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Rangers manager Walter Smith hopes to set up a player exchange programme with David Beckham's future employers, Major League Soccer outfit LA Galaxy. The Glasgow side will face Galaxy in a friendly in the USA on 23 May. And Smith told the Scottish Daily Express: "We will be holding talks with a view to setting up an exchange scheme that can help develop players. "With Beckham already signed, they will attract the cream of American kids who want to play alongside a superstar." Former England midfielder Beckham will join the Californian outfit in a five-year deal worth a reported �£128m once he leaves Real Madrid in the summer. "When I was Scotland manager, I spoke to then USA coach Bruce Arena at Hampden and he felt the best-ever crop of American players was just about to break through," said Smith. "A club like Rangers can't afford to ignore such a vast pool of talent and I can't think of a better club over there to have close ties with than LA Galaxy. "We would be prepared to have their players and coaches at Murray Park for a few months at a time and vice versa. "I don't foresee any problems and it's something I'm very keen on. "There are no regulatory issues with younger players coming over and, while you need a work permit for those you want to sign at professional level, you oten find American lads have European links and even have passports for EC countries." LA Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas feels exchange schemes can help his club grow. "If there was a chance for players to move between Glasgow and the US, for example, it could be beneficial for both clubs," said the former USA defender "Establishing connections is important for us and Rangers come into that. "For us, it is a chance to tap into their history and expertise."

Not really any suprises, bet it was a hell of a night for Prso though !!

