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By mutual consent. Oh dear! Striker Kenny Miller moves on May 4, 2014 VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that the club has parted ways with striker Kenny Miller. The club and Miller have mutually agreed to a contract termination. “We are thankful for the contributions Kenny made both on and off the pitch during his time in Vancouver,” said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson. "He has been a great role model, a constant professional, and someone who I consider a very good friend. We wish him and his family all the best.” Miller, 34, joined Whitecaps FC in June 2012 and during his time with the club the native of Edinburgh, Scotland, made 45 appearances in all competitions, registering 13 goals and adding three assists. Conference call audio from head coach Carl Robinson and Kenny Miller will be posted on whitecapsfc.com this afternoon.
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Only a month away. Being it Brazil should in theory be the best World Cup but some stadia are not even ready. We are due a good World Cup as the last 2-3 haven't been great. Mexico 86 was the first WC I can remember and is probably the greatest of all time. Italia 90 was good as was France 98. I fancy Argentina to win it. Groups below and Ive put in bold who i think will qualify from groups. Group A Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon Group B Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia Group C Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan Group D Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy Group E Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras Group F Argentina, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Iran, Nigeria Group G Germany, Portugal, Ghana, United States Group H Belgium, Algeria, Russia, South Korea
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Italian Cup Final - Napoli fan shot dead
Ser Barristan Selmy posted a topic in General Football Chat
On Sky Sports just now. Match delayed. -
A truly wonderful eulogy written by Andy Steel for the site on the day of Sandy's funeral in Edinburgh. http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/241-sandy-jardine-a-tribute
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http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/police-probe-launched-after-rangers-3464370 Forgive me, but I think things have just taken a particularly unedifying turn for the worse.
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According to STV the review will be published to LSE today as planned. Please ensure all discussion takes place in this thread where appropriate. Full review for download here: http://t.co/HNRfyvKDAe -
RANGERS are behaving as though their 120-day business review will have to be crowbarred out of their directors' hands. The more cynical of this club's supporters would not be surprised if the update was delivered in encrypted text this Friday, such has been the apparent reluctance to let the findings out into the public domain. Friday will be day 128, incidentally, and all that has been promised is "update" rather than any extensive illumination of the Ibrox strategy. This is what football has come to: thousands of fans desperately waiting for breaking news on what they would once have dismissed as bone-dry financial strategies. Maybe Graham Wallace, the chief executive, didn't realise he was creating such a hostage to fortune when he announced this business review at the annual general meeting in December, but its significance has mushroomed Directors and fans are in a Mexican stand-off over season tickets. If Wallace placates the masses, damage will be done to the Union of Fans/Dave King attempt to persuade thousands to break the traditional supply chain and instead put their money into a trust fund. But on all available evidence so far it's hard to see what Wallace can deliver which will remotely placate them. Wallace is probably shrewd enough to know what's coming his way when the information is released. In the four months since he bought himself time by announcing this review, Rangers have divested themselves of two figures most of the support considered to be toxic: finance director Brian Stockbridge and public relations adviser Jack Irvine. The club also secured a shirt sponsorship deal with 32Red. Hip, hip hurrays all round? Well, yes, for a moment. Each of those moves was significant, yet they have had no lasting effect on the swirl of negativity around Rangers or the hostility and suspicion shown towards the board. Wallace's own popularity and standing has steadily eroded. At the time of the annual meeting supporters were able to distinguish between him and the rest of the unpopular board. Now, much less so. What can he say in this review that will make the critics pause and say, "actually, yeah, that's not bad, this could win us round"? Three days ago it became personal towards Wallace