26th of foot

A little bit of symmetry. In the week where Glasgow's Fare Developer, Sean Huddleston over exposes himself and draws negative publicity, the PQ Gang Hut full time report on Rangers versus Young Boys is broadcast by Alex O'Henley on BBC Radio Scotland. Barra's finest FARE rep' seemed a bit miffed that Rangers had qualified, preferring to concentrate on Alfredo storming of the pitch and up the tunnel at the final whistle. Still, it makes a change from Billy Dodds or Rob McLean sat on the naughty step.

I note BBC Sports last jottings from last night after live CL coverage, from Jonathan Jurejko posted at 22.30hrs. Goodbye! Another night done, another decade done. Thats the Champions League done for the twenty tens. But we have one last piece of European action to get through before 2019 disappears. Tomorrow's Europa League action featuring Arsenal, Manchester United, Wolves, and Celtic. Join us then. BBC radio Scotland are covering ra Sellik live in Romania and at eight O'Clock when our game kicks-off, they go off air. Tonight will be the fourth time they have provided no coverage from Ibrox in a European game. It's premeditated, Jonathan Jurejko above is telling us, only four British clubs participating in Europa League action. Party streamers and balloons in the Gang Hut.

Rangers 2 Young Boys 1 FGS : Morelos.

From memory. It was in the immediate wake of the Villarreal - Rangers CL last sixteen game. BBC Scotland's Alex O'Henley was the FARE rep' in Spain. His report lead to UEFA fining the club. The usual suspects in the BBC stated that Rangers and Rangers supporters had no right to know our accusers. Ra Sellik were away at Tynecastle a few weeks later, and indulged in the full IRA song sheet. FARE received hundreds of complaints from Rangers supporters. FARE sat on the complaints, decided their remit was only European football. and husband and wife team, Piara Power and Aasmah Mir(Glasgow born Sellik supporter - current BBC Radio Five presenter) took the decision to send the complaints on to both the SFA(Stuart Regan) and ra Sellik(Peter Lawwell). Peter penned letters to all those complaining, stating the club did not encourage such chanting. It was a breac of the Data Protection Act, but again many of the usual suspects, particularly at BBC Scotland congratulated Lawwell for taking such a pro-active stance.

A face designed to be ever covered by a balaclava.

Is that a current photo of Sean?

FARE have provided reports this season that has seen UEFA close 6,000 seats at Ibrox over two group games in the Europa Cup. The cost to our club is circa £200,000. Sean Huddleston could have been the FARE representative penning those reports. Sean is born and bred in West Belfast, his tertiary education appears to have been conducted in Scotland. Sean has been a season ticket holder at Sellik Park for five years, and a shareholder these last three. Further, Sean has been a volunteer worker at ra Sellik museum and visitor centre for six years.His social media pages also mention his position as an established writer on the Celtic Underground. Someone should ask Stuart Cosgrove if FARE have an objectivity problem?

Reference Sean Huddleston PhD. A couple of minutes on his social media means provides interesting reading. Sean is bestest mates with the likes of Jeanette Findlay, Neil MacKay, Angela Haggerty, and ..................... Stuart Cosgrove.

Initially on seeing the FARE tweet, I thought the tweeter had mistakenly forgotten to exit his/her FARE log-in and return to the personal log-in. FARE confirm an error has occurred and state they do NOT share the views on the tweet. There is only one member of the FARE team based in Glasgow, Sean Huddleston is a Glasgow Uni' lecturer in the faculty of Education and holds the FARE designation, 'Developer'. I wonder if the Education Faculty Dean of School is satisfied that Sean Huddleston PhD is suitable to lecture Undergraduates? FARE are a sectarian organisation and we cannot be surprised at Sean's designation.

