amms
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Everything posted by amms
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I was forced to change my password yesterday when I first logged in, which I eventually did when I figured out what link to press. However having done that successfully last night I was forced to change it again this morning. I'm on my third password in three days, I'm running out of children's names here....
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A 'British league' seems to be as far away as ever, I can't see it happening now, as you say that's a missed boat. As such we have to look at Scotland and the system we have and that's why I believe we have to improve it. I'm not sure why you don't think improving the quality of the majority of teams in a league won't improve the standard of that league. Put simply the side that wins that league will need to play consistently better than previous league winners. Competition is one of the bedrocks of sport, it's one of the natural drivers of football in particular. The greater the competition the higher the achievement of the team that comes out on top. The reality of European football currently is that no Scottish side is going to win the Champions League, no matter how much money they have. They are simply not playing at a high enough standard week-in week-out. All we can do is strive to improve the standard of competition, and that will involve spreading the money more evenly. I think other things should be done too. I don't know if you've ever read 'What Sport Tells us About Life' by former test cricketer Ed Smith? It's worth it even if you don't like cricket. He's got a chapter explaining how improved diet, coaching and tactics have reduced the gap between the 'ordinary' player/team and the exceptionally gifted player/team over the last few decades. But the important point is the gifted are still better, they still come out on top more often than not, however they have to match the commitment, stamina and tactics of the lesser opponent, what changes is the gap the gifted has to improve as well or else they'll fail. I'm not doing it justice here but it as close to empirical evidence I can give you.
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I am now literally speechless, that's staggering.
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It's a great piece and good retort. I saw that Spence tweet at the weekend, the man's delusional, imagine comparing himself to holocaust victims, has he no self awareness? I take some heart from the clear fact that our continued survival and upward mobility obviously pains him greatly.
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The standard in Scotland isn't high enough, it needs to be improved, that'll benefit every side. Having the potential to compete but not taking it is not a good advertisement for the status quo. That's not true. Celtic's gates are down for a start and they'll drop further this season, i'd be surprised if our gates don't fall this season too. The competition between us and them kept interest and attendance's up, not so much the great quality players we were buying. Add that level of competition with other sides and the interest grows. Why would it drop, why would our squad be so inferior? It can't be as big and it will have a lower total but it can still contain star players. Interest from the outside isn't mainly in the OF, it only seems that way because of the dominance. I personally know companies who avoid football because of the OF dominance. Competitiveness is boring? That's quite a statement. The days when winning at Aberdeen, Hibs and Hearts meant something because they were rare and difficult weren't boring, far from it. Knowing the opposition have players who could hurt you, players you secretly covet isn't boring. I'm perplexed by this argument, if matches are boring it's because of the style of play or the tactics, not because both sides are evenly matched. Have you never watched an exciting draw? The money comes from the same place it always comes from, TV and advertisers. Improving the overall quality of the league will improve its attractiveness to both those groups. that's not thermodynamics, that's economics. None of those countries is particularly comparative with Scotland in football terms. None have our history and football isn't the national game in any of them unlike here. Saying that I'd not fancy the current Scottish team to beat any of them. Comparisons are difficult, language, currency, TV audience etc all need factored in.
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I am sure, yes. Compared with Smith's squads during 9 in a row and all of Advocaats.
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We reached a UEFA Cup Final with a squad that cost a fraction of squads in previous seasons that didn't do anything of note in Europe, your budget argument goes both ways. Assumptions are being made about income going down. Gate receipts will almost certainly go down but why should that determine other income too? If we have a genuinely competitive league with a higher calibre of opposition that will generate more interest. More interest leads to better sponsorship, increased TV revenue, corporate entertaining and higher attendances. It should also lead to better players being produced which should also improve revenue. More importantly it should mean we are all watching better matches where both teams try and win. It's worth it for that alone frankly. Comparisons with the League of Ireland are pointless and scaremongering. The average attendance in the LOI was 1,653, the highest only 5,621, despite that some of their club sides have done better than ours in Europe of late!
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Really? Because Ayr and Kilmarnock fans will put decades of enmity behind them and embrace this great new age? C'mon, you want to increase attendances at Kilmarnock give them a chance of competing and put Ayr in the same division as them. Nothing pushes clubs forward like competition.
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That's appallingly arrogant. Why should clubs with decades of history and support merge?
