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"Alan Hutton 'unlikely' to play for Aston Villa again Defender Alan Hutton is unlikely to play again for Aston Villa because of the financial constraints at the club, admits manager Paul Lambert. The 29-year-old, who earns a reported £40,000 a week, has not played for Villa since May 2012 and is training with the club's development squad. Asked if Hutton would play for Villa again, Lambert replied: "It would be unlikely. He knows that. "We need to get the [wage] structure down. There's never been any fall-out." Hutton, whose contract expires in the summer of 2015, went on a one-month loan to Nottingham Forest in December 2012 before being loaned to Spanish side Real Mallorca the following month until the end of that campaign. He has also continued to represent Scotland and won his 38th cap in last October's final World Cup qualifier, a 2-0 victory over Croatia. "I wouldn't have thought it could carry on for another 12 months, into next season," Lambert added. "I wouldn't want that for him. We need someone to come in for him. "I've been to a couple of Scotland games and seen him do well. You'd think somebody would come in for him. The lad has to play."" The wages are remarkable, I wonder how much he has made since moving South and pretty much not playing. The bit I have italicised seems a little contradictory to the overall story!

RST to leaflet Ibrox on Saturday The Rangers Supporters Trusts runs the highly successful BuyRangers scheme. Our members have trusted us with over £300,000 of their money and the we now own over half a million shares in the club. We are looking for members and supporters to help us publicise BuyRangers and our new direct debit facility by leafleting Ibrox on Saturday. If you can help leaflet around the ground from 1pm up to kick-off, even for a short while, or to take some leaflets home to friends or distribute on your supporters bus - please email RangersRST@gmail.com http://www.therst.co.uk/buyrangers/ Friend on Facebook Follow on Twitter Our mailing address is: The Rangers Supporters Trust RST / BuyRangers Administration Clydebank Glasgow, Scotland g80 United Kingdom

Club website link: http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6350-ready-to-listen Received by email Dear At our recent AGM I outlined our intention to undertake a comprehensive review of the entire Club and I am pleased to report that we are making excellent progress with this. A key element of looking at how the Club operates and engages is to understand what is important to you, the Rangers supporters. If we can obtain your constructive input and suggestions then we can develop a comprehensive insight into what is needed to address the areas that are important to the fans. We are in the process of rebuilding how your Club operates and based on feedback from many of you, it is clear that there is a need for professional business management, honest conversation, transparency and greater communication to allow us to move forward together. Your Club Executive and Board is wholly open minded on how we can work together for the better development of Rangers. The Club, and you the supporters, have continued to be tested in recent months as we work on developing the long term strategy for rebuilding the Club. We need you to know that by working together, we have the ability to position your Club for a stable, successful and sustainable future. We hope that you will engage with the Club and talk to us openly. We value your input and we are Ready to Listen. To start us on this journey together, I would ask if you could take a few minutes to complete this short survey which will give you the opportunity to commence the process of sharing your thoughts and opinions with us. We will consolidate all input received and use this as the basis upon which to move our wider supporter engagement initiatives forward. Please click here to start survey. Thank you for your support. Graham Wallace Chief Executive Officer Rangers Football Club

