barca72

Rangers go backward when they go forward Posted by John Gow Dean Shiels and Rangers were played off the pitch by visiting Annan Athletic.What do you say to a 2-1 defeat at Ibrox against Annan Athletic? Well, plenty as it happens. But first it must be made clear the opposition thoroughly deserved their win. This was no hit-and-run from the Galabankies and that as much as anything should worry Rangers fans. They simply played the Light Blues off the park. There was a lack of fight, athleticism, skill and tactical awareness and players who are paid thousands of pounds per week struggled to even trap and pass the ball. Once again Rangers resorted to the long game, but worse, most were not even lumped into the danger area. More than once the ball was kicked anywhere by defenders and midfielders who seemed to believe there was something wrong with looking up and finding another player with a simple pass. Here is a typical Rangers move that is burned into the brain: Neil Alexander gets the ball in hand and instead of rolling it out to his defence, he waves them up and punts it. The opposition win the header and knock it to a Rangers defender. He looks up, and seeing no movement, gives up and he, too, hits a long hopeful ball. When it finally falls from the clouds two or three opposition players outjump the solitary Gers striker while those in the stand pull hair out in frustration -- sometimes their own. The questions repeatedly asked by the Ibrox crowd are why the Rangers manager allows them to play like that week after week with little change? If you are a fourth-tier footballer you want to play a physical game against more skillful players. The very last thing you want is for Rangers to attack with width, pace and movement. Ally McCoist should be screaming at them to do this yet they give away all their advantages and play to the strengths of others. I know everyone who watches football thinks they are better than the guy in the dugout, but this isn't nuanced tactics. If McCoist is instructing his players to play like this, then he will not be manager in 2015. If he isn't then, they aren't listening to him and he needs to be stronger with them or they don't play. No nice guy routine. For his playing career and what he did for Rangers in 2012 the Gers boss is still rightly thought of as one of the greatest Ibrox men of all time and that won't change, but there is no time for anything but ruthlessness when it comes to the Rangers job and it worries me that he does not know how much the stock of 'the manager Ally McCoist' has sunk among the fans. They see a wasted year where they could have laid the foundation of a forward-thinking footballing philosophy and instead have the worst football ever seen at Ibrox. It's valid for him to say that this team isn't the one he would choose if the transfer ban wasn't a factor or there wasn't the financial calamity in the summer, but his team should be destroying everything in SFL3. It's still in McCoist's control for his side to be fitter, sharper and play better passing football with tempo than part-timers or amateurs. It wasn't the transfer ban that saw Rangers' top striker Andy Little move to the left wing so he could be completely wasted. It wasn't last year's financial disaster that saw his football team launch straight balls into orbit for them to come down on players like Fran Sandaza who need the ball at angles to his feet. It's no one else's fault that Annan Athletic had more desire and fought harder (and even looked fitter) after Rangers scored, to the extent the home side genuinely looked as if they were playing with nine men, such was the disjointed play and huge holes in defence. There needs to be a proper footballing strategy for the future as this game-by-game shambles is not good enough. It looks like the last eight months have been largely wasted, but what's done is done, and there is still time to act positively and with intelligence. If they don't and enter 2016 with 30-year-old-plus new signings on bloated wages who play anything like this season, then it will be more than a missed opportunity for Rangers FC -- it will be a travesty.

The case against the corrupt SFA builds, and builds ...

Okay, Zappa, you have a good day now. Catch you on another thread down the road.

Okay, let's clarify that we are talking the same thing here. As I read your posts I'm assuming that you want the reorganization of the leagues to put us straight into the 1st division of , let's assume a 12-12-18 setup. You also suggest that because of that we will get higher income and can therefore buy better players right away. You accept that we will need some time to bed and allow these new players to gel. Now, I think most people agree that we need two CB's, possibly a RB, a dominant MF, and possibly a sidekick for Jig with Little and Templeton on the wings. you agree? Okay, first, we can only attract out-of-contract players until Jan. and then buy new players in the transfer window. Second, if we play all of these new players what happens to our stated policy of playing and developing new talent coming out of Auchenhowie? Third, as it stands we cannot play in Europe for a further two seasons after this one, so why the rush to win the 1st division? Now for us to play in the 1st division next season a few things would have to happen. We would require that the SFA/SPL remove the transfer embargo immediately - don't see that happening. Charles has said that he is negotiating with UEFA with a regard to speeding up our return to playing in Europe. Probably nothing will happen until the start of the 2015 season, which would be one season earlier than projected for us. This would only happen if we won a cup or won the 1st division at the first time of asking, for us to qualify - don't see us winning the 1st division at the first time of asking. There is also the feeling of the fans to consider, many have said that the wounds are still too raw to start attending games at SPL grounds right now. Now if we were put in the 2nd division, of the 12-12-18 structure, we could easily afford within our present budget an out-of-contract CB and maybe a MF or forward. Now if we were after a player, I'm sure the fact that we were in the 2nd division and not the 1st division would not be a terrible handicap, they can see potential too. Look at players who sign with Championship teams who are likely to get promotion to the EPL. As I see it, if we go for the latter policy we have a better chance of developing our youth at the same time bringing in players who will assist us to win the 1st division. If Charles is successful with his negotiations with UEFA then we are ready to meet the accelerated schedule, with three transfer windows under our belt. This extra season could be beneficial in helping us buy younger players who would have a better sell-on value also. Listen, I want to hear the CL music back at Ibrox too, but when it comes we want to be ready. Just saying, bud ...

