johnnyk

EXCLUSIVE: SPL striker keen on switch to Rangers By MATTHEW LINDSAY DIEHARD Rangers fan Jamie Murphy will "seriously consider" dropping down the divisions to play for the club this summer. Motherwell forward Jamie Murphy supported Rangers as a boy. Motherwell forward Murphy, who is out of contract at the end of the season, has again been linked with a move to Ibrox. The Gers are currently unable to sign any players due to a 12-month transfer embargo imposed by the SFA for failure to pay taxes. However, they will be able to register free agents from September 1, 2013. Gers boss Ally McCoist and scout Neil Murray have identified several targets who could boost their threadbare squad next season. And Murphy, who was linked with a move to the club he supported as a boy at the start of last season, is believed to be one of them. His former team-mate Bob Malcolm believes a move to Rangers would interest the 23-year-old â??even though he would be playing in the Second or even the Third Division. The former Gers ace said: "At the start of last season Blackpool were keen to sign Jamie, but he decided to stay at Motherwell. "But I think to progress his career he now needs to move on. It is inevitable. I know he is a Rangers fan so going to Ibrox is something that would interest him. "I don't know what Jamie himself is thinking. Maybe he doesn't want to go down to the Second or even the Third Division. "But a few years ago Rangers bid £1million for Mark Reynolds and Motherwell knocked it back. He eventually moved to Sheffield Wednesday. "Jamie was at the club when that happened and I think that he will realise that getting the chance to move to Rangers might not come around again." Malcolm spent nine memorable years at Rangers and believes Murphy, who he played with during a spell at Motherwell in the 2008/09 season, would be a success in Govan. And he is convinced that having to drop down the leagues would not deter him â?? as was the case with former Hearts and Scotland Under-21 winger David Templeton back August. Malcolm said: "The Rangers fans would love Jamie; he is direct, is good in the air and he scores goals as well. He is skilful and very talented. "He has got all of the attributes you need to be a success at a major club like Rangers and I am sure he'd do well there. "He has another 10 years at least at the highest level. If he joined Rangers he wouldn't be playing in the lower leagues forever."

Third division clubs told to stop ripping off Rangers fans by SFL chief David Longmuir DAVID LONGMUIR was appalled to discover that Elgin had inflated their ticket price for the Rangers clash - a move which Queen's Park look set to follow next month. SFL chief David Longmuir will warn Third Division clubs to stop ripping off Rangers fans after expressing his dismay at Elgin’s greed. Longmuir slammed the Highlanders for putting profits before safety by selling at least 1200 more tickets than their capacity, forcing police to call off the game. That will see them hammered with a heavy fine once the SFL investigation lands on Longmuir’s desk tomorrow. But he has also vowed to take other clubs to task for profiteering from the Rangers fans by hiking their prices whenever the Ibrox club come to town. Elgin had raised their ticket prices by 50 per cent for yesterday’s ill-fated clash at Borough Briggs and now Queen’s Park are inflating the fees for their clash with Rangers next month. The most expensive adult brief is usually £12 so Gers fans were angry to see tickets on sale at £15 and £20. Longmuir said: “I’ll be taking steps to remind clubs of recommended minimum prices that we have always applied in Division Three. I will make that reminder as forceful as I can. “I agree it’s profiteering. But we should not be profiteering at the expense of safety. That has to be the most important factor. “I was dismayed when I heard about the situation at Elgin. I was fully briefed at all points about what was going on and we made a decision late on Friday to call the game off. “That was 100 per cent about public safety. I’m confident SFL clubs in the Third Division are adequately prepared to cope with the crowd limits set. “We put a lot of effort into preparation and planning. We put the same effort into this game as we would a cup final at Hampden. “So I am more than comfortable about the league’s ability to cope with big crowds – provided clubs stick to what is allowable. “On this occasion, that obviously wasn’t the case. This is a message to any club contemplating that kind of conduct that we won’t tolerate it.” Longmuir refused to discuss the severity of the sanctions available but believes that whatever punishment is delivered, the fallout from this shambles has already made an example of Elgin. He added: “I would hope any club contemplating that kind of thing should be completely dissuaded. “That’s even before we deal with Elgin. We should not need to deal with them to make clubs realise that cannot happen.” The decision by Queen’s Park to inflate their prices for the live Sky clash on December 29 has infuriated many Rangers fans. But Spiders secretary Christine Wright yesterday hit back at claims they were ripping off Gers fans. She said: “I’m aware some fans – home and away – are not happy but there are huge costs associated with this game. It’s a five-star FIFA stadium and there are all these regulations we have to adhere to. Policing is also at a level we don’t usually have at our games – and that’s just the beginning. “There’s a cleaning bill in excess of £10,000, the cost of printing tickets and we must accommodate Sky TV and an increased number of media. We also usually have just one person selling match programmes. “Despite the game being live on TV we don’t see that money, it goes to the SFL. You also have to take into account Rangers’ pricing strategy. When our fans went to Ibrox they paid £17 but we’re charging £15 and £20. What other event at Hampden would you get a South Stand seat for £20? “There’s also a massive family section where a parent-and-child ticket is £16 so you’re paying just £1 to bring your child. “People should also remember there isn’t a chairman sitting at the top who gets rich. “We’re an amateur club and everything we get is invested back into Hampden and Lesser Hampden. So Scottish football benefits.” But Andy Kerr, president of the Rangers Supporters Assembly, said: “I often hear the line that these clubs have increased costs. “But they’re getting increased income with the larger numbers. “Clubs need to be careful. We’ve energised the division and they shouldn’t take liberties. On the back of this Elgin fiasco clubs may start looking at their structure. “There’s no need to be greedy. If a Scottish Cup tie comes around once in a blue moon then you can accept they’ve got to make the best of it but not when it’s bread and butter league games.”

