CammyF

For the last 7 years, it appears that SDM has decided that being 2nd in a 2 horse race is acceptable for Rangers Football Club. So, the question is, as fans, is 2nd acceptable? If not, what are we going to do to ensure that OUR club never accepts 2nd when 1rst is achievable? Cammy F

But the league lasts for a full season, not half a season..... How are we closer? They are 13 points clear with 4 games to go - I hardly call that close. We have just lost our 5th title in 7 seasons to 'them' and only 2 last day victories has stopped 'them' from racking up 7 in a row. In those 7 years, the standard of football and standard of player on evidence at Ibrox has gone down rapidly. We have signed players who are no better than average, run of the mill, SPL players, and I make no apology for saying that average, run of the mill SPL players don't win you titles. If they did, teams like Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen, Dundee UTD etc would be winning the league. If we believe that the current squad is good enough, or close enough to match Craptic over next season, we are deluded. Cammy F

Also, very interesting to note that very few players who won us our sole European trophy have been nominated. Cammy F

Where did all go wrong for us this season? Why aren't we witnessing the 'moon-beams' of success promised by (perennial liar) SDM? What went so drastically wrong with the PLG appointment? We were all excited by PLGââ?¬â?¢s appointment and some were blinded by SDMââ?¬â?¢s ââ?¬Ë?moon-beams and financial investmentââ?¬â?¢ promises, both have failed to materialise over the last 9 months or so. In fact, it could be argued that all SDM has achieved over the last 12 months is sell of our most profitable asset in the deal that saw JJB inherit our merchandising sector and brand name. On the pitch, after watching Rangers play wonderful football at Fir Park on the opening weekend of the season (well for about 45 minutes), most of us believed, only to have our dreams shattered and our frustrations heaped upon. It isnââ?¬â?¢t hard to find reasons for us losing the league so weakly ââ?¬â?? dropping 7 points (out of 9) to ICT, dropping 5 out of 9 to DUFC (same record v Tims) and dropping further points to Motherwell, Kilmarnock, St Mirren and DAFC. Our inability to snatch victories from the jaws of defeat (or draws) hasnââ?¬â?¢t helped either. So another season of abject failure that was made worse by the total and utter mismanagement of our club which doesnââ?¬â?¢t bode well for the future. It doesnââ?¬â?¢t take a genius to realise that our squad requires major surgery in the summer, or that the club must pro-actively defend themselves and us the fans as we are continually under fire at the moment. Do we have the leaders at the club to sustain these challenges and come out on top? It is my opinion that Rangers Football Club will never again be successful if Murray, Bain and McIntyre remain in charge. Cammy F

Serious question, what indications are there that we'll be back on top on or off the park) any time soon? Or are we just hoping that 'fate' intervenes (as SDM is)? Cammy F

First to 50, anyone confident that we'll be first to 60? We completed 41 championship titles in the 90's and our 51st came 2 seasons ago (it seems longer). Can we win 9 titles before Craptic secure 19? Cammy F

I pity the good folk in Ayrshire tonight:mad: Timmy will treat vicvtory as graciously as they treat defeat, batton down your windows folks, the bitterest winners and losers are about to go on the rampage :uzi: Cammy F

Our club has hit another new low, with the news that the fans who displayed the banner below, were removed from Ibrox for displaying this banner. This comes hot on the heals of the (alledged) lying from larry mcintryre who implied that the fans banned for displaying the 'Don't Vote Labour' banner were banned for 'diaplaying a sectarian banner'. I am really at the end of my tether with those charged with leading OUR club forward. They must be removed for-with. I am seriously considering NEVER returning to Ibrox if Murray, Bain and McIntyre remain. Cammy F

IMO any hall of fame should be resevered for those who gave loyal service and made a difference to Rangers. So along with those nominated, I think and only IMO, a non-playing nominee should be David Holmes as he transformed not only Rangers but Scottish Football. As for players, well I think most have been covered, but like to mention Eric Caldow a fantastic player, a true blue gentleman and still a great 'Ranger' to this day. Cammy F

