Steve1872 4 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 Alex. Hamilton@Alexhami @ChrisGraham76 Even Annan Athletic are getting in on this..Playing Sammy Kings new tune tomorrow! http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-legendary-rangers-single/id553449638 Retweeted by Chris Graham 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve1872 4 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 http://soundcloud.com/rfc_official/mccoist-on-annan-away 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve1872 4 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 Journeys merge from Manchester to Galabank and Whitehill Welfare to Rangers « backall articles » Friday 14th September 2012 It is often said that a week is a long time in politics however, four years and four months in football is an eon when you consider the cases of Annan Athletic and Rangers. This Saturday the clubs will meet in their first ever competitive encounter but if you go back to 14th May, 2008, the paths of the Chairman of the Galabankies, Henry McClelland, and the Ibrox club crossed and if anyone had said then they would cross again in a League match just four years later, they would have been looked at with some bewilderment. Rangers were in Manchester to play Zenit St. Petersburg in the UEFA Cup Final and McClelland was there having used his connections from his Chairmanship of a then East of Scotland League side to get a ticket for the game. McClelland said: â??I went to the game as I like to see Scottish clubs do well in Europe and there was a chance Rangers would win a European trophy. However, I was not the only Annan person there that night.â? The Galabank chief explained: â??Chris Jardine, who actually started his career at Rangers and is still with us as our longest serving player, was also there. It was part of the deal for him to re-sign for what we thought would be another season in the East of Scotland League that we got him a ticket for the UEFA Cup Final.â? McClelland added: â??The following season he wanted tickets for T in the Park so whilst we donâ??t haggle over money at Annan, we do have some interesting discussions when it comes to re-signing players.â? Rangersâ?? summer of change happened in very well documented circumstances however, the route for Annan to this weekendâ??s historic game took place in their own summer of change just after Rangers lost out on European success as the Russian side, ironically managed by the Ibrox club's former Manager, Dick Advocaat, won 2-0. After that Manchester defeat, Rangers returned to action and played Motherwell, St. Mirren and Aberdeen in the SPL before facing Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup Final to round off a hectic ten day spell. Annan Thletic and McClelland were just about to embark on their own hectic spell with the Galabank Chairman saying: â??I went to the Scottish Cup Final on 24th May and then the following week, Annan played what was to become their final match in the East of Scotland League when we drew 1-1 with Whitehill Welfare. I missed it because I had gone to the Czech Republic to see Scotland play in a friendly international.â? In between his football journeys to Manchester, Glasgow and Prague, McClelland had started the ball rolling towards his side eventually meeting Rangers this weekend. The Annan Chairman started letting it be known that his club would be interested in replacing Gretna should the then financially troubled club drop out of League football. McClelland said: â??We are only seven miles from Gretna and we had a strong sense that the situation there was a bad one. The expectation, based on what was being said locally, was that they would fold and we started making people aware that we would be keen to seek membership of The Scottish Football League if a vacancy arose. We knew there would be a fit and proper application process but we started brushing up our previous applications for admittance to the SFL at the end of May, 2008.â? Gretna did fall and Annan entered into a race that they won by seeing off Cove Rangers, Spartans, Preston Athletic and Edinburgh City with McClelland saying: â??Summer 2008 was a crazy time for us as we had to put the application together and then get ourselves ready for the SFL. We were admitted on 3rd July and our first game was on 26th July when we were away to Clyde in The ALBA Challenge Cup.â? To make matters more complicated at that time, Manager Harry Cairney was on holiday in Florida with McClelland saying: â??Harry is a school teacher and therefore, cannot go on holiday until late June or early July and with our East of Scotland League season due to start in mid-August, it was only right that he was away at that time.â? Cairneyâ??s absence led to McClelland making a decision that he has regretted for four years but can finally recover from this weekend as he explained: â??With Harry thousands of miles away, I was doing bits and pieces to help out fom pre-season. I got a phone call from Ally McCoistâ??s PA offering us a game at Murray Park against a Rangers side that would be made up of first team fringe players and youngsters. â??It was to be played on the Thursday before the Clyde game, ironically the night Harry was due back, and I did not have the bottle to take the game on without getting the Managerâ??s permission. He would maybe have wanted to do something different that night so I let the chance pass. â??There have been a few times I that have felt that I let the opportunity of a game against a strong Rangers XI pass us by.