Whilst we were dominating Scottish Football in the early 90ââ?¬â?¢s, Rangers were ââ?¬Ë?richerââ?¬â?¢ than clubs like Manchester United and after our fantastic European adventure in 93, we were better placed to win the European Cup than teams like Man U, Arsenal, Chelsea etc. It can be argued that those ââ?¬Ë?bigââ?¬â?¢ English clubs were still adjusting to life in the ââ?¬Ë?newââ?¬â?¢ English Premiership and life back on the European stage after years of exile. However, we defeated the English Champions home and away on the way to the inaugural Champions League group stages and were only denied a place in the final by the corrupt French Champions. So what happened to this fantastic opportunity? Well SKY TV arrived and financed the EPL, UEFA changed the goal-post regarding the CL and the 3 foreigner rule, and IMO David Murray allowed Walter Smith to stay on as Rangers manager for too long and the team that drank together, stagnated together. After securing 9-in-a-row Walter Smith decided that he would leave Rangers the following season and if we are honest, it was torture watching that aging team limp towards what would have been a historic 10-in-a-row, Now the nostalgic and romantics amongst us would argue that that team/squad deserved the chance to etch themselves into history. However, after a season that started fantastically (who can forget the moody Italian Marco Negri scoring with almost every touch he had ââ?¬â?? well, it seemed that way, then weââ?¬â?¢d watch him sulk back to the half-way line!). I know that hindsight is a wonderful thing, but you have to ask why SDM allowed Walter Smith to continue even after he had handed in his notice. Looking back to Graeme Souness, as soon as Souness indicated that he would be leaving for Liverpool, SDM showed him the door and booked him a taxi to the airport. So, why did Walter Smith not get the same treatment? Would a change of manager after securing 9-in-a-row ensured that we would have continued our domestic dominance and recharge our European challenge as this had faded since the halcyon days on 92/93? Weââ?¬â?¢ll never know, but Iââ?¬â?¢m sure a change of manager would have seen a change in fortunes as the season draw to a close. Walter Smith, rightly or wrongly chose to stick with the mainstay of the 9-in-a-row team who were clearly running on empty. We actually had 2 chances to win the league that year and blew them both (losing at home to Motherwell and away to Aberdeen) after defeating Craptic twice in a week in the Scottish Cup and League. We were famously to lose the league and both domestic cups that season but perversely, that season was to give me the possibly the proudest moment in my Rangers supporting life. As we stood at Tannidice, the deposed Champions and the 10-in-a-row dream in tatters, knowing that the manager and majority of players would be leaving, we reacted ââ?¬Ë?the Rangers wayââ?¬â?¢. The fans stood to a man (woman and child) and sang of their love for Rangers and applauded the players/manager from the pitch. Rangers, dignified in victory and defeat. Now it is worth reminding ourselves that at this stage in our history, we were still financially sound ââ?¬â?? and that our bitterest (sic) of rivals were still recovering from being on the brink or extinction. We were, in all honesty, going into the 10-in-a-row season, 10-15 years ahead of them off and on the pitch - all that was about to change. IMO, this is SDMââ?¬â?¢s greatest crime, allowing such a change in such a short space of time. SDM must have known that our debt was about to spiral out of control and should have put measures in place to ensure that we stayed ahead of the game. To his eternal shame, he didnââ?¬â?¢t and all our current ills can be traced back to this point in our history. SDM appeared to have pulled of a mater-stroke by appointing Dick Advocaat as our new manager. DA signed a whole host of exciting players like Amato, Gio, Numan and erm, Bert Konterman! After a shacky start and a thumping at the hands of Craptic, DAââ?¬â?¢s team gelled and played some wonderful football that saw his reclaim OUR title and win a glorious treble. Plenty other domestic success came or way along with some very credible performances and results on the European stage. Everything in the garden appeared rosy, oh how we were mistaken. DA started to lose the plot and Craptic under a new regime (on and off the pitch) stole our thunder and DA had to fall on his sword. He was replaced by Alex McLeish, an appointment that had a lot or Rangers fans shaking their heads in disappointment. To AMââ?¬â?¢s credit, he managed to match Crapticââ?¬â?¢s 2nd most successful manager on the trophy count (including a treble) whilst having to sell our better players, reduce the wage bill and replace them with inferior quality. Any money we made was put to servicing the debt whilst our financially sound neighbours had money to invest in their team. However, we were offered a ââ?¬Ë?chink of lightââ?¬â?¢. Martin Oââ?¬â?¢Neill was leaving Craptic and leaving them in a min-crisis. We had snatched the league title from under their noses for a 2nd time and their aging squad was to be dissembled. This was an opportunity for us to strengthen from a position of being the champions, but again SDM refused to back his manager with the funds required to forge ahead to domestic dominance. Once again, we were left in our rivals shadows and AM was sacked and replaced by PLG. Again, we have hope but alas, it was to be false hope and SDM didnââ?¬â?¢t back his new charge with money either. So after 2 disastrous domestic campaigns, can our leader take a possible opportunity to put us back where we belong? Or will he once again, miss a golden opportunity? If the (strong) rumours are to be believed, Gordon Strachan will leave Craptic in the summer and return to a role in the EPL ââ?¬â?? most likely at Manchester City. Crapticââ?¬â?¢s form over the closing half of the season hasnââ?¬â?¢t been particularly good and only our woeful results under PLG have stopped us from mounting a serious challenge in the league and cups. So what will our esteemed leader do this summer? I think heââ?¬â?¢ll do what he has done in the last 5 summers, give his charge a minimum transfer budget to sign players who are expected to replace the ââ?¬Ë?betterââ?¬â?¢ players in our squad. The early indications donââ?¬â?¢t look promising, but surely a brilliant business man like SDM can smell an opportunity and would do what ever it took to put his ââ?¬Ë?businessââ?¬â?¢ back on top? I wouldnââ?¬â?¢t bet on it, this summer will be another missed opportunity for SDM and for Rangers. Cammy F

This has been so regular recently, we have had so much days off. Saturdays are all about football and the summer is approaching fast when we will have about a 10 week break which is bad enough, but we have lots of off days in Feb, Mar and Apr. One reason is being out of the Scottish Cup. We are almost on out longest stretch of not winning this trophy since that big gap between 1981 and 1992!!. Since then we won it in 92, 93, 96, 99, 2000, 2002, 2003 but we are now we have at least a 5 year gap since winning the oldest trophy in history!! That HAS to be rectified for next season!! Even the league cup has illuded us for a few season, so next season is MUST for some sort of silverware. To be fair to Walter Smith he hasnt had anything to play for this season as we were out of both cups when he arrived and the title was out of reach, so Im sure he will be successful in his search next season. But its frustrating times right now as we cant even get a game on a saturday afternoon in April but its all about being patient just now. WATP

