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Rangers striker Jean-Claude Darcheville has opened talks regarding a January move to French side Valenciennes and has even visited their facilities. VA chairman Francis Decourriere is optimistic regarding the possible signing of Darcheville after discussing a transfer with the 33-year-old. The striker moved to the SPL giants in summer 2007, and a number of injuries prevented him from playing week in, week out for Walter Smithââ?¬â?¢s team. Ligue 1 strugglers Valenciennes are looking to strengthen their attack to avoid the drop, and the experienced striker could be a massive boost according to Decourriere. The chairman told local newspaper La Voix du Nord: ââ?¬Å?Itââ?¬â?¢s more than an option and we had excellent discussions. ââ?¬Å?Of course he would be the ideal signing for us.ââ?¬Â http://www.setanta.com//uk/Articles/Football/2008/12/17/SPL-DarchevilleValenciennes-link/gnid-31920/ Imagine a strikeforce of JCD and Sebo jesus christ :devil:

Hopefully it is our worst players and not our best.

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

It really IS silly season !!! This is from Sportinglife.com Zenit St Petersburg boss Dick Advocaat believes Andrei Arshavin is "too good" for Tottenham and Rangers. The Russian playmaker has been regularly linked with a big-money move away from the UEFA Cup holders but as yet a transfer has failed to materialise. A number of clubs have been mooted as potential suitors for his signature, with Spurs, Barcelona, Real Madrid and, most recently, Rangers all suggested as interested parties. Advocaat recently expressed his belief that Zenit should allow the 27-year-old to leave but does not feel a switch to White Hart Lane or Ibrox would prove beneficial to his career. The Dutch coach said in the Daily Mirror: "As a manager I would like Arshavin to stay but as a person I realise that he deserves more. "But Andrei is too good for Spurs or Rangers. It would be better for him to stay in St Petersburg than to go to London or Glasgow. Tottenham has a fine reputation but I doubt that Arshavin will want to move there. "I do not want to offend Roman Pavlyuchenko, but in my opinion Arshavin is a much classier player. He needs to move to a really great club. He didn't show his best form recently. For St Petersburg he doesn't perform as strongly as he used to. "For me, it's obvious Zenit must let him go. I'm sure that as soon as he joins one of the European giants there will be no problems with his motivation. "In fact, he'll probably do even better than he did here."

Out-of-favour Celtic striker Chris Killen is a target for Hearts in the January transfer window. More...