Is this the only thing they could print from a fans tweet? The only reason it is more 'open' is because Selik are poor team with a poor manager but will still win the league easy enough. Most of the other teams are on a par but from what i've seen and heard most games are murder to watch, the football is dire to say the least and it shows by the crowds. Even teams who are doing well and who have never been near the top of the SPL for years are getting poor crowds and the so called best supporters in the world are not turning up to watch their tainted champions any more. The TV ratings for Selik and the rest of the SPL are terrible. Rangers are the most watched team in Scotland by supporters and in the TV ratings yet hardly anywhere expect outside Scotland is this reported, they really are so jealous and bitter towards us still yet Rangers and our supporters are the ones who have been totally shafted by virtually everyone and from every direction you could think off. Without us in the top flight Scottish football is dying a slow death but all they can say is 'the league is more open now'

If his first name was Patrick or Sean Paul etc I could understand I think he is more of a forward player than a winger IMO, and better than what we have at present. We need forwards also.

And a Gers fan from what i've heard, just depends if he is willing to go down a league or two but he would be a good signing if he did.

Motherwell forward Jamie Murphy who's out of contract in the summer has been linked with Rangers. Matthew Lindsay on twitter.

jesus christ, i saw the crowd on SSN no way was it that ha ha, even when they're lying it's still below our home crowds

I hear the ginger bigot was spitting the dummy out at the press conference saying if the fans don't like him he will leave With the team we had pre Jelavic sale we would walking that league just now

Motherwell 0-0 Hearts FT - Att: 4,147 Celtic 0-1 Inverness CT FT - 25k although nothing official yet Hibs 0-1 Aberdeen FT - Att: 12,007 Kilmarnock 1-2 St Johnstone FT - Att: 4,208 Ross County 1-2 Dundee Utd FT - Att: 3,930 St Mirren 3-1 Dundee FT - Att: 4,825

but they still won't listen

http://scottishfans.org/default.aspx Football League Reconstruction Poll

I hope the SFL tell them to fook off, and the teams that are invited to the SPL 2 (ha ha) do that also. If this happens things are going to get worse. Most fans want a bigger league, they want rid of this joke of a split. They listened to the fans to get rid of us why aren't they listening to them now if they want them to come back in their droves as they seem to think they will..... Again until there is one association and all teams look at the game not money our game is buggered.

