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What was your Rangers goal of the season? For me, it was probably Kenny Millers header against St Mirren in the League Cup Final. Kinda summed up our season. Fantastic header against all the odds :spl::spl:

When is someone going to call time on these fukers.

Strange one...! http://www.saintmirren.tv/articles/20100511/club-statement_2233570_2049513

Skysports.com understands that St Mirren striker Billy Mehmet is set to seal a move to Turkey. More...

KENNY backs Kris despite striker to end goal drought soon More...

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/premteams/liverpool/2914407/Liverpool-line-up-3m-Danny-Wilson-bid.html I could have understood a bit before now but as his contract is up next summer, I'd have thought it made more sense for interested teams to allow the lad another year at Rangers to aid his development then sign him for nothing next January - rather than paying a lump sum now and him hardly playing. What is for certain, is that we need to secure a new contract for him asap.

Robbie Keane has bagged 11 goals from 11 games since joining Celtic at the end of the January transfer window and Ronnie Esplin argues that his short time in the SPL should not hinder his chances of picking up the top award. Voting for the Scottish Football Writers' Association's player of the year will commence next month ahead of the May 9 awards dinner in Glasgow and if Robbie Keane continues with his scoring form over the next few weeks then he will mostly likely get my nomination. So what if he only arrived at the end of January? I offered that thought to some colleagues on Saturday after the Irishman scored a well-taken double against Kilmarnock at Celtic Park to take his tally to 11 in 11 since he signed on loan from Tottenham and received some puzzled looks. How can a player who has only played for six weeks so far be the best player in Scotland this season, was the general feeling. Quite easy. Keane is streets ahead of anyone we are watching at the moment. Most games have appeared little more than a training ground exercise for the Republic of Ireland skipper while he awaits his return to England and indeed, if there is any criticism that can be levelled at him is that he has not yet reached 20 goals. Having seen most of his games since he arrived north of the border, I believe that to be a conservative figure given the chances he has passed up or had saved. He may still reach that figure, certainly if a Celtic side free from the pretence of chasing Rangers and with Neil Lennon in charge, dominate games in the way they did against Killie. Would it be an indictment of the SPL? Probably. But, again, so what? Have we forgotten our club's European results earlier in the season? Our champions are strolling to their second successive title having shrugged off their worst-ever result in Europe against a hitherto unknown Romanian outfit whose name most people could still not spell. I am aware of the arguments against Keane's nomination other than the brevity of his stay. He didn't play well against Rangers at Ibrox. Agreed, but he was given no service. He is Robbie Keane, not Diego Maradona. He played in the Celtic team which cost Mowbray his job when they lost 4-0 at St Mirren. Yes he did and indeed played poorly that night. But you can't blame Keane for Mowbray's desperate tactics which left the Parkhead side with six strikers on the pitch fighting for space found only in abundance in the Hoops' defence. He was brought to help Celtic win the league and that won't happen. Agreed again but if it weren't for his goals against Dundee United and Falkirk in particular, the Parkhead side might be contemplating the disastrous possibility of finishing third. They might not be looking forward to an Active Nation Scottish Cup semi-final against Ross County either. The football writers, by common consent, are not spoiled for choice this season. Motherwell keeper John Ruddy has impressed and once again Rangers striker Kris Boyd has come up with the goods although he is going through a barren spell at the moment by his high standards. Although we tend to go overboard in this country when we see a midfielder who can control the ball with ease and pass it to a team mate, Steve Davis has risen above the rest in prompting the Ibrox side towards the SPL title. However, Keane is simply a class above. There is no one better in Scottish football than the Irishman. He is mobile, intelligent, mentally sharp and can make and score goals. Is he to be penalised because he has not played as many matches as others? Do we overlook his contribution in order to mask the inadequacies of our game? In microcosm, if an interval substitute scored a second-half hat-trick to win a game would we refrain from naming him man-of-the-match because he had only played 45 minutes? Keane hasn't got my support just yet. I'm siding with Davis at the moment and Boyd is also in the frame. However, if I don't vote for the Celtic striker it won't be due to length of service. http://sport.stv.tv/football/166447-playing-half-a-season-shouldnt-stop-keane-picking-up-player-of-the-year/

