Gaffer

That's unfair in my opinion. I've used the inevitable ambiguity in contracts myself. It's actually a lazy way of causing conflict and trying to delay actions because it's easy. No matter how good a contract is, it's always easy to find a grey area to exploit. And in situations like that, you don't need to believe you'll win. All you need to do is delay an action for the other party, and in doing so you gain some advantage for yourself. That's what SD is doing. Rangers have a decent contract here, but SD are abusing it by claiming that they didn't have enough detail to rival the bid. If that was really their objective, it would have been dealt with by now but they clearly either want some sort of pay off, or have suddenly realised how much they stand to gain now that Gerrard is the manager, etc. Either way I'm hoping a judge sees right through this. No matter what the outcome, this will cause a delay to our launch of the kits, but nothing else.

If we get this deal done I'll be delighted but amazed. This boy is the real deal and the people I've spoken to about him say he's someone they rate as a 10m plus player in the near future. I'd imagine the competition for his signature is fierce, but you just never know. What we're building at the club right now is exciting, and that'll attract the right type of players to us. For young, hungry, committed players, this is the place to be right now.

I don't care about the other That's correct Bill. Whilst we don't care about what these other clubs' fans think or say, we do need the boardrooms in the other clubs to be discussing these points and supporting us where appropriate. I'd like to think that SR is working the other SPFL members quietly. If he is, that's good and it's quite correct that those discussions remain private and confidential. His ability to do that role effectively will hopefully make be proven when other clubs start to support the request for an enquiry or a resignation. If no such support is forthcoming, I'd then question SR's influence and in which case his value to us. Let's give the time to do this because I'd imagine no club can move without discussing and agreeing at their own board meetings first. I'd hope to hear something within the next couple of weeks though because by then most will have had the opportunity to take this through their own governance. This is a test for SR, but I think DK has positioned this for him quite nicely.

Great podcast again. Really enjoying these, but omg it looks like you've created a monster in Pete. Now he's singing too ? Keep them coming guys

The TOP issue is a minor one and as a tax payer I'm glad that DK is showing this commmittee up for what it is - a complete and utter waste of time and resources. The SD issue is also something that should be cleared up quite quickly. That's a case of SD being embarassed at losing this contract and trying themselves to deflect from that screw up. They're using ambiguity in the contract (which exists in every contract if you need to look hard enough) to achieve that, but it shouldn't take long to resolve. The issue involving a code of conduct within our league governing body is very serious and verges on corruption. These first two issues are relatively minor so I don't understand why you think Rangers would hold onto something as serious as the SPFL point just to deflect. That doesn't make sense does it? It's like trying to use marshmallows on a stick to deflect from the fact your house is burning down. As for your final point, DK has said on a few occasions that he only stepped in because others couldn't or wouldn't. He has said he'd step aside if others were forthcoming. They're not. My criticism of DK is around the amount of time he can afford to spend on us. We need people to sort out our club and it's frustrating for me that a man with his skills, experience and intellect appears to be able to spend very little time on Rangers matters. That's why I welcome his intervention on key issues like this. Very few others would have the awareness and nerve to tackle such a serious issue in the game. The proof of that is in the boardrooms of every other SPFL club. They appear to lack the guts and sense to deal with this, and yet EVERY one of them knows this is a scandal in our game, even Celtic!!!

I enjoy seeing British clubs doing well. That list though has shrunk somewhat over the years. I've never wanted Celtic to do well, but I now add Aberdeen, Dundee United and Hibs to that ever growing list. Obviously the media can be annoying when England are doing well, but other than that it can only be a good thing for us. It's just a shame that I feel complete apathy for the Scottish national team. I can occasionally get excited but it doesn't take long for that feeling to subside. I hope England do win it, not only because it'll ensure I have a strong finish to the prediction league. However I think Croatia will be a bridge too far.

I'm doing so much better in this prediction league than the main one. It just shows I can be objective when it comes to football when it doesn't involve Rangers. I've allowed my hope that England do well to slightly cloud my judgement, but thankfully it's going well for them, otherwise I'd be in the bottom half of the table.

I think you're on to something here with these additional protectors. Maybe the divers (like Neymar) can be forced to wear fins, mask and snorkel. ?

I thought the statement by the club was very timely and considered. What makes you think otherwise? I (like everyone else I'm sure) also want to be able to focus on the football, but this is an incredible situation where a governing body appears to be getting away with clear violations of codes of conduct. Why shouldn't the club challenge this, and especially before the start of the season? And what is the club deflecting from? As far as I see it, it's only good news at the moment on the footballing front. It looks like SD will try to cause a few problems more before they go, but that's all straight forward and will be sorted out hopefully without going to court. Other than that, what's to deflect? Weve got nothing but positivity around the club, but we won't maintain that unless there's an even playing field for us in the league. I'm right behind the board and the club in seeking justice and insisting on correct governance within our game.