ROD Wallace was a hero of Old Firm meetings in his time in Glasgow and believes victory for the light blues in this month's derby clash will see the title momentum swing to the city's south side. Rod WallaceWallace picked up five medals in a successful three year spell at Ibrox and now feels the current crop of Rangers stars can add a title success to their CVs after the disappointment of missing out last term. The diminutive Englishman took the Scottish game by storm when he switched to Rangers from Leeds in the summer of 1998. Dick Advocaat brought the striker north of the border on a free transfer and he rewarded the Dutchman with a flying start to his Ibrox career. His debut season in a light blue shirt saw him bag 27 goals as Advocaat led his side to the domestic treble in his first season at the helm. And Wallace forever endeared himself to the Ibrox faithful in the final game of that first season when he hit the only goal of the 1999 Scottish Cup final against Celtic. His 49th minute strike was the goal that secured the treble for Advocaat's team just weeks after they had landed the title at Celtic Park It also ensured that Wallace ended his incredible debut season on a high note with three medals in his first year in Scotland. He went contribute another 20 goal haul the following season to help his side to the domestic double and take his silverware tally as a Rangers player to five trophies in two seasons. Now, having watched Walter Smith's current side narrow the gap to Celtic to just four points over the weekend he feels the title might just be heading back to Ibrox after a three season absence. He said: "I always keep an eye out for the results to see how the club are getting on. Of course they lost last week but it's good to see them get a result this weekend. "Hopefully they can pick up a few results and go on a bit of a run now and kick on from there. If they can do that I don't see any reason why the title won't come back to Ibrox this season." With an Old Firm game to come at the end of December, Wallace knows Gers will have a chance to further decrease the gap at the top of the table.Rod Wallace And he admits he will be keeping a keen eye on events when the two rivals lock horns again after Christmas. Walter Smith will be looking for one of his stars to deliver a belated Christmas gift on the 27th of the month and Wallace knows all about being the man who makes a difference against Rangers' rivals. As well as that Scottish Cup winner in '99, Wallace grabbed the only goal of the game in March 2000 as Rangers left Parkhead with full points on their way to a second successive title success. He was also part of the famous team that clinched the '99 title on their neighbours' patch just weeks before his Hampden triumph. Although he was on the receiving end of a late red card in that title winning visit to Parkhead he remembers his appearances in derby matches throughout his Gers career fondly. He added: "I had a few good times here and it's hard to pick out one that stands out over the rest. "The Cup final was a great experience, without doubt one of the best. It was a great occasion and one of the first finals at the new Hampden which just added to the experience. "Scoring the winner at Parkhead was another great occasion but there were so many in my time up here that it's hard to really pick one as the real highlight. "That would certainly be one of them though and I'll be looking out for the boys to see how they got on at the end of the month." Wallace was back at Ibrox as a half time hero against Hamilton at the weekend and he admits it was great to bring back some happy memories from his time in Glasgow. Rod WallaceAfter reuniting and reminiscing with some familiar faces around Ibrox he said: "It's been great being back here. "I've really enjoyed seeing some old friends and having the chance to catch up with what they've been doing. "I had a great three years up here and have got some great memories from being part of this great club. "Of course I won a few things but I also met some really good people and that helped make for a really enjoyable time up here for me." It is little wonder that Wallace enjoyed his three seasons north of the border as he built up an impressive record in his time as a light blue, scoring 54 goals in 120 games over the three years. After leaving Glasgow Rod returned south where he had a further three seasons in England with Bolton and Gillingham before injury forced him to quit his playing career at the age of 34. Since then he has maintained a keen interest in remaining in football and is now working towards his coaching badges whilst gaining hands on experience with Kingstonian FC's youth teams. And at just 39 he is hoping to continue his involvement in the game with more senior coaching roles to come once his professional coaching courses have finished. He added: "I finished in 2004 because of the toll the injuries took on me. Since then I've been looking in to the coaching side of things. "I'm working on level three at the moment and I've been concentrating on that for the last couple of years now. "I'm keen to stay involved in the game if I get a chance. It's all about luck really, but once I get the qualification I'll see how things go from there."

I have never really been a Alan McGregor fan, but his heroics against Celtic in the 1-2 game at Parkhead and the Uefa cup performances won me over. I was dreadfully disapointed that he was injured saving the Scott Mcdonald penalty when he turned his ankle. Now, before those heroics McGregor was a mediocre goalie for the most part. He done the correct things to be a good Gers player, i.e go through the youth ranks, go on loan for a season for first team experince at a lesser club. And to be honest there are times he makes saves that make him look world class. But, i now think the time has come for him to move on. This may upset a few Gers fans as he is a popular player with Rangers fans. but he is now no longer a young player. He is a mid 20-odds goalie who's confidence has been sunk for a while. The mistake he made versus Dundee Utd at Ibrox cost us 2 vital league points. Today he apparantly made a howler(which i've yet to see). And against Kilmarnock at Ibrox he gifted them an opening goal. Don't get me wrong, three mistakes should't cost anyone a career. But i am positive now that there's a few other reasons to go against him. McGregor now believes the hype from last year still applies and as a consequence he stil thinks he is a better player than he really is. This over confidence clashing with his other belief that he thinks he's able to crack the English premiership is costing us dearly. The constant transfer speculation about him joining Spurs amongst other top teams is messing with this mans head. If he hadn't have gotten the ankle injury he may well have got the move i think he wanted and Rangers would have been payed around 5 to 6 million pounds. It didn't work out but McGregor to my mind is still thinking that all the speculation is directed towards where he is going. Well Alan, i'm not so sure that any top side would want you anymore, especially going by the clangers you've made and the current form you've displayed. Another thing that gets on my goat is his idiotic playboy image. The hype from last season appeared to inflate Alan's ego to extraordinary proportions and we saw him buying rediculous flash cars, get stupid tattoos and attempting to be the Scottish Beckham with that girlfriend of his. I realise that this view won't be everyones view and that many will disagree. But were it not for Walter Smiths loyalty to this player, we may well have had an even better goalie between the sticks in Neil Alexander(who is more than equal in technical and physical abilty to McGregor and supercedes McGregors mental ability by miles). Also the �£5/6m we may have got from McGregors transfer could have bought us a replacement for the aging Davie Weir and the sometime dodgy defence of Rangers could have squeezed the life out of sides resulting in us not being 7 points behind a Celtic side that are unbelieveably fluky. Anyway, i'd very much like to hear you guys opinion on Mr mcGregor as i'm sure we could move on without him.