FEW FOOTBALL clubs embrace their own mythology quite like Celtic. They hang on to the folklore like a drowning man would a raft, speaking of the Celtic Way while telling themselves they are somehow different to the other lot, the vulgar team in blue with their anti-football and their negativity and their grinding performances that rarely allow for free spirit and flights of fancy. Celtic, goes the fable, are about beautiful football, about "success with flair" as John Reid, their chairman puts it. It's their way of things, their duty to the deities in their past. On the day they unveiled Tony Mowbray as the successor to Gor ADVERTISEMENTdon Strachan there was a feeling in the room, emanating from Reid and his chief executive, Peter Lawwell, and also held dear by the few fans allowed through the door, that Celtic were going back to their traditions. Mowbray, they said, had strong emotional connections with the club. He was, they stressed and re-stressed, a proud member of the Celtic family whose philosophy on how the game should be played chimed perfectly with the history of the place. Nobody said that Strachan hadn't possessed these qualities, but nobody needed to. Everybody knew that he wasn't Celtic minded. Talking later to some journalists, Reid acknowledged Strachan's great success in winning three consecutive SPL titles as well as two separate visits to the last 16 of the Champions League, but the chairman also allowed the impression to be formed that the brand of football Strachan had deployed wasn't in keeping with the story of the club. Mowbray promised to bring artistry to Parkhead, as their roots supposedly demanded. "The great enemy of the truth," said John F Kennedy, "is myth ââ?¬â?? persistent, persuasive and unrealistic." Lawwell and Reid bought the myth. They endorsed Mowbray's hair-brained notion of spending a season or two rebuilding his team even if it meant the likely loss of trophies. Even when the folly of his vision became abundantly obvious to anybody with eyes in their head, Mowbray received Lawwell's and Reid's public support. Reid said the club owed the manager its "moral backing" as he continued the redevelopment of the team. This creation of his would be carefully sculpted and reborn as a great footballing machine sometime in the future, a team full of elegance and craft, some kind of throwback to the way things were at Parkhead, circa the Tommy Burns years, which produced a whole load of lovely football but just one piece of silverware. The truth is that most of Celtic's greatest days in recent times were delivered on the back of the self-same qualities Walter Smith has brought to Rangers, qualities that Mowbray, in his befuddlement, seemed to demean in the wake of his epoch-making loss at St Mirren ââ?¬â?? namely, pragmatism and organisation and desire. A dogged refusal to get beaten was the raison d'etre of Martin O'Neill's Celtic. Sure, he had fabulous footballers at his disposal. And there was majesty in the ranks, no doubt about it. But above all other things ââ?¬â?? guile and goals ââ?¬â?? it was their manly acceptance of the pressure of Old Firm life that made them a success. They were fine players, but more than that, they were stand-up guys. Same with Wim Jansen's team. They didn't play particularly cosmic football, as Strachan would call it. But they played winning football. Strachan was cut from a similar cloth. When they appointed Mowbray and gave him the go-ahead to rip asunder a side that had won three titles and that had taken a fourth to the last day of the season, Lawwell and Reid forget their history. Celtic's prime duty to their fans and their traditions is not pretty football, but successful football. That is it. Full stop. End of story. Glorious failure (Burns) is in their DNA, and it is celebrated, but the thing they crave the most is victory. If the play is attractive into the bargain, then great. But every legend who ever walked in the door of the place would tell you that their primary responsibility was to win. That was lost under Mowbray. But it wasn't the only thing that was lost. Celtic's thinking has become distracted. Their famous paranoia was in danger of spiralling out of control had Mowbray stayed. Somebody needed to start banging heads together, but there was nobody. As sure as their board of directors bought the myth of the Celtic Way when opting for Mowbray they also bought the fantasy that everybody is out to get them; referees, journalists, the Scottish Football Association. They wallowed in the face of bad luck and awful refereeing decisions. A few weeks ago we stated in this space that their woe-is-us mentality, their apparent search for people to blame for their failing plight was a form of sporting cowardice. They had a bad situation on their hands and the way they opted to deal with it was to whinge incessantly instead of knuckling down like good professionals and trying to do something to arrest the decline. One of the problems is that they are so wrapped up in their own myth as victims nobody seemed to stand up. Certainly nobody stood up at St Mirren when things were going horrendously wrong the other night. What was that if not a shameful capitulation? That's partly because Mowbray cleared out a lot of the men who might have said or done something in these circumstances. Paul Hartley might have tried to snap them out of their self-pity. Or Stephen McManus. Or Gary Caldwell. Or Barry Robson. Or Scott McDonald. But those guys aren't around anymore. Some Celtic fans will tell you that most of that lot needed to go, that they weren't good enough for Celtic. Not good enough for the fantasy Celtic of Mowbray's imagination, perhaps. But plenty good enough to go to St Mirren and get a result, no? Finally, on Friday, we heard the things that needed to be said. We heard straight-talking and none of the fanciful guff of Mowbray's misguided months. The brutal honesty and the sharp focus came, of course, from Neil Lennon, a strangely peripheral figure in the Mowbray regime. Maybe he was too grounded in reality to be welcomed into the inner-circle, but he's the man now in any event. Maybe his inexperience is going to catch him out in the short term, but there was power in his words on Friday, there was a defiance and a straightforwardness about what he said that smacked of his great mentor, O'Neill. "I have told them that Wednesday night was totally unacceptable," said Lennon. "I never want to see that again. I made it pretty clear what is expected of them between now and the end of the season. I want them to play from the gut. They have their professional pride to play for with ten games left. They need to restore the club's reputation and their own. I think there is a softness about us. I'd like to eradicate that. I think mentally we're not as strong as we should be. Rangers have shown over the course of the season that they are quite able to grind out results and we've not been able to do that, we've only done it sporadically. I think there should be more of a tempo to our play as well, more concerted pressure, which I don't think we have enough of." Lennon spoke of wanting his team to have the same mentality as O'Neill's, wanting them to play hard, professional football and not accepting defeat. He didn't talk about the Celtic Way or his duty to entertain or his intention to win matches down the line at some stage. He knows how things are in Glasgow. The first step to being true to Celtic's traditions is to win. It's not rocket science, though his predecessor made it so at times. The board will be hoping against hope that Lennon can make a fist of this. Whether he has the coaching nous remains to be seen, but he's got a lot of other things in his locker, things like hunger and passion and commonsense, commodities that are far more relevant than the things that Lawwell and Reid saw in Mowbray on the day they presented him as the returning Messiah. Now that they've got their head out of the clouds again, maybe they can move forward.

