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My local JJB shop has been sporting an all-Celtic window display this week. The other day was the first time I've walked passed it in months so I'm not sure how long it's been like that, but I couldn't believe my eyes. You'd think having a deal with them would at least secure a joint old firm window display, but it would seem not. What's all that about?

As he won't get a game under Walter it is probably better for everyone if he leaves. I would have liked to see him playing with Mendes for a game though.

Transfer gossip already and the summer window is just shut.

With the next challenge to our title winning aspirations being the toughest game of our SPL calendar, is it time for Walter to finally depart from the formation that served him so well last season. On first viewing, that opening paragraph perhaps seems like a ridiculous decision; why change a winning formula? However, many will agree that whilst the defensive 4-5-1 formation, with equally defensive, counter attacking tactics served us so well in our exciting run to the UEFA cup final, it also likely cost us important domestic games. While we were getting results, against arguable superior opposition, and but for the intervention of our own governing body looked odds on for an unprecedented quadruple, there were few murmurs of discontent. Though many were unhappy at the way we played the game and demanded ball playing midfielders were bought in the summer transfer window to link our stingy defence to attack. Onto this summer and the manager has brought in these midfielders, albeit a few weeks too late, in the shape of Mendes, Edu, Aaron and the return of Davis. Early signs were encouraging as Mendes ran the show on his debut alongside Thomson. With Davis returning to the squad in time for the Aberdeen game, in the first half some of the interchanging in the middle of the park was reminiscent of the Advocaat era. The one complaint being that for all that the possession football was pretty, chances for the forwards were still at a premium. With a wealth of options in midfield, the management's greatest excuse for employing the ultra-cautious 4-5-1. Now many have argued that with the right players this 4-5-1 formation actually becomes a 4-3-3 when in possession. However, our club's insistence on playing solid, less attacking and pacy midfielders does not lend itself to this malleable formation. Certainly the true, pacy, tricky wide players are available to the manager. Players like Beasley, Novo and Aaron. And in the case of the first two, they will also provide some defensive qualities when necessary, with a willingness to chase back. So, the central midfield players are there, the forwards/wingers are there if the manager so chooses to employ this 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation. The only question is do we have the lone striker capable of spear heading this formation? A formation largely made popular by Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. Where Makelele anchored the midfield, Lampard dictated the play through the middle and the likes of Robben and Cole supported Didier Drogba at the spearhead. And it is at the spearhead that Rangers fall down. Didier Drogba is a bit of a special case in European football. I am not arguing he is the greatest striker in the game, although at his peak he was certainly one of them. However there are very few like him that can single-handed trouble an entire back line. His combination of raw power, pace, skill, technical ability, aerial strength and shooting ability allowed him to perform the role of lone striker like possibly no other player could. Do Rangers have a player in the squad with similar ability and playing style to the Ivorian? Not as far as this author can see. Perhaps the one player who most closely resembles a player with these attributes is fellow African Daniel Cousin. The Gabonese striker is strong, relatively pacy, tall and with good feet. However he has a terrible attitude and is unlikely to feature for the club again. With Novo the best candidate to fill a right wing berth at Parkhead, the candidates for the lone striker role this Sunday are Kris Boyd, Jean-Claude Darcheville, Kenny Miller, Andrius Velicka and injury dependant, Kyle Lafferty. Despite being the one true goal-scorer in the squad, Kris Boyd will not be deployed as a lone striker, due to a lack of mobility and despite improvements in this area, a lack of ability to hold the ball up. Jean-Claude Darcheville has strength and pace in abundance. However he cannot be relied upon to last 90-minutes and is composure in front of goal is also in question. New-recruit Andreas Velicka has performed this role well against the Old Firm in his previous spell in Scotland. Heââ?¬â?¢s strong, can hold the ball up well and has an eye for goal. Unfortunately, perhaps due to his lack of rest in going directly from a competitive Scottish season, to a Norwegian season and back to a new season in Scotland, Velicka has struggled for form resulting in him being dropped for yesterdayââ?¬â?¢s game at Aberdeen. Kenny Miller, a man who if played, as this fan suspects he will, could do with a goal and thereââ?¬â?¢s no time better than tomorrow. However, his frankly embarrassing career stats suggest it is unlikely he would be capable of finishing if he found himself in a position to do so. You get 100% effort from Miller, he runs the channels, he works the defence and he has some pace. However, when this formation worked so effectively for Chelsea, the spearhead was a 30+ goals a season striker. Miller is more like a 5 goals a season striker. Lafferty, returning from a knock and being a relatively inexperienced player, has height, good feet and again a little pace. However he has played much of his career out of position on the left wing and is unlikely to be thrust into such a high-profile, high-tension game with all the goal-scoring pressure on his shoulders. It appears obvious to this fan, that whilst we may now have the defence and midfield capable of making this 4-5-1 formation an effective ploy, we do not have the key player at the business end of the field to make it successful. Recent upsets at Parkhead have shown that the way to get to Celtic and upset their game plan is to go at them from the first whistle. Not sitting back, inviting pressure and hoping to hit on the break as we have done with the 4-5-1. The obvious solution is to partner two of our attackers upfront in a 4-4-2. We have begun the season playing 4-4-2, picking up 2 wins and a draw that would be 3 wins but for our questionable officials. And whilst performances have not been thrilling, gelling a strike partnership takes time. For me it is time to pursue our best attacking partnership and give it time. Partner the goals of Kris Boyd with the pace and running of one of our other strikers, be that Lafferty, Darcheville, Novo (who I would however, start on the right v Celtic) or perhaps even Miller. Go 4-4-2, go with Boyd and a.n.other and go for goals. That is my wish for this weekendââ?¬â?¢s opening Old Firm clash. I do however predict the inevitable 4-5-1 with the goal-shy Miller ââ?¬Å?leadingââ?¬Â the attack.

