be available, or if only cuts will be imposed on the squad, supporters have grown weary of the quality of football this season. The defeat by Raith Rovers in the Ramsdens Cup final drew a disdainful response, and there is still a Scottish Cup semi-final against a talented Dundee United side to address. Either through concern about the quality of the football, frustration with the board and the direction of the club, or just a doubt about the club's financial stability when £1.5m in loans had to be sought from two shareholders last February and both Ibrox and Murray Park require maintenance work, the willingness to renew is being eroded. It has previously been a matter of faith, an indication of the supporters' ongoing commitment to their team. It is now a matter of judgement, of trust or otherwise. There is no incentive to renew immediately, and even missing the 6 May deadline would not be critical since there is no waiting list and supporters who hold off could still retain their seats. The alarm for the directors is a significant drop off in numbers, since this would drastically undermine their means to continue, and make it more difficult, perhaps even impossible, to hold off King. Rangers will receive the season ticket income up front, since a finance company will underwrite the options that allow fans to pay in instalments, a common arrangement in football. The first £1.5m raised, though, will be used to pay back the shareholder loans - from George Letham and Sandy Easdale, who is also a director on the football club board. The directors will watch the initial renewal numbers with concern, while some supporters will await the review, and others will wait to see what the general uptake is like. With the money raised from the initial public offering of shares in December 2012, and two tranches of season ticket money, having been spent, wariness is widespread. It is also political, since the future of Rangers - as it stands - would seem to either involve cost-cutting under the current powerbase of directors and a group of aligned shareholders, or King becoming the significant influence. Fans can buy tickets on a game-by-game basis. The season ticket uptake will reflect the mood for change or otherwise, but also go some way to determining Rangers' short-term future.
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THE Parkhead striker is at the centre of fresh controversy after new video footage emerges of the Edinburgh born player singing a racist song directed at former Hearts player Rudi Skacel. CELTIC star Leigh Griffiths is at the centre of a fresh video storm today after he was filmed leading a pub in a *racist song about former Hearts hero Rudi Skacel. Mobile phone footage passed to the Sunday Mail shows the Scotland striker standing up in the packed pub to start a massed chant branding the Czech player a “f****** refugee”. Footage clearly shows Griffiths, 23, leading dozens of Hibs fans belting out the hateful song in the Roseburn Bar before the club’s *Edinburgh derby with Hearts last Sunday. Wearing a grey top, he stands up with his hands in the air and kicks off the chant before jumping up and down when others join in. Ex-Hibs player Griffiths has already been fined by Celtic and faces SFA *discplinary charges after he was filmed singing a song about Hearts’ *financial problems in the bar. The *incident led to Celts manager Neil *Lennon warning on Friday that the striker – who has been embroiled in a string of controversies – was on a final warning before being kicked out of the club. But Parkhead bosses – who have vowed to take a hardline against bigotry – face a headache over the clip of their £800,000 star, who signed in January. It will anger fans of the club, who were founded to help Irish *immigrants. A pub onlooker said: “Leigh didn’t appear to have a care in the world. “Even though there were a few people filming him on mobile phones, he just carried on jumping up and down and singing. “He was enjoying himself – and the attention he was attracting. “The pub was packed with Hibs fans who were who were loving the fact one of their former players was leading the sing-song.” Griffiths was dropped to the subs bench for yesterday’s match against Dundee United. But Celtic fans showed support by chanting, “Leigh Griffiths sings what he wants” before he came on in the *second half in the 2-0 win. In 2005, former Hibs star Derek Riordan was fined by his club and forced to apologise to Skacel when he was filmed singing the same offensive song in a pub with other fans. Sung to the tune of Beatles’ hit Yellow Submarine, it features the words: “Rudi Skacel is a f****** refugee.” Like Griffiths, Riordan also went on to sign for Celtic. In 2012, Dunfermline fan Andrew Irvine pleaded guilty to aggravated breach of the peace and was fined £200 when he sang the song during a match against Hearts at East End Park. Last night, Anas Sarwar, deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party and MP for Glasgow Central, called for police to investigate Griffiths’s behaviour. And anti-racism charity Show Racism the Red Card urged Celtic to send *Griffiths to one of their workshops. Sarwar said: “Intolerance and *racism is not acceptable in society, the workplace or football. “It doesn’t reflect the best of *Scotland, we celebrate our *differences and any racist