andy steel

The "Tartan Army" doesn't exist outwith the minds of a few media whores who can be relied upon for a quote should the need arise, and whose views are taken to represent the entirety of Scottish football fans...in fact, they remind me of a similar bunch a bit closer to home.

Whoever plays right wing against Them next season is in for a beanfeast. Hitting a few free kicks a season is no substitute for having a solid defence. A good start by Lennon!

Oh dear. You wouldn't want either the likes of Ellis or King in a perfect world, would you? There's a repeated criticism of those who may defend Murray, that it's unreal that we have fans who can still defend him after all these years. But when you see the uncertainty that a change brings, you can understand why people get real nervous at such times and favour the devil you know.

Wow. Well done Ayrshirebear. Well done indeed. Rangers should be proud to have supporters like you.

Well, I enjoyed CalScot's post anyway.

We can't keep on using this 'I hate the media' line, though. What do we expect if we take an English feed for our World Cup coverage? That they won't be cheering on their team, even if it goes over the top? The alternative, a studio with Jim Delahunt or Richard Gordon and the usual suspects, would I fear be even worse! We've made our media bed, now we have to lie in it. As to the question, with an English bro-in-law, two English cousins and more or less de facto English aunt and uncle, I would be a bit weird if I hated the English. I do like watching them lose at football, though.

We're going to need players who are willing to run through walls for us in the near future. Good luck, Kirk.

Just the abuse he was getting for his comments about the fans. Only a joke, though plainly not a very good one!

I see the Sectarian Media Machine has swung into action against the recently-revealed-to-be-devout Wayne Rooney...when we will wake up to this institutionalised bigotry? Ah, Bauba, where are you now?

But Gordon was going to the EPL, where money is no object; he was being sold by a team in a position of strength; and the economic times were better when he moved. None of those things apply either to us or now, so there's little chance of matching the fee.

I was loving the Germany game last night, with the attacking football and your real, actual goals, but I drifted off into a haze and started wondering about the names. It was a world where Podolski was no longer a Bosche striker and was instead a hard bitten, cynical Chicago Private Eye. "God damn it, Podolski! The DA's gonna have my ass because of you!!!" Per Mertesacker was no longer a cultured defender, but a dimwitted hod carrying builder's mate. And the mildly interesting sight of two players called Swartzer and Wollmann playing against Germany, raising questions of national identity and migration. So maybe the football isn't so riveting, after all.

Reminds me of the cricket in the 70s and early 80s, when the powers that be at Lords clamped down on West Indies fans beating their drums. It took away any atmosphere, and has been replaced by heavy drinking and the Barmy Army...which the powers that be hate as much as they did the drums. Get over it! There's only 3 and a bit weeks left then most of us will never here a vulva or whatever they're called again. Germany mightily impressive, even before Cahill was sent off.

Having allowed the Dry Blackthorn, drunk in homage to our southern cousins, to settle on an unquiet stomach, I'm more disappointed in England and Capello than I was last night. The abiding image of the match is Emile Heskey, lumbering around for all the World like Frankenstein's monster, battering players left and right, or holding up the ball to little result. The image got so strong in my mind that at one point I expected to see the US defenders chase him about wielding pitchforks and burning torches. Unsophistication doesn't come more blunt than the big man. I'd love to see him at Rangers, for in the SPL he would be a sensation; but we're talking the World Cup here and it's not the beautiful game, is it? Other than Crouch, who offers more but isn't especially silky, what strikers have England taken? I know they left Bent behind which baffles me. With Lennon on one wing and Wright Phillips on the other any decent six yard box striker would have a field day. Add that to Rooney's genius and you have a mighty impressive front line. Why are they persevering with the football of the 50s?

Way to spoil a funny post, KT8.

I'm uncertain what game the ITV people were watching; 'dominated'? Don't think so. Surprised by the level of the USA, though. Why don't England play Joe Hart? He's top class. Who else do England play, apart from Algeria?

This has to be go down as the most surreal thread ever, even for the close season. I click on here every evening in great anticipation of what will be next.

Hardly earth shattering...he wasn't that brilliant first time around.

Well, he's done well at Cowdenbeath, and I always like to see new faces instead of the same old people cropping up time and again. Hopefully he wants to play a bit more football than McPherson did.

This is baffling...it's like some acronym competition or something. I don't know, or know anything about, the vast majority of people being referred to in this thread...I will just wait and see what transpires, I reckons.

Can't agree there rbr, I thought it was brutal. Which isn't to say I wasn't up from my chair cheering it!

What's with the pop up adverts?

Fair play, no one at the ground ever holds back when abusing our players. Why should we be any different online?

Test Match Special.

"I've faced real bullets?" If ever a thread was crying out to be closed it's this one.

We should have a special colour for threads which are this long, but this dull. "Close Season Special" Roll on the World Cup.