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St Mirren begin life at their new stadium, with Kilmarnock the first visitors in the day's early kick-off. More...

Evening Times reporting Rangers/St Mirren trying to come to a deal to loan Smith for the remainder of the season....obviously allowing for us paying a portion of Smith's wage.

St Mirren midfielders Ryan McCay and Craig Malloy are told they are free to look for new clubs. More...

St Mirren midfielders Ryan McCay and Craig Malloy are told they are free to look for new clubs. More...

Its really came alive to me what a mess the Rangers are in. Im one who knew Murray has maybe been around Rangers a bit long and sold off too many good assets for a club like Rangers, non more so than our former great ticket office only to replace it with a portacabin for a 50,000 seater stadium which has left fans not getting into see the kick off on ocassion. - Ridiculous! But I didnt think id see the day when Rangers were crying out to sell a player to balance the books. I knew the Scottish game was left behind due to Sky's TV money and the Champions league carrying the English, Spanish and Italian leagues. But looking round this forum all the fans are at each other with how bad the team is, how bad the management are, how bad the Chairman and his puppet are and most concerning that how bad the support is at the moment. This is a deep hole that is only going to be repaired by a miracle. A softener for the fans would be for the team to start playing again and the manager being a bit more adventureous and trying out some talented flair players in their correct position. I really believe if WS plays to our strengths then we still cant be matched on the park by any team in the country and we should go onto taking the title home - ok that is easier said than done as it would mean WS has big balls and has to drop big ego's which could put a negative effect in the dressing room again. But i think the players owe us as much as anyone. They maybe a bit understandably down at the moment following the comments from above saying every player is available, but the players arent RFC, there are tens of thousands of fans who follow on weekly who dig deep into pockets to follow them around the country, travelling afar - so I ask the players to stop thinking about there fat wages and think about the fans for once. Give us an extra gear of two for the rest of the season and show us you want to play for Rangers then they become immune to criticism. We are scratching our heads trying to think of ways to improve. Unless we get a Billionnaire to walk in with the best interests of Rangers then I can only see a few things that will help Rangers. The only realistic way out is through an Atlantic League of some sort. What is more appealing: Playing Porto, Copenhagen, Ajax and Marseille weekly or Hamilton, St Mirren and Falkirk??? What is going to bring more revenue? What is more attractive for players?? And im not just talking about Rangers that is in a mess - the Scottish game in general is a mess. Scottish teams were feared in the 60s, 70s and 80s. The 90s was a decline and the 00s are a continuation. If it takes a decade to recover despite having a plan/program in place then so be it. 1) Summer football! - This depressing cold games is no use. Games are getting called off around the country which can be avoided. Playing a SPL match in June/July is much more appealing. I do like Christmas time with all the footy but id gladly give it up for an improved product on the pitch. Everyone knows pitches are much more playable in March to October than Nov-Feb. 2) Restructure of the league: - It seems incompitance doesnt just flow round the top levels of football clubs, its the governing bodies also. Why cant the fat cats at the top of the SPL, SFA and SFL realise we dont need 3 governing bodies in such a small country! We dont need 4 leagues with teams playing each other 4 -6 times a season!! We need a 2 tier system then bring back the regional leagues under that but keep on the relegation / promotion from the regional leagues to Division 1.

St Mirren have urged fans not to remove mementos from Love Street after the club play their last game there on Saturday. More...

Damage at both St Mirren's old and new stadiums has prompted the club to urge fans not to indulge in vandalism. More...

Has Spiers just written a decent article?? Novo a chancer!!! Graham Spiers In the stampede to laud Celtic's heroic win at Ibrox last weekend, it appears that many have fallen over themselves in their rush to dismiss Rangers' title chances in Scotland come May. It may be a dangerous assumption, for no other reason than the evidence of last season, where Celtic were deemed to lag too far behind Walter Smith's men in early April before clinching the championship on the final, dramatic night. With five months and 18 games of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League still to go, is seven points really such a frightening gap between the Old Firm? Rangers next face Celtic at Parkhead on February 15, with one remaining Old Firm clash to follow, and anything can happen in these matches. Moreover, there appear to be wider pitfalls this season in the SPL for Rangers and Celtic which will determine their success or failure. Rangers have been to Motherwell and dropped points. Celtic recently lost to Hibernian at Easter Road. Rangers lost to St Mirren at Love Street in October. For both teams, visits to Tynecastle and Tannadice, in particular, are going to be fraught. In this haphazard excitement Celtic can certainly be caught. Walter Smith has repeatedly argued that his team is capable of going on one of their unbeaten runs, and the time appears to be ripe for such a venture. Moreover, if Kris Boyd, who looks on target to deliver 35 goals this season, can continue in his recent scoring vein, then Rangers have a weapon which cannot be dismissed. Boyd's form, in fact, will largely determine his team's fate. One thing Smith should certainly consider doing is playing Kyle Lafferty, a tall, strong, skilful player, as a partner for Boyd through the middle. Lafferty may not yet be worth the �£3.5m that Rangers paid for him, but he is a good footballer, and a far better player than many give him credit for. From Lafferty's earliest days at Ibrox, Smith has repeatedly said that his best position is "through the middle", yet too often the striker has been turned into a refugee on the left wing. It would be fascinating to see the effect it had on Rangers if a Boyd-Lafferty central partnership was struck up. The Northern Ireland striker's height would give added menace to Rangers in attack, quite apart from his poise in front of goal, which has been seen, for instance, at Tannadice on December 13 when Lafferty deftly scored against Dundee United in a 2-2 draw. It is time, surely, that Smith gave Lafferty a chance in his true position. The obvious deficiency for Rangers is in central defence, where Kirk Broadfoot can look lumbering and David Weir is in his final Ibrox season, though Smith is actively looking to address this in the coming January window. If Smith can pluck a good defender from somewhere, and finally put an end to Lafferty's on-field obscurity, Rangers will certainly still have a healthy chance of winning the 2008-09 title. Changing sides Nacho Novo pulled off a remarkable feat last Saturday. Having played for 15 minutes as a sub for Rangers in the Old Firm derby at lunchtime, he then played for his home region of Galicia on Saturday night back in Spain in a friendly againts Iran, scoring twice in Galicia's 3-2 win. That's not bad going for Novo, who is about to leave Rangers. While we're on the subject, does this wee chancer still want to play for Scotland? Or is he still hoping for a Spain call-up? in Columnists, Featured, Graham Spiers | Permalink TrackBack TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/297284/37620274 Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Don't write off Rangers just yet:

Gus MacPherson is Scottish Premier League manager of the month for December after St Mirren's unprecedented four wins in a row. More...

Over And Out Seconds after Scott McDonald rifled home the only goal of a frustrating Old Firm game on Saturday, the only sound that drowned out the celebrating Tims was the strains of an overweight lady warbling the last rights on our SPL title challenge. It is gut-wrenching that even before the strains of Auld Lang Syne have faded away, the destination of the SPL title is out of our own hands. I will attempt to keep this part of the article to the dire performance on Saturday but there is so much wrong with our club at the moment that this may not be possible. We actually started the game well, and didnââ?¬â?¢t we all just know that weââ?¬â?¢d live to regret missing so many guilt-edged chances to take the lead? However, we still didnââ?¬â?¢t test Borat enough, he had an easy game and we failed to capitalise on his eccentricity and his ability to self-destruct and lose stupid goals. There was little surprise that Walter Smith had decided to reintroduce Charlie Adam into the fray after Adam being frozen out for 3-4 weeks. We all knew either Adam or McCulloch would be reintroduced. Throughout the entire 90 minutes, all our failings became even more glaringly obvious. We donââ?¬â?¢t have a striker who can take a guilt-edge chance when it matters. We play far too narrow. We canââ?¬â?¢t capitalise on set-pieces. We canââ?¬â?¢t retain possession from a throw-in. Celtc had a corner in the 84th minute, we were trailing 1-0 in a game we couldnââ?¬â?¢t afford to lose and we had every player back defending. Walter Smithââ?¬â?¢s tactics and substitutions reek of a manager who has lost the plot. He pays Ã?£3.5M for a STRIKER and continually plays him left wing when its obvious that the lad CANââ?¬â?¢T play there ââ?¬â?? yet Walter persists and is close to ruining this lad. He then withdraws our right back (who is really a midfielder) and goes 3-3-4. All fine and well until you notice that we have 4 centre forwards on but still no wide players (you know, someone to get in behind the deep lying Celtc defence). So with 4 forwards on and men short down the channels, we decide to throw high balls into the Celtc defence. Their two centre halves could be heard laughing from my seat in the Govan West Corner. They just headed the ball clear, their midfield picked up the lose balls and fed their stickers down the channels. So easy when youââ?¬â?¢re playing a team with no width and no clue on how to get in behind a static back four. The most glaring deficiencies are the fact that we are attempting to win the SPL with players from St Mirren, Hibs, Kilmarnock etc. These players are run of the mill SPL players, nothing better, nothing worse. We have no creativity, we have no fast paced players who can beat an opponent. We have no drive from midfield and we have a creaking 40 year old defender who is now well past his best. I have been hearing and reading some very scary stories recently. Rangers Football Club are in a worse financial position than any of us knows, or cares to imagine. If these stories are true, and I have no basis to doubt them, all of our players are currently up for sale. As well as reducing the wage bill, we MUST recoup money and weââ?¬â?¢ll do this by selling players. This means players like Novo, Boogie, McGregor, Boyd, Mendes et al will be sold if we receive a ââ?¬Ë?decent offerââ?¬â?¢ for them. Inability to sell players like Burke, Adam, McCulloch et al will determine that they will be the ââ?¬Ë?qualityââ?¬â?¢ left to win us this league. We are being downsized dramatically by SDM and we are all happy to sit back with an air of inevitability whilst we witness the demise of this once great club. The ââ?¬Ë?qualityââ?¬â?¢ of player being looked at to ââ?¬Ë?strengthenââ?¬â?¢ our team sends jubbers down the spine of this Rangers supporter. Lee Wilkie, Dean Shiells, Bobo Balde all names that have been mentioned and deals are already being struck. So the fat lady has sung and our challenge for the title appears to be over. Is this overly pessimistic? I donââ?¬â?¢t think so. I can see Celtc dropping points, but unfortunately, I can see us dropping as many, if not more than them. We are unable to win away from home, and have two tricky away games in the SPL (Inverness and Aberdeen) and one in the Scottish Cup. It is fair to say that if we donââ?¬â?¢t win all three of those games, the manager MUST be removed. Personally, I would remove him (and his staff) just now as they have proven that they donââ?¬â?