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  1. I wouldn't disagree with much of this to be fair. BY GORDON WADDELL Gordon Waddell: Like Thelma and Louise, Rangers have arrived at their destination.. the edge of a cliff 31 August 2014 08:37 AM By Gordon Waddell GORDON reckons Rangers are at the edge of a precipice but the cash crisis hasn't stopped the club signing back-up keeper Lee Robinson in a move typical of the way the club has been run for the past few years. THEY sold their road back to the top of the game as ‘The Journey’. It would appear Rangers have arrived at a destination many financial experts predicted for them long ago. The edge of a cliff. As the directors sit there like Thelma and Louise, with the engine revving, you wonder if the question was not whether the club would end up being driven over the edge but more a matter of when the crash would occur. How else do you explain it? No sane person would surely run a business the way they’ve run theirs. It’s as if they have committed commercial suicide. An example? It didn’t make a headline. Barely registered a mention. But if you want even a tiny indication of exactly how dysfunctional Rangers are, then look no further than the signing of Lee Robinson last week. A 28-year-old back-up keeper to a 35-year-old back-up. When they already have the Scotland Under-19 No.1 AND the Scotland Under-17 No.1 on their books? Another wage? Aye, why not, eh? We’ve been splashing money needlessly for two and a half years on players we don’t need and can’t afford – another won’t kill us. Their share offering on Friday was like taking a tube of Savlon to a cremation. They’ve admitted to the stock exchange that if they don’t get at least £3m, they’re knackered. And even if they do, they’ve openly shifted the problem a couple of months further down the line. Yet still they sign players like autograph hunters? They act as if they don’t give a monkey’s. Other clubs coming back from the brink, the first thing they attacked was their cost base. Trimmed all the fat and started from the ground up. Live within your means. New club motto? Numquam Iterum. Never Again. Yet here we are, back at square one. Ally on the back pages, pleading: ‘Don’t sell my stars’. Why not? Truth is you should never have been allowed to sign most of them in the first place. This whole ‘We’re Rangers and until someone tells me otherwise, we’ll continue to behave like Rangers’ schtick? McCoist is a bright, articulate, likeable guy. I refuse to believe he’s so gullible. That he never sat there and thought ‘This can’t be right’. Who would you prefer to be in charge at Rangers? I’m not saying anything I haven’t said to him in a dozen different press conferences. I’ve asked him why they weren’t hunkering down, signing players for their level, saving cash. He always replied: “The fans deserve better.” Damn right they do. But they also deserve their club to survive after what they’ve put in over the years. In a football sense, I haven’t yet met a Rangers fan who didn’t think the club would have been better bleeding half a dozen youngsters into their line-up back on day one and developing them properly than going down the road they did. I haven’t yet met a fan who wouldn’t have put up with the odd defeat to see some genuine progress and fiscal responsibility rather than watching the likes of Richard Foster, Stevie Smith, Ian Black, Dean Shiels or Jon Daly. Or Lee Robinson. Nice lad, decent gloves – but what about Liam Kelly and Robby McCrorie, two of the highest-rated teenagers in their position in Scotland? Every other club in the country is giving youth a chance and reaping the rewards. Not The Rangers. Sorry lads. Can’t trust you, even on the bench. No time to have faith in you. Other diddy clubs might get away with playing teenagers. They may even excel. Hell, look at Conor McGrandles – 82 senior games by the age of 18 and a £1million move from Falkirk to Norwich. Rangers are too good for that, though. Listen, the dysfunctional management of the club’s affairs runs a million miles deeper than the team. These are just examples of how a total breakdown in management manifests itself in public. What goes on behind closed doors or up marble staircases? We may never know. But the fact they’re putting out the begging bowl in such a humiliating manner suggests none of it is good. And then we have the ever-hovering presence of Dave King . King has been criticised for his silence but don’t let anyone kid you that he hasn’t been waiting for this exact moment. The lowest ebb. The final wheezing breaths of a regime someone as long in the tooth as he is always thought would arrive. Sure, he’s a Rangers fan. Sure, his intentions for the club will be more honourable than the current incumbents. But spare me the idea his timing suggests anything other than his own benefit being served too. In the meantime, the Rangers fans are once again left with what they call Morton’s Fork – two choices, both undesirable. Take up the share option, keep a shambolic regime functioning a little longer. Or not a penny more. Flush them out and suffer the consequences. I don’t envy them their decision.
  2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22037966 Hopefully this will herald a bigger sportlight on the shady goings on in the east of the city by CFC, GCC et all...
  3. From Richard Wilson: HMRC granted leave to appeal upper tier tribunal decision at the Court of Session. "We are pleased that the Upper Tribunal has given HMRC leave to appeal to the Court of Session," said a spokesman. "We continue to believe that schemes using Employee Benefit Trusts to avoid income tax and NICs do not work.'
