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There was a considerable blip in the anti-Alfredo Morelos narrative currently being driven by sections of the media in Scotland. Sadly, the predictable one-way traffic was not brought to a sudden halt by an ex Rangers player speaking out, no, Barry Ferguson and Lee McCulloch were too busy acquiescing and adding to that negative narrative with criticism of their own. In a week which showed Kirk Broadfoot raking his studs down Alfredo’s Achilles heel, you might have thought the onslaught would abate for a few days – but alas, this is Scotland we are talking about. Instead it was left to Chris Jack of the Evening Times to write an article, https://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/17510914.how-alfredo-morelos-has-gone-from-medellin-to-rangers-multi-million-pound-man/ not only defending Alfredo, but in addition, humanising this young man so many have sought to dehumanise with comments such as “buffalo brains “and relating his upbringing to something from the Narcos Netflix series. Jack highlights a young man brought up in extreme poverty, who has never forgotten his roots, who remains respectful to his parents and the country of his birth, and for whom the lessons learned from such a harsh upbringing remain a driver towards success. Perhaps in any other country such a young man would be seen as a positive role model rather than the devil incarnate. But the comments of Ferguson and McCulloch really rankle – their adding to the anti-Morelos narrative serve to give it a sense of normality, when in fact it is anything but normal – it is in fact, abnormal. And no amount of ex Rangers players selling themselves to the highest bidder should allow us to lose sight of this fact. It has been a concerted campaign to demonise our prize asset and the likes of Ferguson and McCulloch, with their strong Rangers antecedents, adding their weight to the millstone being placed round Alfredo’s neck serve to give this concerted campaign a sense of credibility. Ferguson and McCulloch are by no means the worst, Kris Boyd demonstrating his ability to adapt to the anti-Rangers agenda with considerable aplomb following a series of articles and comments criticising his former club. His lack of consistency in his arguments demonstrate Boyd realises which side of the bread requires to be buttered to ensure a favourable return. You make your bed and you lie in it. I hope we as fans and in particular RSC’s will remember those who have served the dirty pieces of silver some sections of the media will pay in order to provide a sense of balance and credibility to that which is unbalanced and lacks credibility. Hopefully the club itself will add some solidarity when the same individuals go begging for tickets. “To be a Ranger is to sense the sacred trust of upholding all that such a name means in this shrine of football. They must be true in their conception of what the Ibrox tradition seeks from them. No true Ranger has ever failed in the tradition set him.

Great for Barisic and great for the club. He was playing very much like a wing back pushing right up the pitch and making runs in the behind. That's where he's at his best.

It is galling to me to watch so called "Rangers men" such as Ferguson, McCulloch and Boyd absolutely lay the boot into everything Rangers for their 30 pieces of silver... whilst at the same time a life-long Hibs fan, Kevin Thomson, is showing them what it actually means to respect the club that gave the best years of your career to them. KT has been a Hibbee since a kid, has season tickets for him and his 2 sons, played for Hibs for free (twice), was their development coach for free and will proudly tell you he is a Hibs fan. However..... don't ask him to put the boot into Rangers for the sake of it, or for those same 30 pieces of silver, because it wont happen. He will, however, criticize - which is fair enough when warranted. He's not even a Rangers fan, but he defends us far, far more than these so-called "Rangers men" ever have.

Eh ? Rangers never had any players playing in that game last night.... Or is that his point ? Either way, it is every other club in the SPL who voted us out the league who should be ashamed of what they've done to Scotland. Jim White is merely a parody these days.

Another traveller on the irony bypass.

Fwiw, I thought it was a magnificent result. Long may they continue...

I could not have been the only one that was not upset at this result?! Too many Tims and sheep in that team to support them

Talksport = The Sunday Sport of Radio

Seeing it again, it wasn't actually Barasic marking the guy, so not his fault.

Compo Send your CV and ideas in to the SFA this morning and don't arrange anything this weekend.

