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So it shuts on Saturday night at 11pm a full 2 days before the rest of europe. Apparently they ignored UEFA's recommendation of 2nd September which is 2 days after our transfer embargo expires http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/st-johnstone/237781-scottish-fa-set-saturday-transfer-deadline-against-uefa-recommendation/

http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/4915-decisions-to-be-made

EXCLUSIVE: Emilson Cribari rejects chance to quit Ibrox EMILSON CRIBARI has rejected a move to Greek side Xanthi – leaving Rangers boss Ally McCoist in a sweat over any late transfer activity at Ibrox. By: Scott Burns and Michael Baillie Published: Mon, August 26, 2013 The cash-strapped Light Blues were willing to let the Brazilian defender, below, go to free up wages to help bring in Bosnian international Boris Pandza and keeper Steve Simonsen. Xanthi’s offer was relayed to Cribari’s agent but the player made it clear he is happy to remain at Rangers, where is one of the higher earners, to help the club progress up the leagues. There is still interest in the 33-year-old from across Europe and he could yet be persuaded to leave if the right deal comes up before the close of the transfer window on Monday. The League One leaders are trying to move out some of their fringe players and are even willing to loan out younger members of their squad to free up money. McCoist remains determined to strengthen his defence and has been on the trail of Pandza for much of the summer. Rangers chief executive Craig Mather has been in discussions with the 26-year-old’s representative over a possible deal. McCoist said: “I know Craig spoke to the agent. I haven’t spoken to Pandza for three weeks. “We just need to get a bit of activity in players going the other way, as I think that would probably help. There are one or two players I would like to bring in. McCoist, who has already spent all of his summer budget for new signings, is keen to bring in another striker, and Express Sport understands his interest in bringing Kenny Miller back to Ibrox is not dead. The 33-year-old, above, recently penned a six-month extension with Vancouver Whitecaps but the Ibrox club have kept in contact with the player’s agent and are confident of forcing through a deal if they find the funds. Vancouver are desperate to keep Miller but the player himself could force any deal through as he is keen to return to Scotland over the longer term. The former Hibs, Wolves, Celtic, Derby, Bursaspor and Cardiff frontman retired from Scotland international duty last week. http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/424798/EXCLUSIVE-Emilson-Cribari-rejects-chance-to-quit-Ibrox

There is still work that Ally McCoist would like to carry out on his Rangers squad. He continues to monitor trialists, is keen on a centre-back and a centre-forward and there is interest from other clubs in "one or two" of his players. These are the routine tasks of a manager, but they also provide a refuge for McCoist. When he talks about the off-field issues at Ibrox, he has increasingly been referring to fatigue, among the fans, among the football community, perhaps even for most of those involved. Every week tends to bring a further development on the boardroom saga at the club. Since answering back to the criticisms of Charles Green when the former chief executive returned, briefly, as a paid consultant, McCoist has maintained the stance this his business is the team and his players; what happens in the boardroom is down to the directors. He returned to that theme yesterday, acknowledging that the continue drama at Rangers needs a conclusive ending. "Being a fan, ex-player and now manager, I just want what's best for this club," he said. "Everyone is reaching the stage where we're saying 'let's get this sorted and move on'. When I talk to Sandy [Jardine], wee Willie Henderson, big Tam Forsyth, everyone is of the same opinion: 'C'mon, let's sort this out and go forward'. If that's ex-players talking, it'll be echoed one thousand times by the supporters, but I'm optimistic that the off-the-park stuff can finally be sorted out." It is likely to be six weeks before the club holds its annual general meeting, at which a group of disgruntled shareholders will also table five resolutions seeking significant changes in the boardroom. The accounts are due to be published in the meantime. McCoist has become well-versed in financial issues that most football managers would not expect to encounter - "it's opened my eyes to a lot of avenues I'd never have imagined I'd go down," he said - but it will be a measure of his own progress if the exploits of the team do not add to the commotion. The season is in its infancy, but Rangers fans have taken heart from the performances of their side. The loss to Forfar Athletic in the first round of the Scottish League Cup will continue to irk them, but otherwise Rangers have shown signs of a stronger mental attitude, more variety and dynamism to their play and, crucially, a more emphatic sense of purpose. Airdrieonians were eventually swept aside last Friday night, with the kind of ruthless intent that McCoist has been demanding of his squad, and even if one game is not emblematic, the general sense is of progress. "We've miles to go and we've had one great second-half against Airdrie, so no-one's getting carried away," said McCoist. "The squad's getting better with the players we've brought in. People have to remember we lost £40-50m worth of talent [last year] and brought in free transfers, but we're delighted with the progress we'll make this year." Steve Simonsen, the former Dundee goalkeeper, and Sam Kelly, the 19-year-old former Everton midfielder, have extended their trial period at the club, while McCoist retains an interest in signing the Bosnian defender Boris Pandza. Negotiations are continuing between Craig Mather, the Rangers chief executive, and Pandza's agent. Several clubs are also keen on taking Scott Gallacher, the Rangers goalkeeper, on loan, with McCoist keen for the player to gain regular first-team experience. Cammy Bell, the former Kilmarnock goalkeeper, is one of the eight players who have agreed to sign as free agents on September 1, when Rangers' registration embargo ends. He could even feature as a trialist in Saturday's match with East Fife at Ibrox, after which McCoist will be able to choose from a full squad of players. The visit of Berwick Rangers in the Ramsdens Cup tonight is not incidental, since McCoist wants to foster a hardened winning attitude within his squad. It is also an opportunity for some players to prove their worth before potential replacements are eligible to play from September 1 onwards. "If you're Berwick Rangers, you're delighted we're not allowed to play any of our new players," McCoist said. "But I'm more looking forward to the game than having any worries because the boys that will play, those that didn't play on Friday, will know that's what expected." http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/miles-to-go-but-mccoist-confident-of-moving-on.21981607