â? Rangers did send a young side down to Galabank the day after the Black and Goldâ??s lost their ALBA Challenge Cup tie to the Bully Wee 2-0 with McClelland saying: â??That game was due to be played against our first team to mark the opening of the new stand at Galabank but obviously that changed as they had played the day before. We played with a few fringe players and guys that had been on the bench but of course, we were in a real state of transition then. It was a well attended game with over 1,000 fans at it.â? The relationship between the Chairman and the Manager would no doubt have stood the test of an unexpected game against the Rangers side with McClelland saying: â??Harry is now the second longest serving Manager in Scotland with only Hamiltonâ??s Billy Reid having been in his job longer. I am sure like me he has thought about how good an opportunity that would have been but we now have four League games to look forward to.â? Whilst Cairney has stayed in post along with Jardine and central defender Peter Watson, not a lot else has remained static at Galabank with McClelland saying: â??During our four years in the SFL, there has been more than £1million of investment made on and off the pitch and there is more to come. We will continue to develop our ground when we can afford to do it and we are grateful for the support we have received from various bodies to help us do what we have done so far. â??We put down a 3g artificial surface during the summer through support from the Scottish Government and their Cashback for Communities programme as well as backing from the local council and sportscotland. As a result, Galabank will be the first artificial surface Rangers play on this season so that is another piece of history for us. â??They had a reserve side down on Tuesday night for the SFL Reserve League match and won 1-0 so it will not be a total shock to them.â? There are changes off the pitch as well with McClelland advising: â??There is a new terracing in place at the Clubhouse end of the ground and we have plans to have a cover over it by the end of October. There are proper crash barriers in place and that allowed us to increase the capacity by another 500 to 2,500. â??There are projects kicking off all the time to take that capacity higher however, there are still a lot of groundworks to be done with jobs like tarring and improving the entrance to the ground still getting worked on as we speak. It is pretty constant here.â? There will be a capacity crowd at the game with McClelland saying: â??All the tickets were sold out to season ticket holders and social club members and we never even made it to a public sale. There will be 1,500 Annan supporters at the game although I am sure one or two of them will have dual allegiances judging by the number of supporters who have been asking how they can get their picture taken with Ally McCoist!â? McClelland is disappointed however, that with such a limited capacity. the game was not chosen for live TV as he said: â??I am glad that we have the traditional Saturday 3.00 p.m. kick off as I think that adds to the occasion but I am disappointed that we are not on TV. We have the smallest capacity in the Third Division and I find it a bit hard to believe that there would not be a demand as there will only be 1,000 Rangers fans at the game. Going by the TV figures their games have been attracting, there is probably 200 times that amount of Rangers fans who would want to watch this game. â??We also have to find space to fit in all the media that are coming along and the interest from there has been immense with media from Scotland, England and the continent all attending.â? McClelland joked: â??Hopefully, they are saving us for TV for an end of season title decider or a Play-Off game,â? before he added, â??Despite that, it will still be a proud day for our club and the biggest game Annan as well as Galabank has seen. To be going from non-league football to playing Rangers in a SFL game is a pretty wild dream and it is now a reality. You could only hope of meeting either of the Old Firm in a cup tie and that would probably have been in the Fourth Round which is not always easy for Third Division sides to get to.â? McClelland reckons that tomorrow will be a very special reward for a dedicated band at the club as he explained: â??As Chairman of the club, I am in the privileged position of welcoming Rangers to the game in an official capacity however, we have a really dedicated group at our club who have helped make it happen. â??We have a number of volunteers here and this game is a great one for them to see as a thank you for years and years of hard work for the club. They are a great bunch and I am sure like me, they will have a tear in their eye when they look round a packed ground on Saturday and wonder at how far we have come.â? The Galabank Chairman concluded by saying: â??The 'Gamesmakers' as they were called at the Olympics got a lot of praise and the volunteers at Annan deserve the same. We will soon be even more of a community club when we get the go ahead to allow the artificial pitch to be used every day of the week. At the moment, we cannot do that due to the building work but we will grow again once we start doing that.â? http://www.scottishfootballleague.com/news/article/journeys-merge-form-manchester-to-galabank-and-whitehill-welfare-to-rangers/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SFL+Newsletter+201213+-+140912&utm_content=SFL+Newsletter+201213+-+140912+CID_0aee153b663a118087c540e693f012f0&utm_source=Red+Paint+Send+Email+marketing+software&utm_term=READ+FULL+STORY 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 We actually had two match previews written for this game; Andy's one in the opening post of the thread and another one by Annan Bear, so I thought it might be nice to post Annan Bear's preview too! Annan v Rangers match preview written by Annan Bear Finally after what seemed like an eternity the International Break is over and we get back to the real deal â?? League football again. Next up, a trip south to the Border and our first ever game against the SFL's newest club Annan Athletic. As the game nears, the excitement in the â??Royal Burghâ? is at fever pitch. Over the centuries Annan has been invaded by the English on numerous occasions but come Saturday a most welcome invasion will take place for the biggest game in Annans 60 year history. The usual talk on the streets of â??who did what to whoâ? or â??how was the holiday?