HIS story is one of rags to riches, a journey of determination as much as talent. Alfredo Morelos has gone from Medellin to Rangers’ multi-million pound man. He may always have believed it possible, but few of those that saw the striker in his formative years could have imagined his rise and rise. Now, he stands on the brink of further international honours and a transfer deal that could make him the most expensive player ever to leave Scottish football. It can be said with certainty that Morelos will move on from Rangers in the future, but little is known about his past. It is easy to see what makes the Colombian the player he is, yet harder to understand what has shaped Morelos the man. “The only reason we kind of knew about him here was because he was with the Under-20s and this must have been around 2015, 2016,” Carl Worswick, a British journalist based in Bogota, told SportTimes. “He was in the Under-20s team but he was awful, he looked really raw and a bit lost. Nobody really knew who he was. “So when he went to Finland, he took everyone by surprise. When you go to Finland from Colombia, you are going for the money and the experience and you don’t expect to progress your career. When he left, he dropped off the radar completely.” It was that move to HJK Helsinki that opened the doors to Europe for Morelos and the 22-year-old has certainly made the most of his opportunity. The rest, they say, is history. A handful of appearances in the Colombian Cup are his only real moments of note in South America. It was Hernan Dario Gomez, the man who led Panama to the World Cup last summer, that saw potential in Morelos, but what he perceived as a lack of opportunities resulted in his departure from Independiente Medellin. On the park, Morelos hasn’t looked back, but he has never forgotten where he is from and has often spoken in his homeland about his desire to represent his country. He returned to Cerete after the Old Firm win in December to take part in a game in his honour and was given a medal by the Mayor following the match against local side Aquel Atletico Cordoba. Pictured alongside his mother, Martha, and his father, Alfredo Snr, a fruit seller from the town, the pride was clear to see. From hardship and humble beginnings, Morelos has become a hero at home and Ibrox. “They come from the Colombian coast up near Panama, which is a massive danger area,” Worswick said. “It is actually not too far away from where Juan Cuadrado grew up and his dad was murdered. It is a problem region and he didn’t have it easy at all. “A lot of his coaches were saying that when he was a kid he didn’t have enough money to pay to go to school, didn’t have enough money for boots or shin pads. “One of the coaches saw he had a bit of talent and offered to help him out with costs. He didn’t have an easy upbringing it seems, but he seems very driven.” That determination, that will to win, has been evident in Morelos since he was brought to Rangers by Pedro Caixinha after a recommendation from Jonathan Johansson and each of his managers have faced the same test when it comes to controlling his in-built emotions. The rough edges, the moments of madness, are still there but the positives have always outweighed the negatives for those that try to nurture Morelos. “There was one moment where he was playing for his local youth side and without telling his manager he went for a trial at Medellin, one of the bigger teams in the country and where Jackson Martinez started out,” Worswick said. “The manager punished him and said he wasn’t playing again but all the players said he was so important for the team and they needed him. So the manager changed his mind and brought him back in. A year later, he got a move to Medellin.” When Morelos decided to leave behind all that he had ever known and travel to Helsinki, he wasn’t just stepping out of his comfort zone on the pitch. Life would never be the same again, but from relative poverty he is now prospering. His temperament and short fuse are too readily highlighted by his detractors, but he is mentally stronger than many give him credit for. He has had to be. “That takes some character to knuckle down when you leave home at such a young age,” Worswick said. “I think he struggled a bit when he first arrived in Finland, but now look at him. It is quite incredible. I didn’t see it coming, but it is very impressive. “He sounds very streetwise. You can’t erase your past. In some ways, that probably helps him and a Colombian footballer dropping into the Scottish league, he could have disappeared into the shadows. That tough upbringing must have stood him in good stead.” An unknown when he arrived at Rangers, Morelos’ name now reverberates around Ibrox as supporters serenade ‘El Bufalo’ to the music of Bob Marley. His dream of playing in England or on the continent is shared by many of his countrymen but the success rate is small. Morelos has ability to realise his childhood ambitions, though. “Whenever I speak to coaches, they pretty much always say the same thing and that Colombian players have all the technique and talent to do well in Europe,” Worswick said. “But so many of them, when they go out there, aren’t prepared mentally or psychologically and they often complain about missing their family, the food isn’t what they like and life isn’t what they are used to so they end up getting lost and depressed. “When he did make a bit of a success of it in Finland, there were people tracking his progress and he got the move to Rangers. He is a player that has taken an unconventional route but he has become a massive success and taken everyone by surprise.” The guidance of Steven Gerrard this season has helped Morelos take his game to a new level and his performances and potential have been rewarded as he gets set to join a rare group of players to break through the 30-goal barrier in Light Blue. A new contract signed earlier this month, the second he has penned this season, has benefitted the player and the club as Rangers brace themselves for interest come the end of the season. Further international experience would only increase Morelos’ value and he will be given a chance to add to his solitary cap against Japan and South Korea in the coming days after being called-up by new boss Carlos Quieroz. “The Copa America is this year and the manager said this week that he is just having a look at him,” Worswick said. “He is part of this renewal process and if he impresses he could be in the squad. “That is an area where Colombia aren’t very strong. Carlos Bacca is on the wane, Falcao is still scoring but everyone realises that his best years are behind him, especially with all the injuries. “Nobody has sort of emerged and Alfredo Morelos is the key candidate, really, to be banging in goals in Europe to say I am the next one to be given a go. “A few years ago, Colombia were quite blessed with strikers, but these days not so much. He has got his foot in the door and he could be one of the strikers for the Copa America.” https://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/17510914.how-alfredo-morelos-has-gone-from-medellin-to-rangers-multi-million-pound-man/?ref=twtrec