......we've even had agents in Africa contacting us. WARD and his League 2 troops are looking forward to a money-spinning Scottish Cup quarter final at Ibrox and he has revealed how their giantkilling story has gone global. ALBION ROVERS boss James Ward last night revealed his side’s Scottish Cup heroics have been creating shock waves in Africa. Ward admitted his part-time League Two men have captured the imagination worldwide after making it through to the quarter-finals for the first time in 80 years. So much so that Rovers have been inundated with DVDs and CVs from agents representing players around the globe. Ward has been busy sifting through a pile of applications from players desperate to play for the club, who face Rangers at Ibrox in the last eight of the competition on March 8. And he told how lifelong fan Paul Reilly, who works in Africa and doubles up as one of the club’s photographers, had the locals hailing his team after viewing their exploits on Sky Sports. Ward said: “Our Scottish Cup story has gone global. “The response the club has had to reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in 80 years has been unbelievable. “We have been sent YouTube clips from agents representing players from South America, USA, Africa as well as Europe “All of a sudden everybody wants to play for Albion Rovers and think we are an attractive proposition. “I have had a couple of DVDs and CVs from players in Africa – they must have thought Coatbridge was like the south of France but they have been put right. “I even had one player offering to pay for his flights from France for the chance to play with us. “When it was explained what we pay and that we are a part-time side I don’t think he was quite so keen. “I am watching these DVD and YouTube clips thinking, ‘What am I looking for here?’ “Our story has even reached Africa as one of the club’s photographers, Paul Reilly, was working there when we beat Motherwell. Paul was telling the locals all about us – they had never heard of us. “Sky Sports was on TV and suddenly we were on after beating Motherwell. Paul was shouting, ‘That’s Albion Rovers, that’s my team’. “The Africans were all going crazy and cheering us on.” But Ward sounded a note of caution and insisted that the club are unlikely to pursue any of the DVD or YouTube leads. However one Norwegian player who is studying in Scotland has been handed the chance to impress. He said: “I don’t want people getting the wrong impression about Albion Rovers. “If we are fortunate to make money from the tie then I want the club to use it for good purposes moving forward and not to sign the wrong type of player which would be an unsustainable model. “It is nice to get the chance to cast your eye over players and I will watch them in case there is something we may have missed but I am very wary of this kind of thing. “People suddenly think Albion Rovers have had a major windfall but we have no idea what kind of money we will make from the Rangers game. “We have many more things to consider before we start thinking about signing players from other countries. “We have looked at a player from Norway who has a decent CV and is studying in Glasgow. “He used to play for Viking Stavanger and has trained with Hearts but they were not able to sign anyone. “A part-time player who is a student is much more in line with us than us bringing in a player from South America.” Ward insists he doesn’t want his side’s Scottish Cup journey to end at Ibrox. He said: “People think I am mad but we want to beat Rangers – there is no point in going there if we did not think we could win the tie.” **** Albion Rovers chairman John Devlin insisted that playing Rangers live on Sky Sports in the Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox was like winning the lottery. The part-time League Two minnows are set make over £150,000 from the March 9 tie. Devlin said: “It’s akin to a lottery win and a bonus ball. In the context of what we’re used to working with it’s life changing and lets us to prepare for the future.” Full schedule for the Scottish Cup quarter-finals: Saturday March 8 – Raith Rovers v St Johnstone, (12.15pm, Sky Sports) Sunday, March 9 – Inverness v Dundee Utd (12.30pm, BBC); Rangers v Albion Rovers (3.30pm, Sky Sports). http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/albion-rovers-boss-james-ward-3164871

'Fisking' is an online term for deconstructing an article and showing the flaws in the argument in 'real time'. Graham Spiers' recent article for The Herald “Celtic, a Roll of Honour, and point-scoring galore” is a perfect candidate. Graham Spiers' words are in italics, while my commentary is in normal font. A pretty remarkable thing has happened in Scottish football in recent days - the Celtic fans have in effect just stormed the national charts with 'Roll of Honour', the Irish rebel song.The song, recorded by The Irish Brigade, laments the fate of the IRA hunger strikers who died in the Maze Prison in 1981, and cites all 10 of them as the verses unfold. It is a song which a more politically-active section of the Celtic support has chanted and, in this current scenario of national chart success, is aimed at cocking a snook at the confused - some say plainly botched - Offensive Behaviour At Football Act in Scotland. Graham immediately gets his facts wrong. Seven were affiliated to the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA or PIRA) and three with the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). It is beyond doubt that both groups collectively murdered thousands and are illegal in the UK and Ireland. Many of their victims were targeted solely for their nationality or religion. During 1981 alone – never mind before or since - the Provisional IRA and INLA murdered many people. Those the song 'laments' were part of these groups and must have approved of the killings and violence. The ten themselves had been found guilty of crimes including possession of firearms, grenades and explosives, manslaughter, punishment shootings, hijackings, attempted murder and murder. Keep these hard facts in mind. By John Gow Read more...http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/rfc-politics/311-fisking-graham-spiers

Being reported that Laxey have bailed us out in the short term. Wonder what the interest rates are?