PQ Time Line. Sunday, the day of the league Cup final, the most vocal on BBC Radio Scotland were the Gang Hut Dandies. They continue to peddle Aberdeen are ra Sellik challengers and were relieved ra green'n'grey triumphed. Big Dick, Liam McLeod, Wullie Miller sang the praises. It must be said, all admitted Jullien's strike was offside. Sportscene, as usual had Dandy, Jonathon Sutherland hosting, Michael Stewart and Thommo providing comment. Again, they chorused, 'offside'. Overall, praise for the Rangers performance. Monday, BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound had Gary Caldwell as the guest. In one hour of broadcast, the word, 'offside' was not mentioned. The former Sellik Skipper chose to get after James Tavenier. As Wigan Boss, he let him go because he did not possess the correct mentality. Managing Partick Thistle unsuccessfully for under a year allows Caldwell to pass judgement, Tav' has many attributes, good assists, but is not a winner. A comfort to Chris Sutton. Tuesday, Tom English, the Limerick renaissance man got all psychological. Obviously rocking Connie McLaughlin's inner buzz, he stuck it on Ryan Jack for hugging Stevie G, and shedding a tear. Apparently, Scott Brown, a real man's man would never do such like. Tom's diagnosis is thus; Rangers are a weaker team psychologically than ra Sellik. He praised both Jack's and Rangers performance. Alpha male, Broony post match did not share a hug and shed a tear; no siree Bob, he went out with his mates and sang, 'Fcuk the H-u-ns'. Real tumescent skipper behaviour, we await Dr Tom's prognosis? Another Sellik employee was on message with Broony, Sports Therapist(and Mental Health First Aider), Caitlin Brown got herself photographed holding aloft the League Cup, posted it on social media with the headline, 'Fcuk the H-u-ns'. I wonder what mental health professionals think of dearest Caitlin, maybe Dr Tom will call her out? All in all, an undeserved Sellik victory leads to strange behaviour in the Gang Hut. Time for BBC Scotland regular, Angela Haggerty to bring a bit of balance to proceedings?

Driving home this evening, I heard the first 15 minutes of Radio Snyde. The nasal whine that is Nuremberg Hugh aka Hugh Keevins is undecided on the merits of ra Sellik's goal, He has seen pictures suggesting Jullien was offside, and other pictures show him to be on side. His conclusion being we have to issue all officials a Hubble Telescope. A rangers supporter challenged Undecided Hugh and he was swatted with, "I witnessed Ronnie Deila's Celtic being denied a treble after the referee ignored a clear penalty, the ball struck the defender's extended arm. Further, if the caller is honest he will remember Rangers being benefited by off side goals". Notice, Hugh states any offside is suggested whereas other pictures are on side. His answer to the caller includes Sellik suffering from an injustice, reinforced by a plea to the caller's honesty. I suspect Hugh and Allison have both read the same briefing? Nine years past, we had a Referees' strike in Scotland. Their employers ie the SFA did not support them(well, Peter did not allow them to do so). Foreign Refs were brought in to break the strike. Interestingly, Hugh was undecided at the time; but he did tell the story of attending a Sellik ECWC semi-final against Liverpool in 1965. He was certain that he and every other attendee at Sellik Park that night knew ra Sellik had been cheated. Bobby Lennox had scored a perfectly good goal ruled offside. I mean, foreign Ref', European game; what the fcuk has that got to do with a Ref' strike in Scotland? Hugh has never explained why he continually described the pre-Champions League atmosphere at Ibrox, "as akin to a Nuremberg Rally". It was the 1935 Nuremberg Laws that condemned several million Jews, Gypsies, disabled, Freemasons, Scout Leaders, ..... etc to the gas chambers.

Before the final, I thought our tempo was paramount to possible success. The first 65 minutes, our tempo was spot on. Ra Sellik go down to ten men, we fail to score the penalty, and our tempo begins to slow down. Lennon identifies it during his post match comments. He lauds their ten men performance, recognising they struggled to compete with eleven men. Of course, they retreated into their last third. We were reduced to passing the ball sideways, relying on Barker and Tav' accessing the bye-line. Generally, our crossing became woeful. Both probing and threading stopped too, Kent was withdrawn into starting attacks from the centre circle. Tempo needs direction, it's dynamic. Just saying, when Katic came on, I thought they will throw him up front. Jullien has to mark him, leaving Morelos and Defoe to feed on secondaries. Further, our midfield steps another few yards forward to feed on edge of the box secondaries. Anyways, after sixty-five minutes ra Sellik controlled the match tempo. Count the minutes lost to perceived injuries, cramp, bye-kicks, throw-ins, ........ etc. Solve the question of maintaining tempo(in many cases where do you place the extra man), and we will continue to progress.