Hearts will hand over �£15,000 due to Arbroath from the transfer of Andy Webster after the Second Division club agreed to defer payment until January. More...

Dec 3 2008 By Keith Jackson RANGERS boss Walter Smith will have to unload as many as SIX top-team players to cobble together enough cash to make a New Year swoop for Portuguese defender Tonel. Smith is a huge admirer of the 28-year-old centre-half who first caught his eye last season playing against Rangers for Sporting Lisbon on the Ibrox side's march to the UEFA Cup Final in Manchester. And sources in Lisbon believe Portugal international Pedro Mendes is playing a key role in helping Smith persuade Tonel to set up a new life in Scotland despite interest from Lazio and Panathinaikos. But before Smith can table a serious offer he will have to carry out the second part of a mass cull ordered by chairman Sir DavidMurray back in August following the humiliating European exit at the hands of Lithuanian minnows Kaunas. We revealed back then Smith had been told to chop at least half a dozen big earners from his squad. But although he sold Carlos Cuellar and Daniel Cousin and arranged loan deals for Alan Gow and Andy Webster, Smith used the money he raised to bring in Mendes, Steve Davis, Maurice Edu and Aaron. Now he has been instructed to make further cuts which means Smith will be open to offers for the likes of Brahim Hemdani, DaMarcus Beasley, Jean-Claude Darcheville, Chris Burke, Christian Dailly, Stevie Smith and possibly Lee McCulloch. Ironically, McCulloch has recently emerged as a potential defensive option for Smith who believes the ex-striker has all the attributes needed to make a new career as a stopper. If Smith cannot get enough cash together to go for Tonel he is likely to hold on to McCulloch even though Premiership outfit Stoke remain serious about taking the 30-year-old south in January. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/2008/12/03/exclusive-rangers-may-need-to-dump-six-stars-to-land-january-transfer-target-tonel-86908-20942301/

Motherwell boss Mark McGhee says he has a list of 50 potential targets to pursue in the January transfer window. More...

Second Division club Arbroath say Hearts have yet to pay them money due over Andy Webster's transfer to Wigan. More...

Midfielder Stephen Hughes says he is not looking for a January transfer away from Motherwell. More...

Shunsuke Nakamura will remain with Celtic until the summer after Yokohama F Marinos decide against a January transfer bid. More...

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is seemingly in Madrid to round off a transfer for +20mill(euro's). We wouldn't pay 9 million for him. Not a bad investment for two seasons work. Ajax had seemingly more vision than Mr Bain and Mr Murray.

This is not a knee jerk reaction, have thought nothing of this woeful player since his shockingly over priced move to us. Honestly, for a guy who is a supposed gers fan, he offers zero contribution. Another reflection of Smith's pathetic close season transfer buys.