RANGERS under-19s have beaten Ross County 3-0 in their SFA Youth Cup semi-final clash in Dingwall tonight. Victoria ParkA crowd of 1,493 travelled to Victoria Park to watch the Staggies take on Billy Kirkwood's team but the home side failed to match their SPL opponents who romped to a comprehensive victory. Steven Lennon, who was in superb form, opened the scoring on 18 minutes with a typically composed finish but despite dominating the first-half Rangers failed to increase their advantage up to the interval. This all changed when William McLachlan replaced winger Adda Djeziri on 57 minutes and the substitute was to score with his first touch before Andrew Shinnie celebrates his goalAndrew Shinnie secured a memorable win against the SFL Champions by netting a third on 66 minutes. County will have been disappointed not to test keeper Scott Gallacher more throughout the tie but there is no doubt that Rangers were worthy winners and the Murray Park starlets can now look forward to a final against Old Firm rivals Celtic at Hampden on April 26. RANGERS: Gallacher, Lowing, Kinniburgh, Perry, Smith, Emslie, Djeziri (McLachlan ), Shinnie, Lennon, Furman, McMillan

Its one of those typical, standard interviews from a fed-up player or more likely his agent. Maybe he will be for the off after all to boost the transfer kitty? That might make sense with Weir being first choice and us having a few candidates who could come in alongside him. Besides, if Webster is going to cost us �£500,000 or so, we could pay for him from Svensson's fee and have money to spare. Taken from the Daily R*cord:

We have to be honest and real now, the last 3 years have produced the worst Rangers sides that I have seen (the older posters may think different) and 2 title wins in the last day of the season has kept Celtic from being on 7 in a row and in the other 5 seasons they have won the league by huge margins. That is saying something!! This is the 2nd season in a row without a trophy and that for Rangers is a disaster considering the League Cup is a diddy cup and Gretna can manage a Scottish Cup final appearance while being a 2nd division side. The amount of players who have been in and out of Ibrox in the last few years is enough to set up a league in a small country, and some didnt even kick a ball like that Italian. We arent going to get stability like that but it seems that certain players were preferred all the time even if there form was shoddy and they simply cant be dropped. Even when one of our managers tried to drop a player in poor form he ends up out the door - thats the sort of stuff you couldnt make up and is a journalists dream. The other thing is we dont seem to play players in their preferred positions hence once again meaning we are going to struggle. In the past we have had a few great playmakers being the link from midfield to frontmen. Gascoigne and De Boer were in a different class at doing this and we admit we wont see this type of player with us again for a long time. But when we do get a few players in this role with a hint of talent they are not given the chance. Im talking about Namouchi, Lovenkrands and Buffel here. Lovenkrands shined in the european stage and in Old firm games and had pace to scare defenders but he was deployed on the wing most of the time. Namouchi was thrown out on the wide right or left depending what number McLeish drew him out of the hat and Buffel was the same. Since Smith has came in he has steadied the ship and made us hard to beat and score against. He did well in january singing two solid defenders and at the moment we are top of the form table and closed the huge gap on Celtic. Things are looking better at the back but in midfield and upfront we are still absolute rank rotten bar 1 or 2 players. I'll give Smith the benefit of the doubt as he only had a few weeks in January to buy players, but come the summer Im hoping for the same improvements in the others areas of the squad but buys like Gow wont convince me.

Was played at Ibrox today and i pooped along and wathced the game along with my friend who is a Celtic fan :admin: Anyway here is the report from the Official site Fleck looked very good but his challenge was shocking, Furman and Lennon were very impressive . The whole defense had a comftable game with Utd only having one chance. Djeziri looked no bad when he came on and was show boating a bit . Not a bad game and the team looks very good Anyone else go

Mmm, not sure if he will be with us next season. I actually hope he is as I still think he is one player who has skill, pace and can create many chances for us IF he is used properly.

Started the season very well and scored a few but since then has turned into a dumping so I might do a brake dance if he leaves.