Celtic fans were today counting the cost of Tony Mowbrayââ?¬â?¢s disastrous nine-month spell in charge. It could effectively cost the Parkhead side Ã?£25million. The club is potentially 16 points behind Rangers in the title race and this seasonââ?¬â?¢s failure to make it through the qualifying stages of the Champions League left a gaping hole in its finances. Between Ã?£8m and Ã?£10m can be expected to be banked from the group stages of the Champions League and it is a problem Celtic will have to address again this summer. Even if the club hangs on to second spot in the SPL, it will face tough qualifying games to try and make it into the European group stages. Celtic paid Ã?£2m in compensation to West Brom to land Mowabray. It is believed he had a notice period in his four-year deal that means the club has to shell out only a limited level of compensation, but the tally to pay him off, as well as assistants Peter Grant and Mark Venus, has still added up to a further Ã?£2m. Mowbray has returned to his wife and three young sons in England after making a hasty retreat from Celticââ?¬â?¢s Lennoxtown training ground yesterday afternoon. The fact his family never moved to join him in Scotland suggested his time at Celtic was always destined to be for the short-term. Fansââ?¬â?¢ favourite Neil Lennon will assume control, along with former Celtic defender Johan Mjallby, and the move has been welcomed by supporters. ââ?¬Å?He is a guy who knows what the club is all about,ââ?¬Â said fan Paul Brady. ââ?¬Å?He has a bit of fight and heart about him and he might steady the ship until the end of the season. ââ?¬Å?The big fear after the debacle at St Mirren was that we would not even be able to beat Ross County in the Scottish Cup. ââ?¬Å?There is a question mark over Neil in that he has no senior managerial experience, but he knows Celtic inside out. ââ?¬Å?He also knows the players and will be well aware there have been a few of them hiding this season. I hope he will kick a few backsides and galvanise the side between now and the end of the season.ââ?¬Â The Celtic bus was met by an angry mob of around 100 fans on Wednesday night after their 4-0 defeat by St Mirren and while Mowbray jumped in his car, Peter Grant tried to offer an apology to the support for the shambolic display. Another fan, David Beattie, believed Mowbrayââ?¬â?¢s time was up and welcomed the changes. ââ?¬Å?Management, in any business, is about results ââ?¬â?? itââ?¬â?¢s as simple as that,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?Mowbrayââ?¬â?¢s results have not been good enough and that is why it was inevitable he would lose his job. ââ?¬Å?The important thing is to get someone in this summer who gets time to organise his squad before the Champions League qualifiers.ââ?¬Â Another fan, Paul Gillespie, 35, said at Celtic Park this morning: ââ?¬Å?I was at the St Mirren game and for me it was the final nail in the coffin. Mowbray was not a good Celtic manager and it was time he went. ââ?¬Å?If we get the right sort of manager we can still win the league. ââ?¬Å?Mark Hughes would be my choice. He has the right character and with the right resources would be a good manager.ââ?¬Â Celtic supportersââ?¬â?¢ chief Peter Rafferty welcomed the short-term appointment of Lennon and was philosophical about Mowbrayââ?¬â?¢s dismissal. ââ?¬Å?It was inevitable,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?It is no surprise because of the way results have been going. The St Mirren result was just one too far for many fans and the manner in which we were defeated did not go down well. ââ?¬Å?Lennonââ?¬â?¢s appointment gives the board the chance to get organised for the summer and get a manager in place who has plenty of time to prepare for next season.ââ?¬Â

Ten points ahead. Two games in hand. Celtic about to part company with their manager. Celtic fans protesting outside Parkhead. Only the league to concentrate on now. Key players rested and others to return from injury. Fringe players given important match-time. The reasons are endless for why the fat lady should be singing but, while she may well be clearing her throat, this isn't done and dusted yet. Sure, we have every right to be confident and the players/management team have earned that right with some sterling work this season - in the face of adversity; both financially and in terms of the pressure created with constant speculation over the club's ownership. However, there is a long way to go yet and a cursory look back at season 2007/08 should frighten every bear who thinks the SPL title has already returned to Ibrox for the 53rd time. Of course the circumstances are different from then - no UEFA Cup run to worry about, no build up of matches and no resurgent Celtic to face twice at Parkhead without the officials that are supposedly helping us now! As such, not winning the league from this position doesn't bear thinking about. And that is exactly the spur why we need to regroup and stride forward to attain the goal of winning the championship! Recent months have seen a disjointed Rangers struggle in most games against a variety of opposition. Moreover, despite assurances from the management team and key players, it seems obvious legs are starting to tire and performances are less consistent and of a lower quality from individuals and the team as a whole. That's why the team was changed so markedly at Tannadice last night - we need refreshed and players need rested. Those imperative changes show clearly that the management team are aware of the stern test that remains between now and the end of May. Away games at Tynecastle, McDiarmid Park, Tannadice (again), Celtic Park, Easter Road and Fir Park are not games that will be won easily - and certainly not with the patchy form we've shown lately. Indeed, those teams who visit Ibrox will be just as eager to ruin any premature party we may have planned. To obtain results, we'll need all our best players to turn up and the fringe lads to contribute as well. Moreover, with the dirty bed sheets out last night at Parkhead, a change of manager there is likely so that could bring the kind of impetuous for Celtic to work hard and improve their results. Is this a bit of reverse psychology from a bear, confused with the upset of a Scottish Cup loss while laughing at Tony Mowbray disgracefully criticises us for negative, defensive football as his team loses 0-4 to St Mirren? Probably but the caution is genuine and the reasons for it more than valid. The fat lady isn't singing for this bear then and won't be for a few weeks yet. If we win our next three games by next Saturday evening the position will be a lot clearer though. I urge every Rangers fan to do their utmost to support the team to that goal and beyond. And I urge the players and manager to stand tall, improve your contribution and find the level required to retain the title. Go and finish the job! :robbo:

Kris Boyd insists he is the man for the big occasion despite years of missing out on crucial matches. More...

Celtic will be looking to keep alive their outside title hopes alive when they tackle St Mirren. More...

LATE bid to have red card over-turned fails More...

Miller through last week against Dundee Utd, with only the keeper to beat. Gets brought down. Chances of scoring if no foul? 90%. Ref gives yellow card Man Utd game yesterday. Valencia running towards goal in control of the ball and gets brought down. Chances of scoring if no foul? 50%. Ref gives yellow card. Cup final, and a high ball over the top, with a St Mirren player running towards a difficult bouncing ball, had not touched it and definitely not in control of it. Chances of scoring if no foul? 5%. Ref gives red card. The inconsistency is very frustrating.

Kevin Thomson will miss Wednesday's Scottish Cup replay, but Rangers team-mate Danny Wilson is clear to play despite both being sent off on Sunday. Wilson's offence was denying a goalscoring opportunity to Craig Dargo in the 1-0 Co-operative Insurance Cup final win over St Mirren. And his one-match ban will come into effect in next season's competition. But Thomson's tackle on Stevie Thomson was deemed serious foul play and he misses the match against Dundee United. The offence also took the midfielder over the points threshold and he will miss one Scottish Premier League game from 4 April, with Aberdeen due to visit Ibrox that Wednesday. MY SPORT: DEBATE Give your reaction to Rangers' suspensions Thomson's absence adds to Rangers' selection headache for this week's replay at Tannadice. Steven Davis is doubtful after coming off at half-time during Sunday's win over St Mirren. The Northern Ireland international had been a doubt for that game through illness and had clearly not recovered as he failed to make an impact before being replaced by Maurice Edu. Lee McCulloch is definitely unavailable to fill one of the midfield spots as the Scotland international is also serving a cup suspension. Meanwhile, Madjid Bougherra and fellow defender Kirk Broadfoot remain absentees with hamstring injuries. Rangers are hoping that the Hampden win will be the first leg of a domestic treble. The SPL leaders must overcome United at Tannadice if they are to retain hopes of retaining the Scottish Cup, with First Division Raith Rovers facing the winners in the semi-finals. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/8580683.stm

Today Rangers required just nine men to win a cup final. An unbelievable achievement; to secure victory whilst at a two man disadvantage. This current Rangers team are jam packed of that most inspiring of qualities; character. Walter Smithââ?¬â?¢s team epitomise this attribute with a never say die attitude. Our foes from the East End have attempted to tarnish our achievements this season as they see us marching to another league title to keep the League Cup company in the trophy room this summer. Tony Mowbrayââ?¬â?¢s side have not been good enough to keep up with our relentless accumulation of points and in their desperation have sought to stain our success with their accusations against the impartiality or quality of the officials in this country. All teams get decisions that do not go their way. It happens in all competitions, in all countries. But as Rangers demonstrated today, if youââ?¬â?¢re good enough you will still have the ability to overcome adversity and the occasional poor decisions. What our nine men achieved today was simply awesome. To defeat another side from the top division in the country with an incomplete complement of players on the field shows the winning mentality Smith has instilled in his squad. Never were the words of the fansââ?¬â?¢ chants more relevant; ââ?¬Å?We are Rangers, Super Rangersââ?¬Â. Thereââ?¬â?¢s is something super, something extraordinary about this Rangers squad. No other team in the country or perhaps even some earlier Rangers squads would manage to have secured victory under such circumstances. Both red cards could perhaps be described as harsh, but by the letter of the law both were also merited. The frustration comes with the lack of consistency from officials. Kevin Thomsonââ?¬â?¢s challenge was reckless, even foolhardy. But had the referee punished two earlier incidents in that passage of play for fouls on Rangers players; one on Thomson himself, the game would have unfolded differently and Thomson would not have gone seeking retribution as the referee temporarily lost charge of the match with his indecision. It does not excuse Thomsonââ?¬â?¢s subsequent behaviour but by the same token the refereeââ?¬â?¢s inaction should not be ignored. For me the Wilson red card is even harder to take. A slight tug of the arm outside the box. It was a free kick, maybe even a yellow card. But with Davie Weir also covering across it was perhaps not a clear goal-scoring opportunity. And to make matters worse, that issue of consistency of officials decisions again crops up. On numerous occasions this season we have won penalties or free kicks with players bearing down on goal only for the opposition player to be given a stay of execution with only a caution given or no card at all. To me, it was no surprise that the officials were not given a warm reception when collecting their medals. Down to just nine players then, with 20 minutes of the game to be played. As the commentators constantly reminded us, Rangers were playing for penalties. Not his Rangers side though. Not Walter Smithââ?¬â?¢s Rangers. We were playing for prizes. Playing for victory and playing for another trophy. Weir won the ball inside our own half and set substitute Steven Naismith on his way on the right hand side. The young forward looked up and picked out Kenny Miller with a pin point cross. The dynamic forward, who had been struggling all game with his finishing, guided a pinpoint header into the far corner with the keeper toiling to get across. All that was required now was to see out the final 6-minutes plus injury time. However, even in spite of their first half dominance, an off form Rangers and a numerical disadvantage, St Mirren did not seriously threaten our goal again. No team could realistically harbour dreams of winning a match against such odds. But Cup Final hero Kenny Miller stated after the match that he always kept believing. That the team still felt they could do it. And with Walter Smith in the dugout and the team of battlers we have out on the field, so did this bear. Winning in sport is a habit and it is a healthy one into which we have gotten into. Prior to the match, Smith said his favourite cup final victory was the 4-3 win over Hearts. League Cup triumph number 26 surely ranks up there with the best of them. Smithââ?¬â?¢s post match comments struck a chord with me: ââ?¬Å?As I said to the boys, it doesn't matter how many times you win trophies you can never win enough of them and that's where I'm fromââ?¬Â. It is a footballing philosophy that I can relate to and Iââ?¬â?¢m happy we still have Walter Smith leading us into each competition. In the post match analysis new Scotland manager Craig Levein uttered the words ââ?¬Å?arise Sir Walterââ?¬Â and surely that is another accolade that could come his way when he finally hangs up his club tie. Whilst the fans and players must enjoy the moment and soak up yet another trophy success on Wednesday it is up to Tannadice as we seek to progress to a Scottish Cup Semi Final with Raith Rovers. We also need to ensure we claim the 6 victories that will guarantee SPL success. The likelihood is that the league title will also rest at Ibrox again this season. If the players could secure the clubs eight treble they would firmly establish themselves in Rangers history books and confirm themselves as Super Rangers!