  4. Born Under a Union Flag: Rangers, Britain and Scottish Independence (Luath Press) will be an interesting read for those yet to open its cover, and I would strongly suggest you do. It allows the reader access at times, to the mindset of the authors of the various chapters, some of which will challenge you, some may even alarm you, but having drawn me in, it was one of those books I had to read from start to finish without interruption. It may seem strange for an avid Unionist to highlight a chapter written by a pro-independence author, Gail Richardson, but I do so for 2 reasons : (1) Gail asks questions relating to the motto of a group of which I am a member – Vanguard Bears (2) Of all the pro-independence chapters within the book, Gail’s was unique in that it offered a cohesive, rational and positive argument for independence which was free from negative subjective experience often cited by her peers, nor did it seek to demonise Britain as a justification for exercising a yes vote, in short it offered vision rather than vilification. I use the word “demonise” deliberately. When Alan Bissett argues that Britain is responsible for, amongst other things, “the mass slaughter of World War 1” you can perhaps begin to understand why I suggested in the opening paragraph that you may be challenged, even alarmed by its contents. Gail opens her chapter with a question : Do the Loving Cup ceremony or the portraits of Her Majesty the Queen hanging in the home dressing room at Ibrox not qualify as traditions ? Both are long standing practices at our club, with club historian David Mason, opening this year’s Loving Cup toast describing it as “A very important tradition in the history of Rangers Football Club since 1937”. Furthermore are they merely traditions or, additionally, a powerful statement of identity i.e. this is a club which values the traditions of monarchy ? The foregoing example serves as welcome introduction for another area of such debate which is often overlooked by many. Gail asserts : It is madness. But what about the flip side of that coin ? What about the instances where the beliefs and values come from within the club itself ? Are they in themselves not statements of identity ? If the historical commentators such as Graham Walker and Bill Murray are to be believed, and there is no good reason not to, then Protestant identity evolved due to a number of factors, primarily though that the Protestant indigenous Scot sought a football club which reflected their faith and culture in the same way that the newly formed club, Celtic, reflected the faith and culture of the Irish immigrant population. If Gail is guilty of overlooking symbolisms and traditions which emanate from within the club, perhaps because they don’t quite fit with her assertions and beliefs, I confess, I could be equally as guilty of reading something into symbolisms from within the club because they do happen to fit with my particular assertions and beliefs. I have difficulty accepting however that Church and Boys Brigade Parades, the holding of the Orange Order Annual Divine Service at Ibrox, our refusal to play football on the Sabbath, the welcoming of Kings at Ibrox, Armed Forces Days, amongst other things, are not statements of identity. Furthermore these take no account of the erroneous, which again have their formation from within the club itself. Gail makes reference to Rangers signing policy, I would add to that the comments of Rangers vice chairman Matt Taylor in 1967 when he stated in interview relating to it, “part of our tradition....we were formed in 1873 as a Protestant boys club. To change now would lose us considerable support.” However mis-guided, however ham-fisted, however opposed to true Protestant ideals and values the foregoing examples are, I would suggest they are a clear attempt to attach a Protestant identity to our club from within the club itself. I cite these examples not to usurp Gail’s questioning of their relevance today in an increasingly secular Scotland, but to demonstrate that the club itself over the years has actively encouraged an identity with which it is often associated, therefore to suggest that it’s our supporters who have projected their beliefs onto the club and asked them to uphold them is incorrect. When Gail states : “I’ve said that I don’t believe Rangers Football Club is a Protestant club or a Unionist club.” how does such a statement equate to a football club who have just released their 3rd strip which has as its centrepiece, the flag of the Union itself ? Particularly in view of the current political climate in Scotland. Strangely, the answer to Gail’s original question comes from an unlikely source, in chapter 3 of the book. Harry Reid, an Aberdeen supporter speaking of the demise of Rangers identity under Sir David Murray: And later in the chapter : Harry continues: Later in the chapter Harry emphasises the importance of any football club seeking to expand its aspirations, remaining true to its core fan base. There is really not a lot I can add to Harry’s quotes. The values, traditions and people Harry alludes to are very much at the core of what we at Vanguard Bears, seek to defend. I hope this article not only answers Gail’s questions, but also challenges her to examine her own vision of our club, as much as her chapter from the book caused me to examine my own.