Until there is one organisation running Scottish football and along with every team actually putting football first nothing will improve, and I can't see that happening any time soon

From the DR.... WE can today reveal a new set of SPL restructuring plans that will spark a fresh civil war among Scotlandâ??s clubs. The 12-team cartel of top clubs were sandbagged last week by SFL proposals for a total overhaul of the game. However, itâ??s understood SPL teams plan a get-together tomorrow â?? two weeks ahead of their next scheduled general meeting â?? to put their own radical plan on the table. Their idea includes: A new league set-up of 24 teams in two divisions. A 14-game play-off system between the bottom four clubs of the top tier and the top four clubs of the second tier. Binning the now-toxic SPL brand. Their proposal is almost identical to one put forward by former SFA chief executive Gordon Smith nearly a decade ago. The process will involve inviting 12 teams from the SFL to resign and join them in their fresh venture, a move sure to spark a major political battle between factions already at each otherâ??s throats. It will infuriate those behind the SFLâ??s 16-10-16 plan unveiled last week, which included plans for a pyramid structure, play-offs between the top two divisions and a distribution model aimed at enhancing the entire game. MailSport understands a meeting took place on Friday between the chief executives of all three bodies â?? the SFAâ??s Stewart Regan, Neil Doncaster of the SPL and SFL supremo David Longmuir. However, this new proposal was not on the agenda and is certain to meet opposition from the lower-league clubs so outraged by the SPL and SFAâ??s behaviour during the Rangers crisis over the summer. The SFLâ??s counter-plan, though, has no chance of seeing the light of day with strong opposition in the SPL ranks. Celtic and Aberdeen are understood to be vehemently opposed to the plan, although for differing reasons. The top flight will still examine a 16-team model of their own as a fall-back position. The SPL currently has 16 shares, despite only 12 of them being in current use. After two years of all the parties being at loggerheads, itâ??s believed there is finally an understanding that change must come. The danger is the SFLâ??s plan needs consensus, which it wonâ??t achieve, and the SPLâ??s idea will require a mass U-turn from some of the clubs who stood firmly against them in the summer. Itâ??s believed the top-flight hierarchy are depending on the desperation of the full-time clubs struggling in the cash-deprived SFL to forget their morals and jump ship. An SPL source last night said: â??There is a real appetite for change and this is the boldest plan weâ??ve had yet. â??It means wiping the slate clean and starting afresh. The plan is pretty radical.â? Part of that plan is the binning of their name and logo which has become tainted after a summer of chaos. With Clydesdale Bank backing out of their headline sponsorship of the league this summer, the SPL are still searching for a major backer and believe this will help. And on Friday Celtic chief Peter Lawwell told the clubâ??s AGM â??the landscape of football is changingâ? and that it was becoming increasingly difficult for Scottish football to remain viable.

Would they be saying that if they were near the bottom as in recent years, I doubt it!! Again it's nothing to do with what's good for Scottish football it's all about money..

I'm sure it would be the same like in Spain say, where Barcelona B cannot play in the same league as Barcelona.

I agree to some extent Zappa, but only the player truly knows how he feels better than any doctor. The report says he took a knock on the same area which was just probably unlucky more than anything. If anything the doctors keep them out for bugger all these days, players are to soft

he was saying before this game on twitter he was fully fit, is he lying? I'm sure if he wasn't fully fit he wouldn't have said that or wouldn't have been happy to play. get well soon Andy.

would love to see the sheep go under

Barcelona are the best team of a generation but I've seen much better teams in the past and I'm only in my early 40s. Taking nothing away from their 'great' result, as it was, but it wasn't Barca's full team was it, the team that is meant to be the best around just now. I never seen the game but it's not like they've won a cup tie to go through to the next round, they've won one game. They are now in a decent position to qualify for the last 16 but even then I doubt they will go any further unless they get really lucky again playing their fantastic defensive football I am not even thinking about European football for the next few years seeing as we are not there. These results happen as we've proved away from home in the past against great teams, just as they have at home, it's harder to do it away I'd say and can't answer why we are not the same at home. When we done well in the past it's been nothing like the hysteria that is happening today in the press and will for some time to come i'm sure. It's like they have actually won the CL or something not just had a lucky result like they got. I see other teams congratulating them on their win, did this ever happen when we got great results in the CL before, I can't remember that happening!

I remember Jardels wife being gorgeous

There must be some good 17 year olds out there that could improve our squad surely!!! What are our scouts doing just now

Hutton is still at Villa after they couldn't get rid of him, got another couple of years left on his contract I think , easy money for training!! What a price we got for him, he went downhill as soon as he left us...how he still gets a game for Scotland shows how bad the Scotland squad is.

For me it's nothing to do with him playing for them I just don't rate him as a manager and certainly can't see him being the one to take us forward.

The things he's said in the past and more recent shows how little respect he has for Rangers and our fans IMO. I would not welcome him to Ibrox and nor would most fans. Gus Macpherson or Williamson don't excite me either but both would be better than what we have now but not the answer IMO, if that makes sense.