Today's Guardian carries a match report of yesterday's League Cup final. It's penned by Allison McConnell, former cub reporter at ra Sellik View. Obviously, conditioned by her previous employment, Allison has managed to construct a number of words to describe her heroes' goal, "Rangers lost to a Christopher Jullien goal that Television pictures suggested was offside". Note, Allison doesn't state the goal was offside, it's those remote TV pictures that suggest it may be so. Allison's sin is clean. How are you and Chris getting on these days? TV pictures suggest Chris behaved in an offside manner? Please feel free to contribute other conditioned descriptions of the goal. We should have a prize, 'the Man in the Know' award for the most construed.

Peter says, "it's £30 of software".

Rangers 2 ra Sellik 1 FGS : Morelos.

The Compliant Officer is just another of Peter's tools. She is kept in a box but will be ready when and if, Peter needs a sharp message delivered by proxy.

Wednesday night in the immediate aftermath of Pittodrie, Big Dick exercised pathos, the AmDram Quine howled, "Alfredo Morelos should have definitely been at least booked for three fouls on Kyle Ferguson". An attempt to elicit feelings that already exist within the PQ Gang Hut? His only backer, Wullie Miller shrilled, "absolutely". We are all products of our conditioning and Big Dick is always anxious to rock his, 'I was raised to hate Rangers' vibe. In fact, I suspect Big Dick brings more emotion to this fixture than Alfredo? Eventually, it was admitted Rangers should have had a penalty. Further, Sam Cosgrove was fortunate; but was Sam as fortunate as Joe Lewis? No red card for Joe against St Mirren and well done Neil McCann for insisting Cosgrove's over the ball challenge on Davis was a possible ordering off. As for Tav', well that's what you do to the Rangers skipper. To paraphrase Big Dick from last season, 'Rangers were subjected to decisions at Pittodrie expected by most opposition fans'. Big Dick cannot help himself, he is compelled by the Aberdeen are the second best team in the country line. Those Bhoys on the other side of the PQ Gang Hut have to hear the soothing cheer, 'we hate Rangers more than you'! After rumination, Big Dick concludes, "in the calendar year the Aberdeen - Rangers record is played seven, Aberdeen have won two, Rangers two, and three drawn. Steven Gerrard's team cannot pull away". Again, not true, why does the Producer allow such a spin? If the calendar year is from 5th December'18 until 4th December'19; then seven games have been played between Rangers and Aberdeen. Two Scottish Cup ie a draw and a 0-2 victory for Aberdeen. The five league games break down is three Rangers wins ie 2-4, 2-0, and 5-0, one Dons victory 0-1 and one draw 2-2. I make that 3 Rangers wins, two draws, and two for the Dandies. If it's the year 2019, it's six games, and the break down is 3 won, two drawn, and one win for the Dons. The respective goals break down is 14-8 or 14-7 in Rangers favour. Pedantic, absolutely; but they started it. If you are accurate, then you will be objective. Big Dick should take a leaf out of Alfredo's book, drop the hate-filled emotion.

Could it have been a banana pie? There is also footage of Morelos stepping down from the Rangers coach and being abused by a sectarian term.. A couple of seasons past, the Rangers coach was parked overnight at the Rangers Hotel in Aberdeen. On the morning of the match, it was found to have, "Haha 66" etched intoit's side in yard high letters. Nothing happened, no arrests, no charges, and it will be the same with both Tav' and Morelos.