I watched a wonderful short film this week, on the effect the reintroduction of wolves has had on Yellowstone National Park in America. Wolves were wiped out in the area 70 years ago but several packs were brought back twenty years ago in the hope they would breed and reestablish them. A highly controversial move, the wolves were closely monitored and the effect they had on Yellowstone was studied during this period. As a large carnivore there was much apprehension about the wolves; would they decimate other species, clear large parts of the park of other mammals, indeed would they endanger man? The actual findings were mind blowing. The wolves mainly hunt deer and prior to the wolves return the deer had enjoyed decades with no natural predator except man. As such, they grazed where they wanted for as long as they wanted, they moved slowly through the landscape and their numbers grew and grew. The reemergence of the wolves changed this. The change wasn’t that large numbers of deer were killed (there aren’t that many wolves and there are tens of thousands of deer) it was that the return of the deer’s natural hunter led to a dramatic change in deer behaviour. Previously the deer grazed where they liked but now they were much more cautious and this was particularly noticeable near rivers. The grazing is good there, but it is open, and the deer were easily hunted. As the deer modified their behaviour and avoided grazing on the lower ground the vegetation changed, grass grew longer, bushes and trees reached maturity instead of being stripped back by hungry deer when small. This led to insects returning which in turn brought birds. The longer grass brought rabbits and the eagles who hunt them. Bears returned to eat the berries that now ripened on the bushes, beavers returned and used the mature trees to make dams. Most astonishingly of all the course of the river changed. Previously it meandered, it flooded regularly and the rain ran off the surrounding land quickly eroding the area. Now the increased vegetation soaked up much of the rainfall and its roots held the soil together. So the river ran deeper and faster, it no longer meanders it flows true. The wolves had indirectly been responsible for changing the course and flow of a river. What must be remembered is that wolves weren’t artificially introduced to the area; rather their absence in the first place was artificial. The ecology of Yellowstone evolved over thousands of years and at the top of the food chain was wolves. This large carnivore was meant to be there, nature had decided that a long time ago, the rest of the park actually depended on it. Its removal caused the damage, not its reintroduction. Every aspect of the park relied on the wolf directly or indirectly. Rangers play Stenhousemuir for the fourth time this season on Saturday. We’ve won our two previous league meetings and our meeting in the cup. Our last match at Ibrox saw us triumph by eight goals, our subsequent meetings have been much closer affairs. This match is being played against the backdrop of continued problems in Scottish football. The removal of Rangers from the top flight has upset the trophic cascade, the natural order of things evolved over more than 100 years is seriously out of kilter. Celtic have no serious rival as such and they are now meandering, their club is selling its best players, their manager speaks openly about being unsettled and their support, as well as showing apathy towards attending matches now fill their time by promoting songs about Irish murder gangs, making ill-thought-out political statements or indulging in good old fashioned hooliganism. The game’s governing bodies now no longer even hold the pretence of parity. They award cup finals and semi finals to grounds months in advance rather than wait to see who’ll contest them. Their decisions regarding cup matches and Inverness have bordered on the corrupt, the ticket allocation for the League Cup final being only the latest example. The side who finished second in the country last season, Motherwell, still managed to make a loss of nearly £200,000. The prize money they should have received was drastically cut half way through the season you see, no surprise there. This happened despite them cutting their player budget the previous close season. Still the league has no sponsor, in the top flight the champions and the side relegated was decided before a ball was kicked and the standard of play and player continues to drop. Without its largest animal the competition is reduced, the drive is lost and the revenue that follows it dries up. All of these things are interconnected, remove something from the natural order of things and it takes a long time to recover, if it ever does. Stenhousemuir go into this match with a new manager, former Scottish international and feted wunderkind Scott Booth. Although the current Scotland under 17 coach doesn’t take up his post for a few more weeks we can expect his new players to be eager to prove their worth to him. So motivation shouldn’t be an issue for stand-in coach Brown Ferguson’s side. Stenhousemuir are in a bad run of form with no victories this year, only their early season good results afford them the relative safety of sixth place. Rangers go into the match without Moshni who remains suspended. Cribari did well against Ayr and should retain his place although I expect McCulloch to return to the defence and Foster to drop out. Beyond that the side should pick itself, MacLeod should come into contention if fit again but I expect Bell, Law, Wallace, Black, Daly, Faure, Templeton and Aird to start. I don’t expect a repeat of the early season 8-0 but half that wouldn’t raise an eyebrow particularly if we score early. Stenhousemuir have both suffered and benefited from being in the same league as Rangers. Having the largest carnivore in the country close by drastically reduces the likelihood of promotion for every other club in our division, but it does offer them other tangible benefits. Our presence is artificial though, man made and it is upsetting the natural order of things. The trophic cascade refers to interconnectivity, how removing something from the top of the food chain has consequences all the way down that chain, how these changes can’t all be foreseen or managed and it is vital that chain isn’t allowed to be tampered with artificially. Recent meetings aimed at securing a voice for Rangers supporters in our boardroom should be welcomed, not only by all Rangers fans but also by all football fans. Whatever your feelings towards our club, we are all connected and interdependent, it’s in everyone’s interests that we’re back where we belong believe it or not. The only thing that should prevent that happening is our side not being good enough. Financial stability and accountability are vital, not just for our sake but for every club in the country. Nobody should fear the return of the wolf, its return should be welcomed by all.