Ray Wilkins scored a goal that he, and the Rangers support, will never forget. His stunning volley came in an Old Firm match that saw the Light Blues recover from a goal down to romp to a 5-1 victory at Ibrox. Wilkins was joined on the scoresheet by Kevin Drinkell, Mark Walter and Ally McCoist, who grabbed a double in front of a delighted home support. Fans who witnessed the goal are likely to remind Wilkins of the famous strike any time he is back in Scotland. In an interview with RangersTV he said: "The supporters often mention it when I go back. I’m not overly concerned about who it was against because it was just great to score for Rangers as I didn’t get many. "It came from a long throw, there was a flick on, it was headed out and it‘s either one of those that flies into the back of the net or it goes over the back of the stand. "Fortunately for me, it ended up in the back of the net. It was a wonderful moment and one that I do cherish. "We beat them 4-1 at Ibrox that season as well which was a fabulous day. But that day we played some fabulous football and really did take Celtic to task as well. "The problem with scoring a goal like that is that you can wear yourself out celebrating and you’re no use to the team after it! So from that point of view you have to just calm yourself down and get back on with the game." http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/4899-on-this-day-wilkins-volley Highlights on http://rangerstv.tv/view.php?it=5249&c=Classics&act=view&r=852610557&www=fast&chk=params

MCGILL'S bus tycoon Sandy Easdale has called for stability at strife-torn Ibrox and condemned a group of influential shareholders for demanding the removal of key Rangers executives. Mr Easdale, who owns the bus firm with his brother James, met chief executive Craig Mather yesterday after capturing a bigger stake in the company that operates the club by buying 1.2 million shares. After discussions about the way forward for the club, the Easdales criticised the group of shareholders who forced a general meeting to demand the removal of Mr Mather, financial director Brian Stockbridge and non-executive director Bryan Smart. The revolt led by leading businessman and entrepreneur Jim McColl calls for the appointment of two new directors, ex-Rangers oldco boardroom figure Paul Murray and Frank Blin, the former executive chairman of accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mr Mather, consultant Charles Green and finance director Brian Stockbridge have been garnering support in London for the board amid attempts by Mr McColl and his allies to oust the key figures. Mr Easdale and his brother, a board member since July, have sought to increase their influence at the club and are key allies of Mr Green, the former Rangers chief executive. Mr Green resigned from that job in April and has recently returned to the club as a consultant. His future at Rangers will be discussed at a board meeting on Tuesday, with the three main fans groups calling for his removal. The Yorkshireman has already been involved in a war of words with Rangers manager Ally McCoist since his return, after claiming the manager would have a problem if he failed to win a cup as well as the league this season. The Easdale family's spokesman, Jack Irvine, said Sandy Easdale believes the general meeting was "an appalling waste of money", estimating that it would cost the club £60,000 to £80,000 to stage. He said: "We find it a bit appalling that they are going to cost the club they profess to love this money and Sandy thinks it is a complete and utter waste of time. He is very keen that that doesn't happen. "They will be outvoted anyway and embarrassed." He said that, while Sandy Easdale does not see himself as a future figurehead, the meeting was organised to "discuss the way ahead as he sees it as he is becoming an important shareholder". Mr Irvine added: "His vision is for all the strife to stop, for the board to remain as it is and he feels with the football season on we should be talking about football, not about boardroom nonsense. "He has said in many other businesses this would just not happen and he is pretty appalled by it. He runs a fantastically successful business in McGill's and he thinks Rangers should be run the same way." Mr Easdale made his latest share purchase after former club director Imran Ahmad, who was ejected from the board in April, sold the majority of his 2.2 million shares in Rangers. The purchase, worth £498,000, brought Sandy Easdale's individual stake to 2.1%, around a seven-fold increase. His wife Gail and brother are also shareholders. The development came as Mr McCoist indicated he is open to the idea of fans being involved in running the club. http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/h...room.21895652?

Ally McCoist is confident Kyle Lafferty will not allow sectarianism in Scotland to drive him away from Rangers. The Northern Ireland international saw his car window smashed at a petrol station near his home in Glasgow last week. Celtic striker Anthony Stokes was recently targeted by thugs, while Hoops boss Neil Lennon was a sent a 'viable' explosive device earlier in the year and Niall McGinn and Paddy McCourt were sent bullets in the post. McCoist admits the actions of a minority continue to cause problems for the rest of Scottish football, but he is optimistic regarding contract negotiations with Lafferty. "I think we are all sick of it (sectarian attacks). So Kyle's no different from the rest of us," he said. "Anthony Stokes' window gets panned in, and Kyle gets his car done. It's a sad reflection on society but I still think we are getting better. "But I don't think what has happened would stand in the way of Kyle signing a new deal. I would certainly hope not anyway." Nonsense McCoist was responding to comments made by Lafferty in which he aired his frustration at being targeted by thugs during what should be a special moment in his life. "I'm doing okay, but I'm sick of all this nonsense - there's no need for it," he said. "All I want to do is concentrate on my football with Rangers and my relationship with Nicola, and I can't wait for the birth of our baby in three weeks' time. "These are exciting times for me and I don't need them ruined by incidents like this."