Always quick to criticise others then gets his first job and is out quicker than Jack flash will be back on sky soon telling others how to do the job .

Getting similar problem that I had last November. Getting the pop up “ dear virgin media customer - congratulations” every time I go into the Lounge, only the Lounge. Will please some I know?

https://twitter.com/murdo_fraser/status/1109089081970098177

It was well publicised before his appointment that he was seeking assurances. The Daily Mail, for example, 2 week before he was appointed stated "Paul Scholes remains keen on the Oldham job — but wants assurances there will be no interference in team matters before he takes over at the club he supported as a boy." He obviously got the reassurances and they turned out to be false so he walked away.

I watched it, Morelos only had 5 minutes or so as you said, so never did anything

I am to good for that lot ?

He knew there was a risk but if people outright lie to you then what can you do?

If he allowed himself to get drawn into such a situation, it doesn't suggest he has what is needed to make it as a manager.

He smashed his goal in from 2 yards when it was loose. If he was playing LB--which I believe is true--I think he was responsible for their first goal; his man should not be scoring from there. 'Keeper probably takes some of the blame too. Still, it's nice to see a Rangers player playing at that level.

If he resigned because he wasn't being allowed to pick his own team and he didn't even have a transfer window then it's difficult to get a feel for his ability.

They look good in Scotland because they are permitted to kick opponents all over the park. Take that out their game and they are bog standard at best.

Barisic goal https://streamja.com/6wQV

Who are they playing? Hard to believe Barisic gets into that team, based on his recent Rangers performances anyway!

Hauptmann Hilarity! Captain Haggerty was aboard the good vessel 'PQ' on Saturday morning last, once again as a guest of Skipper, Shereen Nanjiani. The first hour saw Shereen's firm hand on the tiller, 'PQ' was navigating calm waters. Last week's victims of sectarianism in Scottish football were Steve Gerrard as a result of Aberdeen supporters and Derek McInnes claiming Sellik fans had aimed similar vile abuse at him. A convenient smoke screen was blown, no need for Angela and her pressure group, 'Call it Out' to comment. The final half hour had the vessel reacting to white water and strong bitter currents, the decision to prosecute 'soldier F' was to be discussed, particularly the Government's decision to pay for said Para's legal defence. If you have ever wondered how far you can stretch an HND in Journalism from Cardonald College? Hauptmann Hilarity grabbed the wheel when Shereen posed this question, "Shreiber wrote in the Times this week, if we forgive the IRA, we must forgive the soldiers"? Angela called for full steam ahead in her retort, "the British Army represents the British state, it's about going forward. The British Army will continue to represent the British state. The IRA no longer exists, as of the Good Friday agreement, it is defunct". Now, Angela co-founded her anti-catholic pressure group, Call it Out' with Jeanette Findlay. Jinty is a long term Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/Administrator at the University of Glasgow. The Police confirmed last week that the letter bombs sent from the Dublin area to a number of British targets, including Glasgow Uni', were viable and emanated from a code word verified organisation called the IRA. A defunct organisation is attempting to blow up Jinty's place of work? Jinty is on record as calling members of the IRA, "the bravest of the brave". So far, Jinty has not commented upon her colleagues in the Uni' mail room, that would constitute solidarity. BBC Scotland allowed Angela to spout such crass nonsense without comment.