â? has been been replaced with â??are ye going Saturday?â? or â??Can I still get a ticket?â?. It seems as is the case in every away game this season everyone â??is only here to see the Rangersâ?. In fact the reserve game against Rangers on Tuesday night drew as big a crowd as a normal league game. Major redevelopment has been under way at Galabank during the close season both off and on the pitch (Galabank is named after Gallows Bank where public hangings took place). Gone is the grass pitch and famous slope â?? replaced by an all singing and dancing new 3G synthetic surface. A new terrace has been installed at the clubhouse end taking the capacity to 2500 although the removal of the roadside standing area gives the ground a lop sided feel. On the pitch Manager Harry Cairney has changed almost the whole team to suit the new playing surface. Ball players rather than the Hammer throwers of the past allegedly. To the match itself and the whole of Scotland (World?) will be watching wondering which Rangers will turn up. Previous struggles away from Ibrox will hopefully be a thing of the past as the team benefits from the break and begins to gel. An abundance of attacking flair from midfield forward will surely be good enough to see off a determined but relatively lightweight Annan side. Most of Annans goals have been conceded from corners this season so Jig could have a field day. At time of writing there are injury concerns over Andy Little and Anestis Argyriou but both are not thought to be serious. The first goal could be crucial so a good fast start is required to finally shake off our away day cobwebs and pick up the first of many away 3 points. On a sidenote - having never ever thought I'd see Rangers play at Galabank in my lifetime, me and my two sons will be there on Saturday to proudly welcome our team and hope everyone from the Rangers family heads home with fond memories of their first visit to Annan. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 Maybe Sandaza or McKay will be straight replacements for Little, maybe Cole gets a place for Anestis ... or we switch to three at the back again. Is Darren Cole fit and ready for action just now? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,249 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 Is Darren Cole fit and ready for action just now? Don't know. Thought I read his name in this report, but was mistaken. Someone played in Anestis' position right enough though. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 Don't know. Thought I read his name in this report, but was mistaken. Someone played in Anestis' position right enough though. I was just wondering because I don't think he's even been on our bench so far this season, but it's not easy to get everyone involved with the 5 subs rule. I've got no idea if he's fit or injured though. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
simplythebest 0 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 I was just wondering because I don't think he's even been on our bench so far this season, but it's not easy to get everyone involved with the 5 subs rule. I've got no idea if he's fit or injured though. I remember him being there vs Brechin when we just managed four subs, don't think there's been any others. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangers Football Club 0 Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 SEBASTIEN FAURE makes his first league start for Rangers as he starts at right-back against Annan Athletic this afternoon. The French defender comes in for Greek star Artemis Argyriou, who is ruled out after he was injured in a 3-1 bounce win over Falkirk at Ibrox last week. Otherwise Ally McCoistâ??s team more or less picks itself, with Ross Perry joining Emilson Cribari in central defence and Lee Wallace deployed on the left. David Templeton and Barrie McKay will support striker Lee McCulloch from the left and right flanks, with Dean Shiels playing just in behind the captain. Ian Black and Lewis Macleod team up in the engine room once again, with Neil Alexander starting in goal. Chris Hegarty takes a place on the bench as the back-up defender while Robbie Crawford â?? who played at Galabank for the reserves on Tuesday â?? is also listed as a replacement. Fran Sandaza and Kevin Kyle have to make do with places in the dug-out and Scott Gallacher, another who featured four days ago, completes the squad. This is the first time Gers have played a first-team fixture at Annan and a capacity crowd of around 2,500 will pack into the SFLâ??s smallest venue for kick-off at 3pm. If you live outwith the UK and Ireland you can watch all of the action live and exclusively at www.rangerstv.tv. Lindsay Herron presents the show with commentator Tom Miller taking you through every kick of the 90 minutes. RANGERS: Alexander; Faure, Emilson, Perry, Wallace; McKay, Black, Macleod, Templeton; Shiels; McCulloch. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve1872 4 Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 Andrew Dickson@rfc_dickson I'll be honest - it sounds like the pre-match music for the PA system has been chosen by a Rangers fan rather than an Annan one... 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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