LEICESTER have told Rangers they will make a £7.5million January bid for Nikica Jelavic. Ibrox owner Craig Whyte rejected a £6.5m bid from the Foxes for Jelavic in August. The big spending Championship side remain interested in the Croat who has netted 11 goals this season for Ally McCoist's side. Last month's sacking of Sven-Goran Eriksson won't stop Leicester's wealthy Thai owners stepping up their chase for Jelavic as a gift for new boss Nigel Pearson. With Gers' finances remaining precarious and a potentially crippling £49m tax bill looming it's highly unlikely Gers chief Whyte could afford to snub such an improved offer for Jelavic. The 26-year-old hitman cost £4m from Rapid Vienna in 2010 and has since delivered 30 goals from 40 starts. That's despite Jelavic missing almost four months of last season through injury. Boss McCoist desperately hopes all bids for his main frontman can be rebuffed and has been in constant dialogue with Whyte over their transfer window plans. He remains worried, however, an offer will come in that can't be refused. SunSport also understands Sheffield United are still keen to lands Gers' fringe men John Fleck and Kyle Hutton on loan deals. Blades boss Danny Wilson was left gutted back in August after a move for the duo fell through, but he will try again for the youngsters. Fleck was a sub in Saturday's 0-0 draw against St Johnstone while midfielder Hutton has impressed on loan at Partick Thistle since September. Meanwhile, Gers have joined a host of Premiership clubs in tracking Dulwich Hamlet centre-half Michael Chambers, 17. The 6ft 2ins prospect is also being watched by Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3950827/This-time-Gers-cant-say-no-to-Foxes.html#ixzz1eQLgxSI3

Chettri, left, and Lalpekhlua, below. RANGERS are weighing up a shock move to sign two Indian international strikers - in the hope of opening up a new market in the subcontinent. Record Sport can reveal Jeje Lalpekhlua and Sunil Chettri are expected to arrive in Glasgow before the end of this month to begin a trial with Ally McCoist's squad. And the visit - which has been set up by director of football Gordon Smith - has been timed to allow McCoist to make a move to sign one or both when the transfer window opens in January. The potential double swoop is also being looked upon in the Ibrox boardroom as a chance to open a new revenue stream into the lucrative Asian market where both players are held in high regard. Lalpekhlua is hailed as the hottest kid in the Indian game after bursting into the international team this year at the age of 20, scoring four goals in his first three games. He plays for Pune. jeje lalpekhlua rangers Image 1 Chettri - under contract with I-League rivals Mohun Bagan AC - was regarded as the country's poster boy and has been linked with Celtic and QPR. In August 2009 his agent claimed the Parkhead club were considering an offer after sending scouts to run the rule over the striker. But later that month Chettri signed a three-year contract at Loftus Road only to have his dream move to Europe collapse after failing to secure a work permit. He then failed to make an impact in the USA after a failed stint with Kansas City Wizards in 2010. Meanwhile, anxious shareholders could be given the chance to grill new owner Craig Whyte at a much-awaited agm just six days before Christmas. Record Sport can reveal that although no date has been set officially, Monday December 19 has been pencilled in for the meeting at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall. That would mean Whyte will have only three weeks left to make public the first set of accounts since buying Sir David Murray's majority shareholding for £1 in May. It's understood the auditing process should be signed off in the next few days. If December 19 is confirmed Whyte will then have until November 28 to send the accounts to shareholders. The meeting should provide much needed clarity on the financial health of a club that has been rocked by rumours of administration throughout Whyte's six months at the helm. Whyte insists he has become the target of a malicious whispering campaign designed to blacken his name and undermine the SPL champions. This week a longrunning £49million dispute with HMRC was reconvened in court, with a final decision expected in February or March.