when his salary and bonus was openly questioned by supporters group The Union of Fans. Maybe £315,000-per-annum really is the going rate for high end football club chief executives these days, although Rangers continue to seem like pushovers when it comes to doing deals with just about anyone. But if Wallace is on another of those 100% Ibrox bonus deals, as his critics clearly believe, fans will see him as being a continuation of the chain of ****s and opportunists when they had hoped he would come in and cleanse the club of them all. What seems likely now is that Wallace's update will exasperate and irritate those fans further, hardening their opposition to the board and deepening their resolve to starve out the incumbent regime by withholding season ticket money. The collapse of King's cordial working relationship with the directors is significant, given that he surely had some sort of insight into Wallace's intended strategy. Positions are entrenched. No fair-minded supporter will reject Wallace's findings on a stubborn point-of-principle. Perhaps he will surprise them and come up with a plan which seems imaginative, ambitious and realistic. But it's only two months since this Rangers board had to go cap in hand for £1.5m in emergency loans just to see the club over the line until the next season-ticket money. At the end of last year the board suggested the players take a 15% wage cut: that was rejected and, since then, nothing more has been heard of it and no other cuts have been publicly proposed. Wallace is on record as saying costs are too high. Money continues to haemorrhage from Rangers. If Wallace's update acknowledges that the club needs either severe cuts or substantial external investment then the latter will be embraced by those who champion King and find it unfathomable, and deeply suspicious, that his apparent willingness to invest has not been encouraged by the Rangers board. What freedom does Wallace have here? This review has been sanctioned by Sandy and James Easdale and the rest of the Rangers board. Would it ever see the light of day if it delivered findings they didn't like? When Rangers said the update would be announced on Friday April 25 (which will be day 127, incidentally), fans immediately clocked that they would have only the weekend to consider it before deciding whether or not to cancel the auto-renewal of their season-tickets (which may not be enough time if it that has to be done in writing). That was either a calculating move by the club or an unthinking one, but either way it looked sleekit and did nothing to build bridges with the support. Wallace and chairman David Somers have both spoken of the need to be more open and transparent with )supporters but done next to nothing to back it up. Wallace will be heard before the week is out, though. His job may pay well, but it's an unenviable one: this week he must calm and win over supporters implacably opposed to the regime he represents. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/opinion/wallaces-strategy-update-may-be-too-late-to-win-over-rangers-fans.24005492?utm_source=headlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email%2Balert -
Chaps, I'm not looking to troll or create tension here, but for the life of me I can't work out why any bear can trust or support the current board. I've seen nothing from the board that can help balance up my own feelings and each passing week sees more shit rolled at supporters. So, in the spirit of good debate, what are the good points of the board which gets them support, albeit a small minority, but support all the same from fellow Bears. What are the positives from board.
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It's that time again! Post your captions folks! Photo copyright: 2014 Willie Vass Six hundred grand shirt sponsorship for our first season back in the premier league? Eh?
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Monday, 14 April 2014 20:00 Business Review Update Written by Rangers Football Club "THE Board of Rangers Football Club notes the concern of supporters around the timing of release of an update from the Club’s business review ahead of the renewal deadline for season tickets. The Board confirms, in accordance with its previous announcements, that the business review will be completed as planned and an update will be issued to shareholders and supporters on 25th April, ahead of the season ticket renewal deadline as previously indicated." http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6763-business-review-update