Gersnet was interested to note the comments of St Mirren manager Gus MacPherson after their weekend defeat to Rangers at Ibrox Stadium. As another manager attempting to bring the game into disrepute we'd like to ask him a few questions... The match highlights can be viewed courtesy of BBC Scotland here while the same organisation have an after-match interview with a clearly upset MacPherson complaining about one decision he felt influenced the game negatively for his team - that can be read and/or listened to here. To sum up Mr MacPherson's complaint, he felt David Weir should have been sent off for an early foul on St Mirren striker Michael Higdon. Bringing up mandatory meetings with the SFA, the St Mirren manager was frustrated with the inconsistent message given out by the football authority and the referees with regard to goal-scoring opportunities and other decisions. A few quotes and questions now follow: MacPherson: "I'm not wanting players booked or red-carded but there are laws to the game" Question: Given your obvious sporting principles, what do you want then if it wasn't a red card for Weir? MacPherson: "David Weir impeded Michael Higdon in the process of shooting, he affected how he was shooting. There's a decision to get made there. No decision was made." Question: As the video pictures clearly show, do you accept Higdon 'impeded' Weir 'in the process of defending', 'affecting' his ability to deal with the through ball. Why was that decision not made? Similarly, late in the game (no video highlight provided), a St Mirren defender stopped a cross illegally with his arm. Why was that decision not made? MacPherson: "We watch games, we go to games and we see clips on the BBC and we see a different set of rules getting applied. None more so than when we're coming here (to Ibrox)." Question: What different set of rules are these? Do you mean the free-kick given for a foul on your player but not the foul on a Rangers player immediately prior to it? What are you implying by the final sentence? Be a man and say exactly what you mean. We'd all love to see the evidence you have for such a controversial claim. MacPherson: "We're actually shown clips at the start of the season by (Scottish FA head of referees) Hugh Dallas and shown incidents of what's important and what the new guidelines are yet, when the games come along, when there's decisions to get made, they don't get made. A lot of football people at the meeting were actually questioning and arguing, which is healthy because that's what the game's all about. But then, when the games come along, you're looking for them to be applied in the correct manner and it's not getting done." Question: What is not being done in the correct manner? Do you mean hand-balls against your team not being penalised? Do you mean the officials being inconsistent in their application of the rules for aerial challenges - one of which you won a free kick from to score the opener last Saturday while Rangers were denied three identical fouls - one in your penalty area? Or do you mean the physical players in your team not being punished (see St Mirren Park - 8th April, 2009) where Rangers winger DaMarcus Beasley was taken off injured after 15 mins of the game after a variety of disgraceful 'challenges' on his person. Finally, given you've been involved in professional Scottish football for over 20 years - as a player and manager - why did you choose last weekend to infer dishonesty from the officials and what do you do to intend to prove this scurrilous accusation which calls into question the integrity of Scottish football? It has been most disappointing to note of late how many important figures who make life-changing amounts of money from the sport (either in the past and/or currently) are so eager to question the integrity of officials and authorities just because their team of choice can't win a football match. The fact of the matter is, every football club in Scotland (and indeed in the world) has its fair share of decisions go for and against them. Yes, it is frustrating and disappointing when it is the latter but for anyone to suggest an inherent bias in favour of one specific team at one specific stadium isn't just sour grapes but providing a dangerously paranoid platform for people to grasp to instead of addressing the real problems in our game. Therefore Mr MacPherson if you are concerned about the quality of the refereeing in Scotland (most football fans are) why not air your concerns in a more constructive manner at the mandatory Hugh Dallas meetings you seem so strangely annoyed about having to attend. Anything else is quite frankly insulting to any decent person involved in football. Shame on you for jumping on an already full (and broken) bandwagon.