MINUTE OF MEETING WITH MR CRAIG WHYTE AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF THE RANGERS SUPPORTERS TRUST. IBROX STADIUM. WEDNESDAY 19TH OCTOBER 2011. SEDERUNT - Craig Whyte, Rangers FC Chairman; Jim Hannah, Rangers FC Liaison Officer. RST - Gordon Dinnie, Acting Chairman, Alison MacLeod, Treasurer; Simon Leslie, Board Member. Mark Dingwall, Board member. FAN REPRESENTATION - As fans are the major investors in RFC the Trust favours looking at mechanisms to give them a real say in the affairs of the club. Chairman is very open to such moves but stressed the club finances are very much subject to the result of the tax case. GERSAVE AND RANGERS CREDIT UNION - Gersave remains a vehicle for investing in the club - subject to the tax case result. The RST intimated that we have been discussing the formation of a Rangers Credit Union and would supply the club with finer details in due course to maximise the benefit to the support as a whole. The chairman was interested in these schemes and would be open to further discussions to the benefit of the support. BLUE ORDER AND UNION BEARS - The Chairman described himself as â??a big supporterâ? of both groups, described them as great for atmosphere and is keen to see their area expanded and to work to improve the atmosphere in all areas of the ground. He takes a personal interest in the groups and has directed staff to work with the groups to resolve any outstanding issues, subject to Health and Safety regulations. ADMINISTRATION OF THE CLUB - The Chairman is 100% committed to protecting the rights of small shareholders in the event of the club going into administration. He does not consider that insolvency is inevitable, but in any case it will be manageable. He stated â??as a Rangers fan it would be as uncomfortable and unpleasantâ? for him as for everyone else but he was confident we would see it through. There is no doubt the club would continue. INWARD INVESTMENT - The Chairman reiterated that he will underwrite the investment of £20m by 2016 - however, he is open to other investment from other major investors and the fans. RESIGNATIONS OF DIRECTORS - The Chairman stated he considered he got on well with both John Greig and John McClelland and he first heard of their resignations when they were reported in the media. He felt that he had not excluded them from decision-making. BBC PROGRAMME - The Chairman considered that allegations put to him so far by the BBC were unfounded and unfair. He is not aware of all of the content of the programme but after viewing he will respond accordingly. He views the BBC Investigates propgramme as part of a pattern of behaviour on behalf of the BBC towards Rangers FC and Rangers fans. Heâ??s astonished that the BBC would produce a programme largely based on internet chitchat and bloggers. MEDIA HANDLING - The Chairman spends more time than he would like defending the clubâ??s reputation but regards it as a very necessary part of his role as it has such a negative effect on the club. He engages with PR advisors, Mediahouse, regularly. Heâ??s very ready to defend both the club and fans from scurrilous attacks. FINANCE - The Chairman regards it as necessary to pursue a twin-track approach in the current climate with both cost cutting and income generation being the keys to financial health. He used the example of Manchester United operations base in London where they engage with major corporations to exploit commercial value. He is actively seeking to establish an office for Rangers in the city of London - he regards the club as a big one and thinks itâ??s time we started acting in a manner befitting one. He also believes Rangers has vast untapped potential. FREEZING OF CASH DUE TO LEGAL PROCEEDINGS - The Chairman conceded this makes life difficult with regard to cash-flow but it will not affect the clubâ??s ability to, for instance, make signings in the January window. THE TAX CASE - The Chairman expects the case to come to a head before Christmas but any outcome would still be subject to appeal. CLUB ACCOUNTS AND CLUB AGM - Chairman reports both on target. CULTURAL ISSUES - The Chairman regards engaging with the fans a priority. In the past many opportunities lost or misfired because of the clubâ??s internal culture being unwelcoming to fans initiatives on both cultural issues and improving the atmosphere inside the ground. He is taking a personal interest in these areas. He stated he would be delighted to consider ideas from fans. LEARNING FROM OTHER CLUBS - The Chairman hopes to visit Hamburg and see for himself how a large fan-owned club like HSV operates. He also believe that the membership system of Portuguese clubs could be worth exploring and which parts of them might be applicable to Scotland. The meeting closed with the Chairman emphasising his commitment to continuing dialogue with fans organsations.

The prepack route for Rangers Newco FC In the event of Rangers facing financial Armageddon after the resumption of their HMRC tax hearing a quick – very quick – recovery scenario is available to them. At any point during next month’s hearing they may consider their position is no longer tenable and, unable to meet the tax bill, a new company could be formed which attempts a prepack administration. A prepack offer from a new company, for example, Rangers Newco FC Ltd, would offer an administrator a deal for all assets of the club, including stadium and offer to meet outstanding player wages. Deals like this seldom offer unsecured creditors much but even a small percentage might realise more cash than the administrator would gamble on raising in an unstructured sale. In such circumstances, the administrator could accept as little as £4m for the unsecured creditors. In normal business Rangers Newco FC Ltd would begin trading and this would be the end of the story but football is not normal business. Rangers Newco FC would own a stadium and would employ some footballers but they would not be part of any league structure. They would need to apply for membership to the Scottish Football League or Scottish Premier League. In this scenario, the death of Rangers Football Club would leave a vacancy in the SPL, presenting several financial, logistical and sporting challenges. Without Rangers, the league would have to invalidate all this season’s results involving the club, one team would be without a game each weekend for the rest of the season, current TV contracts and sponsorship deals could be jeopardised, while future contracts would be worth a fraction of their current values. Every team in the league would have to downsize and some would have to win fresh support from their bankers, which may or may not be forthcoming. There is, of course, a resolution to this problem. Rangers Newco FC Ltd could present an offer to the SPL. The new company, with its stadium and thousands of potential supporters, could take the obligatory 10 point punishment for going into administration and adopt the place of Rangers FC, complete their fixtures and allow every other team in the league to fulfil commercial obligations. If these events took place before Christmas, Rangers Newco FC could be debt-free and signing players in January to enhance their league challenge. To force the deal through, Rangers Newco FC would require 10 of the remaining 11 SPL clubs to vote in their favour. If any two clubs stand against them, they would have to apply for membership of the Scottish Football League, but, having researched this story for several days, I expect Rangers Newco FC Ltd would get enough support to pick-up the place of the defunct Rangers FC. Any natural sympathies towards Rangers aside (which will not exist in all places), money talks and, apart from Celtic, this league is neck-deep in debt. Celtic might be in a position to survive Rangers failing but it would cost our club tens of millions. Crucially, if the other SPL clubs back Rangers Newco FC, they create a template for a snap recovery from their own troubles. Instead of repaying your debts, simply get yourself into a safe league position, ditch the company, prepack and start again with a clean sheet. This would create a clear incentive to stiff creditors. While the banks will get wise and not offer unsecured facilities in future, HMRC and small traders are likely to become perennial fall guys. Why would any mid-table team pay millions in tax, rates and policing bills, when they have a sporting incentive to ditch creditors without punitive penalty, freeing income streams to buy football bling in the next transfer window? This would make a mockery of the Uefa predident Michele Platini’s Financial Fair Play initiative and make our league the poster-boy for Financial Doping. Scottish football will be mortally wounded if it were to parachute a club straight into the upper echelons of the game while establishing a blueprint for the abandonment of creditors. It is incumbent on all who care about the game, in Scotland and throughout the world, that we insist Scottish Premier League clubs do not allow a prepack company to phoenix into the shoes of a dead football club. Celtic fans, as well as those from Aberdeen, Hibernian, Dundee United and St Johnstone, together with fans from Motherwell, who could become genuine championship contenders, and from those clubs who would avoid relegation if Rangers failed, must insist their club votes against any prepack company parachuting into the league. The SFA executive must use whatever influence it can to prevent the name of Scottish football being brought into disrepute. Politicians, who either have, or aspire to have, tax raising responsibilities, must register their abhorrence that a self-serving oligopoly should attempt to vote themselves an escape from paying tax. Fifa and Uefa must explain to the Scottish FA that the days of shady financial deals in football are gone. Watch the media coverage of these events carefully. If and when the decision time comes, the case to acquiesce to Rangers Newco’s demands will be overwhelming. Sincere ‘impartial’ observers will do their upmost to convince us all we must do whatever necessary to save Rangers for the good of the Scottish game. Some voices will even tell you Celtic need Rangers Newco. Whatever part of my club is dependent on Rangers I am willing to lose. Rangers-HMRC tax hearing resumes next month, when there is also a two week international break. The most important element of making a prepack offer succeed is to offer a fait accompli: ‘Here is a solution, you have no time and you have no alternative’. Should Rangers go into administration, I believe this is a very, likely scenario. If you are a supporter of Celtic or any other club, make your views known. taken from celticquicknews.co.uk (link removed) :tongue: :spl::spl::spl:

On the face of it, there isn't a lot to be worried about as Rangers fans. After all, a cursory look at the SPL table shows us sitting proudly at the top less than six months after winning the title for the 3rd season in a row. Poor European performances aside, surely the Rangers support should have smiles as wide as the Clyde? Unfortunately the answer is no. While most fans will be enjoying what is happening on the park; off the field we're less confident. Oft-discussed tax 'queries', boardroom reshuffles, legal challenges and confusion over proposed government laws means it isn't easy to find a Rangers supporter who is genuinely certain of the club's competitive future. Indeed, even when Craig Whyte did finally take over the club there wasn't a great deal of real excitement despite the investment promises he made shortly after. Rightly or wrongly, cynicism was more prevalent - perhaps a remnant of failed promises from the previous regime? Moreover, a lack of demonstrable positive business experiences (and finance) from the new owner, coupled with the old and new tax investigations meant that rather than welcoming Whyte with open arms, many fans were guarded to say the least. To that end, the relationship between the owner and the support hasn't really improved. Although we've seen Gordon Smith appointed as 'Director of Football' the other names apparently involved are less well known to fans. Ali Russell, Phil Betts and Gary Withey may all stand up to scrutiny if you examine their business CVs but are they Rangers men in the same way people like John Greig, John McLelland and Alistair Johnston could show? Also, why haven't their directorships been announced to PLUS? Of course, just because someone isn't a Rangers fan per se doesn't mean they won't do a good job in their roles. In fact, it could be argued that having more 'neutral' minds in charge will mean more suitable business strategies. After all, if a self-professed Rangers man like Sir David Murray can run us to the brink of bankruptcy via a string of dubious tax schemes (aided and abetted by those named above) then that perhaps points to the wrong model. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing just where we stand with Whyte. Despite a low key meeting with the Assembly (and another one with the Trust tomorrow) his intentions are no more obvious than they were before he took over. Clearly, as touched on earlier, our European failures this season means finances will be even tighter than usual, so it is worrying that no updated plan of action has been discussed. We can only hope the Trust can ask the questions that matter. Can we really expect any positive outcome though? Without wishing to be gratuitously negative, the short-term outlook is bleak. In previous seasons without essential European income, we've lost up to £10million unless we sell key players. Given none were sold in the last window, can we really afford to turn down offers come January? How will such potential sales affect our title challenge? Add in £4million of outstanding tax claims; ring-fenced director dismissal costs and what must be large lawyer fees (which we also struggle to pay); then this is indicative of palpable pecuniary issues. If we take that line of reasoning to its natural conclusion, does this mean administration is more likely than ever before - irrespective of the larger HMRC tribunal due to be ruled on next month? If so, what are the ramifications of such a decision? Would a pre-pack agreement and ten point deduction be enough to start again afresh? How would the history and reputation of our existing club be affected? How would MIH and SDM's contribution be examined? Some of the answers may come on Thursday night via what is likely to be a less than positive BBC expose by Mark Daley of Panorama fame. Suffice to say, these answers won't be the ones we want to hear and quite frankly, the fact our club is now under investigation on three fronts (legal, media and tax) isn't just embarrassing but a scandal which should concern every Rangers supporter. Now, some will say our current predicament isn't one of Whyte's making. That's true and it's unfair to suggest the guy is to blame for existing HMRC problems. However, it has been several months now since he bought the club and he has yet to really show us how he intends to run it. With next to no board of directors and minimal investment, how can he possibly do so effectively? To conclude, as Halloween approaches, we certainly do have people knocking on the door of our proud club. They're dressed as tax men, lawyers, and journalists - and all are frightening me to varying degrees. However, the scariest aspect for me is that we've still to see the person who is answering the door to these people. Who is Craig Whyte and what costume is he wearing - the sheep or the wolf? It is beyond time for him to show his hand - no more sweeties and no more small change. What is the future of Rangers Football Club?