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Thought this Investors Chronicle (IC) article was quite interesting and maybe worth posting since it mentions our new shirt sponsor 32Red and their deal with us.... 888 numbers prove the race is on By Harriet Russell 16 April 2014 A bullish set of numbers from online gambling company 888 Holdings (888) is the latest example proving the online gambling sector is locked in an unforgiving 'arms race', with companies attempting to win as much investor confidence and new customers as possible before the Point of Consumption (PoC) tax is introduced this December. 888 only released its full-year results at the end of March, reporting a 30 per cent increase in reported pre-tax profits and a 7 per cent jump in revenues year-on-year. Additionally, it handed back $50m (£30m) to shareholders, declaring an additional special dividend worth 7¢ share for 2013. And now, first-quarter figures are equally good, with an 11 per cent year-on-year rise in quarterly revenues and a 7 per cent improvement on the final quarter of 2013. Particular progress was made in consumer bingo, with revenues up 9 per cent on the final quarter of last year. This will be welcome news after the bingo business saw revenues plummet 16 per cent in 2013. But the bullish news update must be understood in a wider context. The gambling sector is facing one of the worst years for regulatory upheaval: if PoC is introduced on time, all online gambling companies will be subject to another 15 per cent tax on revenues generated from customers in the UK. It will no longer matter where the company is registered. Traditionally, online gambling companies avoided onshore duties by registering abroad - most commonly in Gibraltar - which rendered other taxes such as Machine Game Duty (MGD) and fixed-odds terminal betting duty irrelevant. But this will no longer be enough to safeguard against PoC. There is no word yet from most of the online gambling companies on how they plan to offset the cost of the new duty in the long term, and concern is building over the effect on prices and the consumer. Instead, the companies have laid out figures which they believe will represent the annual impact going forward. In 888's case, profits are expected to take a $20m beating in a full year. More concerning is the reaction from investors to the incoming taxes. While the March Budget did nothing to alleviate pressure on the sector (fixed-odds terminal betting duty rose from 20 to 25 per cent), widespread panic sent some gambling stocks plummeting. While the long-term measures are unclear and cause shareholder skittishness, a $20m hit to profits at 888 is barely material. The company has a market capitalisation of more than £500m and ended 2013 with over $100m in the bank. But understanding the numbers in relative terms hasn't stopped shares such as those in 32Red (TTR) taking a 16 per cent nose-dive since early March. Forced to address the share price movement, group chief executive Ed Ware insisted guidance for 2014 was still positive and reassured the market of the group's plans to fight PoC in the courts, should it be brought in at the current rate and on time. Mr Ware also emphasised that the changes to fixed-odds terminal betting announced as part of the Budget would not be affecting his business. For now, the gambling companies will focus on growing market share. They believe this is crucial to offset any profit challenges later in the year and will help outstrip future punitive measures. To achieve this, gambling companies are fighting a fierce war to garner as much media coverage as possible before the tax is introduced at the end of the year. Interactive gaming outfit NetPlay TV (NPT) secured a three-year deal with ITV and sponsored reality show Big Brother and its celebrity version last year. Marketing costs were vast, but it appears to be paying off: NetPlay TV reported a 25 per cent increase in new players by the end of 2013. Similarly, 32Red announced this week that it will be the new sponsor for Rangers International Football Club (RFC) for the 2014-15 season, and betting exchange group Betfair (BET) has signed deals for more television coverage over the next 15 months, including during the World Cup and Champions League broadcasts. IC VIEW: Online gambling companies are in a race against time. But investors shouldn't accept bullish numbers, increased spending and bumper TV deals as signs of confidence. In many cases, it will be the very opposite. http://www.investorschronicle.co.uk/2014/04/16/shares/news-and-analysis/numbers-prove-the-race-is-on-eryg1ZRovbS73m2ubEijjI/article.html -
GRAHAM WALLACE insists Rangers are making 'substantial progress off the field' as they gear up for next season's SPFL Championship campaign. The Light Blues this week clinched a shirt sponsorship deal with online casino giants 32Red, who will replace Blackthorn in the summer and become the Gers' partners for the next three seasons. Ally McCoist's side are just one season away from their return to the Scottish top flight and chief executive Wallace said: "We are delighted to announce this deal. It shows we are making substantial progress off the field. "This is a good long-term partnership for Rangers. "We can leverage the strength of the 32Red brand and this deal can help reinvigorate the Rangers brand domestically and internationally. "We are working