Scotland squad for the friendly with Poland Goalkeepers Matt Gilks, David Marshall, Allan McGregor Defenders Phil Bardsley, Christophe Berra, Gordon Greer, Grant Hanley, Alan Hutton, Russell Martin, Andrew Robertson, Steven Whittaker Midfielders Charlie Adam, Ikechi Anya, Barry Bannan, Scott Brown, Chris Burke, Darren Fletcher, James Forrest, James Morrison, Charlie Mulgrew, Robert Snodgrass Forwards Steven Fletcher, Ross McCormack, Steven Naismith

In October 2013 the SFA decided to hold both Scottish Cup Semi Finals at Ibrox as an alternative to Hampden Park, which is being used for the Commonwealth Games. If Rangers reach the Semi Finals they would be handed a home tie. In the interests of the other quarter finalists, the SFA should use Parkhead for one of the Semi Finals if required. http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/the-scottish-football-association-ensure-neutral-venues-for-the-2014-scottish-cup-semi-finals?recruiter=11614349

RANGERS have been awarded the maximum six-star status by the SFA in their 2013/14 Club Academy Scotland audit. The annual review has reaffirmed the Light Blues as a leading force in this country when it comes to laying a platform for the development of emerging talent. A performance-based youth programme, teams participating in Club Academy Scotland are given a rating after they are rigorously assessed on various criteria. These include aspects such as academy plans, coaching curriculums and staff qualifications in coaching, medical and sports science. It also takes into account scouting procedures and administration and Gers are one of only two clubs to have been given the highest possible grade. The audit was conducted by the association’s Club Licensing Department using a rating programme compiled by its Performance Department. An accompanying grant is issued which corresponds with a club’s rating, meaning Gers will be given the highest possible amount as they seek to go from strength to strength. It has been a terrific season for Rangers at youth level so far this season, with Gordon Durie’s under-20s competing well as they continue bidding for a league and Youth Cup double. And as the club strives to keep producing exciting new players, Director of Youth Development Jim Sinclair is happy with what’s being achieved. He said: “We’re delighted to have achieved six-star status and it’s a great compliment to the standards we set. “Across all our disciplines, whether part-time or full-time and in coaching, sports science or something else, it’s a great pat on the back to our staff for the work they do. “A number of factors were considered when the audit took place and having a facility such as Murray Park can only be a good thing in that respect. “Having this status certainly won’t do us any harm. It’s nice to be recognised as being there as the best in the country. “After everything which has happened at the club in the last couple of years, it’s good that people get a reminder of that. “We’re making good progress with our youngsters and we’re confident there are a lot of young players in our system who will benefit from the environment here at the club.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/item/6344-six-star-status-for-gers