ASTON VILLA are preparing a swoop for Rangers ace Stevie Naismith â?? as the champions tighten their title stranglehold. Goals from Nikica Jelavic and Gregg Wylde dumped Kilmarnock last night. The 2-0 win sent Gers seven points clear of rivals Celtic. Naismith sat the game out as he served the first of a two-match ban for elbowing Dunfermline's Austin McCann in Saturday's 4-0 win in Fife. Now SunSport can reveal that ex-Rangers boss Alex McLeish is desperate to wrest Scotland star Naisy away from his old club when the transfer window reopens in January. It is understood that Eck enquired about Naismith just as the last transfer window closed but was given no encouragement by Gers gaffer Ally McCoist. Now he's ready to return in the New Year with a bid to lure Naisy to the Premier League. The Gers and Scotland ace has four years left on his current deal â?? but that won't put Eck off. Naismith has already scored nine goals for club and country this season, notching twice against Pars at the weekend. McCoist, meanwhile, has reiterated his call for fairness from the SFA. He wants transparency from the Hampden hierarcy, with the SFA's new compliance officer Will Cole acted against Naismith on video evidence. McCoist said: "We've won the game. "I'm not going to say we didn't miss him. "I'd far rather he was in the squad, I'm a lot happier when he's in the squad and in the team. "We're still not sure who has banned Steven. "It's not a problem because we've accepted it but it would be nice to know who's behind the decision." Gers are now on course to go ten points clear of Celtic after their eighth straight league win. They will reach that daunting lead if they beat Hibs on Saturday afternoon ahead of Celtic's tough away trip to Hearts on Sunday. Rangers' Kirk Broadfoot and Killie captain Manuel Pascali clashed in the tunnel last night. Both were booked with Kilmarnock boss Kenny Shiels later referring to Broadfoot as "the ugly boy from Rangers" in a bizarre radio interview. Shiels went on to describe Broadfoot as a male model from Ayrshire whose mascara had run. McCoist played down the incident, saying: "It was handbags. I played here for 15 years and that wouldn't rate in the top 25 tunnel incidents. "I'm not trying to play it down but it was absolutely nothing. I saw the whole thing. It was like two boys in the playground." Shiels also back-tracked later in the evening claiming his comments had been taken out of context. He said: "I was just trying to have a bit of fun in the interview. "There was nothing in the incident but the fourth official saw the incident and they were booked on the say-so of him." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3840453/Aston-Villa-want-Steven-Naismith.html#ixzz1ZCM4fi81

Nikica Jelavic has handed Rangers a substantial boost by declaring himself happy and content to remain in Glasgow. The Croatian international striker was the subject of a £6.5million bid from Leicester City, followed by an £8m offer from an unnamed club, in the final hours of the transfer window. Despite the financial clouds cast by the clubâ??s exit from Europe and Wednesdayâ??s League Cup defeat to Falkirk, however, the £3.4m signing insists that he is happy with life at Ibrox. A scorer in last weekendâ??s Old Firm triumph over Celtic, Jelavic said: â??I know what was written about in the media, but no one said anything to me. â??Of course, itâ??s nice that there are clubs who may be interested in me. But I maintain again, I am happy to be playing at Rangers and winning trophies with them and I have won some cups already. â??If a club appeared and offered something that suited Rangers, and they were happy with the offer, then I would talk to them, of course. â??But I repeat, I am happy here and donâ??t want to leave Glasgow.â?? Jelavic was a second-half substitute at Falkirk after a pre-match fitness doubt and scored the equaliser before the Bairns went on to secure a famous 3-2 victory. Preferring to focus on last weekendâ??s 4-2 Old Firm victory, however, which stretched Rangersâ?? SPL lead to four points ahead of Saturday's lunchtime clash at Dunfermline, Jelavic was equally quick to credit the contribution of fellow scorer and strike partner Kyle Lafferty. He said: â??Celtic was a big result for us. We played really well, particularly in the second half when we ran all over the top of them. â??We could have scored more than four goals and we wasted a couple of excellent opportunities. â??It makes a big difference when you win the first of the Old Firm matches in the league. â??I am always fascinated by the atmosphere at Ibrox for these games and this was no different. â??I would also give special praise to Kyle Lafferty. I really enjoy playing up front with him. â??Heâ??s an excellent player and he creates so much space for me with the amount of running he does. â??Last season, we hardly got to play together because of injuries, but I have played beside him a lot this season and it has been great. â??Itâ??s a good partnership between us.â?? Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2041239/Nikica-Jelavic-pledges-loyalty-Rangers.html#ixzz1Yr25YDMU

Former U19s player :kn: was loaned out to Cowdenbeath late in the transfer window and he's there till January. He got a game today and scored 2 goals in a 2-1 win against Albion. Well done young man!

Then if he is 'claiming' to have spent in excess of �£5M in the window just past (A porkie imo), then does that mean no signings in January?

This time from Fernebahce. The Turkish transfer window shut at midnight last night. SSN reported it.