actions from anyone should face the full weight of the law.” Griffiths facing stronger charges from the SFA over latest incident David Foster of Show Racism the Red Card added: “We want to *eradicate racism, bigotry and *sectariansim in all its forms and we believe the best way to do that is through education. “Whatever action Celtic feel they have to take is an internal matter but we hope that Leigh Griffiths will attend one of our events. “The racist words in this song aren’t acceptable and it may be the case that he isn’t fully aware of the damage they cause. “He is a role model and *thousands of young fans look up to him. “Some players wouldn’t choose that status but it comes with the terrority at a big club so it’s *important he’s aware of his *responsibilities.” Griffiths cheered on Hibs with his mates when his former team took on Hearts at *Tynecastle. He was then filmed singing about Hearts going into adminstration in a pub after the match. SFA bosses later charged Griffiths with a breach of Disciplinary Rule 86: “Not acting in the best interests of Association Football by singing in public about Heart of Midlothian FC in administration.” His case is expected to be heard on April 24. The images also forced Celtic to give him a written warning. Lennon said: “We’ve all been guilty of doing daft things at times but that’s his one strike. “I don’t want him doing any more – otherwise his career at Celtic won’t be as long as he maybe wants it to be.” This isn’t the first time Griffiths has been at the centre of a *racism row. Last year, he was arrested and charged over an alleged racist *comment he made on Twitter. Skacel, who’s without a club and considering retiring, was *unavailable for comment. Last night, a Celtic soure said: “The club will take this very *seriously. “They’ve shown outbursts like this won’t be tolerated by players by how swiftly they dealt with the last footage that emerged.” A club spokesman said: “It would be inappropriate to comment until we’ve investigated the *allegation.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/exclusive-celtic-star-leigh-griffiths-3380576
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It has been coming but could be official today if they lose against Hibs. What a game for them to lose. It will get the SPFL and SFA licking their lips at money maker with the only show in town v Hearts 4 times next season.
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Monday, 07 April 2014 14:15 Wallace Injury Being Assessed Written by Andrew Dickson LEE WALLACE is being assessed this afternoon as Rangers try to determine what his chances of facing Dundee United in the Scottish Cup this weekend are. The Scotland full-back was substituted in the second half of yesterday’s Ramsdens Cup final defeat to Raith Rovers at Easter Road with a hip flexor problem. He had initially tried to play on after going down but ultimately had to be replaced by Sebastien Faure with 23 minutes of the regulation 90 remaining. Wallace has been at the club’s Murray Park training base today receiving treatment and he hasn’t been ruled out of the game on Saturday. But it’s remains to be seen just how likely he is to feature against the Arabs and that will become clearer as the game goes on. Jon Daly, Ian Black and Nicky Law all played in Edinburgh despite being pre-match injury doubts and they each stayed on the park until the end of extra time. While they went into the fixture without much training between them in the day building up to the game, they appear to have come through unscathed. Elsewhere, David Templeton will step up his recovery from a groin strain suffered against Airdrie on March 12 this week. He did some running with physio Stevie Walker in the early part of last week but wasn’t fit enough to make the squad in Leith. Andy Little also missed out but he’s working hard to try to get himself in a position where he could participate against the Tannadice outfit. Speaking yesterday on RangersTV, the Northern Ireland international said: “I really don’t know if I’ll make it yet but it would be great if I could. “It’s a cliché but I’m taking things day by day. I had a good week last week and I’m going to try again to run at the start of this week. “We’ll see how that goes. I don’t know either way at the moment but hopefully I can play a part.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6701-wallace-injury-being-assessed
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THE next crisis is scheduled for just after high noon on Saturday. Ally McCoist faces his biggest on-field challenge yet against Dundee United. Picture: SNS However, Rangers supporters, bloodied and bruised by two extraordinary years of turbulence, will be reminded bluntly about the realities of their club somewhat sooner that the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final with Dundee United at Ibrox this weekend. The season-ticket renewal letters will be sent out tomorrow, with informed sources suggesting an 18% hike. These missives might precipitate a period of reflection among supporters. The crisis at the club is political, financial and professional. It has seeped from the boardroom to the playing field. The crux of the matter in the wake of the Ramsden Cup victory by Raith Rovers appears to be the future of Ally McCoist, the Rangers