http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/rfc-politics/310-dr-waiton-on-rangers-free-speech-and-sectarianism It's an excellent read (the Spiers part especially), very well done to John.

http://www.tvl.nl/nl/tvl-sportarena/sportarena/ricksen-in-glasgow/#.UwI8amJ_uSr

Don't have much to go on, but apparently King is predicting our financial meltdown again in another Keith Jackson article....

Ayr UTD v Rangers - Att: 8,449 HIVS v Ross County - Att: 8,411 St Midden v SHEEP - Att: 4,073 Dundee Hibs v Killie - Att: 6,038 ICT v Hertz - Att: 3,392 Motherwell v Partick - Att: 5,048

IAN Black has vowed to earn a new deal with Rangers - and help the Ibrox club complete every stage of 'The Journey'. The former Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Hearts man is out of contract at the end of next season. But he is keen to pledge his future to Rangers so he can help them compete against their Old Firm rivals. Black said: "I have been consistent this season and the manager has been happy enough to play me every week. I have been doing something right. "I just need to work hard, keep my head down and try to earn myself a new contract. "I have got this year and next season just now. When you have got a year-and-a-half left then you obviously look to get a new deal and a bit of security for my career and for my family as well. "I just want to work hard and hopefully things behind the scenes can work out for me." He added: "My aim is to play in the top flight. Coming here when we were at the bottom my aim was to help the club get back up. "Hopefully I can be rewarded with getting a deal to play in the Premiership with a club this size. It is up to me to keep playing well and trying to get one." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/black-aim-is-a-ticket-to-ride-on-journey-152249n.23438571

There is a major flaw in his thinking here. Apart from the fact that rebuilding that late means it will take seasons to be ready, I mean. In addition, you don't just spend 30 million to replace 30 millions worth - what about all the dud buys, or the foreign player s who don't settle or those who find the R rangers shirt "too heavy"? How many of his buys would actually make it to long term first team challenging for the title quality? Good to see the scouting (lack of) being stressed, though. http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl-lower-divisions/mccoist-rangers-may-need-30m-to-return-to-top-1-3307214 ALLY McCoist believes Rangers may need to spend as much as £30 million on strengthening their squad if they hope to mount a serious challenge for the Premiership title in two years’ time. Speaking on the second *anniversary of the Ibrox club *entering administration, the manager expressed his hope Rangers are finally emerging from the darkest and most turbulent period in their history. With his team’s projected return to the top flight of Scottish football for the 2015-16 season on schedule as they close in on the League 1 title, McCoist insists significant funding will be required to restore them to pre-administration standards on the pitch. “Whether we are contenders again in two years will depend on a number of things,” said McCoist. “One of them will be investment in the team, along with stability at boardroom level which is vitally important. “If we get that, then I’d be very hopeful we’d be back in the top league and have a better chance of bringing in the quality of player to enable us to compete at the top of that league “It’s difficult to put a figure on how much investment we need. But if you lose in the region of £30m worth of players as we did because of administration – players like Nikica Jelavic, Steven Davis, Allan McGregor, Steven Whittaker and all those boys – then I would think that standard of player needs to get replaced. “I’m not saying £30m is the exact figure, but that’s roughly what we’ve lost. Some will argue it might be more than that, some might say a little bit less. “But my point is that you can’t lose that, not replace it and then expect to compete at the top level.” McCoist’s playing budget will be determined by recently appointed chief executive, Graham Wallace who is half-way through his 120-day *review of Rangers’ business *operations and cost structure. Among McCoist’s priorities is the reinstatement of a scouting network at the club which has been completely dismantled over the past two years. “Graham and I speak a lot and we will be having another meeting today at Ibrox,” added McCoist. “He hasn’t indicated to me where he is with it at the moment, but I don’t have any doubt once he’s done his *review we will sit down and look *longer term, in terms of *players for next season, in terms of budget for next season, in terms of our scouting, in terms of *Murray Park and development of *football. “There is a lot of work to be done and a lot of things to be discussed which I know he’s looking forward to and I certainly am as well. I haven’t mentioned a figure to him yet – you’ve dragged that out of me! But it will have to be mentioned at some point, absolutely. “I’ve been invited to board meetings, which I look forward to, to discuss the first team, the under-20s and the youth system. It will all be brought up, as will the scouting which needs to be addressed immediately. “Scouting is an immediate concern, particularly now as we are heavily into the rebuilding process for the club – short, middle and long-term. If we’ve not got a scouting department, which we don’t have, then that is plainly far from ideal. “It’s absolutely staggering that we don’t have a scouting *department. That’s through no fault of Graham Wallace or *anyone on the current board – but it is our problem which needs addressed.” With short-term funding an obvious concern for Rangers, rumours have persisted regarding the possibility of another insolvency event, but McCoist remains comfortable with the assurances to the contrary he has received from Wallace. “He has categorically told me that will not be the case,” said McCoist. “He told me once and if that changed he would have told me otherwise. He told me that’s not the case and that’s good enough for me and I’d fully expect in the relationship I have with him, if the goalposts had moved in that direction he’d have told me.”