¢t have what it takes to win the SPL title against what is one of the worst Celtc teams in over a decade (and yet they stand on the verge of 4 consecutive SPL titles). Without Fear Or Favour We as Rangers fans have heard the above quote from Doctor Reid regarding sectarianism, and this quote has now been adopted by politicians and Police respectively. However, just like Doctor Death, the politicians and police are very lax in enforcing this quote, and in the Policeââ?¬â?¢s case, enforcing the law. In the lead up to the Old Firm game we had a politician who represents constituents in Bethnal Green and Bow informing all of Scotland that any Rangers fan who claims that Big Jock Knew is a bigot. Thatââ?¬â?¢s right folks, George Galloway believes that if you dare tell the truth regarding Jock Steinââ?¬â?¢s refusal to report a child molester to the Police makes you a bigot. George tells us that Jock Steinââ?¬â?¢s name wonââ?¬â?¢t be tarnished by us bigots. Youââ?¬â?¢re right George, he tarnished his own name he didnââ?¬â?¢t need any help from us. Next up we have an SNP MSP and a Cardinal informing us that the hokey cokey is a sinister song mocking the Catholic Mass. Apparently, we have all known this for over 300 years and participating in the hokey cokey makes you a sinister, anti-catholic bigot. If this sectarian issue wasnââ?¬â?¢t so serious, last weeks revelations would be laughable. Not happy with informing the country that the hokey cokey was sectarian, the Cardinal and MSP informed Strathclyde Police that any Rangers fan caught doing the hokey cokey should be arrested. Strathclyde Policeââ?¬â?¢s response was predictable ââ?¬â?? they informed us that anyone indulging in sectarianism at the OF game would be arrested, without fear or favour. Now, this is where it gets interesting. As well all know, during the OF game on Saturday, the entire Celtic end indulged in sectarian and offensive songs, openly breaking long established laws on sectarianism and singing songs in support of outlawed terrorist groups. So, given that we had heard a spokesman for Strathclyde Police saying that anyone indulging in such behaviour would be arrested without fear or favour. Well I can contest that this isnââ?¬â?¢t the case. From a very personally experience on Saturday, I can inform you that instead of arresting people clearly breaking the law, Strathclyde Police (officer xyz ââ?¬â?? I do have his number and have written a letter of complaint to the Police and Rangers but didnââ?¬â?¢t think it wise to print it here) are now more interested in arresting law-abiding citizens rather than those openly breaking the law. When challenged to tackle the sinister, hate-filled and sectarian songs emanating from the Broomie on Saturday, the Police decided to turn a blind eye (or deaf ear if you wish) to the complaints from Rangers support, as well as the songs being sung. Given that, and the frustration of the Police clearly neglecting their duty to uphold the law, I stated that the Celtic fans participating in songs glorifying terrorist (and therefore the murder of thousands of innocent people) were nothing more than terrorist loving scumbags. Now, I have spent the last two days determining if my outburst was anyway sectarian, racist, offensive or criminal. As yet, there is no evidence to say that my outburst was sectarian, racist, offensive or criminal. However, an officer promptly grabbed me in a violent manner (I still have bruises) and shouted at me in a threatening and aggressive manner. He informed me that if I said terrorist loving scumbags once more that Iââ?¬â?¢d be arrested. He refused to specify why Iââ?¬â?¢d be arrested and refused to confirm why he was happy to ignore the Celtic fans songs. He then informed me that he clearly heard my outburst (he was standing 20 feet behind me) but couldnââ?¬â?¢t hear the Celtic fans and couldnââ?¬â?¢t identify who was singing. Yip, thatââ?¬â?¢s right, he heard me over a 50,000 crowd but couldnââ?¬â?¢t pick our any one of the 7,500 singing IRA songs. I wonder if the same officer was to respond to a burglary and witness the thieves stealing from a house and being chased by the house owner. Would he ignore the burglars and threaten to arrest the home owner who stated that the people stealing from him / here were ââ?¬Ë?thieving scumbagsââ?¬â?¢? So there you have it, a prime example of Strathclyde Police without fear or favour campaign. Iââ?¬â?¢ll let you know if I get any reply from Strathclyde Police or Rangers FC, although I donââ?¬â?¢t hold out much hope.

St Mirren striker Craig Dargo targets a win over Motherwell on Saturday in the last SPL game at Love Street before Saints move to a new stadium. More...

Manager Gus MacPherson is relishing the prospect of life at the new St Mirren Park after picking up the keys. More...