manager. A simple investigation of "should he go or should he stay" has more twists than Agatha Christie on a Waltzer. Rangers are believed to be in the almost unique position in football of having a manager who can't walk away from a club that can't sack him. The belief is that the board and McCoist are welded together by mutual necessity. Being Rangers, however, it is not as simple as that. McCoist remains determined, even defiant. He has been sorely tested by the events both before and after liquidation. He has made mistakes both on and off the field. But he has become the rallying point for a support who have been introduced to more chancers and comic singers than a matinee audience at the Glasgow Empire. The Rangers manager could be forgiven for deciding that his future lies away from a club that he loves and a job that he craved. His professional abilities have been scrutinised with some rigour in the aftermath of defeat to Raith Rovers. The accusations include: his recruitment policy is and was flawed, his tactical acumen is limited, and his ability to make a game-changing decision is hardly conspicuous. There is a validity in all of this but McCoist is entitled to point out that players were necessarily bought in haste, that his tactics have been good enough to ensure only two defeats all season and who needs to change the flow of a game that your team is already winning? The pressure, though, is growing and is in danger of becoming intolerable. McCoist, famously, cannot do walking away. A personality with a strong sense of self-will and a belief in self-reliance, McCoist must wait on the deliberations of the board, however constituted that may be in the immediate future. The accepted truth is that he cannot be sacked in deference to his place as Rangers legend and as the enduring beacon in the most stormy of times at the club. This is no longer correct. First, there is a loud element of the Rangers support who are looking for change in the manager's office as well as the boardroom. Second, the present board includes those who have little time for McCoist. This disaffection stretches far beyond his capabilities or otherwise as a football manager. McCoist's decision to give the proxy vote on his shares to a supporters' club at the club's annual meeting in December was handled delicately by Graham Wallace, the chief executive. However, it was greeted with some anger by other members of the board. The chance of a united front against the requisitioners was weakened considerably by the manager's stance. This has not been forgotten or forgiven. There are also those on the periphery of power at Ibrox who are not admirers of the manager and have called on him to be sacked. McCoist has had a good relationship with Wallace but there are reports that this has been severely dented, if not fractured, in recent days. If they continue to sing from the same hymn sheet, it is with strained voices. There is, too, a constituency that argues that the sacking of the manager would give the sale of season tickets a necessary and timely boost. More sober voices point out that the level of uptake of season tickets may be beyond any such move given the continued uncertainty in the boardroom and the prospect of competing in the SPFL Championship with a squad that is not considerably improved. There is also the belief that finding a replacement for McCoist may be easy, but that does not mean it carries a guarantee of success on the pitch. "This place is bedlam," said a Rangers insider. "There is no budget, no scouting and no stability. "Who wants such a job? And are they the sort of people who could make it work?" Despite all this, of course, McCoist could be sacked and there would be little concern over any pay-off. "Can you imagine Ally suing Rangers?" said one cynical but acute observer last night. The manager thus prepares for a defining match against Dundee United against a backdrop of severe sniping, unyielding criticism and increasing pressure. He would be forgiven if he remarked with his trademark smile: "So what's new?" This rhetorical inquiry may be answered by Dave King, the South African businessman, who is pressurising the board to accept his plan for an immediate investment of £50m backed by a rights issue. The issuing of the season-ticket book reminders might prompt King to make another verbal intervention as he seeks to persuade fans that he offers the last best hope of a swift re-invigoration of the club. His supporters insist he would provide funds for a strengthened squad for next season's campaign. King would almost certainly also back McCoist, at least in the short term. However, King did not become a multi-millionaire on the back of a penchant for patience and a predilection for backing those who do not give him what he wants. Rangers now stand just more than a week away from the publication of the business plan that will set out the way forward. It is difficult to see how it can satisfy King. McCoist, meanwhile, must select and set up a team to defeat a quick, inventive and increasingly confident Dundee United side. The Rangers manager, ever the optimist, will point out his team are just 90 minutes away from unlikely redemption. Until, that is, the next crisis. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/what-to-do-with-a-man-who-cannot-walk-away.23908867?