The Light at the end of the Tunnel. The current situation reference Rangers is nothing new to those of us passing three score years. The almost five year period between April'66 and October'70 felt like unrelenting darkness. It was impenetrable, the Scottish Cup final replay victory over Celtic was a dazzling brightness; however, by Autumn'70 it had faded. Of course, we knew where we had come from, locating the way ahead was the real problem. Rangers had made a ECWC final and a Scottish Cup final too, in the intervening years, and failed to secure both cups. Further, we had endured a couple of Championship campaigns where we managed to secure defeat from the jaws of victory on the last days of the seasons. Flicking the switch appeared useless too, three differing Managers and a repeating temporary Boss did not raise a glimmer. Season '69/70 had seen Wullie Waddell pontificating on Scottish football from the lofty designation as the Scottish Daily Express's Chief Football Writer. He could talk with considerable authority, done it all as a Rangers player and managed Killie to a Championship victory five years previous. The immediate aftermath of our defeat to Polish wizards, Gornik had seen Waddell condemn the then gaffer, Davie Whyte with a piece entitled, 'the Boy David'. The Board sacked Whyte and appointed Waddell in his place. He cleared out the dead wood and introduced a host of youngsters into the team. The likes of Alfie Conn, Alex Miller, Colin Jackson, Graham Fyfe, and Derek Parlane were elevated, and he decided a most effective, free scoring inside forward, William Jardin was a better right back. Pre-season '70/'71, Waddell's final piece of the jigsaw arrived. The former player/Boss of Berwick Rangers and then Hearts Trainer, Jock Wallace took over at the Albion. The beginning of the campaign was at best described as inconsistent. We lost two out three pre-season friendlies, the other a draw. We qualified in top position from our League Cup group, involving Motherwell, Dunfermline, and Morton. The quarter-final was two legged against Hibs, winning both games 3-1 for a 6-2 aggregate. Meanwhile, our League form was poor, losing 0-2 at home to Celtic and by mid-Autumn, we languished fifth in the table behind Celtic, Aberdeen, St Johnstone, and Motherwell. The perceived wisdom cited Jock Wallace taking Rangers to Gullane sands. We had left all our energy on the East Lothian coast. We defeated Cowdenbeath in the semi-final, both goals notched by Johnston and Stein in the second half. The final was due, ten days later; we had a league fixture in between, at Ibrox against Aberdeen. A hopeful 40,000 watched a well drilled Dons outfit manage the game from minute one until the ninetieth. A Colin Jackson own goal follow followed by classy finish from the biggest blue-nose on the field, Joey Harper settled a deserved 0-2 triumph. The murmurs leaving the Stadium focused on the inconsistency of so many youngsters, and the pre-match news of returning to Gullane sands for three days before the final. The build up to Hampden was dispiriting for Bears,the Daily Record ran a two day series of interviews with the remaining 16 clubs Skippers in the then, Division One. All but three predicted a comfortable green'n'grey victory. Gullane sands became the subject of relentless jokes ie we endured the twice daily sessions on the sands, then played a team of dustbins. The game finished a 0-0 draw, noting the bins had been denied a clear penalty. A final casualty of the coast was Captain, John Greig going down with the flu. I suspect the conclusion to the Gullane sessions(revealed after the final by Sandy Jardine) might have been the cause? The 24th of October arrived