McCOIST praises Craig Whyte for strengthening squad and fending off Jela and Davo bids More...

CRAIG WHYTE insists he HAS spent big this summer â�� despite NO box office arrivals. The Rangers owner was last night forced to defend his signing policy in the face of mounting criticism from supporters. Whyte pledged to spend �£25million on new players over the next five years. He later upped that and claimed �£15m would be ploughed in this summer. But SunSport's damning figures show Gers' net spend at the close of the August transfer window was just �£500,000. But Whyte said: "Ally's signed seven new players and re-signed seven more this summer, which has been a significant investment in the squad. "While all Rangers fans want to see as many star signings as possible there has to be realism as well. "Unfortunately. we've not qualified for the Champions League or Europa League group stages and the club has to be run in the correct manner. "Ally and I discuss these matters constantly and he has told me he is happy with the squad he has at his disposal. "We look forward to the rest of the campaign and doing all we can to continue our success." Rangers rejected a �£6.5m bid from Leicester City for striker Nikica Jelavic on Tuesday. Aston Villa also enquired about Steven Davis with Whyte delighted both players are still at Ibrox. He revealed: "We had a serious offer for Nikica, but it fell well short of the player's true valuation. "Ally McCoist is building a good squad capable of competing for the domestic treble and Jelavic and Davis are key players." Meanwhile, McCoist insists Gers' decision to spurn interest in Jelavic and Davis is a big signal. The Gers gaffer said: "I am delighted Nikica and Steven are staying. "There was no pressure to sell either, but the club received a serious offer for Nikica from Leicester. "I have no doubt the players we have here are more than capable of defending the title." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3789942/Craig-I-am-not-Scrooge.html#ixzz1WkMXOHHX

Just a little bit of fun now that the transfer window has slammed closed for a few months. So, in your lifetime, name your Rangers worst XI. Letizi Muscat Svensson Fanfan Bernard Capucho Faye Emerson Rothen Ostenstad Beattie I didn't want to put Beattie in because although terrible for us, he hasn't really had much time on the pitch to change that but I couldn't think of another striker to take his place other than Sebo, but, in his defence, he scored a 90th minute winner against Aberdeen. Then there's Vanoli and that OG against Dunfermline.

Was dithering about where to stick this but opted for in here because it's linked to us in a way. Him and Gordon Brown were over at some exhibition at Hampden yesterday and Liewell was asked a question about Celtic transfer dealings during the summer window. This is his response: Absolutely bang out or order but the man is just letting himself and his beloved club down by making such an embarrassing comment. To make it even more cringeworthy, the gathered journalists all sniggered at it. [video=youtube;-3e5NGbqhSQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3e5NGbqhSQ&feature=player_embedded#!

Arsenal have signed Everton's Mikel Arteta for �£10m after the Spanish midfielder submitted a transfer request to force through the move. Arteta, 29, joined the Gunners on a four-year contract just before the transfer window closed. The deal had looked dead earlier after talks between the two clubs broke down but Arteta handed in the transfer request an hour before the deadline. Arsenal also signed Chelsea's Yossi Benayoun, 31, on a season-long loan. "Mikel indicated to me that he wished to join Arsenal if a bid came in," said Everton manager David Moyes. Click to play Benayoun's well-worked goal against Burnley "I am very disappointed to lose him but the prospect of Champions League football was something I wasn't able to offer him." According to BBC sports news correspondent Dan Roan, there is anger behind the scenes at Goodison because Arteta left his announcement so late that there was no time to re-invest the money. Roan added: "Arsenal offered �£5m on Tuesday and offered �£10m on Wednesday afternoon - both bids were rejected. Any deal was dead until around 1900 BST, when Arteta told Moyes he wished to leave. "Moyes spoke to the chairman, Bill Kenwright, and said he did not want to keep a player who did not wish to play for Everton. "Arteta was Everton's highest-paid player ever on around �£75,000 a week and took a big pay cut to join Arsenal." Arteta joined Everton from Real Socieded for �£2m in 2005 and has scored 35 goals in 208 appearances. He started his career with Barcelona before spells with Paris Saint-Germain FC and Rangers. The Spaniard suffered a knee ligament injury in February 2009 and was sidelined for almost 12 months before signing a new five-year deal in August 2010. Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown told BBC Sport that both Arteta and Benayoun were "solid signings". MARTIN KEOWN'S VIEW Continue reading the main story "Arsenal made eight signings during this transfer window, which is the biggest turnover of players Arsene Wenger has sanctioned since he came to the club back in 1998. He brought very well then, with a big group coming in - Petit, Overmars, Garde, Manninger, Wreh. Lots came in at once and we've not seen Wenger do that since. It hasn't really been his style of management. The amount of players he has brought in is a big call and only the results will tell as to whether or not he has got the right blend." Read more from Martin Keown But when asked if they would be adequate replacements for the departed Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, Keown added: "No they're not, it's very hard to replace those players. "I think back to the [Dennis] Bergkamp era, the impetus those players brought. Arteta is a great passer, Benayoun is not getting into Chelsea team. It's a mixed bag for Arsenal fans." Benayoun, the Israel captain, wrote on social networking site Twitter: "I sign with Arsenal, very happy and excited about it, but now my head is only in the game against grecce on Friday, thanks for the support." Both clubs later confirmed the move had gone through. Chelsea offered Liverpool �£8m plus Benayoun for Reds midfielder Raul Meireles on Tuesday, but that deal was rejected. He joined Blues from Liverpool for �£5m in July 2010 but was restricted to 10 appearances last season because of an Achilles injury and has seen only one minute of action this time round. It had been rumoured Benayoun would be included in an offer from Chelsea for Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric. Newcastle had also been linked with the Israeli. Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner completed a move away from Emirates Stadium just before the window closed, joining Sunderland on a season-long loan. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14739185.stm

Any ideas? I tried googling with different keywords, but can only find lists from back in June. Looking for a list of free agents now that the window is closed.