  5. The 27-year-old is not expected to be named in Gordon Strachan's latest squad for next month's 2016 Euro qualifier against Germany Wallace last played for Scotland in a friendly against the USA last November However the defender has no regrets over sacrificing his international career to help Rangers climb up the leagues in Scotland Rangers full-back Lee Wallace has admitted he has all but given up hope of playing for Scotland. The 27-year-old defender, who last played for his country in a 0-0 draw with the United States last November, is set to miss the trip to face World Champions Germany in next month's 2016 Euro qualifier when Scotland boss Gordon Strachan names his squad on Monday morning. Conceding he sacrificed his international ambitions to stay with Rangers and help them back up the leagues, Wallace revealed he has also received a phonecall from Strachan explaining his situation. And asked if he expects to feature against the Germans, he admitted: 'Probably not, no. I'm still probably a bit behind. There are guys who have been in it who are way ahead of me at this stage — guys who play their football down south in strong successful sides. 'I'll never hold much hope for it but I'm not going to get too downbeat about it, either, as I'm just going to concentrate on Rangers and always will do. 'When I stayed with Rangers after what happened, I knew that [playing in the lower leagues] would be a stumbling block [for international call-ups] and Craig Levein had said at the time it would be difficult to select someone in the bottom tier of Scottish football. 'I accepted that and understood it at that level. 'I was aware of that and it was a sacrifice I made. Rangers is the one for me and I want to play a part in their history over the next few years.' The emergence of Andrew Robertson at Dundee United led to the young left-back making a £2.5million move to Hull City this summer. And the 20-year-old, who has made an impressive start in the Barclays Premier League, now looks to be Strachan's first pick, with Wallace adding: 'I kind of got the message in some of the last few squads - although the manager did phone me one time to say he wanted to look at other people and they've gone on to bigger and better things, playing their football in one of the best leagues in the world. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2733448/Rangers-defender-Lee-Wallace-concedes-chances-playing-Scotland-slim-putting-club-career-first.html#ixzz3BNxU4eqS Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
  6. ............over 'sexist, racist and homophobic' text messages during time at Cardiff. In July 2012, Cardiff signed South Korean international Kim Bo-kyung, but when Moody informed Mackay on July 12 that ‘five of the b******s including the player’ were arriving for talks, the reply from Mackay’s phone was: ‘Fkn chinkys.’ A further message says: ‘Fk it. There’s enough dogs in Cardiff for us all to go around.’ In reference to the prominent football agent, Phil Smith, a text states: ‘Go on, fat Phil. Nothing like a Jew that sees money slipping through his fingers’. The Israeli club, Maccabi Tel Aviv, are also referred to simply as ‘the Jews’. A football official at another club is referred to as ‘a gay snake’ and ‘the homo’ and someone who is ‘not to be trusted’, while a French player is someone ‘who struck me as an independently minded young homo’. An exchange with a young player who has a female agent makes reference to a sex act and states: ‘I hope she’s looking after your needs,’ the player is then told. ‘I bet you’d love a bounce on her falsies.’ On August 16, 2012, a list of players proposed by a French agent is forwarded, stating to Mackay that ‘he needs to rename his agency the All Blacks’. A separate text in reference to a list of French players states: ‘Not many white faces amongst that lot but worth considering.’ In a separate exchange a picture entitled ‘Black Monopoly’ is sent, with every square a ‘Go To Jail’ square. Of one African player, it is stated: ‘Doesn’t look like a good cv. And he’s Nigerian.’ Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2730307/Malky-Mackay-Iain-Moody-investigated-FA-sexist-racist-homophobic-text-messages-time-Cardiff.html#ixzz3AyfNRTqk Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
  7. Former Rangers chief executive Charles Green is launching a bid to return to Ibrox as a director by fronting a £10 million investment in the club from an American billionaire. New York based George Soros has told Green to make his move within the next 7 days by offering existing Rangers shareholders 20p per share to become the company’s biggest shareholder. If that move fails, Soros and Green will offer the current board a £10 million loan at 5% interest, with the Murray Park training ground taken as security on the deal. Clyde Sport understands Green would then return to the club as a director with a new chief executive to be appointed to replace the current man in charge, Graham Wallace. The move would also throw into question the future of Rangers manager Ally McCoist with both men known to be fans of club legend Brian Laudrup. Green still has close contacts with the current Rangers board through Sandy Easdale. Mr Soros has been involved in Major League Baseball in the United States and currently has a 1.9% stakeholding in Manchester United. He played a significant role in the transition from communism to capitalism in his native Hungary in the 1980s and is a well known currency speculator who gained the title, “The man who broke the Bank of England” in the 1992 Black Wednesday currency crisis. Forbes magazine has listed 83 year-old Soros as the 27th richest person in the world as recently as 2 weeks ago and he’s the 7th richest man in America with a net worth of £23billion. http://www.clyde1.com/superscoreboard/green-eyeing-ibrox-return/
  8. Suspect the Daily Record will make for interesting reading tomorrow. Will make us even more frustrated though. #justicefortherangerssupport Glad to see what looks like some things HMRC would rather stay unsaid are going to finally come to light. A couple of tweets tonight. Story here: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ex-rangers-owner-craig-whyte-being-3992415
  9. ALLY McCOIST today revealed Rangers midfielder Arnold Peralta is currently stranded in Paris - trying to sort out a work visa. Peralta has failed to return to Glasgow since the end of last season and McCoist admits he has no idea when he is coming back. The Honduran internationalist is in France with his girlfriend attempting to secure the visa he needs for a work permit. The 25-year-old was tipped to leave Ibrox last season after newspaper comments attributed to him appeared in his homeland. He struggled to hold down a regular first team place in League One last season and was quoted as saying he would move on in the summer. The 30-times capped player was due to represent his country at the World Cup Finals in Brazil. However, Peralta suffered a thigh injury in Gers final League One match against Dunfermline. He missed friendlies against Turkey and Israel before being ruled out of his national squad for the tournament in South America. He has not turned up for pre-season training or the tours of either the Highlands or Canada and the United States. But McCoist has confirmed he is fully fit after shaking off his knock and expects him to rejoin his team-mates for the 2014/15 campaign. He is, though, just not sure when that will be. The Gers manager said: "The mystery that is Arnold Peralta is definitely coming back - but when he's coming back, sadly I can't give you a definite on. "He's been in Paris trying to sort a visa. That's where he is at the moment and we're waiting. "The good news is that he's fit - the health issues are long gone. It's just location issues. "We are in dialogue with him, we haven't left him. He just needs to get his visa sorted and that of his girlfriend's. He needs the visa for the work permit. It's not getting it that's the problem - it's the delay that's the issue." Meanwhile, McCoist has revealed that Cammy Bell, Lee McCulloch and Lee Wallace should both be fit for the Petrofac Training Cup game against Hibs at Ibrox tonight. The pair picked up knocks in the pre-season friendly match against Derby County at Pride Park on Saturday. Elsewhere, Seb Faure and Richard Foster, who missed the weekend fixture, could both be available for the first competitive game of this term after resuming training. McCoist said: "The boys came in on Sunday and were iced up, but everyone was training yesterday. "Wallace is okay, the skipper and Cammy too. We're all out training so that indicates we're in reasonable health. "Foster is okay as well and Faure has also trained. I'd be hopeful they have a chance." Tickets for the Hibs game are on general sale and are priced £21 for an adult, £15 for a concession and £5 for a junior. Fans can pay at the Copland Road Stand tonight. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/paris-visa-riddle-for-rangers-midfielder-peralta-174850n.24958801
  10. [/img] Glasgow 2014: Google marks start of Commonwealth Games. Google's latest search page artwork, known as the Google Doodle, marks the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-28366403 For me the best news is that the Queen is bringing 4 days of 25C+ temperatures to Glasgow and that our visitors take away great memories of the city. Forget Celtic Park/East End nonsense for a minute if you can and just think of the opportunity we have to impress the world. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-28419129 The bad news is that despite there being countless empty shops in Sauchiehall St including two right next to the Celtic shop (and despite a letter from yours truly), Rangers haven't opened a shop in the city centre. What a missed opportunity. Hoppefully the rugby types will buy a few jerseys out of the megastore and some might visit our small shop at the airport on the way home.