Ross McCormacks in Porto. We had gone ages without scoring, were on our worst domestic run in our history and the 1000's of Rangers fans in the ground that evening took about 5 seconds to realise that we'd scored then celebrated the goal until the final whistle. That trip was amazing from start to finish and it was a pleasure being there and talking to the tour guide to took us round the stadium the next day made me realise just what fantastic fans we are. He confirmed that it was the largest, noisiest and passionate support ever to visit Porto. Cammy F

Woods Jardine Butcher Gough Caldow Baxter Gazza Ian Ferguson Cooper McCoist Hateley Cammy F

Bill Struth, or our founding fathers.... Cammy F

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/display.var.1334311.0.0.php Cammy F

Was our last cup final appearance the 'Davie Cooper Cup FInal' in 2005? IIRC it was, and if it was, its about bloody time we got to another final Cammy F

A Big River Crossing the Clyde I see herââ?¬Â¦..from a distanceââ?¬Â¦.this hugely impressive and imposing feature on the landscapeââ?¬Â¦and despite the many many times I have stood inside herââ?¬Â¦.she never fails to amaze me. She is, and always will be, more than just bricks and mortar. For within in her are tales of heroismââ?¬Â¦.of dreams fulfilledââ?¬Â¦of overwhelming joy and unbearable sadness. While around her the traditions of a people, such as shipbuilding, have flounderedââ?¬Â¦she has flourished. Flourished because of her importanceââ?¬Â¦her significance to a people who saw themselves, their dreams, their culture reflected in a football club. The honest endeavour of the welderââ?¬Â¦the stevedoreââ?¬Â¦the toolmaker were reflected in the 11 blue jerseys which emerged from the tunnel at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. For playing for the Rangers was the ultimate achievement of the working manââ?¬Â¦epitomised by the late great Alex Willoughby whose impressive performances had attracted the attention of the famous Manchester United. Logic ruled that Alex would make the journey south of the border to weave his magic at Old Trafford for higher wages. Some time later he told an astonished press who had pointed out to him everything he was sacrificing after his rejection of the move, that Manchester United could not give him the one thing he desired most in the worldââ?¬Â¦..to pull on the blue shirt of the Rangers every Saturday afternoon. And such sentiment is not unique. When it was pointed out to one of greatest talents ever to have graced the game of football, the late great Davie Cooper, ( a rare talent which caused the former Scottish manager Ally McLeod to commentââ?¬Â¦."Davie Cooper is so skilful he could beat three men in a telephone box with a beach ball.") that with his unique skill and talent he could have plied his trade anywhere in the world his answer was both simple and honestââ?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬ÂI played for the club I loved what more could I ask for ?ââ?¬Â Iââ?¬â?¢m willing to bet that like meââ?¬Â¦.many of you reading that last paragraphââ?¬Â¦now have a tear in the eye. This ladies and gentlemen isââ?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬Â¦. Rangers Football Club. She is awesomeââ?¬Â¦she is uniqueââ?¬Â¦she is beyond comparison. She is not to be taken for grantedââ?¬Â¦nor is she the plaything of rich businessmen. Not only is she a football clubââ?¬Â¦she is far more than thatââ?¬Â¦she is a reflection of a peopleââ?¬Â¦ their strugglesââ?¬Â¦their dreams and aspirations. Her success reflects their determination to succeed against all the oddsââ?¬Â¦to keep the faithââ?¬Â¦quite literallyââ?¬Â¦ to keep believing. Therefore let us never fail to defend herââ?¬Â¦or the people who built herââ?¬Â¦or the people who every day make a sacrifice to ensure she is well supported. The things that are not boughtââ?¬Â¦the family which is left behindââ?¬Â¦because we have a foreign trip next week and the sense of duty to follow follow is so very very strong.Itââ?¬â?¢s the same mentality which caused Alex Willoughby to sacrifice much to pull on a blue jersey every Saturday afternoon. We carry her in our hearts and we will never let her go until our last breath passes. And I for one would not have it any other way. In a post which sought its source from the honest endeavour and professionalism of the British shipbuilderââ?¬Â¦.perhaps I will leave the summing up to Mr Jimmy Nailââ?¬Â¦his words seem to reflect much of what I am trying to sayââ?¬Â¦. ââ?¬Å?The neptune was the last to go, I heard it on my radio And then they played the latest number one But what do they do all day? And what are they supposed to say? What does a father tell his son? If you believed that theres a bond between our future And our past Then try to hold on to what we had, We build them strong, we built to last cause this is a mighty town, Its built upon solid ground And everything they tried so hard to kill, We will rebuild This was a big river I want you all to know that I was proud This was a big river, but that was long ago, Thats not now This is a big river, And in my heart I know it will rise again The river will rise againââ?¬Â RANGERS FOREVER