The last few weeks have really been a hoot in the ever hilarious world of the SPL. As Rangers edge closer to an unprecedented 53rd league title and the chances of a worthy treble, the conspiracy theories are ever more wild as players, managers and commentating legends trip over their petted lips. Rather than concentrate on Rangers' admirable domestic record via an orthodox playing style but with an ever- increasing goals scored column amongst chances aplenty backed up by one of the most solid defences in club football (wood touched!); the talk is of hard done by clubs, players and managers cheated out of points by officials allegedly ordered to gift the SPL to Rangers because of our financial problems. The list of examples to 'prove' the theories are endless: Celtic denied a penalty at Ibrox; Celtic denied a goal at Parkhead; Motherwell denied a goal at Fir Park; St Mirren denied a penalty at Ibrox; Celtic captain unfairly ordered off at Ibrox; Rangers defender not sent off after being penalised for a few fouls; etc etc etc. You may suppress your grin at these claims when you find out it isn't your average Sean next door phoning the ever impartial Radio Clyde panel but this is Celtic Football Club making the allegations via their 'unnamed source' handing in a dossier of decisions going against Celtic and for Rangers. Add in the club manager, senior players (such as Aiden McGeady - yes that, non-diving; non-hacking and non-dissenter of official decisions during games Irish internationalist); ex-playing legends such as Billy McNeil (ask Davie Hay about McNeil's managerial integrity); then the full picture unfolds of what is being attempted here. This isn't a few fans moaning about a few decisions. This is a football club with strong political connections in the game and beyond questioning the partiality of officials and the authorities in Scottish football. All because they chose the wrong manager, spent too much money on loan players who weren't really any better than what they had and are looking for an opportunity to deflect (and deny) from their own inadequacies as their crowd numbers go into free-fall. Let's be something they can't be and be objective though: Celtic have been unlucky when it comes to a few decisions this season and Rangers have also benefited from a few. Celtic should have had more than one penalty at Ibrox earlier this season (they did get one though - when was the last Rangers one at Parkhead?); Madjid Bougherra could easily have been sent off in the most recent game; and John Gilmour made our life a lot easier at Fir Park last month. I'm sure there are a few more debatable decisions that have went our way of late. I'll take them when they come though as just as many go against us. Similarly, neither should anyone apologise for being right. Firstly, Scott Brown was harshly sent off at Ibrox the other week. However, we've spent the last 10+ years hearing about how John Rowbotham should have sent off Paul Gascoigne for exactly the same aggressive behaviour in a game against Aberdeen. Where is in the consistency? Secondly, Fortune's goal at Parkhead earlier this year was harshly disallowed. Yes, at first glance, he looked to have jumped higher than McGregor and the decision looked wrong. However, any fair-minded person would agree that Steve Conroy (that well-kent Rangers supporter!) was in fact correct when viewing the various replays available to us we see Fortune clearly fouled the Rangers goalie's arm when jumping impeding his chances of catching the ball. Such incidents are always black and white but grey areas where consistency is the most difficult virtue to find for officials - as opposed to the lack of honesty implied by some! Finally, when one wants to examine the officiating debate, one really needs to be balanced when doing so. Of course, I'm probably not such a person but were the red cards dished out to Kevin Thomson, Madjid Bougherra, Pedro Mendes and Kenny Miller really warranted this season? Maybees aye, maybees naw; but we got on with the games in question and secured points in all of them; away to Hearts, Motherwell and Kilmarnock amongst them. I could also list a plethora of other decisions that have arguably gone against us in recent times - from disallowed goals; to unpunished opposition players; to denied penalties but any impartial observer would come to the conclusion such decisions do even themselves out - perhaps not over the course of a season but certainly on an ongoing basis. Or do they? A cursory look at the last five years of the SPL shows an interesting anomaly for the Celtic-minded wishing to infer bias against their team. Since 2005/2006 only in one season have Celtic had more yellow cards (07/08) or red cards (06/07) than Rangers. Much more often than not Rangers have the worst disciplinary record. Again, quick simplistic science based on basic stats but hardly signs of institutional bias year-by-year suggested by the likes of Billy McNeill? And this is where the debate breaks down. Because we all have our valid arguments about that one game, that once incident where we lost the 3 points because of the barsteward in the black. So, the next time an Aiden McGeady, a Tony Mowbray, a Craig Levein and even Gus McPherson want to rant about being hard-done by, perhaps they should reflect afterwards to think where they may have been the one on the receiving end of a fortunate flag from an otherwise nameless linesman. And instead of questioning people's integrity or fair-mindedness they may show a bit more humility and class when attempting to discuss the foibles of our national sport. Anything else is just bringing the game into disrepute for the sake of a cheap jibe to deflect from their own failings. That isn't the mark of fair people with integrity - just the actions of hypocrites who should know better.