Every team is going to have a bad game now and again - even the best Rangers teams had them during 9 in a row. However when you look at it with a bit more of a sympathetic eye, since Walter has come in, without being able to change the team much, he has produced the best form in the league. 9 games, 7 wins, 2 draws, 23pts, 3 goals against, 6 clean sheets. That's championship winning form and equates to about 97pts if extrapolated over a season. It all depends if Walter can turn this result into a hiccough by motivating the team to producing a good performance and gain 3pts next week. If the team can bag that rate of points now, think what Walter might be able to do given some funds and 5 more recruits. We know Prso is on his last legs and Smith plans to bring in a replacement - fully fit target man could turn Boyd into a superstar while the new guy could be scoring a fair amount himself. Brown could give us another dimension on the right wing and give Novo and Burke some competition to think about. A left winger to rival Adam or allow him to be substituted would be good too. And I'm sure Smith and Webster will improve a defence which already has an impressive record while Stevie also offers far more in attack than Murray. Gow and Broadfoot will also be good additions to the squad when players are tired, unfit or injured. So I don't think we should get too down about one bad result in a good run of games.

http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php That time is here again. The letters will soon be through the door and RFC are asking for your hard-earned cash – often more than £400 in many cases. Are you automatically reaching for your bank account details? Is it money well spent or could it be considered emotional blackmail? Whatever you think wait a few minutes before getting your wallet out – read on! The end of this season will now see 2 years of no success – not one trophy! The product on offer has been depressing and if it wasn’t for a decent CL run last season and an interesting UEFA Cup run this term, we’d have no positives to talk about. I think it’s fair to say that at the beginning of the season we were all pretty happy. Attracting and installing Paul Le Guen as our new manager must have been no easy task. He was one of the youngest and brightest managers in world football and we all thought David Murray had secured a gem. We were back and nothing would stop us was the cry! How wrong could we have been? Investment into the playing side was minimal because of more pay offs and no CL football. However, even with the money PLG did get it appears to have been wasted on players that have offered little or no improvement on previous personnel. It all soon went downhill and I don’t think we need reminding about how bad it was. As such, in a marked difference from last season, SDM acted quickly and removed PLG immediately. ‘Back to the Future’ was the theme as Walter Smith returned along with Ally McCoist who would surely help dressing room differences. As a short-term solution it seems to have worked to a degree. Decent SPL form and a much-needed away win against Celtic means the feel-good factor is returning slightly. It remains to be seen if it’s the right medium-long term appointment and our quick Euro exit showed Smith et al have a lot of hard work ahead of them. In addition, we still don’t have our problems to seek off the pitch. The UEFA charge of early 2006 has hung over us and we have all been criticised in the media every other day since. At that time, Murray’s statement condemning sectarianism and bigotry was appropriate and the responsibility certainly lies with us all in eradicating the offensive content from our support. It is a challenge but one that we must overcome. The continued witch-hunt by various parties (independent, anonymous or not) shows that the matter won’t be laid to rest so we have to act soonest. I do wonder though at the club’s reluctance to combat the media on these issues. Too often now we seem impotent when it comes to their ever more frequent diatribes. Journalists such as the odious Graham Spiers, Gerry McNee and Hugh Keevins seem able to say what they want without fear of reprisal from the chairman or the club. Others have jumped on this bandwagon while other clubs seem to do what they want with minimal coverage. Why is the press coverage so seemingly one-sided? Criticism of our club and its fans goes with the territory. It’s is often valid and we should neither deflect nor deny the problems we face. However, at the same time we cannot allow our enemies to blacken our name by sensationalising a terrible issue. We cannot afford to give people like the above carte blanche to say what they like about the fans and our club. With new SPL rules on the horizon the danger has never been clearer and we have to be ready for further attacks. David Murray, as our club’s custodian and our ultimate ‘leader’, should answer on our behalf. Yet the only people I see standing up for our fellow fans are voluntary fans’ groups. Surely if someone like Murray or even Martin Bain did what Peter Lawwell of Celtic seems to be doing very successfully, these attacks wouldn’t be so frequent or so over the top? The last 2 years have been awful but there are signs that we can rally. However, unless the club start defending the fans, the Rangers family might not be as happy or together as it should be. David Murray and the board are the head of the family and they must start leading from the front. Once again, I implore the club to act in the good name of Rangers FC. There is a battle going on out there and we desperately need a General. Is David Murray that man? Where has he been lately? As such, I would ask every Rangers fan reading this to not blindly fill out that renewal form. Have a think what you want from your club. Do the arrival of Walter Smith and some more new players satisfy your ambitions? As well as the primary media issue, what about the other problems we have? Dangerous European away trips; hindrance of invaluable singing sections; over-the-top policing and stewarding; a confusing and forever changing Youth system; poor match-day facilities; questionable scouting policies and minimal appreciation of the club’s history. These are all negative issues which should concern every one of us. Are you still ready to sign that form? I know you will. I know I will. After all we are amongst the most loyal fans in the game and supporting a club such as Rangers isn’t always done logically. But, fellow Rangers fan, why not do what I’m going to do: accompany your renewal with a letter or with a simple piece of paper if you prefer. On it use the following words to show that you’re a customer who doesn’t appreciate being victimised in the media and who will not blindly accept second best year after year. This simple message will suffice: David Murray – Show some leadership and defend our club.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/6502909.stm And don't come back!