Gisabear, why should we blame DA? It isn't him who signs the cheques. SDM has shown since DA that he can say 'no' to players identified by the manager. The blame of overspending rests with one person and one person only and that is Sir David Murray. SDM is the 'boss' so is held accountable for the finances of the club and is responsible for the vast majority of the ills we face at this time (selling of the assets, his refusal to properly fund YD, his 'dignified' silence approach etc, etc). Cammy F

But to qualify for Europe, and the CL you have to win the league. So, in theory, we have to win the league consistantly to qualify for Europe. Kind of a catch 22 situation. Is it acceptable to Rangers fans to finish 2nd and 3rd in the SPL as long as we are reaching the last 16 of the CL or UEFA Cup on a consistant basis? Cammy F

Off course AM carried a lot of luck, but if you cast your mind back to our best (recent) European campaign in 92/93, that team also carried a lot of luck (CSKA 'away', Nissy goal v Brugge at Ibrox etc). To get to the later stages of any campaign, you need luck. Conversly, last season we were unlucky not to beat Brateslava home and away (especially at Ibrox when we missed a hatful of chances) and as I said previously, can count oureslves very unlucky to have been knocked out by Villarreal. Would PLG have improved us with an improved transfer budget, most likely, but IMO so would have AM. Both, and any future managers would also be helped if we had a decent Youth Set Up in place and delivering over the last 5 years. IMO, this is SDM biggest act of folly. Rangers missed an opportunity to have the best youth academy/facility when 'Murray Park' was built. If SDM had ploughed money into the Youth Development instead of funding the signings of TAF (as an example) we would be reaping the benifits now. By getting the basics right, you become hard to beat (witness our fortunes under WS and Ally). IMO that is where PLG got it horribely wrong. A blind man could have seen where we were weak last season and all good teams are built from the back and have a solid spine. PLG refused to do this, or didn't see where we were weak. All water under the bridge and a sorry affair in the history of Rangers Football club but indicative of SDM's reign. Cammy F

Would be an ideal conclusion to the season in England. Man U and Chelsea fighting out the EPL right to the wire, the likelyhood that we'll have an all English CL final (poss Man U v Chelsea) and then Man U v Chelsea in the FA Cup Final. English football is certainly on a crest of a wave at the moment. Cammy F