Champions Rangers could go 13 points clear at the top of the table on Saturday as they host St Mirren. More...

This really is a curious tale. Boyd is without a doubt the best predator in the SPL. He could do it in the EPL against plenty of decent teams, and his all round game has improved vastly this season. Instead of only being a penalty box striker, he's coming deeper, holding up the ball, using his strength to fend off defenders, and showing some creative class - his through ball for Miller's chance has barely been mentioned yet I felt it was as good as Buffel's for Lovenkrands V Inter in 2006. His value has increased massively and he's unquestionably one of our biggest assets - I for one sincerely hope we can hold onto him because he'll leave for free if we can't. However, despite the fact he has scored against the best the SPL offers - such as Hibs, Hearts, Motherwell, Utd...he really does seem to have a severe mental block against Celtic. Outwith the box he looks composed, solid, creative, and robust. Give him a chance in the box against them, however, and his legs turn to jelly, you can see him panicking, and he looks beyond desperate to score which seems to ruin any ounce of composure. He seems to lose his natural goalscoring instinct against them. Take our winner yesterday - against any other team the scorer of that goal was Boyd - he's done it a million times before (Motherwell for example recently and St Mirren too); right place, right time. But against Celtic it abandons him and his predatory instincts desert him. We can't even use the excuse that timmy have a great defence, because they really don't - defence is one of the reasons why they're so poor this season - so it has to be a psychological block on his part. Boyd doesn't seem to really believe he can score against them - he can do the rest and play just as well as anyone else - but sticking the ball in the back of the net seems to be something, against Celtic, that Boyd seriously struggles to do. Just my opinion.

RANGERS chairman Alastair Johnston believes the remaining 13 games of the SPL campaign hold the key to the Ibrox club securing a healthier, long-term financial future. Speaking as Rangers published half-yearly accounts which reveal an operating profit of �£13.1 million for the six months to 31 December 2009, Johnston admitted the value of Champions League qualification cannot be overstated in addressing the prospects of reducing his club's �£31million debt and attracting new ownership and investment. The Scottish champions' interim figures also showed a turnover of �£37.8million, directly attributable to their participation in the group stage of European football's elite club competition this season. Twelve months earlier, on the back of elimination from the Champions League in the second qualifying round by Lithuanian side Kaunas, Rangers posted a loss of almost �£9million and turnover of just �£20.1million. The contrast is startling and illuminates Rangers' need to retain their domestic title this season. With Scotland's Uefa co-efficient ranking in freefall, it is likely to be the last year for some time the SPL champions will qualify directly for the lucrative group phase of the Champions League. Rangers, who squeezed into the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup last night with a 1-0 win over St Mirren, are ten points ahead of Celtic at the top of the SPL with 13 games to play, leaving them on course for a championship success which would underpin Johnston's quest to steer his club out of their current fiscal storm. "The main thing for us at the moment is the short term and focusing on matters on the field," Johnston told The Scotsman last night. "The next ten weeks will impact significantly on how we aspire to make progress for the club. "The figures we are announcing today are pleasing and they show just how crucial it is to be in the Champions League. We have to sound a note of caution, because we still face many challenges, but clearly getting into the Champions League again would be of significant benefit." Johnston succeeded Sir David Murray as Rangers chairman last August during a period of turmoil for the club as their finances came under intense scrutiny from Lloyds TSB. While he concedes the bank's ongoing involvement in the club's affairs is "not desirable", Johnston sought to ease concern among supporters as he insisted it is currently to Rangers' benefit. "Looking back to August, when Lloyds TSB were taking a more than unusual interest in Rangers, we have to be satisfied with where we are now," he added. "We were successful in persuading them that their immediate reaction, which was to look to downsize the club, was impractical and particularly unwise in terms of maintaining the club's value. "We reached an agreement with them which is not ideal for either party but is practical in the circumstances. In no way would I criticise the fans who are entitled to voice their opinions. But as far as our relationship with Lloyds goes, it is working. We need them at this point in time. Murray (International Holdings) are not going to put any more money into the club, so we need the bank. They have been left holding the baby after the economic crisis hit Murray. The bank are our stop-gap measure." Donald Muir, the corporate troubleshooter appointed to the board to oversee the club's financial restructuring, has become the focal point of protests from Rangers supporters, but Johnston called for understanding of his fellow director's position. "To say Donald Muir is conflicted may be overstating it, but he is wearing two hats," said Johnston. "He is a non-executive director of Rangers and is expected to work within that role. He also represents the Murray group of companies, so in that role he is seeking to liquidate to Murray's advantage. "In terms of a possible new owner, there is activity, but it is like shadow boxing at the moment. I would hope something will happen sooner rather than later, but there has to be understanding and probably compromise. It will be challenging going forward and hopefully we can adjust the current business plan which was the subject of Walter Smith's ire recently, rightly so in my opinion." Smith had expressed his frustration at the restrictions placed on him in the transfer market where Rangers have now not paid money for a new player since August 2008. Johnston praised the veteran manager for his part in achieving ongoing success for Rangers despite those handicaps and is hopeful Smith and his assistants Ally McCoist and Kenny McDowall will be in a position to agree new contracts this summer. "The guys know our position," he said. "Walter is at the stage of his career that whenever his time at Rangers does end, he will probably go and play golf. With Ally and Kenny, who are a bit younger, we are dealing with different scenarios. Walter is keeping an open mind at the moment. Whatever happens, history will show that Rangers were very fortunate to have him as manager during this period." Emerging from the January transfer window with the loss of only Pedro Mendes and Jerome Rothen was regarded as something of a bonus by Rangers but the club face further uncertainty at the end of the season when several players, including top scorer Kris Boyd, are out of contract. Boyd has decided to wait until the summer before making a decision on his future. "The offer to Kris Boyd remains on the table," said Johnston. "We hope he will stay but circumstances outwith our control, such as offers from English football, could persuade him to leave. We can't control the environment we are in when it comes to contract negotiations." KEY FIGURES TURNOVER �£37.8m Up by �£17.7m OPERATING PROFIT �£13.1m Up by �£17.0m OPERATING EXPENSES �£21.0m Down by �£3.6m http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Rangers-progress-in-cup-.6082665.jp