Goals from Little and 16 year odl Archie Campbell. The real reason I'm posting this though is that that a Smith was named in the starting line up and I wondered if it's Stevie? Anyone know? Report is on the official site.

Look at him referring to Scotland as "they" and not "us"- what an absolute joker.

The gist of the story is we are interested in koevermans and Smith sees him as the sequel to Vinegar of Castlemilk. Koevermans would love to play in British football but it is unknown if Rangers would interest him. He makes his d�©but in the Dutch selection this weekend and has a contract at AZ until summer 2010. We could have got him for next to nothing last year now i fear he is out of our price range. I wonder if we can get a deal with Shota thrown in.

Thomas Buffel has revealed his intention to quit Rangers and ply his trade in a stronger league. The 26-year-old is under contract at Ibrox through 2009, but is keen to move on, possibly as early as the summer. Buffel, who was close to joining Hannover in January, will not feature for The Gers again this season after undergoing knee surgery. "I have played more than 80 games for Rangers over the past two years and I have won the league and League Cup," Buffel said in the Daily Record. "But I still have the ambition to play my football in a stronger league. "I had the chance to play in the Bundesliga in January and I could have earned more money there than I do in Scotland. "But I felt that I should not start out with a new club when I am not fully fit. "Had the situation been different I might have moved although there was a real chance that Rangers might not have let me go." Meanwhile, Buffel is disappointed with how things have gone for him since Walter Smith took over from Paul Le Guen. He added: "Sometimes your career depends on details. I rated Paul Le Guen very highly. "But when Walter Smith succeeded him, the train departed straight away."

Much of which i'm inclined to agree with......... "When Boyd didn�t play in certain games under Paul le Guen, there was revolt in the air. When Boyd doesn�t play under Walter Smith - that�s okay" and "Alan Hutton was fucking sensational yesterday. Dado Prso is a god. Barry Ferguson was immense but I have no warmth for Barry now. I actually hope, Michael Corleone-like, Walter is keeping Barry close til the close season, and, just as Carlo eventually has to answer for Santino, Waldo will give the captaincy to someone else and maybe even sell Barry this summer, as people who undermine the club, who go agaianst the family�s chain of command, should never be allowed to get away with it." http://rangers.openfootball.co.uk/index.php/2007/03/18/the-second-coming-comes-second-gers-3-sheep-0/

hehehe. were better than them! id rather have smith bla bla bla!!!!! best part of the game was keeping the ball of them at the end. an absolute rout! dont think walter needed to motivate the team after that dickhead aberdeen player ranted in the rags! Ps walter you should have picked the team you had on today on wednesday. youd probably still be in the UEFA cup mate.

Fat Jim seems a bit puzzled as to what he means... Funnily enough I noted his silence last week after the Celtic fans sung their IRA hymns of hate.