Simple Pleasures As you get older, and hopefully wiser, you learn to enjoy the simple pleasures that life throws you way more than you did when you were a sprightly youth. This may be down to simple maturity, or the fact that at my age, simple pleasures are seen as the little breaks life grants you in the face of accelerating to middle age and beyond. These simple pleasures range from hearing a song on the radio (or it suddenly popping on your IPOD set to shuffle) that never fails to put a smile on you face and a spring in your step (such as Brothers In Rhythm ââ?¬â?? Such A Good Feeling - ). Or watching reruns of The Simpsons on SKY1 and suddenly stumbling across an episode that you havenââ?¬â?¢t seen. It can even be scanning your bookshelves for a new book to read, for your eyes to lock onto a book youââ?¬â?¢ve had there for months and havenââ?¬â?¢t picked up. You decide to give it a read and find out itââ?¬â?¢s one of the best books youââ?¬â?¢ve read in years (Atonement). However, the simplest and most pleasurable is undoubtedly watching your team roll into the home of your bitterest rivals and give them the doings of doings. Yesterday was enjoyable for so many reasons ââ?¬â?? witnessing Rangers steamroller Celtc, witnessing Rangers playing fantastic football and transferring possession and pressure into goals, witnessing Arthur Borat imploding again (more of this clown later) and witnessing one of the finest displays from your team in a long, long time. From the opening OF gambits until the final whistle, our charges ran the show at Parkhead. We had a stranglehold of the midfield, our defence was on top and our strikers were causing their defence all sorts of problems. Our goals were all a joy to behold, Cousin battering their back four for 37 minutes (softening them up) and then bursting clear of the faltering Wilson and firing beyond The Clown. Then after a rare mistake from Sasa Papac let them temperately back into the game, Kenny Miller rammed home an exquisite volley that left The Clown grasping at fresh air. However, this was nothing compared to the ferocity and velocity of Pedro Mendes strike. As Andy Gray would say, Take A Bow Sonââ?¬Â¦.. Kenny Miller then walked home number four after The Clown fumbled the ball 6 yards from his own goal (oh how we laughed). Cousin and Miller looked a very decent partnership and Cousin gave the type of performance that have convinced some Rangers fans that he is the best striker (ability wise) currently at our club. It looks like Cousin will leave before tonightââ?¬â?¢s transfer window closes, so if yesterday was is departing gift, what a gift it was. There were no failures in blue on the day and I have to say that Cousin was very harshly treated ââ?¬â?? both incidents that lead to his cards were 50/50 at worst. I have heard the media claiming that the referee had a decent game, I disagree. As stated above, Cousin was very unlucky to be red-carded. No one has mentioned the decision to give Nakamura a free-kick in the dying seconds when he clearly fell over the ball. OK, it didnââ?¬â?¢t alter the final outcome, but what if the scores were 1-1 when the incident happened? The only disappointment from yesterday is the fact that there are no SPL games this coming weekend. We are on a massive high and it would have been brilliant to carry on the momentum gained from this impressive display / win at Parkhead. Canââ?¬â?¢t finish this article on a ââ?¬Ë?down beat noteââ?¬â?¢ so Iââ?¬â?¢ll end with a huge pat on the back to the Rangers support who were outstanding yesterday. Hotshot Hamish Readers of my age will remember reading tales of gentle giant Hebridian Hamish Balfour in Scorcher then Tiger (http://hamishmac.blogspot.com/) who reportedly had the hardest shot in football. When we signed Jorg Albertz and we started to witness Albertz now legendary left foot, I always used to think back and relating Jorg to Hotshot Hamish. I didnââ?¬â?¢t think we would ever replace Albertz notorious goal scoring ability from distance, but after watching in delight at Pedro Mendesââ?¬â?¢ opening Rangers goal yesterday, we may just have someone who can match Jorg Albertz in the ââ?¬Ë?arse-hole winderââ?¬â?¢ stakes. We havenââ?¬â?¢t had a regular threat from distance since Albertz left so hopefully Pedro can take up the mantle and hopefully yesterdays sidewinder is the first of many strikes from our new ââ?¬Ë?Hammerââ?¬â?¢. Send In The Clowns Well, well, well, another OF game and another Arthur Borat controversy. The bold Arthur decided to give the massed Bears the middle finger after he gifted us our forth goal. As a thanks for this generous gift, we decided to sing his praises, cheer his every touch and generally rub his nose in it. What thanks do we get? The latest in a long line of rude gestures from the not so holly goalie. I read today that is latest intercession has been reported to the authorities, but I fear that this, along with the majority of his other antics will be swept under the (now bulging) SFA / SPL carpet. After all, his fellow clown Neil Lennon was allowed to do this sort of thing at ever OF game and that includes being caught shouting sectarian abuse at the Rangers fans and bench. The not so holly goalie does have his troubles to seek on and off the pitch at the moment. Itââ?¬â?¢s not nice to kick a man when heââ?¬â?¢s down, but hey ââ?¬â?? Get It Right Round You Boratââ?¬Â¦.. Cammy F