Didn't the SFL chairmen have a proposal, that was seconded, to call for a 'no-confidence' vote in Regan at their meeting last year and Ballantyne held it in abeyance? Could that proposal be acted on now?

Stick with it, D'Art. Good stuff - well I mean your tenacity is good, but the actions of HMRC are a bit of a scunner.

Your point about the higher income is fair enough, but I wouldn't want another 7-1 result. I'd rather give us a wee bit more time to improve. Where we are now is nowhere near good enough.

Look at the source. How many times ... ?

I agree, but we need next season to acquire some players by whatever route and gel into a competetive team. If we went back next season how bad would the pressure be on the players to achieve success? I wouldn't want to present the bheasts with the title on a platter at first time of asking.

He's trying to crawl back to us, but leaving the back door open to scoot back to the 'fold' just in case. No thanks.

Nick Geber's radio show. From about 7 min to 15 min. Shows Lennon's true colours to the USA audience.Then gives it to Celtic. Video Hosting

You're right about the membership, even so how do we get somebody to call a vote on both the SPL and SFA as regards a change of the boards and CEO's?

I agree with you that they should all be fired. However, if as Gunslinger says above that all the clubs have a vote in removing Regan, I assume the same would be true for the members of the board - Riley, etc. Who would have the authority to call such a vote, since the nest of vipers control the agenda? Since we are only associate members of the SFA and have no vote we can not control any given situation, so how do we influence events?

Who is his boss exactly, who can sack him?

First it was Jackson, now Provan. Who will be next to crawl back? No thanks. Well come back on our terms. Get Rangers back in the SPL before itâ??s too late We need Old Firm rivalry if our game is to survive FIRM DECISION ... SPL needs Celtic and Rangers By DAVIE PROVAN Published: 1 hr ago 5 IF Lord Nimmo Smithâ??s tribunal had stripped Rangers of five titles we might have needed the army on the streets of Glasgow, so a big thank you to mâ??lud this morning. On their hourly rates, our learned friends will have done very nicely out of this investigation, but you can bet theyâ??ll be glad itâ??s over. Itâ??s always a relief to leave the nuthouse. Nimmo Smith was damned if he did, damned if he didnâ??t. The day before the tribunal announced itâ??s findings it was described as a â??kangaroo courtâ? by former Rangers striker Mark Hateley. A bit harsh on Nimmo Smith who graduated from Eton and Oxford to become a Supreme Court judge, but I doubt heâ??ll have lost sleep over it. Inevitably, in the land of the full moon, the verdict has upset everyone. Celtic fans see it as a whitewash, Rangers punters are demanding apologies and the heads of Neil Doncaster and Stewart Regan. In the meantime, the race for the moral high ground has become a stampede. Despite Rangers oldco being found guilty of breaching disclosure regulations, Sir David Murray was quick to break cover. During Rangers slide into liquidation you couldnâ??t have found Sir David with the Hubble telescope, but you canâ??t keep a good man down. Murray claims Rangers have been victims of a â??retrospective witch-hunt.â? More likely Gers are victims of Murrayâ??s deal with Craig Whyte, despite him being well warned against it by Alastair Johnston. Murray though is yesterdayâ??s man and with some justification Charles Green spoke on behalf of the club. Whatever you think of Green, his decision to refuse the plea bargain that would have seen Rangers trade titles for a place in the First Division, has been vindicated. Despite the £250,000 non-disclosure fine, Nimmo Smith ruled that Rangers had gained â??no sporting advantageâ? through their use of EBTs. If thatâ??s good enough for the man who tried the Lockerbie bomber, it should be good enough for the rest of us. Green is the man whoâ??ll decide where Rangers go from here and his reaction to the verdict was refreshing. When he could have promised a pursuit of Doncaster and Regan he instead chose to draw a line under the EBT issue and promised to help rebuild the Scottish game. It wonâ??t be easy. The commercial madness that saw Rangers relegated to Division Three is coming home to roost. Nowhere more so than at Celtic Park where supporters are struggling to stay awake on match days. With no credible opposition for at least another two years, Peter Lawwell will have his work cut out selling season tickets. Spare me the idea that Neil Lennonâ??s boys will take the same satisfaction from clinching this seasonâ??s title. In Rangersâ?? absence this championship was a gimme. This week Jose Mourinho said his Real Madrid players â??live for the games against Barcelonaâ?. Itâ??s no different at the Old Firm where nothing matches the satisfaction of beating the other lot. With a one-horse title race until at least 2015, how does the SPL sell itself to punters and sponsors? On Wednesday, first played fourth in the SPL at Fir Park with James McFaddenâ??s homecoming thrown in. Less than 9,000 fans fancied it. Where are the chocolate gladiators of cyberspace who threatened to boycott their clubs unless they voted Rangers out of the SPL? Didnâ??t they promise theyâ??d turn out every week to make up the shortfall? Aberdeen had 6,000 for the midweek game against Ross County for heavenâ??s sake. Scottish football is heading for rigor mortis unless someone has the balls to say the bleeding obvious. Without the Old Firm at each otherâ??s throat the SPL is a busted flush. Itâ??s time to boot â??sporting integrityâ? into touch and bring Rangers back into the top flight. Reconstructing the leagues to accommodate Rangers might upset the Luddites but itâ??ll send 30,000 volts through the top division. If it means switching to a 14-team league to squeeze Rangers in, why not? The return of four Old Firm games would bring hard cash and competition into the game in its hour of need. Charles Green eyeballing Peter Lawwell in the boardroom? Neil Lennon and Ally McCoist in each otherâ??s faces on the track in front of a baying mob? Bring it on. Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/feeds/smartphone/scotland/4821711/Get-Rangers-back-in-the-SPL-before-its-too-late.html#ixzz2MRGe5xcs