  11. Guest

    Board Changes

    Market News alert Rangers Int. Football Club PLC Read the London Stock Exchange announcement...
  12. Some thoughts on yesterday's HMRC appeal result: http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/256-rangers-v-hmrc-a-pyrrhic-victory
  13. SO that was North America, a place which brought the touring Rangers squad mixed results and mixed fortunes during its stay in the United States and Canada over the last two weeks. Was the trip perfect? With over 14,000 miles flown, a few injuries picked up on the way and goals conceded in three games out of four – one of those a defeat – it’s hard to argue it was. But did it serve a purpose? Absolutely. Scorelines from across the Atlantic might not have been convincing but being there has allowed Gers to keep building well ahead of 2014/15. Despite what the world might think at present following the unrelenting happiness of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, Scottish people are naturally quite pessimistic. The old phrase which claims some are only happy if there’s something to complain about springs to mind and that’s certainly the case with certain Light Blues fans I know. While there are undoubtedly things Ally McCoist will wish had gone differently, he has more positives to reflect on than you might think. Following the intense schedule in Brora at the start of the month, further double sessions abroad – particularly in California – have helped increase fitness levels again. As the pool settles into a more regular training programme after the weekend, any lingering weariness will go and the players will get sharper as they freshen up. Although the team itself still has to click into gear, individuals within it gave enough food for thought during our fortnight away. Kenny Miller’s finishing might not be as consistent as he’s hoping it will become yet but his running and intelligence will help Rangers a lot this season. Nicky Law produced a fine finish to win the game in the final match against Ottawa Fury – Gers’ best display of their four – and he looks alert and hungry too. Ian Black falls into that category as well while Stevie Smith has continued his good form from the end of last term and looks as fast and direct as ever. Lee Wallace has made a strong recovery from the hip problem which ended his campaign early in April as he limped out of the Challenge Cup final defeat to Raith Rovers. But the biggest plus of all isn’t just Lewis Macleod’s return to action but the way he has come in and stamped his mark on the team already off the back of nearly six months out. Few were left in any doubt of how seriously under threat the 20-year-old’s career was when he took unwell at the start of the year. A bad reaction to a virus left him in real danger of having to think of hanging up his boots and there was a genuine chance he’d never have the chance to fulfil his very clear potential. Thankfully Macleod has made a full recovery and so far it looks like he has never been out of the side. Against Sacramento Republic, he grew in stature the more the game went on and I was impressed by his temperament as he kept his cool despite one heavy challenge after another. Four days later at Ottawa, his footwork at times was sublime and you’ll already be hard pushed to find a better piece of skill this season than his turn to set up Law’s goal. The way he stood on the ball then turned away from two men was so elegant and it was the type of move you simply don’t tire of watching. Already there’s a clamour once again in some quarters for McCoist to move Macleod inside and give him a more central role in his midfield. Over time, I fully expect him to take a place there and he’ll both flourish and relish the responsibility such a position entails. But for now, I don’t think it’s a bad thing for him to continue on the left side for the simple reason it’s an area he and the team profits from. Sitting narrower than a natural winger would, he allows Wallace to get forward with good effect and the two combine very well down that side. It’s worth remembering that when Rangers played their best football of last season in the early part of the campaign, those two players got a lot of joy together on the left. I’m not sure having someone else in Macleod’s present position would bear the same fruit and if he was central in a 4-4-2 shape, Wallace certainly wouldn’t get upfield as much. I look forward to seeing Macleod take command and dictate from the middle over time but for now he’s doing a lot for Gers where he is. And as McCoist’s team gets stronger in the weeks ahead, I’ve every faith the club’s most outstanding emerging talent can influence games just as much from slightly wider out. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/opinion/item/7321-best-left-where-he-is An unusually critical piece from Andrew Dickson and he makes a very good point about McLeod playing LMF allowing Wallace more freedom to attack. He may well have been prompted to write this but it is true nonetheless.