Needs to perk his ideas up. That's 4 games now we'sve struggled to create any chances. We got lucky against Hibs, their keeper is shit. The home leg against Osasuna was probably the worst performance under Smith since he came back to manage us. Our goal against the mhanks came from a set piece. Novo had a half chance which again came from a set piece. Tonight, apart from Rae's chance we created absolutely nothing and even at that his chance came from a fuck up by the Osasuna defence. His choice of tactics in big games is killing us. Long balls upto either Novo who will always lose out in the air to the centre backs, Boyd who is pish and can't trap a bag of cement and Sebo who doesn't really know himself what he's going next doesn't work. Why can't WS see this when every supporter up and down the country can?!?! I was against WS coming back to manage us when PLG left because of his piss poor record in europe and it looks like nothing new has changed - same old pish every game. We'll be laughed out of the CL if we make it that far next season. Pissed off and raging Loyal!

Without even playing an all.... the most diddy-like rankings the sports world has ever produced.

What a shambolic performance tonight. Wrong tactics, wrong selection wrong fuckin' everything. Tonight I was proved right, WS is exactly the same manager in europe as he was all those years ago -inept and shite! We were the home team yet played with 1 striker (more about that later). We played long ball tactics, no one supported that 1 striker and when we got the ball on the deck we panicked. I was disgusted with that performance tonight!!! People talk about playing the game with fight and heart. Not Rangers. We try, we fail, we can't do anything right. Absolute shocker tonight. Kris Boyd. Is WS the only brainless fucker out there who seems to think he can do a job for us? Last week Cammy was having a go at him and I agreed with him a wee bit but thought he was exactly what we needed - a goalscorer. Aye well, I can fuck right off cause he is diabolical! He can't run, can't trap the ball, can't head the ball and can't do anything right. What a waste of a space. I could rant on for days but why? No one listens. The players go home at night with their pay cheque. I could beleiev that a few players are out tonight in a nightclub having a laugh and joke with some burds while us the fans are raging with their performance. Absolute fuckin' wankers!!! What was WS thinking playing 1 up front in a home european tie?!?!?! It beggars belief. And Ugo fuckin Ehiogu, don't even get me started. How this guy got a cap for England is beyond me. Get him to fuck!!! There's so much I could write about tonight but I can't be fucked, just like the players. Only difference is I don't get paid ludicrous amounts of money to do fuck all. Get to fuck every single one fo you, you aren't worth the money I pay each season to watch you.

The votes for player of the season for leagues goes in around now (crazy IMO as there is months left) but looking towards our team, who would be in contention for Gers POTY 06/07? Barry Ferguson has been superb of late but still had the odd off day this season. He started poorly and had a wee blip over xmas, but the last few weeks has been MOTM on every occassion. Young Steven Smith may be in with a shout, he was consistent in the first 5 months and shows he has a potential future. Kris Boyd - Has a mass of critics (including myself) due to being the worst footballer at the club (Bar Gavin Rae ) but he knows how to score and once again has bagged in a hat load this season. He has a lot of fans also, but if it was up to me he wouldnt be a contender. Brehaim Hemdani - Has strolled through every match this season and barely put a foot wrong and played in a few postions. Gets my vote to this point Any others??

RANGERS are believed to be keeping tabs on Poland striker Grzegorz Rasiak, of Southampton. The 6ft 3in, 28-year-old has bagged 19 goals this season in Saints' push to get back into the Premiership. Gers No.3 Kenny McDowall went to look at Rasiak in Saturday's 1-0 win over Ipswich, but the former Derby County and Spurs man was an unused sub. Rasiak was signed from White Hart Lane last May in a �£2m deal after failing to make an impact in London. advertisement But the 35-times capped Poland frontman, who was a team-mate of Celtic duo Maciej Zurawski and Artur Boruc at the World Cup last year, has shone since his transfer to Southampton. Gers boss Walter Smith is keeping his options open on the striking front with Dado Prso's future still unclear. But he knows he needs to add firepower to a front line that has relied solely on the Kris Boyd's goals this season. I suppose we will be linked with many players in the next few months.