We have a little over 2 weeks of the transfer window left and there is STILL no new midfielders at Murray Park. Sometimes WS does his business on the quiet like the signing of Bougherra which came out of the blue - so we have a tiny bit of hope that a deal could be done somewhere but i wont hold my breath until i see a player in a blue shirt. I still think Davis is likely but we still need more than him. I can also see him being played out of position if he does sign. Davis had a few good games for us when playing next to Ferguson but signing Davis alone doesnt fill me with confidence. In that 2 weeks we couldnt face a tougher fixture card. Hearts at Ibrox and Aberdeen and Celtic away. Right now with that team that played at Falkirk i dont fancy us to get anymore than 5 points from that 3 games. With the Cuellar sale, the pressure is now at peak for Murray, Bain and Smith.

After the woeful performances against Lithuanian Hearts, we are faced with the prospect of life without our stand-out player King Carlos. Carlos has activated a release clause in his contract and is on his way to Aston Villa. Depending on whether you believed the rumours, this move may have come as a surprise to some of us, but can any of us say we are shocked that our prize asset has been sold? Failing to qualify for the Champions League was always going to leave a gaping hole in our financial report and the only way to fill this hole was to sell players. The only player we currently have on our books who is worth any sort of money is Carlos. So it doesn’t take a genius to work out that he’d be the one that we’d lose. Some fans chose to believe SDM’s latest ramblings that any money recouped from transfers would be given to WS to strengthen the squad. I remain sceptical on this happening and await the closure of the transfer window with interest. Already the rumours (no doubt initiated by SDM’s lapdogs in the media) are flying through cyberspace on Rangers forums claiming that Lovenkrands, Loovens, Maloney et al are queuing up at Ross Hall for medicals prior to signing for Rangers. There are also rumours of bust-ups between McCoist and Bain and claims that McCoist has walked from his post. All in all, not the best publicity for our club and certainly not the behaviour you expect for Scotland’s premier club. So where does that leave Rangers FC? Well, we are a worse team / squad than we were last season and going on the 3 competitive games played this season, we look a team devoid of ideas, of guile and of genuine football players. I would venture to say that in the last week, our club has become a laughing stock and whilst this is hard to stomach, we have also take of the blinkers and acknowledge that we are also trailing our bitterest rivals both on and off the pitch. This is galling admission given how far ahead we were a decade ago. Whilst typing this disjointed article I can feel a lump in my throat and feel my stress levels reaching breaking point. The most frustrating thing about it, the majority of fans will just shrug this latest catastrophe off and still believe that SDM will deliver his promise of ‘moonbeams of success’. This certainly isn’t the Rangers that we deserve, and this certainly isn’t the Rangers that we all love. In fact, if this Rangers were your wife you would have divorced her, and if this Rangers were a family member, you’d have disowned them. However, this is OUR club and we are hardier than that. Will this downturn (downsizing) get any better? Not under the current regime and I can’t see enough support for change so we are stuck with what we have. Don’t know if any of the above makes sense, but I am seething at the moment so not much is making sense to be perfectly honest. Farewell Carlos, thanks for the memories and good luck in the future. For those of us left behind, strap yourselves in, its going to be a helter-skelter ride as fans of this great club vent their frustrations in ways that we all won’t agree on. Cammy F:rfc:

So 15 invited fans speak for the masses now??!!! I dont think he should be sacked but this headline in the news doesnt nearly speak for the real fans. Bit in bold - I'll believe that when I see it!!! That should have been dealt with in June!

