Tom English: Ibrox is now an Odditorium

[SteveC 150]

Because there's only one show in town. They all know it but won't admit it.

 

He even goes so far as to deny it in yet another article that confirms it

[ian1964 10,416]

Seems someone else at his Hootsmon rHag is obsessed with the Rangers as well!

 

 

JON Daly has a refreshingly simple take on becoming the first high-profile Catholic from the Republic of Ireland to sign for Rangers.

 

If it doesnâ??t bother him, why should it bother anyone else? The 30-year-old striker declared as much yesterday when he showed up at Ibrox to talk about his move from Dundee United.

 

Of course, Rangers can rightly point out that they have signed Catholics before, and indeed Irishmen, but that combination of religion and nationality has never manifested itself in a transfer of such significance. Make no mistake, it will be something of a culture shock to hear Dalyâ??s lilting Dublin accent down Govan way.

 

Which is good, of course. You can argue that itâ??s sad to still be talking about religion when Rangers sign a player or you can congratulate them for being responsible enough to break the mould. After all, there are doubtless other target men â?? even in the Scottish Premier League â?? they could have pursued had they been at all wary of the political context.

 

â??I donâ??t see why it should be an issue,â? said Daly. â??Obviously, thereâ??s still a few people out there who probably think otherwise, but Iâ??m just coming here to play football and do my job on the park. And hopefully, if I do that, maybe I can change a few peopleâ??s minds. Itâ??s 2013. Times have changed.

 

â??Thereâ??s a lad here already thatâ??s Irish â?? young Alan Smith, the goalkeeper â?? so I donâ??t see it being a problem. If people are not signing for a club because of issues like that, then thatâ??s disappointing. I donâ??t look at things like that. I just want to play for a big football club. And you donâ??t get much bigger than Rangers.â?

 

Daly is a product of Cherry Orchard, the Dublin boysâ?? club that has produced a long line of professional players. He was a regular in the Republic of Irelandâ??s under-age teams. If it goes well for him at Ibrox, he could pave the way for compatriots to follow. All of which might be a matter of regret to a few Neanderthals, but you know what? Thatâ??s their problem, not his.

 

â??I donâ??t really know many fans. Iâ??ve not spoken to any. The people that matter to me most are my family and friends. Theyâ??ve all had nothing but encouragement for me. Theyâ??re all looking forward to coming and watching me play here. If any other people have different opinions, thatâ??s fine. Itâ??s my family that matter, not their opinions.â?

 

In truth, the real question mark over his decision to join Rangers is a professional one. If, as he says, he is still ambitious and still wants to develop his game, why move to the Irn-Bru Second Division? If Rangers can only return to Scotlandâ??s top flight after his two-year deal has expired, what is the attraction?

 

Ally McCoist, the Rangers manager, was one. â??When I spoke to him, I knew this was the right place to come. I still feel I can develop as a footballer. And who better to learn from than Ally McCoist, a fantastic striker in his day?â?

 

The Rangers project was another. â??Obviously the SPL level is going to be better than the Second Division, but itâ??s playing under a manager that I have lot of respect for and playing for a massive club with a massive fan base. Itâ??s the challenge of trying to get the club back to the SPL. I want to be part of that. I want to help the club back to where they belong.â?

 

At this stage of his career, Daly also had to think about his family, and how best he could provide for them in the long term, but he insists that his decision was not a financial one. â??Of course, you do look at that, but I had a more lucrative offer from abroad so that didnâ??t really come into it. I just went with the biggest club that came in for me and that was Rangers. I spoke to my family about it and theyâ??re all delighted with the move and looking forward to coming here.â?

 

In six years with Dundee United, Daly won the Scottish Cup, scored 72 goals in 203 appearances and wore the captainâ??s armband, but the chance to play for Rangers, at any level, doesnâ??t come along very often. Ian Black, David Templeton and Dean Shiels, all SPL players, seized their opportunity last season. This weekend, Cammy Bell, from Kilmarnock, and Nicky Law, from Motherwell, are also swapping the top tier for a slow climb through the leagues.

 

â??Iâ??m not surprised,â? says Daly. â??Itâ??s a massive club. Cammy Bellâ??s a fantastic goalkeeper, a great addition to the squad. Iâ??m sure heâ??s the same as me, champing at the bit to get started. Nicky Law has been a revelation since he came up. He looks a really good player, someone that Iâ??m looking forward to playing with.â?

 

All three will have to wait, however. Under the terms of a transfer embargo, imposed on Rangers by the Scottish Football Association, the new signings will not take effect until 1 September, by which time the new season will be well under way.

 

â??When you sign for a new club, you want to play, you want to hit the ground running as early as you can, so itâ??s frustrating that you canâ??t play. But thatâ??s the situation weâ??re in and thereâ??s no point in worrying about it. I just have to get myself in as good shape as I can through pre-season so that, when the time comes, Iâ??m ready to go.â?

[Dragosani 60]

Fair play to the big man! i hope he does well and lets his football do the talkin!