  14. He lost the vote but I'm surprised that seems to have been the end of it? I don't think much of him but it seems odd he has gone completely quiet. Am I missing something?
  15. According to the Sun website: Club bow to fan pressure over stadium RANGERS fans are set to record a victory in the battle to safeguard Ibrox. Sunsport understands that the under-fire club board are set to give fans’ groups assurances that the club’s home won’t be sold off. The agreement will only be a short-term fix — but the board are hopeful it will spur fans on to buying season tickets for the Championship. Only 17,000 have been sold as fans attempt to put cash pressure on the club. Around 3000 fans marched to Ibrox yesterday to voice their concerns about the running of the club. Ex-stars John Brown and Nacho Novo lent their support and Novo told the crowd: “This club means everything to me and you mean everything to me. “Thank you all for coming out and staying united as we try to safeguard the club we all love. “I’m from Spain but this is where my heart is and we have to stay together to make sure this place we love stays part of Rangers. “This is about every supporter who wants to see the club prosper. This is a special club and Ibrox is a special place.”
  16. JIM HENRY has been thrilled with the strides made by each Rangers player as they continue to improve their fitness levels in North America ahead of the 2014/15 season. The club’s Head of Sports Science has been working hard with Ally McCoist’s squad in Ventura and now here in Sacramento and that will continue up until the club’s first competitive game against Hibs on August 5. The roasting hot conditions in the United States have helped push the players to the limit and Henry believes the trip across the Atlantic will prove crucial as the Light Blues look to build on their recent success in the Scottish Third Division and League One. Jim said: “I think the tour has been really good and the boys are training really hard. We are getting all the football sessions in and the strength sessions that were planned at the very start of pre-season. “So we are slowly getting there. It’s going to take time and a number of weeks before we are up to speed but we are going in the right direction. “The players are stimulated by the heat. They probably get a little bit higher intensity sometimes with that weather but we also have to be careful they are drinking enough fluids and they are taking enough salt. We have some sodium tablets that they take and they drink Gatorade which has a little higher quantity of sodium. “So although they enjoy training in the sun we are always a bit more careful about how much fluid they are losing so we give them more drinks in between the sessions to hydrate them better.” Fans who have been following the club’s tour of North America on the Rangers website and on RangersTV.tv will have seen the GPS systems the players wear on vests which give Henry and the coaching staff the opportunity to accurately track the work put in by each player, helping to maximise performance and reduce injuries. This summer Rangers have increased the number of systems they have taken on tour which means Henry can now assess every player after every session. He explains: “For the first time Rangers have the 25 players covered, before we only had 10 players. That gives us consistency because having 12 or 13 players missing from those sessions was a problem for us. “To be fair to Rangers we have all that on board now, they have funded that this year and it’s a three-year deal for us. It’s an upgraded system that allows us to look at every player and the volume of their training. “We look at the intensity of the training, the speed that each individual has within the sessions and the metres per minute within small-sided games or large-sided games. It’s crucial and it’s modern football, that’s the way it is going now.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7258-players-putting-in-great-work
  17. Fusion to Host Rangers F.C. (Scotland) in July Friendly Written by Danny Page One of Britain's great teams visits Ventura County for training camp, match on July 15th PURCHASE TICKETS HERE - http://www.vcfusion.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/Pages.Page/id/1076 Over the last eight years, Fusion has made a habit of bringing world class soccer to Ventura County, playing friendly matches against a handful of clubs from the English Premier League, as well as other teams from top leagues around the world. Today, Fusion is proud to announce an exhibition match against one of the UK’s most decorated and supported clubs, Rangers F.C. from Glasgow, Scotland. The match will take place Tuesday, July 15th at the VC SportsPlex in Ventura, California. Presale tickets can be purchased for $25 (Adult)//$15 (Youth 14 & under) at VCFusion.com, with ticket prices rising to $30 (Adult)//$20 (Youth 14 & under) at the gate on the day of the match, as available. Rangers F.C. has won 54 Scottish top-flight league titles, dating all the way back to the club’s first championship in the 19th century. “This is another special occasion for Ventura County Fusion to show it’s one of the west coast’s leading soccer franchises and bring a celebrated team to Ventura,” Fusion General Manager Ranbir Shergill said, “The match on July 15th against Rangers F.C. should be quite a thrill for our supporters, players, and soccer fans throughout Southern California.” Rangers last visited the United States in 2007, and are preparing for a key season in the Scottish Championship, the nation’s second division. Rangers will open their North American tour with a six-day training camp in Ventura before taking on Fusion. Rangers then head north to face Sacramento Republic FC on July 19. “The trip to America is a fantastic opportunity to re-introduce Rangers to the North American fans and I am confident the tour will be a success on a number of levels,” Rangers Manager and legendary midfielder Ally McCoist said, “We have a wonderful global fanbase and I am sure the members of NARSA (North American Rangers Supporters Association) will turn out in huge numbers at all of our games.” Ticket Availability and Pricing Tickets for this historic friendly are immediately available and can be purchased via phone (805) 830-8005 or on the team’s website, www.VCFusion.com. Tickets start at just $25 for adults and $15 for Children, with ticket prices rising to $30 (Adult)//$20 (Youth) on the day