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Back in the Cold War, namby pamby lefty liberal types used to put on dramas every so often, depicting the aftermath of nuclear conflict. The production teams involved found it easier (cheaper) to take the deaths of millions as read and focus on small survivor units, depicted against a horribly convincing nuclear landscape. That the Britain of this period accurately stood in for an atomically ravaged landscape ought to tell us something about Britain in general (vote yes!) but the thing I recall best as a small child was the concept of the nuclear winter, a perma-sunless period of years in which nothing could grow or prosper. Grim stuff. Even then, though, the bleeding heart type couldn't resist closing with some hackneyed image of a small plant growing, as life started again without the fell hand of right wing government bringing about the apocalypse this time. There was always hope! No such luck for us, though. We seem to be struggling to take even a single step forward from the dark days of administration and liquidaton. The UK economy is tottering on Bambi legs toward recovery; Libya and Tunisia had their 'Arab Springs', and while Egypt and Syria are hardly the best of adverts for this particular crap analogy, it beggars belief that entire countries and fiscal systems can absorb shocks and recover faster than a well supported football club based in a settled, safe society. I've bored you before with my patented theory about the dark forces who are slowly killing us, but added to that sheer fatigue is doing people in. Many have stopped going due to the abysmal standard of play, others are deflated by online abuse, while some have just run out of steam. We saw over the weekend D'Artagnan packing it in and no wonder: years of firefighting the attacks of other fans and clubs, with no weapons except to point out their own stinking hypocrisy, while the weight of the media is borne down on our club would knacker anyone. But when the feeling grows that the thing you're spending a stupid amount of time defending isn't worth defending you're in big trouble. Not only is the football rubbish but the officials who run our club have been and remain rubbish since Craig Whyte walked down Edmiston Drive, to the cheers of about 40 people who recognised him. He stared killing us slowly from within, Charles continued (continues?) it, while the present incumbents don't bear speaking about, such is my contempt for them. I suppose the fans of other clubs are loving it, but our slow decline is mirrored in theirs. It's not just us going down, it's football as a whole. No amount of Politburo releases from Pacific Quay about the terrific standard and full stands around the country will fool anyone with a grain of sense: as late as the 70's, when I was watching nuclear dramas, clubs had attendances in the tens of thousands. Certainly the decline had set in and to some extent football has been staving off illness for decades, only ocassionally recouperating before falling ill again. I find myself wondering whether Rangers reflects this: since the heyday of European runs and titles in the 60's, it's been a story of boom and bust, staving off decline with some periods of success. That would be normal for a club in a normal country but it isn't normal in Scotland, because firstly about 90% of fans support two teams and secondly without some success for each of them the financial wellspring of the game runs perilously dry. This comes close to the old 'football needs the OF to thrive' argument, and while I think their dominance has hardly helped the game their withering will scarcely revive it, unless we're aiming for a top league with attendances roughly akin to those of Pollok juniors. Many threads on here are becoming increasingly nostalgic, and no wonder. If there's nothing to look forward to, what else can you do? Maybe the bluebells will be out on that grubby bit of wasteground across from Edmiston Drive by the time I fetch up for the next home game, offering the prospect of a new spring ahead. I have my doubts, though: it's more likely a passing fan of another club will have kicked its head off. edit - while a bunch of bluenoses fight amongst themselves and take no action!
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I was going through some old stuff at the weekend and came across a folder with the team photos from 1960-61 to 1967-68 (one missing 1963-64) which adorned the walls of my bedroom as a child. I’m going to start with this one of the 1961-62 line up because it is the only glossy photo, the rest are newspaper cuttings. It is stamped on the back “RECORD COPYRIGHT RESERVED” but hopefully it will long since have passed into the public domain. [/img] In those days, the big pre-season friendly, was the First Team v the Reserves and you can see the large crowd it drew. Another reason to start with this one is that the players are not named so you can have some fun trying to put names to faces. (I've played about with it endlessly on Imgur and this is the best size I can come up with that isn't just a small thumbnail or so big only half the picture appears. If Zappa or anyone else in admin can make it a bit bigger that would be appreciated.) The trophies won the previous season are displayed: League Championship (32nd time) League Cup and the Reserve League Cup. The 1961-62 Rangers finished second in the League on 51 points (2 for a win back then) from 34 games in the old 18 team First Division, behind champions Dundee on 54 points. However, we won the League Cup, the Scottish Cup and