Can someone please explain to me why we don't sing this greatest anthem anymore The "authorities" (define them) have said we cant so we follow like sheep. It is legally proofable (is that a word) that this isn't a bigoted or sectarism song....so say lets start a campagn to bring back our anthem. If it means missing a word then so be it....but they cant ban 1 and not for another Hullo Hullo

For anyone wanting anymore info on this scheme , the registration details are here , from the tweets that were coming out it sounds very promising http://scottishfans.org/rangers/

https://twitter.com/TheLoudenTavern

The silence of normally loud mouthed, so quick to condemn Scottish Press over the green and grey hordes attempt to get their homage to dead terrorists into the charts is deafening. The cowardice displayed by the media mirrors the cowardice of the terrorists rather aptly. Anyone for a helping of double standards? *Please move this admin if not appropriate for here.

Thursday, 13 February 2014 15:45 Defensive Options For Boss Written by Andrew Dickson ALLY McCOIST has hinted he’s likely to go for experience over youth at the back when Rangers travel to Ayr in League One this weekend. The manager has admitted teenage defenders Luca Gasparotto and Craig Halkett are in his thoughts after a series of good displays for the under-20s in recent weeks. Playing under Gordon Durie, they’ve helped the team to nine wins in a row and have only just seen a run of 703 minutes without conceding from open play come to an end. McCoist will be without his captain Lee McCulloch and French Tunisian Bilel Mohsni for the trip to Somerset Park as the pair serve suspensions. That leaves gaps to be filled in his rearguard and plenty of supporters would love to see the youngsters given an opportunity. But whoever plays will come up against the most experienced opposition forward in the league, ex-Gers and former English Premiership player Kevin Kyle. McCoist is wary of the 10-time Scotland international who, while in the latter part of his career, is still capable of making an impact. Despite struggling with injuries during his time at Ibrox, Kyle has overcome them to play for the Honest Men 20 times this season and score four goals as a foil for Michael Moffat. Although he has still to finalise his plans for the game, it appears McCoist will opt for a pairing of Sebastien Faure and Emilson Cribari to deal with Kyle on the west coast. Faure has made 22 starts for Gers this season and although Cribari has just three to his name, he was a regular last term as he made the first XI on 33 occasions. McCoist said: “We’ve got some good fixtures in the coming weeks and we’d be very hopeful we can win the league then have a chance to look at one or two boys. “Nothing would give us more pleasure than giving some of the lads an opportunity in the first team. “The boys are doing well very but it’s a different game on Saturday. It’s not an under-20 game and it’s against one of the most experienced strikers in the league. “Kevin, I would suggest, has been over the course and distance and he knows his way about the football park. “The best way I can put it is by saying Gasparotto and Halkett are acquitting themselves very well. “They’re certainly in our thoughts and it’s a compliment to the young lads that we’re thinking about them but we’ve other options too. “Sebastien has been playing at right-back and Emilson has been on the bench as well so that’s something we could think about as Richard Foster could come in at right-back. “A decision has not been made yet but Kenny (McDowall), Ian (Durrant), Jim (Stewart) and myself will sit down and have a talk about it.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6314-defensive-options-for-boss