[pete 2,499]

Yes lets take the Champions league as the cleanest of clean. ManUtd, Barcelona, Real Madrid, are hundred of Millions in debt. The Spanish clubs have not paid full tax for years. Juventos have been proven guilty of bribing and using doping. All of a sudden the fair play is not about historical debt but having future budgets in order, according to Platini. Rangers seem to be a case apart . Uli Hoeness the Chairman of Bayern Munich has been splattered over the German media recently for dodging tax for years. would seem that Mr English's brain only travels as far as Ibrox.

Football, the Champions league and indeed FIFA has been rife with cheating since João Havelange took over from Stanley Rous. Maybe even before that but that wasn't in my time.

[RANGERRAB 3,259]

Yes lets take the Champions league as the cleanest of clean. ManUtd, Barcelona, Real Madrid, are hundred of Millions in debt. The Spanish clubs have not paid full tax for years. Juventos have been proven guilty of bribing and using doping. All of a sudden the fair play is not about historical debt but having future budgets in order, according to Platini. Rangers seem to be a case apart . Uli Hoeness the Chairman of Bayern Munich has been splattered over the German media recently for dodging tax for years. would seem that Mr English's brain only travels as far as Ibrox.

Football, the Champions league and indeed FIFA has been rife with cheating since João Havelange took over from Stanley Rous. Maybe even before that but that wasn't in my time.

 

you might even want to ask the last time a certain Mr Desmond paid tax back home in Ireland. Bet that's not been widely reported anywhere.

[der Berliner 3,247]

you might even want to ask the last time a certain Mr Desmond paid tax back home in Ireland. Bet that's not been widely reported anywhere.

 

Yep, and we're hardly as obsessed with them as they are with us.

[Guest alfiebass]

Shouldn't he have titled the article "Tom English: Ibrox is now an Oddity"? People of a sane disposition don't read or listen to English because he is a reliable journalistic source of information, but more to see or hear how he'll make a total arse of himself again. Indeed the only people I know of who put any faith in his meanderings are called Declan, Liam or Seamus.

[Guest alfiebass]

you might even want to ask the last time a certain Mr Desmond paid tax back home in Ireland. Bet that's not been widely reported anywhere.

 

Funnily enough it does get discussed in the southern Ireland, but not in Scotland. I wonder why that is? There's an old saying the "those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones", well that's what the fans of a certain east end club have been doing when trying to take on some sort of moral view on all things to do with taxation .

[ian1964 10,416]

Remember this story Tom?

 

 

Sectarian fear of Rangers trial for local (17)

 

13 September 2006

 

THE fear of sectarian attacks has forced the father of a Drogheda United under-17 player to deny his son the opportunity to avail of trials with Glasgow Rangers.Darius Kierans, manager of the Drogheda team, was approached by a Rangers scout both during and after the summer Foyle Cup tournament in Derry, where 17-year-old Pete McMahon scored the winning goal in the plate final

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By Marcus Cavaroli

 

THE fear of sectarian attacks has forced the father of a Drogheda United under-17 player to deny his son the opportunity to avail of trials with Glasgow Rangers.

 

Darius Kierans, manager of the Drogheda team, was approached by a Rangers scout both during and after the summer Foyle Cup tournament in Derry, where 17-year-old Pete McMahon scored the winning goal in the plate final against English professional side Bournemouth.

 

The Scottish giants wanted to offer young Pete a trial, but when Kierans rang the boy’s father Paddy with the ‘good news’ he didn’t get the response he might have expected.

 

‘It would be a bigger honour if it was Celtic,’ Paddy told the Drogheda Independent this week. ‘But although Pete is a big Celtic and Man United fan, he was very happy when I told him and he would love to go.

 

‘But we live in Castleblayney, three miles south of the border, which is very awkward. We haven’t been victims ourselves, but there’s a serious sectarian problem where we are.

 

‘At the end of the day, it’s only football and people would be robbing the house if he went to Rangers.’

 

The McMahon family returned to County Monaghan in 1999 after 34 years in England, where young Pete had a trial with Blackburn Rovers and once scored 57 goals in a single season for Evergreen, an underage club in Watford where he was born.

 

 

After spells with Monaghan United and Dundalk, the youngster changed clubs again, opting for Drogheda as it gave him the opportunity of playing Premier Division football in the Dublin & District League.

 

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/droghedaindependent/temp/sectarian-fear-of-rangers-trial-for-local-17-27100594.html

[Guest alfiebass]

The Scottish giants wanted to offer young Pete a trial, but when Kierans rang the boy’s father Paddy with the ‘good news’ he didn’t get the response he might have expected.

 

‘It would be a bigger honour if it was Celtic,’ Paddy told the Drogheda Independent this week. ‘But although Pete is a big Celtic and Man United fan, he was very happy when I told him and he would love to go.

 

‘But we live in Castleblayney, three miles south of the border, which is very awkward. We haven’t been victims ourselves, but there’s a serious sectarian problem where we are.

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/droghedaindependent/temp/sectarian-fear-of-rangers-trial-for-local-17-27100594.html

 

Looks to me like the father of the player was part of the problem he later sights as a cause for not taking up the offer of a trial.