Steven Naismith says Kris Boyd is 'vital' to the Rangers cause following his winning goal against St Mirren. More...

ALTHOUGH Rangers will tonight continue on their quest for an improbable treble, Ally McCoist has admitted that even he can't bear to think about Rangers' long-term prospects at times. While the immediate future is something to relish there is an uncertainty which must strike at the heart all of involved with the Ibrox club at present. Even the reliably upbeat McCoist yesterday admitted he falls prey to moments when thoughts stray ADVERTISEMENT beyond the end of the season, and what the future holds for the club he has adored since when he was a boy. He insisted that his own ambitions to succeed Walter Smith as manager must be considered a side-issue when compared to the needs of the club. The assistant manager also applauded those players who have put to one side their own contractual concerns as they bid to complete what would form a historic and unlikely treble. Skipper David Weir, top goal-scorer Kris Boyd and Nacho Novo are among those whose deals with the club expire at the end of the current campaign. In an effort to prevent distraction from his duties on the pitch Novo yesterday said he had instructed his agent not to involve him in on-going talks with the club. "Some of the boys have got contract issues and they never mention it," said McCoist. "They just get their work done. They have to have concerns about it too ââ?¬â?? of course they have. But they are handling it really well, and they are appreciative of the fact that the club is the most important thing." Rangers remain up for sale and heavily burdened by debt and have been hampered in their efforts to hang on to such prize assets as Boyd. Some fear that the ingredients are there to deliver the club back to the grim days prior to the arrival of Graeme Souness in 1986, when Rangers were not considered to be among those challenging for the league championship. McCoist does not want to even contemplate this down-scaling of ambition. It is a particularly relevant fear for the former striker, since he could well be asked to steer the club through whatever stormy waters lie ahead. "I couldn't see it," he said, when asked whether the bleak days of the early Eighties at Ibrox ââ?¬â?? which he experienced as a player ââ?¬â?? could be revisited. "But to be brutally honest, maybe it is because I don't want to look at that big picture. It's not through ignorance. I am obviously a half-full person rather than a half-empty one. "I just think we will be OK. In Graeme's first game as manager we had to beat Motherwell just to qualify for Europe. I remember those days. But I would be certainly hopeful it would not return to that kind of situation. "It's only a worry for me because it's my football club ââ?¬â?? and has been since I was a wee boy," he added. "It's thousands and thousands of other people's club as well. It's the same concern for them. I will survive. But the most important thing is the club. Hopefully we can sort it out in the near rather than distant future. The stripping of this club's assets is something no supporter would want to see." The immediate future is a much more palatable thought for Rangers supporters. The Ibrox side entertain St Mirren this evening in a fifth-round Active Native Scottish Cup replay and then on Saturday lunch-time will aim to go 13 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League with a victory in Perth against St Johnstone. The chances that these outings will end with positive outcomes for Rangers have increased due to an easing in the injury situation at the club. Three weeks ago both McCoist and Smith feared that their ambitions on all three fronts this season ââ?¬â?? Rangers also have a Co-operative Insurance Cup final appearance against tonight's opponents to look forward to next month ââ?¬â?? would be de-railed by a crippling injury list. This was on top of the dire financial circumstances which have caused Rangers to be inactive in the transfer market for over 18 months. But the return of in-form strikers Boyd and Kenny Miller has heartened Rangers ahead of a critical period, with nearest challengers Celtic due to be faced at Ibrox a week this Sunday. There was further good news for Rangers yesterday when DaMarcus Beasley came through a half of a bounce game against Kilmarnock at Murray Park as he bids to improve his match fitness. McCoist is someone who cannot help but accentuate the positives and he welcomed this return to what is a full-strength squad. Rangers will contemplate resting either Miller or Boyd tonight, with the option of leaving one on the bench until the later stages of the game. "We are in a lot better shape than we were maybe three weeks ago," said McCoist. "Back then we were all concerned about having players injured. For us to be successful we have to have a reasonably clean bill of health. I don't want to tempt fate, but we have that now. We (McCoist and Smith] feel that is the most important thing for us, it really is." http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Finance-fears-stop-Ally-McCoist.6078352.jp

Interesting viewpoint in this RM article by Boss. . http://www.rangersmedia.co.uk/homepage/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=263%3Arangers-protests--qdonald-muir-the-saviour-withinq&catid=41%3Afinances

St Mirren or Rangers v Dundee Utd