KILMARNOCK chief Johnston rejected a shares deal offered by the Killie Community Working Party, but he promised to stand down as chairman if it would appease those who were unhappy with his running of the club. MICHAEL JOHNSTON last night insisted he won’t sell Kilmarnock to the fans for personal profit. But he promised to stand down as chairman if it would appease punters unhappy with his running of the club. Johnston made that vow as he outlined new plans for Killie that include: * Two new investors each putting a six-figure sum into the Rugby Park outfit. * The formation of the Kilmarnock Community Engagement board, co-opting local politicians to help with the running of the club. * A restructuring of the debt by splitting the football operation and the hotel adjacent to Rugby Park into two separate companies. Johnston was last week asked to name his price for his shares by the Killie Community Working Party, backed by Supporters Direct Scotland. That move followed the collapse of interest in taking over Kilmarnock shown by a consortium of local businessmen. Last night Johnston broke his silence on both issues and told Record Sport about his vision of the future. He said: “What I’m after is new investment and there are two six-figure investors lined up. “I’m not looking to sell shares for personal profit. I want fresh capital for the club in the midst of a restructuring plan. “I’m looking for people who want to help Killie by buying new shares that would merit them taking a seat on the board. “The way forward is not going to be achieved simply by me selling my shares.” Johnston also has no interest in any scheme to buy the club over once he has got rid of its historical debt, which is understood to be £9million. He said: “That would seem like an unusual proposition to me. I’ve put in 11 years of hard work at Rugby Park, eight of them as chairman, but I’m constantly surprised by some of the novel schemes that are suggested. “However, I’m open to the idea of the club having a new chairman if there are people on the new board who are unhappy and want me removed.” In the meantime, Johnston has promised there’s no danger of Killie going into administration. He said: “We’re looking at the football club and hotel being split into separate companies. But there’s no danger of any insolvency event for either. “Good things are happening at Killie and positive news will be announced over the coming weeks. A new board containing local politicians and businessmen has long been an idea of mine and a pathway has been mapped out concerning debt restructuring. “There are other, confidential plans I can’t go into at the moment. But instead of groups putting money in a war chest with the idea of gaining a controlling interest, they would be better off putting it towards Killie’s working capital for the future.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/kilmarnock-chairman-michael-johnston-insists-3139956