very hard to re-energise and reposition the club on the international stage. That goes hand in hand with our progression up the leagues and we are planning for next season in the Championship with one eye very firmly on the seasons beyond that. "Having a strong commercial partnership portfolio is very important to the club. "Attracting blue chip brands to be partners allows us to grow our commercial revenue which in turn allows us to reinvest right across the business. We are very pleased with this deal and it is the first, tangible step in our new commercial strategy. "The Championship will be a very competitive division and we are doing all our preparation to make sure that, in the true traditions of Rangers Football Club, we expect to be competitive and we expect to be successful." Wallace is due to complete his 120-day overview of the books at Ibrox on Friday but the club confirmed this week that they will only publish an 'update' on April 25. Wallace said: "We will shortly be publishing the results of the club's business review, as we committed to do, following an in-depth review of all areas of club operations. "This will give fans an insight into understanding the current status of club operations and how we are working to put in place what is needed to build for future success." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/wallace-happy-with-off-field-progress-at-rangers-159803n.23978036
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DAVE KING tonight fired another attack on the Rangers board. The South African businessman has declared war on the current Ibrox regime and has issued a strongly-worded statement again urging Rangers fans not to renew season tickets. The statement reads: I must respond to the Rangers board’s criticism of my appeal to withhold season ticket advances. This board continues its habit of evading issues by attacking the integrity of any individual or group that speaks out against them. I am happy to engage the board on our comparative integrity. Unlike this board, I do not regard integrity as a character attribute that comes with an ON/OFF switch. When I met with the board the Chairman requested that, other than the two public statements that we made, the balance of our discussions would remain private. I agreed to that and, despite requests from fan groups to disclose the full details of my discussions, I steadfastly honoured my undertaking. This board did not do likewise. In an ill-judged attempt to discredit me, they have now disclosed my comment to them that I preferred not to put money into Rangers if it could be found from other sources. In this instance they demonstrated their lack of integrity for no advantage as I had already, as part of my frank discussions with the fan groups, advised them that I had no prime ambition to invest further in the club but will do so if no other investors come forward. I would be delighted if the club could thrive without any investment from me. This attempt at a “juicy” leak by the board merely proves that it is impossible to engage this board on a basis of confidentiality and integrity. The board has now stated that it was always its intention to only provide the business review after season ticket advances had largely been paid. It has denied that it agreed that the business review would be made available prior to fans committing to season ticket advances even though I referred to this agreement in my public statement immediately after our meeting. At the time the board allowed my public statement, in toto, to go unchallenged. Presumably it had no concern with what I stated. Again, we have an integrity issue but fortunately have common sense as a referee. We know that the board did not challenge my public statement of last month. It is also common cause that the vital issue for the fans is to be told what ambition the owners have for the club and how this is going to be funded. It must be obvious that the fans need this information prior to investing - not after. The board’s new version lacks integrity even if it was believable. Given that the board is quick to raise integrity and trust as key issues I would like to pose simple questions that are easy to reply to with a simple yes or no. a) Does the board agree it is unfair to ask fans to buy season tickets before they consider the business review? b) Does the board agree that, given the present financial position of the club, it is appropriate to provide Ibrox Park and Murray Park as security against season ticket advances? c) Does the board agree that in the latter half of December 2013 it was in discussions to obtain finance that would be needed prior to the end of the current season? d) Does the board agree that in the latter half of December 2013 it provided public assurances to the fans that the club had sufficient cash to last until the end of the current season? Without satisfactory answers to these questions fans should not be expected to invest in season tickets.