With tonight's closure of the transfer window now looming closer by the second it's becoming crystal clear that staying in Europe or more specifically, the Champions League this season was paramount to the ability of the new manager to start building a new, deeper and higher quality squad. That may well seem like stating the obvious, but I think we should ask ourselves if Ally was really afforded the opportunity to strengthen for our European campaign given that the club were very public about supposedly bidding for and trying to bring in the players who might have helped keep us in Europe, but either failed or backed off on the deals. Obviously it's all history now, but I wonder what players like Roland JuhÃ?¡sz, Wesley Verhoek and David Goodwillie might have offered the manager in terms of team selection options in our Champions League and Europa League games had we signed them up and registered them instead of messing about with low bids and flimsy attempts to acquire their services. Despite it being too late to help us in Europe, we finally brought in Alejandro Bedoya after a lengthy period of the club saying 'we want him NOW', but if we're to believe media reports, we supposedly went back to Ã?â??rebro with a lower offer than we had previously made just a couple of weeks earlier. No matter what anyone says about the player having been on the last X amount of games of his contract, if it's true that we did that, then it highlights one aspect of our new and somewhat bizarre concept of transfer market dealings. Is it a concept which involves telling the fans, the media and other clubs that there's money there for these new players the club are bidding for, then that money just seeming to disappear into thin air when the bids all fail? Imagine an episode of South Park where illusionist Paul Daniels is running a football club and dabbling in the transfer market with a top hat, a dove and a pile of magic money. No you see it, now you don't. It's Magic! Another strange series of events was the attempt to sign Carlos Cuellar from Aston Villa, now managed by former Gers manager Alex McLeish. In this case, the Scottish press reported that Villa had accepted a Ã?£2m bid from Rangers for the player. Fans were literally ecstatic about it because Cuellar aka 'King Carlos' was a cracking, no nonsense defender who was absolutely brilliant in our run to the UEFA Cup Final, a run which ended in his sale to Villa for almost eight million pounds. Good business to get him back for Ã?£2m then, but what happened to the deal? We had the bid accepted and it was supposedly still on the table until we went out of the Champions League. Then, all of a sudden the deal was off because he was still injured when in actual fact the club knew that he was injured all along. Am I missing something here? Did the guy's return from injury being slightly delayed put us off buying him back for nearly Ã?£6m less than we sold him for? You have to wonder.... Roland JuhÃ?¡sz? Were we really ever intending to buy this guy? After a drawn-out saga of us being told the club were making bids and having them rejected, we were reported to have made a final Ã?£3.5m bid for the player. In actual fact we must have bid significantly less than that for the deal to just fall apart because both JuhÃ?¡sz and his agent were keen for the deal to come to Ibrox to happen and Ã?£3.5m is what Anderlecht were reportedly seeking for the player. I'm intrigued as to what really happened to that deal, but if I was taking a guess it would be something along the lines of going out of the Champions League meant that there was no way the club could afford to spend Ã?£3.5m on a defender no matter how good he is. I think we'll skip all the details of the Goodwillie saga here because it was another drawn-out affair and in this case there were extremely unusual circumstances involved regarding his personal life, but it's worth noting that yet again we failed to sign a supposed top target. I can't help thinking that if we were ever serious bidders and the club really wanted to sign him, then David Goodwillie would be a Rangers player. We certainly need another striker because Kane Hemmings was going to be one of our back-up strikers in the squad this season and now he's out till Christmas or beyond due to an injury requiring surgery. Ally actually said he wanted another striker before Kane got injured, so maybe we need to bring in two strikers now? One thing is clear in my mind and that is that we haven't actually replaced Kris Boyd or Kenny Miller with another deadly goal-scorer. Nikica Jelavic is a fantastic player, but we need another 25 goal a season striker to partner him and fill the glaringly obvious void left in our attacking arsenal since the Boyd and Miller partnership moved on. It's time for our new owner to put the top-hat, dove and magic money back in the box of tricks and get his really money out because this isn't a scathingly satirical magic show on an episode of South Park; this is Rangers Football Club and it's real life. The transfer window closes in a few hours time and we need another striker Mr. Whyte.

ABERDEEN have failed with a sensational late bid to secure Scotland superstar James McFadden on a short-term deal. SunSport can reveal that Dons boss Craig Brown sounded Faddy out last week over a possible move to Pittodrie. He was left disappointed when McFadden turned down his offer. The 28-year-old former Motherwell striker is out of contract at Birmingham City. He's back fit after a cruciate knee injury kept him sidelined for much of last season. Faddy is a free agent after three years at Brum. McFadden has just returned from two weeks' rehab in America and could still accept a new deal at St Andrew's, where he is training. The striker can sign for a new club despite the close of transfer window but wants to make sure he's 100 per cent fit before committing to a new contract. Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3787476/Dons-fail-in-Faddy-move.html#ixzz1WgrZJswU