Whilst we were dominating Scottish Football in the early 90ââ?¬â?¢s, Rangers were ââ?¬Ë?richerââ?¬â?¢ than clubs like Manchester United and after our fantastic European adventure in 93, we were better placed to win the European Cup than teams like Man U, Arsenal, Chelsea etc. It can be argued that those ââ?¬Ë?bigââ?¬â?¢ English clubs were still adjusting to life in the ââ?¬Ë?newââ?¬â?¢ English Premiership and life back on the European stage after years of exile. However, we defeated the English Champions home and away on the way to the inaugural Champions League group stages and were only denied a place in the final by the corrupt French Champions. So what happened to this fantastic opportunity? Well SKY TV arrived and financed the EPL, UEFA changed the goal-post regarding the CL and the 3 foreigner rule, and IMO David Murray allowed Walter Smith to stay on as Rangers manager for too long and the team that drank together, stagnated together. After securing 9-in-a-row Walter Smith decided that he would leave Rangers the following season and if we are honest, it was torture watching that aging team limp towards what would have been a historic 10-in-a-row, Now the nostalgic and romantics amongst us would argue that that team/squad deserved the chance to etch themselves into history. However, after a season that started fantastically (who can forget the moody Italian Marco Negri scoring with almost every touch he had ââ?¬â?? well, it seemed that way, then weââ?¬â?¢d watch him sulk back to the half-way line!). I know that hindsight is a wonderful thing, but you have to ask why SDM allowed Walter Smith to continue even after he had handed in his notice. Looking back to Graeme Souness, as soon as Souness indicated that he would be leaving for Liverpool, SDM showed him the door and booked him a taxi to the airport. So, why did Walter Smith not get the same treatment? Would a change of manager after securing 9-in-a-row ensured that we would have continued our domestic dominance and recharge our European challenge as this had faded since the halcyon days on 92/93? Weââ?¬â?¢ll never know, but Iââ?¬â?¢m sure a change of manager would have seen a change in fortunes as the season draw to a close. Walter Smith, rightly or wrongly chose to stick with the mainstay of the 9-in-a-row team who were clearly running on empty. We actually had 2 chances to win the league that year and blew them both (losing at home to Motherwell and away to Aberdeen) after defeating Craptic twice in a week in the Scottish Cup and League. We were famously to lose the league and both domestic cups that season but perversely, that season was to give me the possibly the proudest moment in my Rangers supporting life. As we stood at Tannidice, the deposed Champions and the 10-in-a-row dream in tatters, knowing that the manager and majority of players would be leaving, we reacted ââ?¬Ë?the Rangers wayââ?¬â?¢. The fans stood to a man (woman and child) and sang of their love for Rangers and applauded the players/manager from the pitch. Rangers, dignified in victory and defeat. Now it is worth reminding ourselves that at this stage in our history, we were still financially sound ââ?¬â?? and that our bitterest (sic) of rivals were still recovering from being on the brink or extinction. We were, in all honesty, going into the 10-in-a-row season, 10-15 years ahead of them off and on the pitch - all that was about to change. IMO, this is SDMââ?¬â?¢s greatest crime, allowing such a change in such a short space of time. SDM must have known that our debt was about to spiral out of control and should have put measures in place to ensure that we stayed ahead of the game. To his eternal shame, he didnââ?¬â?¢t and all our current ills can be traced back to this point in our history. SDM appeared to have pulled of a mater-stroke by appointing Dick Advocaat as our new manager. DA signed a whole host of exciting players like Amato, Gio, Numan and erm, Bert Konterman! After a shacky start and a thumping at the hands of Craptic, DAââ?¬â?¢s team gelled and played some wonderful football that saw his reclaim OUR title and win a glorious treble. Plenty other domestic success came or way along with some very credible performances and results on the European stage. Everything in the garden appeared rosy, oh how we were mistaken. DA started to lose the plot and Craptic under a new regime (on and off the pitch) stole our thunder and DA had to fall on his sword. He was replaced by Alex McLeish, an appointment that had a lot or Rangers fans shaking their heads in disappointment. To AMââ?¬â?¢s credit, he managed to match Crapticââ?¬â?¢s 2nd most successful manager on the trophy count (including a treble) whilst having to sell our better players, reduce the wage bill and replace them with inferior quality. Any money we made was put to servicing the debt whilst our financially sound neighbours had money to invest in their team. However, we were offered a ââ?¬Ë?chink of lightââ?¬â?¢. Martin Oââ?¬â?¢Neill was leaving Craptic and leaving them in a min-crisis. We had snatched the league title from under their noses for a 2nd time and their aging squad was to be dissembled. This was an opportunity for us to strengthen from a position of being the champions, but again SDM refused to back his manager with the funds required to forge ahead to domestic dominance. Once again, we were left in our rivals shadows and AM was sacked and replaced by PLG. Again, we have hope but alas, it was to be false hope and SDM didnââ?¬â?¢t back his new charge with money either. So after 2 disastrous domestic campaigns, can our leader take a possible opportunity to put us back where we belong? Or will he once again, miss a golden opportunity? If the (strong) rumours are to be believed, Gordon Strachan will leave Craptic in the summer and return to a role in the EPL ââ?¬â?? most likely at Manchester City. Crapticââ?¬â?¢s form over the closing half of the season hasnââ?¬â?¢t been particularly good and only our woeful results under PLG have stopped us from mounting a serious challenge in the league and cups. So what will our esteemed leader do this summer? I think heââ?¬â?¢ll do what he has done in the last 5 summers, give his charge a minimum transfer budget to sign players who are expected to replace the ââ?¬Ë?betterââ?¬â?¢ players in our squad. The early indications donââ?¬â?¢t look promising, but surely a brilliant business man like SDM can smell an opportunity and would do what ever it took to put his ââ?¬Ë?businessââ?¬â?¢ back on top? I wouldnââ?¬â?¢t bet on it, this summer will be another missed opportunity for SDM and for Rangers. Cammy F