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I'm not sure you're being serious. You're familiar with the concept of income tax I assume where a 'hard working man' hands over a percentage of his wallet for the greater good. Works not too badly on the whole. When we had fair gate splits our league was very competitive in Europe, it's gone downhill rapidly since we decided to get greedy.
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Well I am.
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You surprise me Zappa. A more equitable distribution of money leading to an increased level of competition is surely in Rangers interests? There comes a point when knowing you simply can't compete becomes soul destroying. I long ago stopped blaming supporters of other clubs for their attendance, or lack of, at Ibrox. You need hope, the belief you have a chance to win, however small, but most clubs simply don't have that that, or didn't. There are only so many times you can watch your side beaten by the big 'bully' before you give up. Every club in the league should be given the same amount, rules on youth development and player recruitment introduced and power should be removed from the major clubs as Andy says.
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Surely their nervousness over the 'big tax case' played a major part? I think we are also only aware of LBGs focus on us because it affected us and no other of Murray's companies receive that exposure and focus we do. They were working very closely with SDM on all his companies.
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I disagree entirely. MacLeod is only 19, he's a great prospect but he's still got a lot to prove, no way should he be a first choice for the under 21s yet. Rhys McCabe is still eligible for the under 21s, he's far ahead of MacLeod developmentally for example. That doesn't mean Macleod won't become a better player in time. Likewise Wallace, he's a good player but he shoud be playing at a higher level than he is. I'm pleased he plays for us but he shouldn't be making the Scotland side.
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Smashing stuff mate, the lack of scrutiny this has been given just shows what an incestuous and interdependent 'industry' fitba in this country is.
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Haud on hen, you canny kid me, that's no a pineapple, this is Haw Gerry, that bint thinks am daft!
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I fully agree that Wallace is a far better player than just about anyone else in the league and probably the league above too. However, he's not being tested against similar quality every week and so he doesn't need to be at his best all the time, that's not the preparation required to play against a nation rated 10th in the world. Don't ask me to name you a better Scottish left back currently because I can't, but you'd hope Strachan could. I'm just don't feel playing at our level is what's required to play for Scotland, no matter how big a club we are. That's not our fault, it's a further indication of the poverty of the Scottish game and the people who run it.
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I guess I just feel that if we weren't Rangers fans and Wallace played for any other 3r Div club we'd raise our eyebrows at his call up. It's a criticism of Scottish football more than anything.
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Reading this mornings papers he still seems to be at Aston Villa and none to pleased about it either. He was playing in La Liga until June, but I'm guessing the point you are making is should he start at all if he's not played any competitive football since June? It's a good question, the league has not long started but dropping him in favour of someone who is starting regularly (Whittaker for example) would hardly be controversial.
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Match Preview Schedule - Volunteer to write a Gersnet Match Preview
amms replied to Gribz's topic in Rangers Chat
If Andy or Frankie fancy doing the 22nd Sept at Forfar I'll do Ayr or Dunfermline instead? I'm out of the country that week and won't be able too. If that doesn't suit either of them put me down for East Fife in October. -
CF - SPFL are considering transferring the 250k fine from oldco to newco
amms replied to ian1964's topic in Rangers Chat
I think the fact that at least 2 of our saner posters thought Andy's parody was real says so much about McMurdo and Leggat. -
I remember starting my only ever thread on Follow Follow many moons ago on this subject. It seems to be widely accepted we took our name from a club in Charles Alcock's book (now there was a sportsman!) but I didn't realise Swindon had been agreed upon. It used to annoy me that the origin of the name was obscure but I kind of like it now, boys picking a name they liked from a football book, that's how all teams should be formed, not at the behest of the richest organisation in the Western world...
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I saw Martin Bain last week, one of those 'I know you but can't think how' moments. He's a much bigger guy than I imagined, I reckon he could take Mather in a square go and let's be honest that's probably where this is all headed.
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Remember this was reported by Chris McLaughlin, his Rangers related info comes from Irvine and Easdale. That doesn't make it untrue it just gives it a certain viewpoint.
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Some perspective on our current side is required here. We'll not be trouncing Hibs for a while, our side is a mix of free transfer SPL players, young boys and players no one else wants. That current Rangers side is probably top half of the SPL at best just now at full strength. Whatever our current feelings towards Naismith, McGregor, Whittaker, Davis, Lafferty, Aluko, Bocanegra, Goian, Edu and even Broadfoot they are all better players than we have just now. Both ICT and Dundee Utd gubbed us last season, we're better this season but I'd not expect to beat either of those two anytime soon either.