the Reserves won everything there was to win: Reserve League Championship, League Cup and Second XI Cup. Rangers defeated Hearts 3-1 in a League Cup Final Replay after drawing the first match 1-1 (Jimmy Millar). The regular forward line of the day: Scott, McMillan, Millar, Brand and Wilson broke the Hearts with goals from Jimmy Millar, Ralph Brand and Ian McMillan in the first 21 minutes. At that time the European Cup was a straight knock-out competition for champions only with all matches played over two legs. In the First Round Rangers defeated Monaco 3-2 home and away. The French described our performance beneath the ramparts of Prince Rainier’s palace as “Magnifique”. The second round posed a strange “cold war” problem. The draw sent Rangers to East Berlin to play Vorwarts (pronounce Vorverts) and Rangers returned with a 2-1 victory. However, the Allied Authorities refused Vorwarts visas to travel and it was decided that the game would be played in “neutral” Malmo; actually it was played twice! The first match on November 22nd, 1961 was abandoned at half time due to fog with Rangers leading through a goal from 17-year-old Willie Henderson. The replay kicked off at 9.00 am the following morning and Rangers won 4-1 for a 6-1 aggregate, to bring forward a Quarter Final against Standard Liege. Eric Caldow pulled out of the away leg with an injured toe, 30 minutes before the kick off and was replaced by 19-year-old Bobby King. Teenagers Willie Henderson and John Greig were the right wing pairing (outside right and inside right). Rangers went down 4-1 in a mud bath before a “tempestuous, partisan crowd” (well, what would you expect?). Willie Henderson had been chosen to play again in the second leg ahead of Alex Scott whose fitness was in doubt; but Henderson got caught up in traffic on his way to the ground from Airdrie and did not arrive at the Stadium in time to strip for the match. Rangers won 2-0 but went out 4-3 on aggregate. As a 15-year-old, 28 clubs wanted to sign Henderson, “Manchester United and Aston Villa being the most persistent”; but he signed for Rangers on his father’s advice at age 16 and spent the next 12 years at Ibrox playing 478 times and scoring 36 goals. He won his first Scottish Cup medal in Rangers 16th Scottish Cup triumph when we defeated St Mirren 2-0 in front of 127,940 spectators who paid £17,980 (excluding stands!) at Hampden on 21 April 1962, the first of a three in row cup victories and my own first Scottish Cup Final. This was the legendary Rangers line up of the day: Ritchie, Shearer, Caldow; Davis, McKinnon, Baxter; Henderson, McMillan, Millar, Brand and Wilson. Four of our lads: Eric Caldow, Jim Baxter, Alex Scott (who was still selected for Scotland although he had lost his place in Rangers team to Henderson) and Davy Wilson, played for Scotland in the famous 2-0 win over England at Wembley. Wilson and Caldow (penalty) scored the goals for Scotland, to give us our first British International Championship since 1951. Ian McMillan scored Rangers 5,000th league goal v Raith Rovers at Ibrox on the 14th of October 1961 and I was there! The season ended with an incredible and highly successful three-match tour of Russia: defeating Moscow Locomotive 3-1; Tbilisi Dynamo 1-0; and drawing the last game 1-1 with Kiev Dynamo. Thousands of fans swarmed over the tarmac at then Renfrew Airport to welcome the team home. According to Professor Graham Walker Between 10 and 15, 000 flooded into the precincts of Renfrew Airport to salute the team on their return that June evening, with thousands more stuck in traffic jams on the roads from Glasgow. The fans indeed swarmed on to the runway. One journalist proclaimed that the ‘No conquering army ever received a more vociferous homecoming’, while the late James Sanderson, then a journalist for the ‘Scottish Daily Express’, called it ‘the greatest homecoming of any sportsmen to Scotland – bar none!’ (Rangers Standard) [/img] If this has been of interest I'll publish one season every couple of weeks or so for the next few weeks. Credit: The above account is drawn from Rangers - The New Era (sic) by William Allison, published in 1966.
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If they manage to stave off the liquidators that is! Hearts beat Partick Thistle 2-4 today, but St Mirren beat Motherwell 3-2 and Hearts are now relegated.... -
Sad to hear that Police Scotland have told the Bridgeton Loyal they won't be allowed to take in and display their brand new (and expensive) banner despite it meeting all of the safety requirements and having been given the OK by both Rangers and Hibs.
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When is the 120th day or has it passed? Not sure if we're counting from Wallace's appointment or the AGM. Also, what's the chances of hearing "the review is over and proposals will be out in 4 week" just to keep us hanging on? It's clear the majority of fans don't trust the board so I'm not sure how they can win hearts and minds without making a magnificent gesture which is tangible to us. Even then it'd be viewed with suspicion but our fans are easily led from the Blue Room. Obviously there's talk of a new share issue but is that realistic when they know King might walk in and scoop up the shares, assume control, and go about clearing the decks for his own people? Wallace might welcome this but I highly doubt Easdales and Laxey will. The small matter of BPH and Margerita most likely objecting to their holding and future earnings dwindling is another factor to count in which could scupper any new share issue. Negative loyal!