After dragging my sorry ass out of my sick bed on Saturday, I trudged along to Tynecastle with a sense of trepidation as we haven’t exactly hit the heights away from home this season with victories at Parkhead, Easter Road and Rugby Park being the exception rather than the rule. The good thing about following Rangers recently is that it only takes a few minutes to get a feeling on how the game is going to pan out. Once again on Saturday, on hearing the starting 11 and witnessing the slow, predictable and lazy start to the game, the following 90 minutes was as painful as it was predictable. There is so much wrong with Rangers at the moment that an article on a website or in a fanzine couldn’t begin to cover all that is wrong at Ibrox. From the charlatan that is running the circus, to the monkeys that be employs to a manager who is tactically inept and a backroom staff whom appear to offer little input to change this ineptness. The obvious failings on the pitch mirror the obvious (well to some sections of the support) off the pitch, with one having a direct implication on the other. However, the woes off the pitch are no excuse for a keeper who is more interested in shagging his way through the female population of Glasgow than he is at coming off his line when a ball is floated into his 6 yard box. The off field problems don’t excuse 2 experienced centre-halves being bitch-slapped by a forward who failed to make an impression on the lower zeniths of the English Championship. It also doesn’t explain why we have a manager who would rather play 4 or 5 players out of position than playing players in their correct positions (even though he has signed those players to bolster those glaring deficiencies). However, let’s not lay all the blame at the managers door, our squad has been dismantled regularly and all our best players sold on and replaced by a lower standard of player. I actually believe that I could manage an SPL team to a victory against Rangers. It is so easy to exploit our glaring weaknesses. Flood the midfield, get the ball into the wide areas and force Rangers into a long-ball game, and 90% of the time, you’ll get a result. Our midfield is all over the place and so narrow. By playing centre-halves at fullback, our back four is also narrow, leaving huge spaces down both flanks. Our strikers have their strengths, but bullying defenders in a physical battle isn’t one of them. We did have a gifted striker who could dominate an entire backline, who could bully them and who could also play a bit, but he was sold in the last transfer window. Never mind, we did make a wee profit on him (note to SDM – ensure Mr Bain receives another pay increase for that piece of business). Also, this trait of pulling everyone back to defend set-pieces is ridiculous. It allows opposition to flood the box and create mayhem - it also results in us gifting the ball back to them if we manage to clear the ball and it comes straight back on top of us, resulting in us having to defend prolonged periods of pressure. We have to get back to basics – get 11 players on the pitch who are playing their correct positions and get back to what Rangers do best, playing free-flowing and attractive football. Firstly, I’d drop McGregor and bring back Alexander. I would also drop David Weir who’s distribution is amateurish and try Broadfoot as his long-term replacement. Deploy young McMillan at right back and Papac at left back. In midfield, I’d play Aaron, Davis, Mendes with Edu as the holding player and have Miller and Boyd/Lafferty as the front pairing. Having spent Ã?£3.5M on the lad, the least WS can do is deploy him through the middle rather than watch the lad rot on the left-wing. As the title says, supporting Rangers at the moment is like groundhog day. The above failings aren’t new; they have been evident and unresolved for nearly a decade now. We are staring down the barrel of losing 4 consecutive SPL titles and barring two dramatic, welcome and enjoyable last day triumphs, we’d be staring down the barrel of going almost 8 seasons without winning the title. Those two dramatic, welcome and enjoyable last day triumphs, like the UEFA Cup Final (and run to said final) last season have been nothing more than false dawns. It has been debated before, but it is worth reiterating, if we continue to buy run of the mill SPL players, we’ll continue to witness run of the mill SPL performances which will ensure that we gain run of the mill SPL results. We have nothing special within our ranks at the moment (not that we are witnessing anyway) and we have lost that aura that a great team appears to have. No SPL club are frightened of playing Rangers anymore, why should they be, we aren’t a great team and haven’t laden with great players. For those within our support who believe SDM’s lies and false promises and believe that football is cyclical, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it isn’t. Celtc broke our dominance due to hard work on the pitch and by finally getting a board that matched the ambitions of their fans. Say what you like about the MOPES and their board, but they have worked as a team, have deflected all the media attention on to us and have overtaken us both on and off the pitch. They are so far ahead, they are in danger of disappearing over the horizon. We’ll continue to be 2nd best until we change those who are in charge, or change the mindset of those currently in control. However, and again, this is groundhog day territory, we won’t ever invoke change as the vast majority still believe (unbelievably) that the current regime are the best way forward for Rangers. SDM and his lapdogs have cleverly pulled the wool over sections of our supporters eyes. They have managed to make the majority of us believe that protesting isn’t the ‘Rangers way’. They have convinced us that protesting is some how ‘The Celtc Way’. Well Bears, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Just ask Davie White and John Greig if protesting isn’t the ‘Rangers Way’. We invoked the biggest revolution in Scottish Football for Gods Sake. It was Rangers fans voicing concern of the direction of the club under the Marlborough’s and by demonstrating against the legendary John Greig and Jock Wallaces (2nd stint) managerial disasters. Lastly on this subject and the most ironic part, the vast majority of our support like to impart their Presbyterian believes to all comers, yet believe that protesting isn’t the ‘protestant way’…… In conclusion, if we don’t invoke the necessary changes in the leadership (sic) of our club, we’ll be sitting here writing (and reading) about the same deficiencies for the foreseeable future whilst our club continues its fall from grace and struggles to keep abreast with its bitter rivals. We’ll continue to witness players who are average at best and we’ll continue to struggle to win the SPL title. How long are you willing to wait until you force change? Will 4-in-a-row be your nadir? Or are you willing to wait a few years, give the current custodian more time to ruin this club? For this Bear, I’ll continue to fight for change at the top level in the club. I’ll continue to try and convince other fans that the time is right for change (a decade on their shadow should be enough for all of us). However, I fear more and more groundhog days ahead. Cammy F