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Rangers have secured a much-needed financial boost by agreeing a shirt sponsorship deal with internet gaming firm 32Red. The online casino company’s name will replace Blackthorn cider on the home and away shirts of the League One champions from the start of next season. A multi-year deal has been thrashed out that both parties will hope is seen in effect in the top flight of Scottish football. Ally McCoist’s men will be playing in the Championship next season, a platform sure to provide greater than usual exposure for sponsors with the presence of both Rangers and Hearts. The Gibraltar-based firm are already an established brand of backers of English club football. Barclays Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Swansea have previously worn 32Red’s logo on their jerseys and they are currently sponsors of League One Crawley Town and Newport County of League Two. The boost to the troubled Rangers revenue streams comes at the end of another turbulent week in which Dave King advised fans not to purchase club merchandise, as well as urging them to funnel season-ticket money into a trust fund, in his latest outspoken attack on the Ibrox board. The club also launched a campaign to encourage distrusting supporters to renew season tickets for the 2014-15 campaign ahead of a May 6 deadline. The success of that promotion drive is yet to be determined and the long-awaited 120-day business review of chief executive Graham Wallace remains under wraps. However, confirmation of the value of the deal that been clinched with 32Red should at least guarantee Rangers cherished income at the close of another season which has been full of financial turmoil. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2603545/Rangers-boost-coffers-signing-shirt-deal-online-casino-32Red.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
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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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No quotes, could have done it before, and is one of those thrown in the hat every now and then. Alas, he sure has the money to do it ... and is presumably not many people's favourite either. Daily Mirror
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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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http://kickoff.blogs.lequipe.fr/les-rangers-religion-decosse/ Someone care to translate?
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KAYAL has taken an astonishing swipe at Scottish football and at Rangers skipper Lee McCulloch after admitting he is set to quit Parkhead. BERAM KAYAL was the life and soul of the title party as Celtic celebrated three in a row at Parkhead on Saturday. The Israeli midfielder’s selfies, podium pogoing and scarf waving looked the picture of jubilation from a player who has taken the club to his heart. Behind the beaming smiles, though, lay the painful truth this was his last hurrah in the Hoops. Deep down Kayal realises the relationship has run its course and he expects to be moved on in summer when his contract enters its final year. His love affair with the Scottish game has turned sour and he can trace his troubles back to the Old Firm game of December 2011. A crunching tackle from Rangers’ Lee McCulloch – who Kayal swears deliberately set out to hurt him – wiped out four months of his career and began the series of injuries that have blighted him since. The 25-year-old’s status at Celtic has diminished from midfield mainstay to fringe player and he has made just four Premiership starts this season, failing to last the 90 minutes in any of them. It is a far cry from the stunning impact Kayal made when he arrived from Maccabi Haifa in 2010 and attracted interest from Manchester United and Liverpool. There was talk of a £7million switch with the player claiming Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish were both keen to sign him. However, injuries and loss of form have dropped him well down the pecking order and as he eyes a fresh start Kayal has put the boot into the frenetic style of the Scottish game. He said: “Initially I liked this league but after all the injuries I now no longer like it. “There is a lack of technique. The football is played at breakneck pace with power and intensity and it doesn’t stop for a minute. But I’m not in love with this league.” Kayal’s contract runs until June 2015 but he reckons Celtic will cash in on him this summer rather than risk losing him for nothing next year. He said: “A friend of mine, Joe Ledley, was on the verge of his contract expiring and was sold to Crystal Palace. “Maybe this will happen to me because football is a business at the end of the day. “If someone comes up with an attractive proposition to Celtic and me then I’ll go. “In my first season at