Dec 21 2008 By Mark Guidi BOBO BALDE has reported Celtic to FIFA after being fined a total of �£100,000. Mailsport can reveal the Guinea defender has been docked four weeks' wages for a variety of breaches of discipline since August. Balde doesn't agree with the punishments and asked the PFA and his lawyers to try to reach an agreement with Celtic chief Peter Lawwell. That move failed and on the recommendation of the PFA a dossier was sent by Balde to FIFA. The PFA are confident FIFA will side with the player but Celtic believe their case is rock solid. FIFA have received Balde's paperwork but it could take months to reach a decision and it's likely the player will have left Glasgow before they announce their verdict. Balde is no longer a recognised member of Gordon Strachan's squad and has been banished to train with Chris McCart's youth team at Barrowfield. The stopper's first-team ticket allowance has been wiped and he is banned from the stadium when Strachan's side are playing. Balde, signed by Martin O'Neill in the summer of 2001, was fined for not reporting for the opening SPL game against St Mirren. He was in France having been handed written permission by the club to talk to interested parties to organise a move out of Parkhead. Celtic had given Balde the Friday off but wanted him to report back to the team hotel on the eve of the game. The player thought he had more time to work on a deal. Balde was also fined for refusing to train with the youth team when Strachan first made it clear he wouldn't be considered for action. He reported to Lennoxtown and trained on his own but has been working out with the youths for the past four months. A move to Birmingham on transfer deadline day in August was on offer but Balde said no. City boss Alex McLeish is back in for the player and plans to land him in the January window. Balde is now ready to leave and hopes he can sort out an amicable departure next month. But he won't sign a confidentiality agreement and that means he could be at Parkhead until his contract ends in May unless Celtic can smooth a parting of the ways. http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/sport-news/scottish-football/spl/celtic-fc/2008/12/21/bobo-balde-wants-fifa-to-help-after-feud-with-celtic-78057-20986495/

STEVEN DAVIS believes there is more to come from both him and his team mates as they prepare to finish 2008 with two home games against Hibs and Celtic. Steven DavisDavis has arguably been Walter Smith's most consistent performer since signing a permanent deal with the club back in August. But he feels there is still another level for him to reach as he comes to the end of a rollercoaster first year with Rangers. He said: "Overall I'm happy with how things are going although I know there is still a lot of room for improvement both personally and for us as a team. "We've made a decent start to the season albeit with a couple of slip ups where we would have liked to collect points that we dropped. "If we can iron that out I think we can look forward to another very successful season. "I like to think there's more to come from me too. I think no matter what age you are you can still improve as a player. Steven Davis celebrates scoring"There are always new things to pick up from different managers and different players in the squad so it's been good to come here and learn from some top midfielders. "In Barry, Pedro and Kevin Thomson we have some top class players and if you can take different aspects from their games it can only help you develop as a player." The Northern Ireland international has added goals to his game this season and trails only Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller in the club's scoring charts after strikes against Motherwell, Dundee Utd, St Mirren and Hamilton. "This year we've all got a bit more licence to get forward with the way the team is playing this season," added Davis. "The change in the mentality of the whole team and the way the manager wants us to play has helped me get goals. "It's a side of the game I enjoy and hopefully I can continue to add a few goals between now and the end of the season."