of the match. The match is expected to sell out, so please purchase tickets via the presale to guarantee your seat at the game. Rangers F.C. will be Seventh British Opponent Fusion has Faced With the upcoming match, Fusion continues its long-standing tradition of bringing renowned British clubs to the region. Fusion has faced half a dozen Barclay’s Premier League clubs over the years, including matches in Ventura County against West Bromwich Albion (2011), Swansea City (2012), Burnley (2009), & Portsmouth (2010). Fusion has also played exhibition matches against Everton (2008) & Manchester City (2011), although these games were not open to the public. About Rangers F.C. Rangers Football Club is steeped in tradition, has a rich and proud history and is a name that conjures up magical memories in the minds of thousands of supporters around the globe. The Light Blues are also one of the most successful club sides in world football - with a record-breaking 54 top flight League Championships, 33 Scottish Cup Final wins, 27 League Cup Final victories and one European Cup Winners’ Cup Final triumph to date. Rangers have made a number of memorable appearances recently in the UEFA Champions League, reaching the group stage 5 times in the last dozen years. During that span, Rangers faced a number of marquee European clubs including Manchester United and FC Barcelona. In 2008, Rangers defeated Panathinaikos (Greece), Werder Bremen (Germany), Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) & Fiorentina (Italy) en route to the 2008 UEFA Cup Final, a match they ultimately lost to Zenit St. Petersburg, 2-1, at the City of Manchester Stadium. Recently the Club won Division 3 and the Scottish League One title following administration. Since Rangers humble beginnings in 1872, the Club has earned a worldwide reputation and lifted many honors and accolades, including becoming the first club in the world to win 100 major trophies, a distinction earned during the 2001-02 season. About Ventura County Fusion The Fusion, established in 2006, plays in the Premier Development League (PDL) of the United Soccer League (USL). Considered one of the most successful franchises in the leagues history for multiple milestones. Since our inaugural season in 2007, the Fusion have reached the third round of the US Open Cup, claimed two Southwest Division Championships, and have been crowned PDL National Champions in 2009. Fusion has hosted training camps for more than a dozen Major League Soccer teams, and has met six Barclay’s Premier League clubs in friendly matches. Other past opponents include Chivas Guadalajara (MEX), Independiente (ARG), & GAIS (SWE). Fusion has also faced the national teams of Canada and Mexico as they prepared for major tournaments. http://www.vcfusion.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/pages.page/id/812/article_fuse/detail/aid/335
  18. ....and beat Celtic to one last Premiership title before I go. Kenny Miller has revealed his wish to retire as a Rangers player, ideally with the parting gift of one last top-flight winners’ medal as he plans to plunder more prizes before hanging up his shooting boots. The 34-year-old is back with the club for a third spell this summer and would like to make his return signing the 10th and final move of his nomadic career. Miller flew out to Los Angeles on Saturday as Ally McCoist’s squad embarked on a four-game North American tour that will take the striker back to Canada, where he starred for Vancouver Whitecaps in a previous pit-stop. For Miller, though, there is no place like the football home that he regards as Ibrox. Yet this is no comfort zone for the former Scotland international, who stresses his ambitions stretch further than helping hoist Rangers into the Premiership next May. He would love to finish his playing days with his current employers and, feeling fresh into a new pre-season, has no interest in setting a time limit on that. So he still has a top-flight title challenge within his career compass and a desire to add to the three Scottish Premier League medals he won for Rangers back in stint two under Walter Smith. Miller’s motivation on the first step towards that goal is to contribute sufficiently to a successful promotion campaign against former club Hibernian and Hearts so that he earns the optional year on his new Rangers contract. He’ll then take aim at bigger prizes. ‘You never know because if they kick me out of the door at Rangers after a year, I’d imagine I’ll still want to play on,’ said Miller. ‘But it would be my intention to finish up here. I’ve got a year with a year option, depending on games. So it’s pretty much on me. ‘As long as I’m fit, playing and performing then, hopefully, it will turn into another year. It’s going to take a good season this year for us to get there and then obviously some serious competition next year to get back challenging. ‘But that’s the aim for me anyway — to be back at the top of Scottish football where we belong. To top things off would be to win the league back in the Premiership. ‘Rangers shouldn’t go in to any competition thinking of accepting second best, so that’s what we’ll be aiming for next year if we get there. ‘I hope to be around for that. I want to play as long as I can. I feel strong and fit right now. Of course, only time will tell if the performances follow but, if I do that, then there’s no reason why I can’t be around for a bit longer.’ The highlights of Miller’s 67 goals in 147 appearances so far for Rangers were in SPL and Champions League competition. The second tier of the Scottish game, though, is nothing new to him. As an Easter Road teenager, he played seven games either side of a loan spell at Stenhousemuir as Hibs bounced back at the first time of asking in 1998/99. Franck Sauzee, Russell Latapy, Paul Hartley and Mixu Paatelainen were among the heroes of Alex McLeish’s team that year as crowds flocked back to Leith to see a team canter to the First Division title. Not since that campaign has there been such a buzz about the division now known as the Championship. As Miller recalls the year that one of the traditional top-flight teams had to claw their way back up, he admits he can’t wait to sample the curiosities of a season like no other as three giants of the game collide in an unfamiliar environment. ‘I made my debut the season Hibs got relegated and made a few appearances while the team was promoted,’ he said. ‘It was a big season for me. They brought