and 108,000 squeezed into the old ground. Our supporters bus had been alive with the news that Greig had failed a fitness test the previous day. Speculation on his replacement split the ranks, we needed the craft of veteran campaigner, Andy Penman as opposed the legs of youngster, Graham Fyfe? A further shock was the team news, neither two was in the starting line up, a callow 16 year old who had debuted a month before against Cowdenbeath in a league match, scoring twice, was the Skipper's replacement. Derek Johnstone's name was overwhelmingly met with, "WHO"? The team that wet and windy day was : McCloy, Jardine, Miller, Conn, McKinnon, Jackson, Henderson, MacDonald, Johnstone, Stein, and Wullie Johnston. Fyfe was our sub'. Our back four was Jardine and Miller as full backs, Jackson joined McKinnon as the centre two. They were never realy troubled. Our midfield star was Alfie Conn, Doddy and Henderson provided the heavy lifting. Bud and Stein continually took the Sellik back line into wide areas. Jim Craig was terrified of Bud's pace, resulting in Bud sitting on the ball late into the game. He teased and enticed Craig to come out and tackle, before dancing around him to deliver another cross. The winning goal was scored in the 40th minute, Conn slipped a ball wide to Henderson. He galloped 40 yards and slung the ball inside to a supporting MacDonald, who in turn pinged it wide to Bud. He checked and delivered a high looping cross, DJ got up between McNeill and Craig, heading the ball firmly past Williams. We scored another in the second half, Colin Stein squeezed the ball at least a foot over the line, but Tiny Wharton was fifty yards off the play and Evan Williams quickly retrieved the ball. As Ronnie McKinnon stepped up to receive the trophy, the clouds momentarily parted and a streak of silver blue became apparent. It was nearly five years and the darkness was bleakest before the game began. Our youngsters outran and outsmarted the acknowledged masters of trophy retention, Celtic were participating in their sixth consecutive final. The youngest player participating in his second game and first final was the light at the end of our tunnel. It was the beginning of sustained success, we won the Scottish Cup, the ECWC, and the league Championship in subsequent seasons. Big DJ - the bringer of the light. NB - Sandy Jardine revealed a few seasons later, that the end of the Gullane sands sessions included either a dip in the sea, or a hosing down by Jock Wallace. Apparently, before the League Cup final in the dressing room, Wallace separated the players into groups of four, and turned a freezing fire hose on them. Thoroughly soaked, they were required to lie of the Masseuse tables and the Trainers rubbed in raw alcohol into all muscle groupings as an embrocation. No wonder Greigy was down with the flu! The events of half a century past feel similar today. We have been through several years of darkness, we have endured a number of Gaffers, and it's the separated brethren tormenting us again. Like 1970, we lost 0-2 at Ibrox to them a few weeks before the final. We attempted to nullify their game, forgetting about our own. Similarly, we did this back in August. We played far too narrow and allowed ra Sellik to dictate the tempo. Hampden is a huge playing area, we have to be expansive, I suspect whoever owns the tempo will own the match? Out of possession, our tempo must remain high, pressing them high up the pitch. It's this manner that laid the foundations for our respective 1-0 and 2-0 victories at Ibrox My team would be : McGregor, Tavenier, Goldson, Katic, Barisic, Davis, Jack, Arfield, Kamara, Kent, and Morelos. Hopefully, 2-1 to the good guys?