ââ?¬Ë?Greigy is a one-off. He epitomises the Rangers spirit and is the genuine article ââ?¬â?? a true Rangers legendââ?¬â?¢ ââ?¬â?? Ally McCoist There are few players who get to experience the high of winning one treble during their playing careers, John Greig managed to bag three trebles and captained the team to two of those tremendous achievements. Rangers entered the 1963-1964 season as defending champions after a runaway league campaign where they won the league by nine points from Kilmarnock. Rangers came tantalizingly close to winning the treble the previous season, only a narrow 3-2 defeat to Kilmarnock (our closest challengers for a few seasons around this time) in the League Cup semi-final stopping Rangers from claiming a ââ?¬Ë?triple-crownââ?¬â?¢ (Rangers easily defeated 3-0 in the Scottish Cup Final), but the triple crown was only postponed as Rangers would claim this crown during the 63-64 season. However, after a season of domestic success, no one would have believed that Rangers would then go an astonishing 11 seasons without another league title to their name (more of that later). Rangers started season 1963-64 by destroying Celtic 3-0 in a League Cup section game at Parkhead. Jim Forrest started the season with a bang, netting two goals in the season opener and went on to claim a remarkable 39 goals for the season, including 4 in the league cup final against Morton. Two further group games witnessed wins (5-2 v Queen of The South and 4-1 v Kilmarnock). A further 3-0 victory of Celtic (at Ibrox), along with another 5-2 victory over QoS and a 2-2 draw with Killie ensured that we safely progressed to the knock out stages of the league cup. The defence of our league title started in the middle of the League Cup section games and we were held to a 1-1 draw away to Dundee with Ralph Brand netting from the spot. Our 2nd league game saw Celtic visit Ibrox and they were dispatched with goals from McLean and Brand in a 2-1 Rangers victory. East Fife were defeated 3-1 on aggregate in the league cup and Motherwell and Hibs were soundly defeated in the league. Our first defeat of the season came at the hands of Real Madrid in the European Cup ââ?¬â?? a 1-0 reverse at Ibrox. This didnââ?¬â?¢t appear to affect or domestic form, however, we were to suffer an embarrassing 6-0 defeat in the return game in Madrid. Again, this didnââ?¬â?¢t affect our domestic form where we continued to race away in the league and were freely scoring goals in most games, both home and away. Only two draws, at home to Aberdeen and away to title challengers Kilmarnock blotted a near perfect domestic copy-book. The league cup was secured with a 5-0 demolition of Morton at Hampden and as stated above, young Forrest getting 4 of the goals in the final ââ?¬â?? a fantastic feat. The final will also be remembered for the record attendance of 105,907. December saw a change of fortunes were let points slip against Motherwell, and lost at home to St Johnstone. We also lost a two-legged British Championship to Everton. The traditional New Year Day game saw us once again victorious against Celtic with Miller scoring the only goal at Parkhead. We lost to Clyde in the Glasgow Cup semi-final, then opened the defence of the Scottish Cup with a 9-0 win over Duns! St Mirren inflicted a rare defeat in a 3-2 win at Ibrox which would be our last defeat of the season until the last game of the season. The league was secured by a comfortable and Rangers were crowned Scottish Champions for the 34th occasion. Passage to the Scottish Cup Final was guaranteed after Duns, Partick Thistle, Celtic and Dunfermline were put to the sword and Rangers would face Dundee in the final. This final would long be remembered as a classic and is still believed to be one of the finest finals in modern history. Rangers finally run out 3-1 winners with the magically M&B partnership scoring the goals (Millar with 2, Brand with 1). One further point to note in this wonderful season ââ?¬â?? we defeated Celtic in every game we played them in that season. Two league victories, 2 League Cup wins and a Scottish Cup triumph. For the record of League / Scottish Cup Winning Teamââ?¬â?¢s were as follows : League Cup ââ?¬â?? Ritchie, Shearer, Provan, Greig, McKinnon, Baxter, Henderson, Willoughby, Forrest, Brand & Watson Scottish Cup - ââ?¬â?? Ritchie, Shearer, Provan, Greig, McKinnon, Baxter, Henderson, McLean, Millar, Brand & Wilson The next time Rangers were to win the league title in 1974-75 season, it would be after 11 long years of hurt in which Celtic dominated the Scottish game and won their 9-in-a-row. The only bright light in this era was the winning for the Cup Winners Cup in Barcelona and our centenary Scottish Cup victory (3-2 against Celtic ââ?¬â?? famous for Tom Forsythââ?¬â?¢s 6 inch thunderbolt that will always be remembered in Rangers folk-lore). The league was clinched with a pulsating 1-1 draw at Easter Road. Colin Stein headed the winning goal, but anyone who witnessed this game, couldnââ?¬â?¢t forget captain for the day Sandy Jardine being replaced by Mr Rangers in the closing minutes. Greig missed the game due to injury but was sent on to sample the last few minutes. The victory scenes on and off the pitch will live on in the memories of Rangers fans. A huge travelling support finally witnessing Rangers winning their 35th title. The following season was witness Rangers dominate the Scottish game claiming another treble and with John Greig rejuvenated and he would be voted Player of The Year. As was the norm, Rangers started the season in their League Cup Section with Clyde, Motherwell and Airdrie. Passage was secured without too many problems and we started the defence of our title at the home of our arch rivals and secured a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Derek Johnstone and ââ?¬Ë?Cuttyââ?¬â?¢ Young. The following game at Tynecastle saw Rangers win in bizarre fashion, both goals in our 2-0 victory were own goals. After a decent start, Rangers had a very shaky spell of form around the October and November time. This would include a few draws and defeats to Ayr United, Motherwell, Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen. We would also be knocked out of the European Cup by a classy St Etienne side. However, it wasnââ?¬â?¢t all doom and gloom, we secured the League Cup by defeating Celtic 1-0 at Hampden thanks to a brilliant diving header from Alex McDonald. It should be noted here that by all reports, this victory was dominated by fantastic performances from both John Greig and Tom Forsyth. We recovered brilliantly from this glitch in form and went on an unbeaten run from Dec 6th (1-0 defeat to Aberdeen) until the end of the season. A run that totalled 32 games, including 21 league fixtures with the league title clinched at Tannidice with Derek Johnstone scoring after 22 seconds. Derek Johnstone would net 31 goals that season and was one of the main reasons for Rangersââ?¬â?¢ success. However, we can also thank a fantastic strength of squad which is emphasised by the fact that Scottish Internationals Sandy Jardine and Derek Parlane were constantly used as substitutes in the 2nd half of the season. The Scottish Cup, and final part of the treble was secured with an easy 3-1 victory over Hearts in the Scottish Cup Final with Derek Johnstone finally breaking the deadlock after a nervy 45 seconds! DJ would score again and Alex McDonald score our other goal in the final. For the record of League / Scottish Cup Winning Teamââ?¬â?¢s were as follows : League Cup ââ?¬â?? Kennedy, Jardine, Greig, Forsyth, Jackson, McDonald, McLean, Stein, Parlane, Johnstone & Young Scottish Cup ââ?¬â?? McCloy, Miller, Greig, Forsyth, Jackson, McDonald, McKean, Hamilton, Henderson, McLean, Johnstone After this clean sweep, Rangers entered the 1976-77 season as firm favourites for the league and were considered good bets to repeat the treble. As it turned out, Rangers finished this disappointing season trophyless after losing to Celtic and Aberdeen in the domestic cups and finishing 9 points behind Celtic in the league. Cammy F

STEVEN NAISMITH continued his comeback from a serious knee injury today with another goal as Rangers beat an experimental Hamilton side 5-0. The teams met in a closed-doors friendly at Murray Park and the former Kilmarnock forward played almost 70 minutes before coming off. Gers led 1-0 at the break thanks to Nacho Novo's strike before Naismith doubled the advantage with a penalty after DaMarcus Beasley was brought down. It was the 22-year-old's second strike in as many games after he found the net on his return against St Mirren's reserves last Tuesday afternoon. Aaron's brace, one of which came from the spot, and a Kyle Lafferty effort seated this afternoon's victory as assistant manager Ally McCoist looked on. Didn't see this posted.. no doubt a pretty weak side to play against but you would say it's good to see everyone who bagged a goal on the scoresheet.