Latapy and Sauzee — that pair must have sold 5,000 tickets alone each week, given the standard of players they were. ‘Hibs had a fantastic season. To draw those players to the club was phenomenal and what they went on to do was amazing. ‘A winning team on the pitch can create a fantastic atmosphere within the club and the crowds were up. I can see big crowds and huge games in this division. It’s going to be a fantastic season and one I’m really looking forward to. ‘To come back to Rangers not in the top division is incredible in itself but for Hearts and Hibs to be there also is phenomenal. I never thought I’d be back playing against them in the Championship. ‘It will be a competitive league and a big challenge for us. But it’s a challenge I feel this squad probably needs after the last couple of years. ‘No disrespect to the opposition Rangers have been facing but I feel the challenges coming our way this year will really raise the standards of the players we’ve got.’ Miller and strike partner Kris Boyd were reunited last weekend as both players got off the mark on a two-game Highland tour. The next phase of pre-season will involve the long-haul journeys to which he was accustomed as a Vancouver Whitecap. After games on the west coast of the United States against Ventura County Fusion and Sacramento Republic FC, Miller returns to British Columbia for a game against Victoria Highlanders a week tomorrow, before the final game with Ottawa Fury on July 23. He called Vancouver home for two years after joining the Major League Soccer side from Cardiff City midway through their 2012 season. Under the Scottish coaching team of Martin Rennie and ex-Scotland international defender Paul Ritchie, Miller helped guide Whitecaps to a first-ever appearance in the MLS Cup play-offs that year. However, he admits there were facets of professional life in Canada that he found difficult to embrace. ‘If you are a guy like myself who if he doesn’t win the weekend is ruined, then that side is not there so much,’ explained Miller. ‘You see others who don’t have that. It’s not that they don’t care — far from it — but just not as much as I did. ‘In Scotland, you lose and you don’t want to go out. It’s straight home on a Saturday, a Chinese and the X Factor. Here we live, breathe and eat football. Across there, it’s not quite as life or death as it is for us. I found that mentality towards it a bit hard to get used to. ‘This is not any slight on anyone I played with. It’s just the way they are brought up. This has been my life since I was four. Ever since I could walk, I had a ball at my feet. ‘I’d argue till the cows come home that it doesn’t mean as much to them, whereas it’s a way of life for us. That’s what I’ve come back to at Rangers. ‘Vancouver is a beautiful place and there are amazing cities to live in or visit for players going to MLS. ‘There’s a more relaxed lifestyle, so I can understand why people want to do it. I’d just say it’s a very different attitude to football. ‘I was grateful for the opportunity as it was something I’d always talked about trying. I enjoyed some aspects but not others. I was fortunate that there were British guys as coaches, we had good people in charge. ‘Being so far from home and away from friends and family is always tough, though. ‘Towards the end, I had an eye on moving home somewhere — and Rangers was always that No 1 option.’ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2690178/Kenny-Miller-exclusive-I-want-finish-career-Rangers-win-one-Premiership-title-I-go.html
  19. Looking forward to reading and reviewing this book in the coming few weeks: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Born-Under-Union-Flag-Bissett/dp/1910021121/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404410171&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Born+Under+a+Union+Flag%3A+Rangers%2C+Britain+and+Scottish+Independence I know Ally and Alan (and the other contributors) have worked hard on this so it should be an interesting read and useful accompaniment to the Referendum debate.
  20. A look at Europe's "second best" youth academy and how we can learn from it http://rfcyouths.wordpress.com/2014/07/08/fk-partizan-belgrade-youth-school/
  21. Well, it seems that just about anybody from anywhere has an opinion on Scotland`s upcoming referendum ... http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/480420/Scottish-independence-Barack-Obama-backs-united-UK Barack Obama says Scotland should stay in UK BARACK Obama has urged Scots to reject independence, saying the United Kingdom is better off remaining together. By: Kerry Gill Published: Thu, June 5, 2014 Scottish indepdence, US, President, Barack Obama, G7, David Cameron, Prime Minister, First Minister, Alex Salmond, Better Together, SNP Barack Obama hailed the UK as 'an extraordinary partner'[REUTERS] Britain works "pretty well" as a "united" nation, the US President said in major intervention in the debate over Scotland's future. He also stressed that it was in the interests of the United States that the UK remained a strong and effective ally. Mr Obama's comments will come as a blow to Alex Salmond who has made several trips to America to advance the separatist cause. The First Minister tonight attempted to limit the damage insisting Scotland wanted its independence like the US, adding: "Yes, we can." But the President's statement marks the first time any world leader has effectively asked voters to reject secession. Speaking at a joint press conference with David Cameron at the G7 summit in Brussels Mr Obama said: "With respect to the future of the United Kingdom, obviously, ultimately this is up to the people of Great Britain. "In the case of Scotland, there is a referendum process in place and it's up to the people of Scotland. "But I would to say the United Kingdom has been an extraordinary partner to us. From the outside at least, it looks like things have worked pretty well. "We obviously have a deep interest in making sure one of the closest allies we will ever remains a strong, robust, united and effective partner." Until now American diplomats have said their country would remain neutral over the independence issue. Related articles ‘Balkanisation’ of Britain would be a disaster, says top Swedish minister Alex Salmond ‘talks like Kim Jong-il’ says Better Together leader Alistair Darling The United Kingdom has been an extraordinary partner to us. From the outside at least, it looks like things have worked pretty well Barack Obama However, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has previously warned Scots not to back independence as it would bad for Europe. The senior democrat told an industry awards ceremony in Glasgow two years ago voters should settle for devolution rather than breaking away. Mr Obama's remarks - clearly thrashed out well before the Brussels conference - will infuriate Mr Salmond and his Yes Scotland campaign. As soon as news of Mr Obama's comments started to spread, some Nationalists took to social media sites attacking US foreign policy. The remarks follow a warning Carl Bildt, the Swedish foreign minister who said a Yes vote would lead to the "Balkanisation" of the UK. And pro-Union campaigners were delighted with President Obama's "important contribution". Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander said: "His clear statement of support for the UK staying together will resonate with many of us here in Scotland. "As a global statesman President Obama understands that interdependence is a defining feature of our modern world, and that building bridges, not putting up new barriers, is the challenge of our generation." A Better Together spokesman said: "As President of the United States, Barack Obama knows more than anyone how important it is for people to work together. "No doubt the nationalists will dismiss President Obama as scaremongering." Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson said: "President Obama has every right to explain to people how the break-up of Britain would affect our relationship with America. "He clearly recognises the strong and effective partnership his country has with the UK and our many shared achievements through the years. Ms Davidson added: "People in other countries can't understand why you would want to break up one of the strongest, wealthiest and most successful nations on the planet." Burt Mr Salmond borrowed the President's famous election slogan to declare "Yes we can" have independence. He added: aid: "As President Obama rightly observes, the decision on Scotland's future is up to the people of Scotland. "We are deeply fortunate as a nation that we have the opportunity to gain our nation's independence in such a profoundly democratic way, as Mr Obama himself previously acknowledged - and not through conflict as has been the case with so many nations, including the United States itself. "An independent Scotland will mean that America has two great friends and allies here rather than one."
  22. RANGERS have experienced a flurry of late season ticket sales since striker Kris Boyd made his emotional return to Ibrox last week. Boyd ended weeks of speculation when he signed a one-year deal with the SPFL League One champions - and is set to team up again with Kenny Miller. And his capture has since led to a surge in Light Blue supporters signing up to watch Ally McCoist's side in the 2014/15 season. The ticket office at Ibrox at the weekend was queued out of the door for long spells as fans snapped up season books for the new campaign. Lifelong fan Alan Anderson, from Cambuslang, was taken aback at the level of interest when he renewed his ticket at Ibrox on Saturday. He told SportTimes: "I was told the season ticket office was going to be open until after two o'clock and popped down half an hour before it shut. "But when I got there there were a lot of cars in the car park and people were queueing out of the door. "There was a great atmosphere among the supporters who were waiting to buy tickets. "I think most of them were, like me, buying season tickets because Kris Boyd has signed. "But people were genuinely excited about the season ahead and the prospect of playing teams like Hearts and Hibs. "I wasn't going to renew my season ticket, but I decided to do so when I saw that Boyd had signed. "I think a lot of people were the same as me. "I don't necessarily like who is in charge at Rangers at the moment, but I am, as the slogan goes, prepared to support the team and not the regime." Rangers announced to the Stock Exchange a fortnight ago that "approximately 17,000" season tickets had been bought by fans this summer. That is in stark contrast to the 34,000 supporters who made the Gers one of the best backed clubs in Britain for the second stage of "The Journey". The Union of Fans - an umbrella group comprising six supporters organisations - has been urging fans not to renew their season tickets. The UoF and former director Dave King set up Ibrox 1972 Ltd in the close season and urged supporters to pledge their money to it instead. They want Rangers to give them security over the stadium and the training ground at Auchenhowie in return for the cash. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-revel-in-boyd-ticket-bounty-169185n.24618366
  23. http://www.londonstockexchange.com/e...entId=12002687 Rangers International Football Club plc ("Rangers" the "Club" or the "Company") Issue of Equity The Company has made an application to the London Stock Exchange for 714,285 new ordinary shares of 1p each ("New Ordinary Shares") to be admitted to trading on AIM ("Admission"). It is expected that Admission of the New Ordinary Shares will become effective and that dealings will commence at 8.00 a.m. on 7 July 2014. The New Ordinary Shares are being issued pursuant to an exercise of the options granted to Brian Stockbridge (a former Director of the Company) on admission of the Company's shares to trading on AIM pursuant to Mr Stockbridge's original contract of employment with The Rangers Football Club Limited dated 17 September 2012. In accordance with the provisions of chapter 5 of the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority, the Company confirms that, following this issue, its issued share capital will comprise 65,810,341 ordinary shares of 1p each. All of the existing ordinary shares and New Ordinary Shares shall have equal voting rights. The total number of voting rights in the Company following the issue of the New Ordinary Shares is therefore 65,810,341. This figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the Disclosure and Transparency Rules. For further information please contact: Rangers International Football Club plc Graham Wallace Tel: 0141 580 8647 Daniel Stewart & Company plc Tel: 020 7776 6550 Paul Shackleton / David Coffman Newgate Threadneedle Tel: 020 7148 6143 Graham Herring / Roddy Watt / John Coles
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