There are a few issues spliting the fans at the moment. Some are calling it a negative attitude yet some call it plain facts. The season has not even kicked off yet but this far we have looked very untidy in pre season and in our first competitive game of the season. On Tuesday we have a huge match against Kaunas to make it into the final qualifying round of the hugely important Champions League. I'm going to try and elaborate on a few topics that the fans have issues with. 1) Summers Signings In / Out: Plenty eyebrows have been raised because WS brough in 3 strikers and then concentrated on the defence when the midfield is the most obvious position needing filled. We have forked out near on 10 million on 4 players for upfront and defence yet we are reluctant to spend a penny on the midfield. We have recouped a small fee for Buffel and Sebo thus far. I still question the Buffel sale when all we needed to do was pay a fee of approx 400k which makes more sense than paying 3-4 million for another player of this type. Its ok bringing in strikers but so far none of the current forwards have left the club leaving us with a large forward line. There is still 28 days left of the transfer window so in no way can this topic be concluded yet although its imperative we sign some midfield players soon. 2) Style of football: Last season this was brought up on many occasions. Some want to see total football yet others are perfectly happy with a grinding 1-0 win as its winning that matters at the end of the day. For me a bit of both would be better. I dont expect 5-0 thumpings of teams every week with playing out of our skins, but with the level of SPL opposition we really should be seeing off teams by 3 or 4 goals on a more regular basis. Going away from home to the tougher teams is when we should be happy to grind out 1-0 wins. Some put direct blame on Walter Smith, but for me the dead wood has been there before he arrived. In McLeish's latter days most of PLG's matches we were dreadful to watch at times. Walter Smith hasnt changed much other than the fact we are very difficult to score against. Basically Walter sets out not to lose a match rather than win it. I think we are bit away from knowing our first choice XI and I actually think WS doesnt have that. He prefers to have maybe 14 players who will be shifted around in a few positions every week. 3) Loyality to players: Fans will never agree on team selection and we dont have any right to have a say in team selection - thats what the manager lifes and dies by, but we are certainly in our right to an opinion and currently a number on here picked out the Walter is very loyal to certain players. He was like this in his first reign also. You have to wonder is he happy to play safe or just to afraid to change things. Maybe its personality clashes with other players like the rumours suggest. But IMO that shouldnt come into, if a player is good enough he should be given a chance. Im not afraid to name names, but the likes of Broadfoot, Adam, Burke and Boyd will never be good enough for Rangers and having average run of the mill SPL players is a huge reason behind our lack of championships this decade. Johnny Foreigner doesnt hide from this aswell, we have had too many guys picking up a nice wage packet and not doing it on the park. 4) The threat of going Backwards: Despite last seasons run on all fronts where winning and not was a thin line, we are on the threat of moving backwards. The squad may look stronger in numbers than last year but the starting XI doesnt. I was hoping for 3 or 4 players who would come in and be definate starters but so far it seems our signings are no better than what we have. Add that to the fact if the unthinkable happens on Tuesday and we dont make the CL then we are in for a long season with not much incommings. Nothing has been decided yet and the season hasnt kicked off but the concern is there. 5) Board level: The main 2 issues here is the stadium and the lack of a ticket office at the club. Ibrox: Its still a fantastic arena but at 25+ years old the Copland, Govan and Broomloan are feeling a bit dated. When your inside them they feel it aswell compared to when you visit a modern new stadium. The rumours are for a super complex to be built, that would be fantastic but I for one wouldnt mind Ibrox just getting modernized and not to any great length. The insides of the stands could be developed along with the screens being taken out and replaced by seats bring the capacity up to near 60,000. It the roofs of those 3 stands could be raised a little and say 10 rows added then that would be fantastic also. Ticket Office: I find this embarrassing. A club who gets 50,000 people at every home match does not have a ticket office. I remember the mid 90s in my teens before I had a season ticket Id go along to Ibrox regularly and at times picked up tickets from the old ticket office across from the Copland stand. I would be in and out of the que within 5 minutes. Now we have a shed with 2 ladies handing out envelopes to 1000s of people and causing fans to miss there first competitve kick off of the season - horrendous stuff!! I can only say - Bring Back the ticket office!!! Feel free to add the other issues at the moment and as Gersnet always does we will debate them openly and maturely.

Let me start off by saying I watched the whole game, I know how poor we are and yes it's really starting to p*ss me off - and the txts from my timmy mates are not helping BUT.. after the rollercoaster ride of last season had died down the hard cold fact was that we did not win the league. Now with Celtic chasing 4 in a row it is imperative that we win the league this season. Last season was a one off, it's not going to happen again for a long time and even though I fully understand the financial bonus's and midweek excitement the champions league games bring maybe a team fully focused on winning the league is what we need this season. Lets face it we looked knackered tonight, its obvious last season's 68 games are still taking there toll. Maybe tonight will give SDM the kick up the backside to spend big. Walter Smith is not new to this game - he must see the frailties in our midfield, he must have identified players he feels will make a difference to our "midfield" so now SDM must back him in his plans. We all remember Faubert last season. Out of nowhere we were willing to spend big bucks on a player who genuinely looks an exciting prospect and I for one believe the same will happen before the end of the transfer window. I'm not saying I'm happy being out of europe, I grew up with the 9iar team and hold very high standards for our football club..it's just my opinion that it's not the be all and end all and could be a very strange blessing in disguise.

Hmmm, Hmmmm 30mill? Mr Smith.

I have always said if anything happens to Roman Abramovich to make him walk away Chelsea will find it almost impossible to survive.