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Wednesday, 02 April 2014 13:00 Ready To Listen: Phase 1 Results Written by RANGERS FOOTBALL CLUB THE results of the Rangers Ready To Listen fan engagement survey which was launched in February have now been analysed, evaluated and reviewed. An overwhelming 35,265 of our core support took part in the first step of the fan engagement programme which will help shape the future direction of the Club. Participants in the Fan engagement survey included: 50% of adult season ticket holders 83% were matchday attendees 5% from existing supporter groups 10% from overseas With 84% of supporters seeking a review of how the Club engages with fans and 68% feeling the supporters do not have a loud enough voice, it is clear the need for enhanced engagement with the Club should be a priority. One of the key findings and recommendations from the survey is the development of a fan representation board voted for by supporters and representing the interests of all fans including season ticket holders, overseas fans shareholders and families. Indeed, 84% of the fanbase supported the progression of this concept and this is an area we now need to explore further with the wider Rangers support. Fans were also asked for their thoughts on the potential for a membership scheme and 80% were in favour of developing such an initiative. We have listened to the response from fans and are now working on the development of Rangers membership with further fan input for launch over the summer and in advance of the 14/15 season. Supporters identified the top five best performing areas of the business as: Community/Charity Work Club Social Media Club website Safe Matchday Environment Hospitality The five most important aspects of the Club according to fans are: On-pitch performance Youth Development programme Overall direction and management of the Business Fan Engagement Matchday Experience The five most important statements relating to the Club from the list identified are: Proud of its rich history and tradition Open and effective relationship with its supporters Continually strives for sporting success Youth development is key to on-pitch success High standards of integrity and professionalism The most important issues for fans right now are a need for Honesty, Integrity and Transparency going forward, this was made clear in the majority of surveys completed. However, this is not surprising given events at the Club in recent years and the Board is ready to act on that feedback. Graham Wallace commented: "The Club wants to be open about the key issues highlighted in the Ready to Listen fan engagement survey and realises areas of concern like trust, transparency and honesty will not be improved overnight. We understand that trust must be earned and certainly appreciate supporters have had a difficult few years. "There are undoubtedly areas we can improve on and it is clear fans value a greater voice and involvement with the Club. We are listening to these views and will act accordingly. The Club values the feedback received as it will help us shape and ensure a sustainable future for Rangers. "We said at the outset that we wanted to engage with the 44,000 core supporters who attend matches regularly and we were therefore delighted that over 50% of adult season ticket holders took part and 83% of respondents attend games. "We believe that with the Club and fans working together we can impact positively on Rangers future performance and will now move forward into a more detailed phase in a number of areas that were identified." NEXT STEPS More than half of the survey participants advised that they would be keen to participate further in future supporter engagement initiatives to help shape the programme. Supporters were asked if they would be willing to engage with the Club to aid the development of certain areas within the business and the response was again overwhelming. Volunteers for each area are as follows: Ticketing; 6,567 Matchday Experience; 7,876 Hospitality; 3,132 Catering; 4,477 Retail/Merchandise; 6,088 Fan Engagement; 12,289 Club Media; 6,589 Customer Service; 5,409 Membership; 8,723 This next phase of follow-up research will help to define and create a formal fan engagement programme driven by the fans with the support of the Club via a specific fan engagement survey which will be issued next week. Specific communications on other areas of importance to the fans, including those listed above, will also start to be issued from next week and over the coming weeks. Thereafter, more focused face-to-face meetings with fans will be held to engage them on their opinions and insights across these areas with a view to having key initiatives and developments in place for the start of Season 14/15. The Club would like to thank all those who took part in this initial step in the Ready To Listen campaign. Your feedback is invaluable and we look forward to working together on the next steps to help shape the future direction of the Club. To view an infographic of the survey results click here http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6663-ready-to-listen-phase-1-results