We had 1 shot on goal the whole game and to be quite honest, what a perfect pick me up to give the ceptic after there champions league exit!!! now here's the question we need to ask ourselves here. were ceptic really missed being in the champions league, NO! after all every time they came home they won! we continue to miss fire in front of goal and continue to shoot ourselves in the foot and at times you really must question wheather walter and ally have what it takes to lead us to a 52nd title, its not looking good right now is it, the post mortem must begin into why we cant get it right on the park and the injury to kevin thomson is starting to hit us, immediate transfer activity in january is a must if we are to rescue this season!!!

by Andrew Dickson WALTER SMITH has hinted Rangers ARE in the market for a defender - but hasn't ruled out Lee McCulloch and Andy Webster providing long-term cover at the back. The Ibrox manager has found himself short of options in that department recently thanks to Madjid Bougherra's calf injury. With Webster on loan to Bristol City and not due back until January, McCulloch has been converted to a centre-half as a result and deployed there ahead of Christian Dailly. The experiment has been a relative success and the Light Blues have won both matches in which the former Wigan man has deputised alongside David Weir. Lee McCullochNow his immediate future could be in the back line as Smith looks to avoid shelling out more cash when the transfer window opens five weeks tomorrow. Gers chairman David Murray has said money will only be available to the manager to strengthen his squad in the case of an emergency. And while Smith is keeping tabs on the availability of certain players, he is keen to see if any of the men he currently has at his disposal can do a job for him. Indeed, if anything, his priority remains trimming his excessive squad and he has reiterated his desire to do that at the turn of the year. Smith said: "When we look at the number of players we have overall, there are 28 people in the senior squad and that is a big staff. "First and foremost, we must deal with that situation as we don't need that many players and we have to address it. "Understandably, some of the boys aren't happy they've not been involved as regularly as they would wish. "In all probability, our staff will be cut down more than anything else but that doesn't stop us from looking at one or two positions we miWalter Smithght need to fill as well. "Obviously, we have to do that in conjunction with people who may leave in the January transfer window. It may be we just go with the squad we have at the moment. "Defensively, Lee has come in and played in a position where he hasn't really played before except in the reserves over the last month or so. "He has done really well in that area and we are pleased with the progress he is making at the back. "Andy will also come back to us from Bristol City and that will alleviate our situation there too. We'll see what happens when his loan agreement ends."

Review of the Season so far: Main site link: http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=711&Itemid=1

By Danny Stewart Rangers face a fight to hang on to Pedro Mendes.RANGERS FACE a fight to fend off a bid from Spurs for Pedro Mendes. Itââ?¬â?¢s understood Harry Redknapp is poised to swoop with a Ã?£5-million-plus bid as soon as the January transfer window opens. Redknapp sold the Portuguese star to the Light Blues for Ã?£3-million in August while still boss of Portsmouth. At the time, though, the renowned wheeler-dealer insisted he was forced to make the sale in order to balance the books at Fratton Park. Willingness Mendes, he claimed, was worth more than the fee received and had only been the one to go because of his willingness to leave Portsmouth. ââ?¬Å?I am really sorry to lose Pedro,ââ?¬Â he said then. ââ?¬Å?I love him as a fella and a player. ââ?¬Å?He is great pro and a great player but I had to get some money in. It is the rules of the game.ââ?¬Â Three months on, Redknapp finds himself with cash to spend and a need for an experienced midfielder to play alongside young stars Jermaine Jenas and Tom Huddlestone. Redknapp actually signed Mendes for Pompey from Spurs in 2006, eighteen months after heââ?¬â?¢d arrived from Porto. Having loved Mendesââ?¬â?¢ attitude in the three years they were together at Portsmouth, Redknapp has decided he is the one he wants. Rangers have the player on a three-year contract and donââ?¬â?¢t want to sell. Returning Mendes, who provided cover for the injured Barry Ferguson at the start of the season, has made a huge impact in Scotland, returning to some of the best form of his career. On top of that, while Ferguson is now back, his fellow Scotland midfielder Kevin Thomson has since been ruled out for the rest of the season with knee ligament damage. The problem Rangers will face is what happens if Mendes himself gets sold on the idea of a quick return to the English Premier League. The Portuguese has taken to life in Scotland and has expressed his admiration for Glasgow as well as the quality of the football played in this country. Without doubt, though, Redknappââ?¬â?¢s ââ?¬Ë?big projectââ?¬â?¢ at Spurs has captured the imagination of fans and players alike throughout the whole of the UK, and Mendes may be tempted to be part of it. http://www.thesundaypost.co.uk/postindex.htm

Hibernian striker Steven Fletcher is remaining calm as his future comes under increasing scrutiny. More...