From the Scottish Sun so take with pinch of salt ! CHARLIE ADAM has been told he can LEAVE Rangers when the transfer window opens. SunSport can reveal that the home-grown midfielder is the latest star to be made available in January. Adam, just two seasons into a five-year contract, has failed to hold down a regular place and itââ?¬â?¢s understood he was given the shattering news by boss Walter Smith yesterday morning. The left-sided star has hit 18 goals in 85 top-team games but has never been a favourite among the Ibrox faithful. Now Adam, who turned 23 yesterday, has been told he can find another club as Gers seek to reduce the wage bill. They have also stalled on fresh contract talks with Scotland defender Kirk Broadfoot. Boss Smith was ready to hand the stopper a bumper new deal more than five weeks ago. But Broadfootââ?¬â?¢s agent Tom Callaghan insisted last night that all attempts by his representatives to get in touch with Gers chief executive Martin Bain have fallen on deaf ears. It is understood Gers DO want to hold on to the 24-year-old. Ibrox sources claim the delay is down to the fact they want to slash their ballooning wage bill before offering anyone improved terms. Yet that message hasnââ?¬â?¢t been relayed to Broadfoot or his agent. Callaghan said: ââ?¬Å?Weââ?¬â?¢ve made numerous attempts to speak to Rangers about Kirkââ?¬â?¢s future. But at this moment they arenââ?¬â?¢t prepared to talk about it. ââ?¬Å?There isnââ?¬â?¢t anyone who is more of a Rangers man than Kirk. ââ?¬Å?He dreams of winning things with the club and maybe even captaining them one day. I just hope he gets a chance to live out those dreams.ââ?¬Â Broadfoot penned a contract until May 2010 when he joined from St Mirren 18 months ago. But he has since established himself in the side and won three caps. It is believed he wants a deal on a par with some of Gersââ?¬â?¢ other established stars ââ?¬â? thought to be an increase of around Ã?£3,500 a week. SunSport revealed yesterday that a number of Gersââ?¬â?¢ fringe players will go next month. They could include Chris Burke, Steven Smith and Christian Dailly.

Team news ahead of Saturday's Scottish Premier League match at St Mirren Park. More...

RANGERS star Stevie Naismith will today make a stunning return from injury - six months earlier than his original comeback date. Record Sport can reveal the 22-year-old will this afternoon play at least 30 minutes of a reserve match against St Mirren at Murray Park. Naismith snapped his cruciate ligament in April's Scottish Cup semi-final against St Johnstone and was warned a couple of weeks later to expect a year on the sidelines. And even when he began to make fantastic progress in his rehab, manager Walter Smith did not think the former Kilmarnock forward would be anywhere near a return to match action until the New Year at the earliest. But Rangers medics and coaching staff have been amazed by Naismith's progress and also full of admiration for the way he has never missed a day's work in his bid to get back to full fitness over the past eight months. And while he may still be a bit away from playing for the first team, this reserve outing is a step in the former Young Player of the Year being back in the side again this season. Naismith had to watch from the stands as Rangers played in the UEFA Cup Final and then underwent career-saving surgery from English surgeon Dr Steve Bolan a week later. The prognosis then was he would be looking at 12 months before he could play again but he fully dedicated himself to getting back to his best quicker than anyone expected. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/2008/12/09/exclusive-stevie-naismith-set-for-early-rangers-return-86908-20957359/

NON-LEAGUE Spartans have demanded their Scottish Cup clash with Elgin should be replayed because they insist the Highlanders fielded an ineligible player. Keeper Joe Malin was named man of the match for Elgin in Saturday's 2-1 victory, just 24 hours after the club signed him from Ross County. Spartans believe his arrival at the Third Division side came too late for him to be eligible to play in the tie and have asked the SFA to replay the game. Edinburgh-based Spartans yesterday asked Hampden officials to investigate as former Celtic youth player Malin had not signed prior to the postponement of the initial match the previous Saturday. After Spartans chairman Craig Graham was alerted to the fact Malin appeared for Elgin, he contacted the SFA about the possibility the player had made an illegal appearance. Graham said: "The rules state that a player needs to be signed before the initial Saturday and we have asked the SFA to clarify the ruling. "Rule 27 also states that if you have an issue you have to raise it to the match official within half an hour of the game finishing but we were unable to do that because we had no idea who Joe Malin was. "I think the SFA have three options; they can fine Elgin and let them continue in the competition, they can replay the match or throw them out." But Elgin secretary Ian Allan is confident his club would be saved. He said: "The rules state that Spartans should have made their complaint no later than 15 minutes before kick-off. "The SFA only told me about Spartans' claim this afternoon." The SFA have already begun a probe after Spartans raised the issue yesterday. A spokesperson said: "That matter has been brought to our attention and all I can say is that we are investigating it." Spartans were also the opposition when St Mirren failed to play two outfield players under the age of 21 in their Scottish Cup tie in 2006, leading to the Buddies being hit with a �£12,500 fine after the initial �£25,000 sanction was halved on appeal. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/2008/12/09/spartans-demand-scottish-cup-rematch-with-elgin-city-86908-20957363/