Jaffa, we all know that no manager or player gets time to settle at Ibrox. Can be argued that some of DA and AM's duds might have come good if give time and a decent run, but Rangers being Rangers and Rangers fans being Rangers fans, that isn't always possible. You know that and I know that. As for Europe, AM's feat the previous year was far better than PLG's. Getting qualification from a group that contained Porto and Inter Milan, than narrowly losing to the eventual CL semi-finalists IMO is better than the 3-2 in Italy. As for players he signed, why did PLG initially sign players who weren't suited to the Scottish game? PLG had videos (or DVDS) of all our games from the previous season so had no excuses for signing players unsuited to Scottish Football. I have seen nothing from Sebo, Sionko and Svensson to suggest that they would ever be suited to Scottish football. DA signed players initially who were suited to our game, I'm thinking of players like Rod Wallace, Gio and Numan - admittedly he had others who weren't - Amato and Konterman. As for PLG not getting the players he wanted, that isn't his fault, but it also isn't BF or the supposed 'cliques' fault. We all know who's fault that is, SDM and Sun-Tan Kid. Rangers are rotten from the top down at the moment, I certainly wouldn't deny that, I have been saying this for over 5 years now. The whole PLG saga is systomatic of Rangers at the moment, and if there were 'factions', it wouldn't have mattered who had 'won'. I would go as far as to say that PLG was the right manger at the wrong time, but still can't see where the 'faith' in him turning us around comes from. For every victory in Italy there was a 'St Johnstone' domestically. Rangers will never improve until SDM is removed from his post. Cammy F PS - Welcome to the forums

I remember standing in the 'jungle' that day watching Rangers play St Johnstone in a Scottish Cup Semi-final. There were whispers that something terrible had happened at the Liverpool game, but it wasn't until we got back to our bus that we learnt just what a disaster had occured. Tragic and terrible and thoughts to everyone who was affected by events that day. Cammy F

A fantastic trip, prob the best trip I've ever been on - some great videos Cammy F

A wee thought for those who lost their lives at Hillsborough - RIP Cammy F

Your having a laugh aren't you? What about players like Papac, Svensson, Sionko et al who look utter dross. So if that is true, why did PLG continue to play those players? Why did it take PLG 6 months to realise that BF wasn't playing as PLG instructed? Maybe the poor results were down to poor players, poor tactics, poor instructions for a man who couldn't speak basic English? Was it BF and his 'cliques' fault for players having the inability to score for 2 yards out with a gaping goal? What signs were there that PLG was going to turn this around? What one positive can we as fans take from PLG's tenure at Ibrox? I am scratching my head here thinking of any signs that Rangers were improving under PLG. So its BF fault that PLG didn't get more money to spend? That arguement could be made as a defence for AM, who didn't have a shit load to spend on players either but managed to match the 2nd most successful Craptic manager in the trophy count and managed to take us to the last 16 of the CL. Still haven't answered why PLG was sacked and why SDM chose (if the rumours are true) to back an underling over a manager? Also interesting to hear the reasons you believe that the first thing WS did was reinstate BF as club captain?????? Now, surely if you were a new manager coming into a club in turmoil and you knew that the turmoil was partly due to the club captain and a 'clique', you would sack the captain? However, WS decided the opposite, maybe that gives a clearer picture of the situation than any of the other rumours? Cammy F