DAVID Robertson witnessed Ally McCoist overcome adversity on more than one occasion in his playing days to become a Rangers legend. And he has backed his old team-mate to tough out the trials and tribulations of being manager at the Ibrox club and make a success of the latest chapter of his career. Robertson, who is now a coach at USL Pro League club Phoenix in the United States, still takes a keen interest in the fortunes of the Glasgow giants. The former left-back has been impressed with how McCoist has fared since succeeding Walter Smith as boss nearly three years ago. And the 45-year-old believes he has the mental strength needed to withstand the intense scrutiny and lead Rangers back to the forefront of the Scottish game. He said: "I still follow how Rangers are doing back home pretty closely online over here and it amazes me when I see the criticism Ally gets sometimes. "His team is unbeaten in the league this season and is still involved in two cup competitions. "It would be a tremendous feat for Rangers to reach the Scottish Cup final this season. It would be a huge achievement for the club. But Ally still gets criticised for performances and results! I don't know what more he can do. "Everybody expects them to win League One this season. I am sure the same will be true next season when they go up to the Championship. "So when they do these things Ally doesn't get any praise because it is simply what is expected of them. But it has always been that way. "When I was at Rangers if we won a league and cup double it was considered a disaster. Even if you won a treble people said: 'Well, you should be doing it anyway!' "Yes, Ally has a full-time squad in what is largely a part-time league and a large wage bill, but I still think that he has a tough job. "The club is still getting 40,000 to 50,000 people coming to their games every week. There is a lot of pressure on him for the team to perform. "I have managed at lower league clubs, at Elgin City and Montrose, without that number of fans and you still feel the pressure." Robertson added: "If you are second at Rangers it is not good enough. At some big clubs you might get away with third or fourth. Not at Rangers though. "I don't think there is any club out there where the pressure is so intense. But Ally has dealt with that pressure for all of his life. "When Graeme Souness was in charge at Rangers he tried to force him out. But Ally loved the club so much he stayed where he was and fought his way back in. "Then Ally broke his leg and everybody said he was finished. But he came back from that as well and was as good as he ever was. "It says a lot about his character that he can remain so upbeat with everything he has to deal with. "There is nobody I would rather have in charge of Rangers at the moment." Scotland international Robertson won six Scottish titles, three League Cups and three Scottish Cups in the seven years that he spent as a player at Rangers. During that time, the cultured defender also played alongside Light Blue legend Ian Durrant. And he reckons there is no better man to help McCoist get Rangers back to the top flight than the former midfielder. Robertson said: "Ian is a real character and real Rangers man as well. "I am sure it will hurt him to see the club in the situation they are currently in and he will be keen to get them out of it along with Ally. "Ally and Ian will be doing everything they can to take Rangers back to the Premiership. "Ally was full of records as a player. So who knows? Maybe he will be a record breaker as manager as well. "Maybe he will be the first Rangers manager to win every league in Scotland." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/robertson-ally-has-been-tried-and-tested-151917n.23419367

Not that I believe it, but, anyway: http://asia.eurosport.com/football/spl/2011-2012/gattuso-considering-rangers-coaching-job_sto4133511/story.shtml He had already played for the club in 1997-98 and his wife is Scottish. The Italian newspaper claims Gattuso is considering the next step in his management career in Glasgow with the Rangers side he never stopped caring about. However, La Gazzetta dello Sport also maintains he has already received an offer to take over, but turned it down. Rino retired from playing last year and aged 36 he has had brief spells as player-manager of Swiss club Sion and Coach of Serie B team Palermo. He was sacked after just six Serie B games in charge of the Sicilian side. Glasgow Rangers are in the Scottish League One after bankruptcy.

This Tour may run on Saturday 8th March dependant on when we play our quarter final tie against Albion Rovers. Join us on a journey of discovery back to 1872 when The Rangers were just the dream of a group of young kids who gathered on Fleshers Haugh. They had no ball, no football kit and used a bush on the green as a changing room. Their Club, which they nurtured, was to become the world?s most successful and it all happened on the streets of Glasgow. Our journey takes us to the area of Fleshers Haugh where The Rangers played their first ever match, we also visit Glassford Street, Union Street, Berkeley Street, Burnbank, Kinning Park, Craigton Cemetery and many other places of interest before finishing off our day with a tour of our magnificent Ibrox Stadium. During our journey we have a 30 minute break at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground in Partick which was the scene of the Rangers first ever Scottish Cup Final in 1877. It gives everyone a chance to unwind, grab a beer or soft drink and a bite to eat at a beautiful and historical setting. Adults : £20 Children (under 16) and Senior Citizens £15. Group discounts are available upon request. To reserve your seat just send an email to : thegallantpioneers@googlemail.com For further information phone : 0790 2855536 An insight into our research can be found here on our website. http://www.thegallantpioneers.co.uk/