Peterhead v Queens Park St Johnstone v Rangers Raith or Alloa athletic v Aberdeen Falkirk v QOS Airdrie Utd v Elgin or Spartans Inverurie or Vale of leven v Motherwell Ross county or Dumbarton v Hamilton Forfar or Stranraer v Frres mechanics or Dalbeattie star Inverness caley v Partick thistle Celtic v Dundee East stirlingshire v Dundee utd Stenhousemuir v East fife Hibernian v Hearts Lochee utd or Ayr utd v Kilmarnock Dunfermline v Clyde Edinburgh city or Brechin city v St Mirren

In the last few weeks we have drew with Motherwell, Dundee Utd and Lost to Hearts! That is hardly form that will win us the league that is a MUST this season. WS selections and tactics are being found out that he isnt capable over a season anymore. Celtic are going to the places like Tynecastle and Fir Park and winning yet we are getting it so wrong. Also we can see a gulf in class between our team when we play the poorer sides in the SPL like St Mirren / Hamilton etc compared to when we play the likes of Hearts away. Ive been on the anti Boyd bandwagon for a long time yet since not getting a game for Scotland and going on a sulk his game changes against Kilmarnock and Hamilton x 2. And im now at the final conclusion of - Wow - Thats his level after all. WS takes most of the blame. But I continually say that having the likes of Burke, Boyd, Adam, Broadfoot, Whittaker in the Rangers FC team means we wont be top of the ladder. I honestly cant beleive a proven failure like Burke gets a nod ahead of Novo and the promising Aaron in the game today! Never mind even why the classy Hemdani continues to play more football in his garden than for Rangers.