Barry Ferguson made his debuut as a 16 year old in season 94\95 but it was when Dick Advocaat arrived in season 1998/1999 that he became a regular member of the team. In 2001\2002 he became the youngest ever Rangers Captain at the age of 23. In his first season under his leadership Fergie led Rangers to a cup double but rumours were already ripe that Dick Advocaat had lost the dressing room and that there was a Dutch-Scottish divide. Dick Advocaat was promoted to technical manager and Alex McLeish took over the managerial reigns. In 2002\2003 Fergie captained Rangers to a Scottish treble of the two cups and the league championship. He was named player of the year and became a cult hero to some supporters. He has never captained a league winning team since. At the start of season 2003\04 he left Ibrox to join Blackburn in which some supporters think he committed a cardinal sin and see him as a turncoat, while other supporters think he was pushed unwillingly out the door to ease the financial pressures, Rangers were under at that time. During a tormented time at Blackburn in which he claimed to be homesick, he suffered a serious injury,when he fractured a knee cap. Admitting he had made a mistake in leaving Rangers and after much negotiation Barry returned to Rangers just before the transfer window shut in January 2005. He played his part in helping Rangers led by captain Fernando Ricksen, lift the SPL trophy with virtually the last kick of the ball in what was called helicopter Sunday. At the beginning of season 2005\06 Barry was reinstated as Captain which again split the Rangers support in pro and anti Fergie groups. As Rangers League chances quickly diminished again rumours of dressing room troubles reared their head and Alex McLeish was informed he would be leaving at the end of the season. A great run in the Champions League, where Rangers reached the knock-out stages gave McLeish a great add on to his CV, and the supporters hope for the new season under paul le Guen. Rangers had a great start to the season under PLG which was without an injured Barry Ferguson. Some would say we played the best football in years. When Fergie was fit, PLG reinstated him in the team and quickly results started to go pear shaped. Again dressing room drama's were hitting the media. Players not wanting to follow special diets. Players not wanting to train twice a day. PLG dropped Barry Ferguson saying he was undermining his authority. David Murray chose to back Fergie and possibly keep the majority of fans happy and let Paul le Guen walk away on mutual agreement. Enter Walter Smith, who has been brought back in to steady the ship. He supposedly warns Fergie to toe the line. Fergie is pushed into a more forward attacking position, playing behind the lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation. With only a handful of good performances again this season and Rangers losing an almost unassailable lead, Barry is once again portrayed as captain courageous playing through the pain barrier for the love of his team. Rangers supporters again seem split on the Barry Ferguson enigma. Is he the super captain he portrays or is he the dressing room snake in the grass PLG tried to oust? Is he a team player or is he on a one man ego trip? Is Barry Ferguson unmissable as many supporters believe or is he actually a negative catalyst on the team? Is Barry Ferguson the world class player some people believe he is or the mediocre player other supporters see him as? That he has a Rangers heart is beyond question but does that give him an endless claim to a starting place no matter how he performs? Personally i think he does have the best for Rangers at heart but in that lies his pitfall. I believe he thinks he is Rangers knight in shining armour and the weight of the club lies on his shoulders. I also do not think we got the same player back from Blackburn that left us eighteen months earlier. Barry Ferguson is not unmissable and certainly not bigger than Rangers football club. I am under no disillusion that he will be replaced in this transfer window but it must be time to evaluate his true worth to the team and have a replacement waiting in the wings.

Just had a thought on going through my normal websites. The most new managers want to bring in new players which means that they have more players to get rid of. That will mean as the window gets nearer to closing the teams with new managers will be easier to deal with. Worth waiting for i would think.

Sorry another three years of Davie Wier frightens me. I think the Davis saga will drag on until the window is shutting.

Will keep these posts separate from the main thread as the thrust is linked directly with Gersnet... http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=649&Itemid=1 Tennis, golf and RFC supporter group splits boring you? Time for The_Insider to tell you of the latest info he's heard regarding any comings and goings at the club. It's all good, clean fun so please don't get too excited (or more likely depressed) at the gossip we bring you in this light-hearted look through the transfer window... As usual we'll start with the players Rangers are interested in. Despite downmarket red-tops claiming war-chests of Ã?£20million, the money currently available to Walter Smith is nowhere near that amount. As it stands, despite raking in around Ã?£30million last season (from Hutton/Europe) the manager only has Ã?£6million to play with ââ?¬â?? plus any income from players who do leave. Kenny Miller has already arrived ââ?¬â?? much to the disappointment of many Rangers fans ââ?¬â?? so around Ã?£1.6million has already been spent. Because of this arrival Peter LÃ?¸venkrands will now definitely not be coming back to Ibrox. Not sure that will cheer up those of us still depressed at the return of Miller but I donââ?¬â?¢t think weââ?¬â?¢d have coped with two average ex-players coming back in one summer. Moving on, as he was in January, Kyle Lafferty is still very much in Smithââ?¬â?¢s sights. Able to play wide or in attack, the big Northern Irish player may be beyond Rangersââ?¬â?¢ current budget though. Rangers have offered Ã?£2.2million but Burnley are holding out for around twice that fee ââ?¬â?? with Celtic and Wolves the other clubs seriously interested. Rangers are also now monitoring the Dundee Utd midfielder Morgaro Gomis. The former Montpellier and Chelsea youth player has risen up the ranks quickly from spells in English lower league football before being signed by the Tayside club from Cowdenbeath. Impressive displays in three games against Rangers means the club may put in a modest offer for the Frenchman whose contract runs out next summer. Utd are also interested in a couple of Rangers fringe players so a swap deal may please both parties. All the above are hardly rumours which will excite the support so the pressure will be on the club to move on as many fringe players as possible to maximise the budget available to the manager. Several players are available and, while the club donââ?¬â?¢t want to lose prize asset Carlos Cuellar, The_Insider has heard the Spaniard actually has a Ã?£10million release clause in his contract. The player himself doesnââ?¬â?¢t want to go but after the Hutton debacle, who knows what his future will hold. Allan McGregor is another asset whose future is in doubt. Rumours have been abound for many months now that the Scotland international goalkeeper is interested in a move to Spurs. Gersnetââ?¬â?¢s information is that Smith will allow the keeper to leave for around Ã?£8million although Spurs prefer a stepped deal from around Ã?£5million. Despite paper talk of interest from various English clubs in Kevin Thomson the club have not had any offers for the player. However, the lad is looking to sign a new, improved contract and who can blame him a considering he also did his skipperââ?¬â?¢s hard work for much of the campaign. Rangers would do well to instil a disciplinary clause into any negotiations and save themselves some money ahead of his inevitable bookings next season. The strongest link out we have heard in recent days is that Jean-Claude Darcheville will be on his way in the summer. A Ã?£1.5million fee has been agreed with an as yet unnamed continental side so it appears the likeable French strikerââ?¬â?¢s Rangers career has finally been hamstrung. Thatââ?¬â?¢s all for this week, so if you can bear the excitement and tension, keep an eye on the site (and forum) for all the latest transfer gossip concerning the Rangers. :box:

Not a bad thing, he will be a good squad player who can fill in a number of positions.

I'll give Rangers first chance to sign me, says loan star Steve Davis Apr 16 2008 By Colin Duncan RANGERS' hopes of making Steve Davis' switch from Fulham permanent were last night given a major boost. The midfielder revealed he will give the SPL leaders first crack at signing him. The Ulsterman has been a revelation at Ibrox since arriving from Craven Cottage on loan during the January window and has played an integral part in Rangers' push for four trophies this season. Now Ibrox boss Walter Smith has made keeping him his No.1 priority this summer. The 23-year-old is receptive to the idea of furthering his career north of the border if Fulham decide to let him go. But with Middlesbrough, Everton, Blackburn and Newcastle all chasing the �£4million-rated star Rangers might struggle to match the financial package on offer in the Premiership. Davis said: "The most important thing for me is to see this season through first. We are still involved in three competitions at the moment and that's what I need to focus on. "When the season finishes I will go away, have a break and hopefully sort out my future after that. What I can say is that I will listen to Rangers first. If they are an option then it's something I will consider. "I grew up a Rangers fan and I have enjoyed my time here. It has been good for everyone and the fact we're in the semi-final of the UEFA Cup proves we are a massive club. "The manager is well respected and it was good to read that he wants to keep me. I have enjoyed working with him. "I haven't really thought about things and I suppose a lot will depend on what happens with Fulham." Instead of fighting a relegation battle with the Londoners, Davis now finds himself closing in on four trophies with his boyhood heroes. Yet, as he gears up for his second Old Firm clash the Northern Irishman admits he was surprised Roy Hodgson allowed him to move north. He said: "I don't know why Fulham let me go. Before I came here I'd started almost every league game but then there was a change in manager. I was out of the team and when I heard of Rangers' interest I went to see the new boss. "I didn't think he would agree to the move but he did and I'm so glad I came. I've been able to add to the quality that was already here and things have worked out well." Victory at Parkhead tonight would leave Celtic needing a miracle to overhaul Rangers in the title race and while Davis is confident he knows it will take another Herculean display. He added: "We had big performance against Sporting last week, probably the best I've been involved in since I came here. "We showed we are a good footballing side and there's no doubt we've taken a lot of confidence from that performance. But it will take a similar showing against Celtic to get anything at Parkhead. "Things have gone well for me since I came to Ibrox but there's a lot of football to be played and it's now a case of seeing it through. "This will be my first experience of Parkhead but I'm looking forward to it. "There's no doubt this game is huge just because of what is at stake. It's vital we get a result. "A draw would suit us more than Celtic but you don't go into any game looking to draw. We'll be going there looking to win." GET THE LAD SIGNED WALTER

I've noticed a few references to the infamous BJK over the last few days. I guess it can be put down to the extra hype and excitement everyone is feeling in the build up to Saturday (12 hours till kick off:cheers: ). But really, I don't feel this is an acceptable tone for this, or any forum. Do we really, not just as part of the Rangers extended family but as human beings, feel the need to poke fun, or feel superior in such a way. We take pride, conciously or not, of being part of a society that cares for it's children. We provide shelter, food, nurturing and education for our kids. And we provide services that keep our kids safe. That's every parents main priority, keeping the kids safe. Unfortunately, you can't wrap them in cotton wool and every now and then bad things happen. And when they do we are shocked and appalled and we call the people that do these things beasts and monsters. Society demands we lock them up and on release register them and track them to keep the kids safe. Yet, when it appears we can get one up, when we can laugh at our rivals, all that goes out the window. The songs are sung, the digs got in. All in the name of football??????? Please, before you sing the songs are make the jokes, spare a thought for the victims. For the children that had their lives tainted, for the families who watch the games and hear the songs and are given reminders of what happened.

