CammyF 6,779 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Over the coming weeks Iââ?¬â?¢ll be delving back into the happenings of the season gone past and reviewing all the major talking points from the debacle in Kanuas to the unforgettable and fantastic scenes at Tannidice when the league flag finally came back home (why do I feel the urge to burst into Glasgow Rangers Champions Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh?). I know there was a game AFTER that Sunday in the sun, but Iââ?¬â?¢ll get to that, I promise. I will try to dismantle the season into three month chunks looking back to the games that had the greatest effect on the SPL title race, how the players faired in those monthly segments and try to decipher how Walter Smith wasnââ?¬â?¢t named Manager of the Year and how Boogie wasnââ?¬â?¢t name player of the year. Boogie isnââ?¬â?¢t only the best player at Ibrox, he is the best player in the land by a country mile. As well as documenting the incidents, performances and results that ensured that theyââ?¬â?¢re would be no 4-in-a-row, I will endeavour to paint an honest opinion of our footballing style (or lack off) over the course of the season. There is no doubting that we displayed some very decent football in patches. Victories at Easter Road, Parkhead and off course, the final SPL game of the season instantly spring to mind. In those games we were simply awesome. It is my opinion that if he had maintained those games as our ââ?¬Ë?standardââ?¬â?¢ and hit that form on a consistent basis, we would have won the league at a canter. However, for every brilliant performance, there was a dross performance (ying and yang if you like). Away to Falkirk twice, away to St Mirren, losing to ICT at Ibrox spring to mind ââ?¬â?? and I havenââ?¬â?¢t mentioned the Scottish Cup Final yet. It is also important to investigate and discuss the state that we approached in the season in given the heartbreaking end to the previous season and off course, the sale of King Carlos. There are many trains of thought as to how successful we were in season 2007/08 where we secured the domestic cup double but that only begins to tell the story. We were tantalisingly close to an unprecedented quadruple and at least, should have been good enough to secure the domestic treble. To let the SPL title slip was unforgivable, no matter the mitigating circumstances. We were so far ahead, Celtc required snookers. Given the disappointment of last season, winning the SPL title was a MUST this season. Allow Celtc to lift their fourth title in a row, given our calamitous financial position would have been akin to committing footballing suicide. With that in mind, it is also our duty not to allow our title victory, our 52nd domestic league title (still a world record), to paper of the enormous cracks in our club. There will be at least 10 players sold in the summer (two have already been released) so it is fair to say that some fans favourites could still leave. If Walter Smith intends to add to the first team, heââ?¬â?¢ll likely have to lose even more than the ten that is currently being banded about. Our club is teetering on the edge and guaranteed champions league money has only delayed more stinging cuts. There is also the question of how our club is being marketed. In laymanââ?¬â?¢s terms, it isnââ?¬â?¢t. Here we are basking in the afterglow of winning the domestic double and there isnââ?¬â?¢t a commemorative DVD (or any item celebrating this apart from ONE t-shirt ââ?¬â?? which I am proudly wearing!). Kris Boyd has just celebrated scoring 100 goals for this club, the first player to do so since Mark Hateley. Again, this wonderful achievement hasnââ?¬â?¢t warranted a DVD. Due to the complications of the Umbro deal, we still arenââ?¬â?¢t any closer to knowing the design of our new home top. All of this may not appear to be important in the context of the wild celebrations that rightly greeted the SPL triumph, but this is the time to cash in on the success and by God do we need the cash. There is also a predicted shortfall in season ticket sales, but the only place you see season ticketââ?¬â?¢s for sale in on the official website. Meanwhile our neighbours are advertising on radio, TV and national press. Anyway, back to the post-mortem of the season gone by and it is great to witness that we have a new ââ?¬Ë?cheer-leaderââ?¬â?¢. After the departure of Shota, we didnââ?¬â?¢t have anyone to marvel at as the celebrations took place ââ?¬â?? well step forward and take a bow Mr Nacho Novo. Watching Novo lately has been a joy in itself, especially his ââ?¬Ë?Ha Ha Samarasââ?¬â?¢ antics at Tannidice. Another aspect of the season that is worth discussing, and Iââ?¬â?¢ll mention this in my reviews is how the team spirit grow over the season and was cemented during and after the ââ?¬Ë?boozegateââ?¬â?¢ affair. It would have been easy for the players to have chucked it at certain stages of the season (being 7 points behind, the boozegate affair, the draw at Easter Road) but they all pulled together and this was most evident at Tannidice when we won the title, but it had been growing over the course of the season. So much so we have players like Boyd, Novo and Mendes claiming that they want to finish their careers at Ibrox and players like Boogie stating that knocking back big money moves to the EPL as being the ââ?¬Ë?correct decisionsââ?¬â?