try not to get too animated, its what he wants -- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/scotland/article5219609.ece?token=null&offset=12&page=1 Graeme Souness was right about one thing ââ?¬â? not a conclusion I reach often ââ?¬â? when he spoke about Sir David Murray. The chairman of Rangers, whatever else he has got wrong, ââ?¬Å?has gutsââ?¬Â, to quote Sounessââ?¬â?¢s famous testimony. In recent times, coinciding with his 20 years of owning Rangers, Murray has shown in various contexts that he will not go away quietly from Ibrox. Last week there was a weird accord found between Murray and John Reid, the Celtic chairman, even though Murray was supposed to be attacking his Old Firm opposite number. Reid had recently attacked a section of Rangers fans for being ââ?¬Å?racistââ?¬Â and ââ?¬Å?bigotedââ?¬Â ââ?¬â? hardly fresh charges ââ?¬â? and Murray, while defending his clubââ?¬â?¢s honour, in part agreed with Reid. To attack your own supporters ââ?¬â? now that does take courage. Yet when Murray told reporters that ââ?¬Å?so much is hard to defendââ?¬Â about this core of Ibrox diehards ââ?¬â? and this on top of his recent comment about the ââ?¬Å?bileââ?¬Â that comes from those same Rangers supporters ââ?¬â? it was clear that he is long past mincing his words. A part of Murray is being brutally honest here. Yes, so many problems in Scottish football are being laid at the door of Rangers FC, and perhaps it has looked unfair. The club have provided so much that is good in Scottish life ââ?¬â? you almost forget that aspect. But when Murray scoffed at the so-called ââ?¬Å?bad PRââ?¬Â of Rangers, as if the rioting in Manchester or the undying embers of bigotry are easy to talk up, you knew that he was tired of having to explain away the intellectual and economic underclass that has attached itself to his club. Murray then caused reporters to smile when he spoke about the sudden timidity of his severest critics at Rangers ââ?¬â? in part, because we have all been there and met them. A small group of Rangers fans are going demented in their passion to have Murray flung out of the Ibrox door and are as brave as lions when posting their angry, sub-literate ramblings in glorious anonymity on the web. ââ?¬Å?And you know what?ââ?¬Â Murray said. ââ?¬Å?I identified some of these guys and I went to meet them. And they were like mice.ââ?¬Â Well, you donââ?¬â?¢t say! In this whole debate, it is unfair to tar any group of football fans with the same brush. Rangers, like any club, have a healthy cross-section of supporters who just love their club and want to see them do well. These men and women are not really into the vague, unrefined, theologically ignorant passion for a sort of dumbed-down Protestantism that some of the Rangers supportersââ?¬â?¢ groups crave. And, more than anything, just like Murray, when you meet these latter groups of fans, you find they cannot really make their arguments stand up. A few years ago I went down to Ibrox to meet, among others, some representatives of the Rangers Supporters Assembly and the Rangers Supporters Trust. In an alarming number of them it was obvious that, lurking beneath was a quest to preserve ââ?¬Å?the tradition of Rangersââ?¬Â, a phrase that always seems to elude more specific definition. By this, of course, the real hardcore actually mean ââ?¬Å?a Protestant Rangersââ?¬Â, though they cannot quite articulate it as such. The more adept among them try to find more emollient phrases for this passion for ââ?¬Å?a Protestant Rangersââ?¬Â but, in this quest, vagueness and vacuity become their speciality. The truth is, it is hard trying to make the old ways sound acceptable in modern Britain. These are the people that Murray tires of, the people that he feels embarrass Rangers and hold the club back. Mercifully, they are confined to the internet bunkers, and are not taken seriously by a wider constituency of Rangers fans, but they are still down there festering away. In this context Rangers FC is ensnared between those (the majority, surely) who wish for a modern, progressive, liberal representation of their club, and those others who hanker hopelessly after the old days. The irony is that, when Murray does eventually sell Rangers, the new owner or owners, if the club has any luck, will belong to the new, modern breed. Can you imagine a Roman Abramovich or an American investor, born of the modern age with modern values, coming in to Rangers and banging on about 1690, King Billy and the rest of it? The very idea is laughable. Rangers FC is a great institution that does not deserve to be embarrassed or held back. And it wonââ?¬â?¢t be. Thank goodness, even in sport, the tide of modern thinking is too strong. And another thing... The party should be over for Old Firm goalkeepers Donââ?¬â?¢t you wonder what is going on with the Old Firmââ?¬â?¢s goalkeepers? From where I sit ââ?¬â? and the view is sometimes obscured ââ?¬â? Artur Boruc and Allan McGregor enjoy a party, preferably with beers to hand and a pretty girl on their lap. Boruc was pictured last week in the tabs happily chomping away on some female friend back in Poland, a cigar close to hand. Subsequently, the Pole shows up at Love Street to play St Mirren on Saturday and, not content with clattering Craig Dargo, goes around doing quite a bit of flapping at crosses and generally looking unconvincing. We saw a similar fuzziness earlier this season in McGregor, a man whom Walter Smith euphemistically said had ââ?¬Å?lost his focusââ?¬Â. Funnily enough, that focus also seemed to disappear while McGregor was living the high life. On that occasion, Smith, beginning to look like the general-secretary of the Temperance Society, decided to drop McGregor and ordered him to shape up. Both Smith and Strachan, I belive, are uneasy about taking lectures in morality from anyone in the media ââ?¬â? to be blunt, they know that we all like a bit of action ourselves Strachan, indeed, was all the more determined to select Boruc on Saturday, having sat through such earnest inquiries as ââ?¬Å?dââ?¬â?¢you think Arturââ?¬â?¢s mind is fully focused on the job, Gordon?ââ?¬Â the previous day. On such occasions I just think football managers have to play the Jim Baxter card. Slim Jim, it is widely attested, knew how to enjoy himself, but so long as he performed on the park, could anyone \ care? Not easily embarrassed I dare say that his critics would be hoping that ââ?¬Å?the poor crowdââ?¬Â at Hampden last Wednesday for the Scotland-Argentina game might be another stick with which to beat Gordon Smith, the SFA chief executive. But, like many of the so-called Smith failings, such criticism wouldnââ?¬â?¢t really stack up. A Hampden crowd of 33,000 for the Argentina game maybe wasnââ?¬â?¢t quite what the SFA had hoped for, but can it really be called a failure? Actually, it seemed not a bad figure for wet, mid-November at the beginning of a recession. Perhaps the SFA suffered a slight loss on the deal, but it wonââ?¬â?¢t have been enough to embarrass Smith, below. George Burley, too, was quite right to enjoy the occasion. With Holland looming in March, Scotland are much better facing Argentina than the usual Baltic dross.

STEVIE WHITTAKER is hoping to hold onto his place in the side as Rangers get set for a lunchtime showdown with Hearts. Whittaker, of course, knows all about Tynecastle having played in many Edinburgh derbies in his Hibs days. He has played in the left back slot in the last two matches - a 2-1 win over St Mirren and a 2-0 victory against Aberdeen. Sasa Papac, RangersHowever, with Sasa Papac fit again for this weekend the versatile player may be seeking another position in the team. He said: "With the strength of the squad right now it is taking a player to be injured for others to get their chance so when you are called upon you have to do your best. "I have recovered from injury and I have kept my head down. I have now managed to play a couple of games in a row and hopefully I can go on a run now and manage to stay in the team. "Playing left back is a position I can fill in. It's not one of my favourite positions. I prefer to be on the other side of the pitch but I'm just happy to be in the starting 11. "Hearts are going well at the moment so we are expecting a tough game. It's always difficult there and we will need to take our best game with us and hopefully come away with three points. "Hearts gave us a tough game at Ibrox earlier this season and I'm sure it will be equally testing at Tynecastle. "We played well that last time we were there. Hearts couldn't handle the pace we played at that day and hopefully it's the same this weekend. "We are scoring goals at the moment. Boydy is playing well right now and when that is the case goals usually come so that's fantastic. "He and Jean-Claude both scored last weekend so that has us in good stead for this weekend."

Good to hear big Magic is back as he also offers something going forward.