I remember smith quoting that he would need to trim the squad in january and offset some players, well lets bloody hope he buys decent players, because after last nights nightmare at fir park and celtic knocking three by killie i really do wonder when we are going to turn the corner and find some decent form! and find some consistancy and start getting some results together, so come on RANGERS lets get the finger out and give us a league title to celebrate because i,ll be dammed watching celtic lift another!!!

by Lindsay Herron REVOLTUTION is a word often attached to the name of Graeme Souness when reference is made to his impact at Rangers. His arrival in 1986 as player-manager not only awoke a sleeping giant but changed the face of football in this country. However, his friendship with David Murray led to even greater things for Rangers. Souness made some superb acquisitions as manager, luring Terry Butcher, Chris Woods, Graham Roberts, Ray Wilkins, Gary Stevens, Trevor Steven and, of course, Mo Johnston to Ibrox. Sir David MurrayHowever, as Sir David prepares to celebrate 20 years at Rangers this weekend, Souness remains convinced that the best "signing" he ever made was David Murray. In 1988, the 36-year-old highly successful businessman was rebuffed in his attempts to purchase first love Ayr United and it was Souness who planted the seeds about taking over Rangers. He recalled: "I actually met him at a basketball match as he was running a team at that time. We became friends and we remain good friends. "A chance remark from David led me to taking a stake in Rangers when he eventually took control of the club. "He casually mentioned that if the club was ever likely to be put on the market then he wanted to be kept informed. "I continued to discuss the topic with him. I wanted to plant the idea in his head that he was the right man to take over. "He was first and foremost a businessman and he realised there was enormous potential in Rangers. "I did warn him that if he became totally involved then it would take over his life. He didn't believe me at the time but if you ask him now I think he will agree that I was right. "The world of football is totally different from any other industry. When you immerse yourself in it, everything else takes second place - including your family. "We didn't have to change much when he came in because there was nothing to change. We were very successful. "We were the dominant force in the British transfer market at that time. We were spending big money and we had half of the English squad in our team at that timeGraeme Souness. "You just couldn't do that now because Rangers just don't have the budget any more. "The game has changed dramatically since I was at Rangers. All the money is down in England now and it is quite astronomical." Despite the awful disability of losing both legs in car accident at the age of 24, Murray's energy and determination was boundless and that was not lost on Souness. He said: "It's very impressive considering he lost his legs at a young age and what he has achieved in life. "He has never felt sorry for himself. He is very much up and at 'em and seems to thrive on that. He is a very special human being." Controversy or drama was never far away when Souness was in charge at Ibrox. Despite his fantastic success as boss - delivering three titles and the League Cup four times - he felt he was becoming a marked man. The thought of moving away had entered his head and when Liverpool came calling in the spring of 1991, he felt he had to take it. Having been phenomenally successful, captaining the side to European Cup glory and regular championship glory Souness agreed to go back. MThe day Souness left Rangersurray knew it was the wrong move and told his good friend as such. Souness, though, could not be dissuaded and with the title race in Scotland going down to the wire he left for Merseyside. Souness said: "I remember we went for dinner to our favourite Italian restaurant and David said nothing about Liverpool. However, he is a perceptive man and after dinner he drove me to my apartment. "He told me 'You're going to Liverpool, aren't you?' And that was when I told him. We sat on a wall outside my home and we talked for half an hour as he tried to persuade me to stay. "However, I was determined that I would go. He told me I was making the biggest mistake of my life but I still went. I later realised he was right. I should never have left Rangers." Not for the first time, David Murray was spot on with his assertion.

Celtic line up a move for Dundee United goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska in the January transfer window. More...

Hull paid Man City only �£500,000 more for Giovanni's services than we paid Burnley for Lafferty's..... Now, Kyle may go and prove to be a decent player / buy, but it has to be said, investing such a large sum of money (and large % of our total transfer budget) on an uproven championship players was a gamble. I hope for the lads and Rangers' sake that the gamble pays off and reeps dividends. Cammy F