Its time the SFA, SFL and SPL got together along with a number of ex players and current managers and worked out what to do about the joke that is Scottish Football. The backward trend that has been going on for the last 15 years has to stop now. I dont think its a coincidence that the a 4th league was introduced in the country around this time and in that time period new clubs such as Inverness, Ross County, Livingston, Peterhead, Elgin and Gretna have all entered the professional game. Dont get me wrong there was always a good shout for a highland team and Inverness have not been bad for the game but Im not so sure Ross County and Elgin are justified and could have been part of the original Highland merger. But the fact of the matter is there are too many teams and divisions in a small country meaning games have attendances that you see at Shinty matches. The Gretna scenario has to be the wake up call for all 3 football bodies in the country to sort something out. Its time tradition was put out the window and clubs were made to merge. If it means upsetting a few hundred fans from each small team then so be it for the state of the game. Soon enough the traditionalists would miss football and be bite the bullet and want to see football again at some grounds and if it means they change the team they follow then thats not a bad thing as they would still be turning up a a game somewhere. It may take a generation or so to get used to mergers but in the long run this would be benefical. After all we have been going backwards for 1 generation already, so whats 1 more when its for the good of the game and the trend would be on the up rather than decline. There is no over night solution for the game anyway. You could name a few ways to improve the structure but a maximum of 3 leagues is the way. Personally id like to see 2 top divisions with the lower regional leagues being brought back and then play offs at the end of it between the top teams from each region. A trip from Montrose to Stranraer on a Wednesday night has absolutely no point to it at all and I cant work out where the travelling club would profit from this. The stadium issue also has to be addressed following the state of Fir Park lately. Clubs must submit all details of stadia well in advance to make sure only severe weather conditions can force games off. Obviously tragic circumstances such as the Phil O Donnell situation this year are exceptions. One of aspect to improve the game is either having summer football or a winter break. During the winter break all clubs would have to re-lay there pitch. But Id be a fan of moving to summer football. There is no doubt in my mind having midweek games on a summer night would bring much more fans out than to midweek nights on a cold December. The Christmas period also means fans have to dip into there pockets more and some just have to give up going to the footy on the odd week. On the bright side of the Scottish game at the moment is the Old Firm seem to be improving when playing in Europe. Both sides have held there own against supposed bigger teams in the last few seasons. Not only that the national team are improving and we're very unlucky not to qualify against the 2 World Cup finalists. So the product is there in the country, we just need to tighten it up and run things better. We have a number of superb footballing brains from our country - that is shown with the amount of success stories down south from Alex Ferguson, Davie Moyes, Kenny Dalglish and all the way back to greats such as Shankley and Busby. Its just a shame they are cancelled out by a group of men who seem inept of doing there job with a hint of common sense in there system and just seem happy sitting a nice desk at Hampden during the week. One final point is the media in the country dont help on occasion. They continue to fault and criticise and show bitterness to certain clubs in Europe rather than rally behind them when these clubs are flying the nations flag. But these journo's are easy to ignore and are certainly not worrying about. The way they act is more a social problem than a footballing one. But the game needs someone to stand up and drive the ideas forward so we are not having a top flight football team going bust during a season making us a laughing stock.

There's been the regular George McCartney rumour, and we all want Davis signed up. Anyone else heard anything about buys in the window?

Its time the SFA, SFL and SPL got together along with a number of ex players and current managers and worked out what to do about the joke that is Scottish Football. The backward trend that has been going on for the last 15 years has to stop now. I dont think its a coincidence that the a 4th league was introduced in the country around this time and in that time period new clubs such as Inverness, Ross County, Livingston, Peterhead, Elgin and Gretna have all entered the professional game. Dont get me wrong there was always a good shout for a highland team and Inverness have not been bad for the game but Im not so sure Ross County and Elgin are justified and could have been part of the original Highland merger. But the fact of the matter is there are too many teams and divisions in a small country meaning games have attendances that you see at Shinty matches. The Gretna scenario has to be the wake up call for all 3 football bodies in the country to sort something out. Its time tradition was put out the window and clubs were made to merge. If it means upsetting a few hundred fans from each small team then so be it for the state of the game. Soon enough the traditionalists would miss football and be bite the bullet and want to see football again at some grounds and if it means they change the team they follow then thats not a bad thing as they would still be turning up a a game somewhere. It may take a generation or so to get used to mergers but in the long run this would be benefical. After all we have been going backwards for 1 generation already, so whats 1 more when its for the good of the game and the trend would be on the up rather than decline. There is no over night solution for the game anyway. You could name a few ways to improve the structure but a maximum of 3 leagues is the way. Personally id like to see 2 top divisions with the lower regional leagues being brought back and then play offs at the end of it between the top teams from each region. A trip from Montrose to Stranraer on a Wednesday night has absolutely no point to it at all and I cant work out where the travelling club would profit from this. The stadium issue also has to be addressed following the state of Fir Park lately. Clubs must submit all details of stadia well in advance to make sure only severe weather conditions can force games off. Obviously tragic circumstances such as the Phil O Donnell situation this year are exceptions. One of aspect to improve the game is either having summer football or a winter break. During the winter break all clubs would have to re-lay there pitch. But Id be a fan of moving to summer football. There is no doubt in my mind having midweek games on a summer night would bring much more fans out than to midweek nights on a cold December. The Christmas period also means fans have to dip into there pockets more and some just have to give up going to the footy on the odd week. On the bright side of the Scottish game at the moment is the Old Firm seem to be improving when playing in Europe. Both sides have held there own against supposed bigger teams in the last few seasons. Not only that the national team are improving and we're very unlucky not to qualify against the 2 World Cup finalists. So the product is there in the country, we just need to tighten it up and run things better. We have a number of superb footballing brains from our country - that is shown with the amount of success stories down south from Alex Ferguson, Davie Moyes, Kenny Dalglish and all the way back to greats such as Shankley and Busby. Its just a shame they are cancelled out by a group of men who seem inept of doing there job with a hint of common sense in there system and just seem happy sitting a nice desk at Hampden during the week. One final point is the media in the country dont help on occasion. They continue to fault and criticise and show bitterness to certain clubs in Europe rather than rally behind them when these clubs are flying the nations flag. But these journo's are easy to ignore and are certainly not worrying about. The way they act is more a social problem than a footballing one. But the game needs someone to stand up and drive the ideas forward so we are not having a top flight football team going bust during a season making us a laughing stock.