The very epitome of a game of two halves. Bossed the first half, scored twice, should have scored more, and lost an error strewn goal. Aberdeen made a second half change, put another man, Gallagher up front. We did not kick a ball in the second half. John Beaton is five feet from Morelos being brought down on the eighteen yard line, it's a penalty. No, Beaton decides Morelos going out of the box does not count. I suspect Gerrard's main concern will be, where did our composure go in the second half?

Aberdeen 1 Rangers 3 FGS : Morelos.

That is encouraging. The natural pessimist wonders if our team will be out of puff after visits to the Hill'o'dung and Hampdem. Let's hope two victories has us riding a wave of confidence.

Thinking aloud. I wonder if UEFA have considered the Swiss supporters will have already shelled out for travel, accommodation, and tickets? If that is the case, then any banning might arrive for the first qualifying round after the new year(should we qualify) or save it for next season's first qualifying round?

"Stuart Cosgrove is an intellectual colossus". The above quote was broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland last week by Dr Eamonn O'Neill, DrStu's fellow contributor on the weekly Media Review. Mutual support is necessary to maintain their 'quite important' status. BBC Scotland decided to celebrate DrStu's 'quite important' credentials by allowing Edi Stark to present a 30 minute biography on the intellectual colossus as he enters his sixty-eighth year. Sycophancy is most important whilst clinging to 'quite importance', especially when you have a trilogy of books to shift. DrStu' has morphed into one of those hackneyed, old, Radio One DJs from forty-odd years past, banging on in self promotional ways ie supermarket openings, night club appearances, and opinions on nationalism. DrStu' will be appearing at a Book Festival/Book Shop signing/School fund raiser near you soonest, and he will shamelessly utilise the exposure awarded to him by the national broadcaster to do so. Research is the thing, DrStu' tells Edi he loves it, always has done. Each rung on the ladder has been climbed by thorough research, DrStu' has achieved the lofty heights of quite importance by putting in the hard graft. The rewards are deserving, the big House in Dennistoun with access to private gardens, the Big House in Sri Lanka with infinity pool, and the flats in London; all might explain his obsession with Big Houses in London/Hampshire owned by Alex McLeish and Gordon Strachan, and why such properties should preclude both from being awarded the national manager's job. Of course, the current recipient of the post, Steve Clarke also has a Big House in southern England, but DrStu' has not told us so, nor has he held it against Stevie; we can only assume DrStu' is continuing with the necessary research? Ah mean, an intellectual colossus committed to thorough research would surely arrive at a more appropriate conclusion to Rangers winning the ECWC in 1972 than this piece of preferred prejudice, "Rangers supporters ransacked Barcelona cathedral". A Scots club, Rangers goes to Barcelona in 1972, the 33rd year of Generalissimo Franco's fascist regime to play Moscow Dynamo, the KGB's preferred team. The currents and eddies of nationalism swirled on all sides, the Soviets had backed the Spanish national Government and Franco sent the Blue Division to support Hitler's invasion of Russia. Such evidence is not persuasive, Rangers are, "H-u-ns and typical orange wan-kers". Last Thursday's Media Review lasted 45 minutes and DrStu' spent 43 minutes shooting the messenger. Oh, Dr Eamonn O'Neill joined in too, like fellow Journo, Lyra McKee; Andrew Neil was caught in the crossfire. The message conveyed by Neil was simple, our First Minister could not stand up to relentless questioning based on relentless research. Nicola took a pummeling, the next evening, Jeremy Corbyn suffered similarly. It is to BoJo's shame that so far he cannot drive his exploding clown car into Neil's studio. Anyways, the Scots media overwhelmingly chose to ignore Sturgeon's poor performance, but it really irked the intellectual colossus. Apparently, Andrew Neil is a bully, he asks questions with no intention of allowing an answer. Dr Eamonn provided support, "it's like viewing a wrestling match, your champion is being hammered but you know the bout is a fix". We know DrStu' is kept awake at night by injustice, and anxiously intervenes, "Andrew Neil is very good at his job, probably the best". He then attacks Neil for a working life associated with the right wing press. DrStu' is correct reference Neil's working life. Both Neil and Sturgeon are fellow Alumni of Glasgow University, Neil also graduated from the hard knocks required participating in the Uni' debating society of his era, the likes of Donald Dewar, Ming Campbell, John Smith, Derry Irvine, ...etc. Nicola graduated with a Law Degree, spent 3-4 weeks in the Drumchapel Law Centre, then entered party HQ. It was a mismatch, not because it was a fix, but because Neil predicates his questions on thorough research. We heard all this several years past, when DrStu' jumped from presenting the petty and ill informed Off the Ball, on to James Traynor's phone-in show. All that research gathered on the Rangers Tax Case Blog was on his hip as he spent several weeks shooting down Rangers supporting callers before they got their questions out of their mouths. The rank hypocrisy is that on three occasions in the last year, DrStu' has uttered, "Rangers supporters should forget all about the RTC Blog". I suspect the BBC Radio Scotland audience will NOT be allowed to forget about Andrew Neil? Still, it's comforting to all that our Witchfinder General is an intellectual colossus.

A dozen years past, Gordon penned an article where he said something akin to this, it's a paraphrase : 'Rangers are a club that inspires you to lift a brick and never stop hitting it on the face'. I am sure someone will trace the exact quote, if they can be bothered? Gordon has lost the protection of his brother, Bruce Waddell; who was then the Editor of the blatt. His latest piece is a plea to continue his employment, he is giving his master what he wants. He will improve once he admits Peter's cock in his mouth, is the obstruction.