Celtic a lot of teams came to watch me and tried to find out my price tag. “Kenny Dalglish, who was manager of Liverpool, and Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United had communications with me. “When a lot of teams were interested Celtic wanted too much money – like £6m or £7m. Now because of my injuries the price is much lower. “But my dream is still alive and well, I am only 26 next month.” Kayal might be on his way out of Scotland but it’s not in his nature to go quietly. The tenacious little midfielder was keen to make sure he had a swipe at Ibrox skipper McCulloch, who he will never forgive for the full-blooded challenge that sidelined him for four months with ankle-ligament damage. He said: “The injury didn’t look that bad but I believe he did it on purpose. That player is not the cleanest in the world. “I have not forgotten that for a moment. I was out for a long time and even when I came back I was not 100 per cent. “He was very rude about it. I suppose it’s part of football but I’m happy that every time I’ve played against him since I have beaten him.” Kayal endured another long spell out after being crocked by Kaka during a Champions League clash this season, although he was more forgiving of the Brazilian. He said: “After a difficult time I came back and was enjoying football like never before and I scored in the Champions League against Ajax. I felt my injury problems were behind me. “Then we played AC Milan and in the first minute Kaka caught me. He said sorry a few minutes later and I told him, ‘You have broken my leg.’ “I actually played on for 30 minutes but I couldn’t change direction. That caused me to miss another three-and-a-half months. “After the game he asked for my forgiveness and we exchanged shirts. He didn’t do it on purpose. “I felt like I should be wearing the Mario Balotelli shirt ‘Why Always Me?’ “Every time I get injured it seems to be another four months out. Touch wood, I am fit again now.” While he is almost resigned to leaving Kayal will miss the buzz of Old Firm matches and the Celtic fans – even if he still struggles to understand them despite living in Glasgow for four years. He added: “For me the league is lacking because Rangers are not there. I miss the derby, the noise of the fans. “I went to see Manchester City v Barcelona and the noise in the stadium was nothing like Celtic Park. Even our Champions League nights are nothing compared to Celtic v Rangers. “People do not understand – it is bigger than any game against Barcelona or AC Milan. “I have a great understanding with the fans but I have been in Scotland four years and sometimes I still don’t understand them.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/celtic-midfielder-beram-kayal-slams-3338953
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On the eve of his 1000th game Alan Smith picked his best Wenger XI excluding players that were at Arsenal before he arrived - meaning likes of Seaman, Adams , Parlour and Bergkamp cant be picked. He went: _____________________Lehmann_____________________ Sagna_________Campbell____Koscielny_______Cole Walcott_______Vieira_____Fabregas_________Pires _________________Henry____Van Persie________ Im going: ___________________Szecezny_____________________ Lauren_______Campbell____Toure_________Cole Walcott_____Vieira_______Fabregas______Pires ________________Ljungberg___________________ _______________________Henry________________ RVP was a one season wonder while Ljungberg was class for years. And Walcott has offered more than RVP also so gets in the team. Hard to leave out Anelka and Overmars but Pires gave that bit extra on the left and Ljungberg has to make it.
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Scottish Cup success would mean Rangers have had a better season than Celtic
Guest posted a topic in Rangers Chat
http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/19/scottish-cup-success-would-mean-rangers-have-had-a-better-season-than-celtic-4642294/ Thoughts? -
It has been less than 2 weeks since RangersFirst was launched with the aim of purchasing shares in Rangers in order to achieve transparent, authoritative consultation with the club. We have had a fantastic online response with invitations coming from many supporters’ clubs across the UK asking RangersFirst to present the scheme to their club members. We are getting very close to our next milestone of 1000 members and to celebrate this incredible achievement we will be giving away a signed 2003 Rangers top to one of our lucky members. David McLuckie from Denniston has kindly donated this fantastic framed Rangers shirt signed by the 2003 squad. To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic piece of Rangers memorabilia all you have to do is sign up to RangersFirst or be an existing member. A winner will be picked at random and their name will be published on the RangersFirst website.