¢. It appears that the feel-ggod factor is back at Ibrox and I believe that this is down to the influences of Ally McCoist and Ian Durrant. In finishing, the hard work starts here as we have to build on this success and ensure that we dominate the domestic game for the next few years. This will not be easy and the full extent of how difficult this will be will only be know once the transfer window is closed and we can assess who is still here. We require a long term replacement for David Weir, a left midfielder (Chris Brunt seems the favourite at the moment and he is a very decent player), a right midfield player (as Stevie Davis isnââ?¬â?¢t the answer wide right). Again, these needs may change depending on who is or isnââ?¬â?¢t sold. Either way, itââ?¬â?¢ll be a nail-biting summer with Rangers fans hoping and praying that our ââ?¬Ë?blue chipââ?¬â?¢ players remain at the club for another season (at least). Next week Iââ?¬â?¢ll open the review concentrating on July through to the end of October. This will include (close your eyes) the Kanuas games, the first OF game of the season and asking if whether our eventual forays into the transfer market would have made a difference if they were signed PRIOR to the CL qualifier. Cammy F :spl: 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Ally 0 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Excellent intro Cammy. Look forward to the forthcoming series of articles. There is also a predicted shortfall in season ticket sales, but the only place you see season ticket�s for sale in on the official website. Meanwhile our neighbours are advertising on radio, TV and national press. An onlien rumour suggests we are a mere few hundred behind sales this time last year (that were record sales btw). Not bad considering the financial climate. Meanwhile Celtic have had a reported 17000 ST holders not renew. This may account for their more aggressive marketing campaign. In respect of your comments on double winners merchandise and Boyd - 100 not out merchandise. You are right, it is a disgraceful oversight which is not acceptable even in light of problems with JJB and Umbro. By the time they produce any such merchandise, the initial euphoria will have worn off, the new season will be upon us and fans hard earned will go on the new-season's kits and collectables. Hence sales of the afore-mentioned merchandise will be greatly reduced. Not good enough. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,148 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Looking forward to this - will post the intro on the main site etc on Monday mate! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Cole 0 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Great intro Cammy, look forward to reading part one and I'm sure it will stimulate a fair amount of debate on here. It's certainly been an eventful season, but then we haven't had an uneventful season since 2003/04... 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 It's certainly been an eventful season, but then we haven't had an uneventful season since 2003/04... Significant events of the last 4 years (not counting this season) - - Rangers become the first Scottish football club to reach the last 16 of the 'modern day format' Champions League competition. - Rangers get into trouble with UEFA over 'alleged' sectarian chanting. The singing of club anthem TBB is consequently banned. - Rangers appoint a world class manager who makes sweeping changes, but fails miserably on the domestic front & is replaced within 6 months. - Club legends Walter Smith & Ally McCoist are handed the task of 'steadying the ship'. - Practically a full teams worth of players are brought in. - Rangers compete on all fronts as 4 competitions are taken to the final hurdle, including a UEFA Cup Final which ended up in pandemonium in the streets of Manchester. - Rangers sell off their two best defenders within the space of a year for a combined total of around �£15m. Hardly uneventful. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Ally 0 Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Hardly uneventful. I think that was Norris' point. Every season going back to 03/04 was eventful. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 743 Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Was going to suggest a season review...and volunteer Super Ally for it to give him something to do. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Cole 0 Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Cheers Ally, I reckon Shroomz is so used to disagreeing with me he immediately sees the opposite view in anything I post 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whosthedado 1,487 Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Cheers Ally, I reckon Shroomz is so used to disagreeing with me he immediately sees the opposite view in anything I post I was thinking that reading it. Are you not saying the same thing :spl: 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Ally 0 Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Cheers Ally, I reckon Shroomz is so used to disagreeing with me he immediately sees the opposite view in anything I post :devil: Ha ha. Probably reading what he expected you to be saying, rather than what was there. Not the first person to skim through a post and get the menaing arse about face though. I know i've done it often enough. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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