--------------------------------Time Aberdeen v Motherwell----------19:45 Celtic v Inverness CT-----------19:45 Dundee United v St Mirren------19:45 Falkirk v Hibernian--------------19:45 Gretna v Kilmarnock------------19:45 Hearts v Rangers---------------19:45 Motherwell head up to Aberdeen to take on the leakiest defence in the SPL over the last few games. Aberdeen have indeed lost their last five games and have slumped to fourth bottom of the SPL. Jimmy Calderwood has stated he will build a complete new team for next year which could have a positive or a negative effect on his team. Motherwell will be glad to get away from the ploughed field at fir park and get back on track after their 1-0 defeat to hearts. With the Aberdeen confidence at an all time low, Motherwell should take full advantage and take all three points. Motherwell win. Over the years Inverness have been a bogey team for celtic and beat them 3-2 last time out. Craig Brewster will be hoping his players come out the start block better than against Hibs on Saturday, as they were 2-0 down after four minutes. Caley actually played better than Hibs but never recovered from the poor start. Celtic had all the luck of the day on Sunday when it looked like StMirren were taking a share of the points. The referee was the only one on the park who saw a foul as Shunsuke Nakamura fell easily to the ground. Nakamura does have a gift in taking free kicks and scored in the 87 minute. I fear Celtic will be too strong at home for Caley but we live in hope. Celtic win. St Mirren were fuming at losing to Celtic at Love street and will be hoping they will be luckier on their visit to Tannadice. If Dundee Utd had taken half their chances against Falkirk they would have won by a country mile but time and agin they failed to put the ball in the net. They too will be looking for a little bit more from lady luck. Difficult one to predict this as St Mirren are capable of surprising most teams but i think Utd should just edge it at home. Dundee Utd win. Hibs visit Falkirk after their win against Caley but Mixu Paatelainen will be hoping his team play for more than ten minutes as they seemed to do on Saturday. Falkirk are a start stop team this year and no one knows if they will blow hot or cold. I am going for a draw in this one. Draw. Gretna against Killie would have had a far greater importance if Killie had not taken three points from Aberdeen on Saturday. Gretna are a much improved team since the transfer window but it is most probably too little too late for them. I think Gretna will beat Killie tomorrow and if they had the same players for the whole season then Gretna may have survived. Gretna win. Rangers will be looking to avenge our 4-2 hammering at Tyncastle earlier in the season. Hearts have been improving since Stevie Frail has been given full control but will probably losing Andrius Velicka to Viking Stavanger before the game. Hearts dominated against Motherwell on Saturday and will probably come out and try to shut the midfield down and get in the Rangers players faces. This is the games our top players have to stand up and be counted. These are the games we can judge them on. Barry Ferguson has to come out and lead and if he does we should get the win. This game depends on the mentality of the Rangers team. if we are up for the fight we should win but Hearts will not make it easy for us. Rangers win

Am i right in saying Dailly and Davis are our only loan players at the moment? Or is Alexander on loan aswell? Anyway, why do loan players seem to get ahead of players we actually own? In Davis case he may have a wee bit more to offer and could potentially sign for us in the summer, but Dailly should be a stop gap. They may both be away in 3 months time. Whats wrong with giving appearances to players we own that are young or coming through our youth system (Lennon, Furman, Fleck) or players who deserve a regular game and those who we should be putting in shop window to try and get good deals for them (Gow, Buffel). With such a hectic period going on (which is only going to continue in the next 5 weeks) and a number of first team player struggling for form (McCulloch, Ferguson, Hemdani, Weir to an extent) then these players need match practice incase first team picks get injured. Surely WS has to make some changes for Gretna on Sunday??

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7232390.stm An absolute nonsense IMO and shouldnt even be looked at. As soon as seedings etc comes into play the competitive side of things goes out the window. We'd all like to see a Premier game live but if thats the case we should go to there stadiums.