Sorry, it took me a bit of time to find this article. Here is the link so that you can read the whole thing http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1300528-scottish-football-association-the-rangers-football-club-already-making-trouble For the sake of our discussion I have copied this part ... " Not strictly true. On May 18, The Rangers Football Club did not exist. It was formed on May 29 (as Sevco Scotland) and did not buy the business and assets of Rangers Football Club until June 14. So the SPL wrote to Rangers Football Club at a time when it was still a member of the SPL and clinging on to life by its fingertips. Working on the assumption that Rangers Football Club would still be a member of the SPL this season, the SPL agreed that they would withhold prize money from Rangers Football Club and distribute it to its Scottish soccer creditors. The SPL’s agreement, then, was with Rangers Football Club. No such agreement was made with The Rangers Football Club, which is a different club, and has no right to the prize money won by Rangers FC last season."

When the old co entered into liquidation there was no longer any debts required to be paid. As part of the five-way agreement Charles agreed to pay off all domestic and foreign "football" debts. I guess he figured it would be easier if he mended some fences.

It appears from other posters that it is too late for the SPL to add this fine to the list of creditors of the old company, so it would appear that this whole witch hunt has been an exercise in futility.

I would think that by registering the decision against the 'oldco', the SPL - in the event that BDO come after the SPL for illegally witholding last year's prize money - can offset the 250k from any judgement BDO may get against them. A hollow victory indeed, but justification for going forward with this farce was required.

An absolutely dire performance after Stirling Albion equalized. Rangers lost their way. They looked like they were all looking for someone to lead the way. No one did. No energy on the park and none off it. The place was like a morgue. It's at times like this you look for the twelth man to give you a lift. Maybe they can't provide it if you take away their songbook. Who knows?

Good punchline. Humourous.

How on earth could the smaller European countries hope to compete with such prize money?

Thx, didn't know that.

This is obviously a very emotive topic. It is fraught with difficulties. How do you get the global Rangers' support to give you a definitive vote on any thing other than they support Rangers? The answer is you don't. How do you decide who gets a vote? Is it the season ticket holders only? Is it the attendance at a particular game? Is it those who submit an email address? No matter which choice is made someone will feel aggrieved. You know how, when governments want to get a feel for how the populace is thinking on a subject, they send out these polling companies to take a sampling of the population, then base their decision on these polls. I suspect that's what Charles and company are doing here. How and why they chose the three hundred they did, I have no idea. How does Charles know that these three hundred will give him the best choice upon which to base his opinion? He doesn't. What's his alternative? Does he go down the route taken by the chairmen in the SPL last season, when in the interests of "sporting integrity" they listened to their very forceful fans in voting out Rangers? Look where that got them. The best Charles can hope for is that he gets the mood of the majority correct. He then has to have the Rangers board make a business decision. Decisive leadership is required. He needs the board to make the decision then hope like hell he has got it right.

Bluster. He WILL revert back to type !!