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Friday, 04 April 2014 08:30 A Happy Hunting Ground Written by Andrew Dickson NICKY LAW hopes his unbeaten record at Easter Road stands him in good stead as he returns there on Sunday looking to win the Ramsdens Cup with Rangers. The Light Blues midfielder is optimistic he’ll be fit for the clash with Raith Rovers at Hibernian’s home ground in Leith after training earlier this week. Manager Ally McCoist is equally keen to have the Englishman involved and that desire will probably be enhanced if he looks at the 26-year-old’s record there. Law played in Leith three times with Motherwell in his two seasons at Fir Park and played his part in two hard-earned away wins. In another game the Steelmen could only take a point from the contest but it was the former Sheffield United star who got them it with a leveller nine minutes from the end in a 1-1 draw. There are some concerns about the pitch at the stadium after a long season, with a lot of surfaces around Scotland bumpy at this stage of the campaign. Otherwise, Law is excited about going back to a venue where has done well in the past as he bids to add to the League One trophy with Gers. He said: “It’s a ground I’ve always enjoyed playing at and in my Motherwell days we never lost there so hopefully that continues. “Sometimes you get grounds where you do well at them and Easter Road has been good to me. I’ve managed to score a goal there as well. “It’s one of the better stadiums in Scotland and while it doesn’t have the biggest capacity, there will still be 20,000 people there. “Our fans will generate a great atmosphere. They always do that and it will be no different on Sunday in a tough game for us. “The supporters know they can be our 12th man and hopefully they will be again for us at the weekend.” Rangers are seeking to win the Ramsdens Cup for the first time following their failure to do so last season, when they went out in the quarter-finals to Queen of the South. And Law admits he has noticed an extra edge in training over the last few days as McCoist’s players compete with each other for starting slots. He added: “Everyone’s fired up for the game. This two-week period really defines our season and we’ve a couple of huge games with the Dundee United match in the Scottish Cup too. “The lads are really looking forward to them and they’re really up for them. You can see that in training. “There has been an extra bite in our sessions this week which you’d expect with the matches we have coming up. “There is a real excitement in the group and it’s a different atmosphere at the moment. We have been plodding along a bit in the league but there’s real determination there now. “Looking at their league form, Raith have been a bit up and down but they’ve delivered in some big games and they went to Easter Road in the Scottish Cup and won. “I’m sure they’ll take confidence from that. I saw quite a bit of their game with St Johnstone and although they lost, I thought they played really well that day too. “It could have gone either way in difficult conditions. We know it’ll be a hard game against a full-time team, something we’ve not encountered too much this season. “We need to have everybody right up for the game and it’ll be as tough a match as we’ve had this season but we’re ready for that.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6681-a-happy-hunting-ground
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Keeping people safe and discouraging criminal activity will be the focus of Police Scotland’s operation at Sunday's Cup Final between Raith Rovers and Rangers. To ensure the game is enjoyable for fans, officers and stewards will be undertaking searches in and around Easter Road stadium to make sure alcohol isn’t brought into the stadium and that supporters who are under the influence of alcohol are not allowed entry. Specialist search dogs will also be working to detect anyone in possession of fireworks or flares, and those found to be in possession of such items will be stopped from entering, arrested and may be subject to a banning-order. In recognition of the impact the final will have across the city centre, a strict no public drinking ban will be in force supported by local bye-laws. Licensing officers will also be carrying out inspections of pubs and clubs across the city where crowds gather to watch the game. Teams from Police Scotland’s Operational Support Division are also working with local officers and the City of Edinburgh Council to minimise any traffic impact as a result of the estimated 30,000 fans arriving in the city on public transport and coaches. Police officers will be directing coach traffic carrying Rangers supporters to the Regent Road and London Road areas, and Raith Rovers coaches are being directed towards the Leith Links area. Many fans however are expected to make their own way to the match and drivers are being warned that there are no parking arrangements near the stadium. Event Commander Chief Superintendent Mark Williams, who will be directing the operation, said: "The Cup Final is always a great day for fans to celebrate the achievements of their respective teams but it is important to remember that it is a day that should be enjoyable for fans both young and old. “That’s why we have robust plans in place to deal with any minority who are intent on causing trouble. While we know most supporters will be well behaved, my officers will seek out those who are antisocial or who turn up drunk. They will not only be refused entry, but will also be subject to criminal action. Of course, there will also be officers on duty across the city centre to monitor licensed premises and respond swiftly to any reports of disorder or trouble”. “There will undoubtedly be pressure put on the transport network so I’d encourage fans attending the game to make sure they have their travel plans in place early and, because there is limited parking, to try and use public transport wherever possible.” http://www.scotland.police.uk/whats-happening/news/2014/april/221256/