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.....players must prove they belong at Ibrox after dismal display in Cup. BARRY believes Ally McCoist's men are now playing for their futures at Rangers in the wake of the shock draw with Albion Rovers. EMBARRASSING. The word has attached itself to Rangers for one reason or another over the last few days and I must admit I don’t like it one little bit. Like when Ally McCoist said it wasn’t embarrassing to draw at home to Albion Rovers in the Cup, some people had a go at him for it and thought the manager’s reaction was an embarrassment in itself. Not me. Then Ian Black asked the fans, ‘What more do you want?’ To tell you the truth, I could see where he was coming from too but there was something about the way he said it that did make you want to cringe. And all this over the space of a few days when the team has just won another title. Maybe people will say it was embarrassing for Rangers to be seen to be celebrating that success too because right now it seems my old club just can’t win, even when they are winning. But you can count me out of that camp right away. Yes, it might only be League One and, I agree, there is a big difference between lifting that championship and beating Celtic to the big one in the top flight. Of course there is. But a title is a title all the same. When Coisty and the players started out this season they had a job to do – to win the league and get the hell out of the division as quickly as possible. Well here they are seven months later, job done. With nearly three months to spare. Yes, I know it hasn’t always been great in terms of the quality of the football that has been played along the way. But that will be forgotten about over time and the record books will show that Rangers chalked up two straight promotions on the journey back up through the divisions. So don’t tell me these guys don’t deserve to celebrate what they’ve done. That’s just mean-spirited and spiteful. But – and yes, there is a but – these players must also realise that some of their displays over the course of the season have left a lot to be desired. And I’m talking here in particular about the performance against Albion at the weekend. Because if any of the boys in the team think that was acceptable then they are at the wrong club. I watched the game and it wasn’t great. Look, there were some mitigating factors. I’ll give them that. For instance, these Albion Rovers kids were having the day of their lives. They went to Ibrox knowing they might never play at a stadium like that again. It was a one off and they gave everything they had for their team and their manager, who went there with a game plan. At times it was five at the back and five across the midfield. But good luck to them. They did what they set out to do. Was it embarrassing for Coisty? Knowing the way he thinks I’m sure that inside he was hurting badly. But he did the right thing by not saying so in public. He was absolutely correct when he said that. Had he done so he would have been showing complete disrespect to his opponents. He certainly doesn’t deserve to be criticised for good manners. I understand Rangers fans expected a lot better. I understand because I am one of them and I did too. But no one will have felt more let down by that performance than the manager. He might not say so outside the dressing room but he knows more than anyone what is required and expected of Rangers. Yes, they should be skelping Albion Rovers by four or five goals. So scraping a 1-1 draw WAS probably embarrassing. But it happened and it’s the manager’s job to deal with it and move on. I have no doubt he’ll have given his players a very different message in the privacy of that dressing room. He’ll have been furious and, from personal experience, I know he won’t have missed his targets behind closed doors. Put it this way, he won’t need a long team talk before the replay. If anyone in that team doesn’t know what is at stake on Monday night then there is something wrong with them. In fact, maybe it’s not just the Albion Rovers boys who might never play at a stadium like Ibrox again because a few of Coisty’s own players will now be playing for their futures. A lot of these guys are on good money and the truth is they have not been giving value back to the club, the manager and the supporters. I am positive Ally will have already made his mind up about some of them. He will know which of them needs to be replaced in the summer. The problem he has right now is that he still doesn’t know if he’ll have enough of a budget to make the changes he’d like to ahead of next season in the Championship. And that uncertainty makes it hard for him to be as honest about these players as he might like to be. You can’t throw a guy under the bus one week then ask him to go out there and play for you again the next. They are all he’s got right now and, at this moment in time, he needs to do whatever he can to bring them with him and get them to up their game. I’m learning myself about how difficult life can be as a manager. Thankfully I won my first game as Blackpool manager on Tuesday but I realise there is a lot of hard work ahead if we are going to turn our own season around. I know how hard I am working on the training field in trying to get my message across and to get the team to play in the manner I want. I changed my game plan completely on Tuesday night and it worked for us but when you send them out across that white line you are a hostage to fortune. You ask players to do a specific job and sometimes it just does not happen. That’s why I have some sympathy for Coisty. We both know the buck always stops with the manager but there comes a time when the players must take their share of responsibility too. When I came back to Rangers after my move to Blackburn I knew there were a lot of fans who didn’t want me back. I knew because they weren’t slow in telling me. So it was down to me to go out there and prove my worth. Every time I pulled on that shirt, I knew my own reputation was going on the line. Maybe it’s about time some of the guys in that dressing room started to see things the same way. If their attitude isn’t right then there is no place for them at Rangers. It’s not too late to save themselves – they could end this season as heroes if they go on to win the Scottish Cup. But to do that they need to give themselves a shake and accept there is more to being a Rangers player than just turning up for training at Murray Park. And I expect to see them prove it emphatically on Monday night. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/barry-ferguson-title-win-great-3240280