France 0-2 Belgium  Croatia 0-3 England

He does, but if he is raising these points (which I'm sure he has), those conversations should rightly remain confidential. I'm assuming the minutes of those meetings are available to members, but not the public.

This just shows how corrupt the organisation is. I've yet to see any response which addresses the concerns raised by the club. They appear to think that they can ignore these points and move on. You wouldn't get away with that in any other walk of life and I'm utterly bewildered at how brazen they appear to be about this. Where are the other clubs in this? Are they allowing Rangers to go it alone? Are they fearful of the consequences if they are seen to ask the same questions? Is it maybe a case of them being embarassed that none of them identified this conflict? Either way, this is stinking to high heaven and we should prepare for a full frontal assault on this rancid organisation.

I didn't get one. Do you have a picture?

Jack can certainly tackle, but he's a very intelligent ball player too so I'd be very happy if he played a little further forward. If he and McCrorie are both in the team, it gives us options, allowing one to go forward while the other one sits in. We couldn't do that last season because we only ever had one player on the pitch who had the discipline and mentality to sit in. It was Jack until he got injured and then McCrorie but I don't think they played at the same time in any game did they?

That makes sense - good observation! I couldn't work it out because there were sometimes when it was obvious that the team was pressing hard (4 or 5 players around the area of the ball) and the others covering the passing lanes and men, and then others when we appeared to allow certain players to have the ball. It wasn't from lack of concentration or laziness though because they all did the same, implying it was the game plan. It seems that he's not had very much time to implement a system requiring specific instructions for each player's depending on the situation, so whatever he's done requires good decision making and intelligence by the players. It does seem Tom have worked though because they are all on the same page. That much is clear. As you say too, the first competitive game can't come quickly enough for me. I love the tactical side of football and can't wait to see how we develop our system over the season. Early signs are good though! One final thing is about you observing how we drop off or step out especially in defence. I noticed this too and it just shows how many options we have tactically now that we have quick defenders at the back, who are also comfortable on the ball.

I agree with you Rousseau that he played quite well, so I can't work out why I just don't like him in the team. He does do a lot of good things, but what I find happens with me is that I'll be enjoying watching the game and then Windass will get on the ball and I think "oh yeah, Windass, I forgot he was playing". I see Coop mentioned a similar thing in his post. This feeling happens in most games so I don't know if there's a sub conscious reason in my mind for him not standing out, but he just doesn't. Even in games where he scores, I get to the end of the game and find myself being critical of him. Maybe it's my perception of the level of effort he puts in, or maybe it's because he goes missing for a few minutes at a time. I honestly don't know, but either way there's something that needs to be sorted out if he's to be a successful Rangers player. He has lots of excellent attributes so I'd like him to turn it around, but I suspect he's off anyway. As for the game in general last night, I thoroughly enjoyed it. In terms of doing the basics required of a Rangers player, I was very impressed. They worked hard, challenged for every ball and never gave the opposition any peace for the entire game. As fans we love to see that. Even our journeymen players look more effective when they apply that level of effort on a game. It reminded me of Scott Nisbett who was a fans' favourite, simply because of the effort he gave every time he played. I was pleased to see Tav retaining the captaincy. I think he's grown into the role and appears to be well liked and respected by his team mates. He's also one of our most consistent performers so it makes sense. I also like him when he speaks at press conferences. That's important for me. If it was about pure entertainment, I'd have kept Cummings and given him the media relations role, but since we have a classy image to uphold, Tav is ideal. The defence as a whole looks solid, although we won't be able to assess that properly until next week. I don't yet understand how we are set up to handle counters, or how the full backs decide when to overlap, but the players seemed to know where and when they needed to be in certain positions, and this was the same all over the pitch. SG can't have drilled that in such a short space of time so I'm assuming he's kept it relatively simple for them and allowed the players to decide much of it. Either way it was working. 5 key things for me from last night's game: - Morelos looked sharp, fit, hungry to score, and HAPPY - Middleton looks like he has a chance to break into the first team this season - The two centre backs are aggressive, quick, strong, and can play football - We didn't look like conceding - We looked like we could score every time we went up the park We now need a really competitive game to see who is in his first eleven, and to see if we can take this form into real games. The signs are good, but given what's happened in previous seasons I'm keeping my powder dry until I see how we perform over the next couple of weeks. Let's go.

It's funny how we all see different things in players we like, but as you have said in the past, it depends what system he'll play and who he needs to do those jobs the best. There's no doubt that Wilson is a cracking player and I'd love him at Rangers. Ings and Solanke would both be a big step up from what we have and I'd like either of them. I hope we get a better picture of his system and style tonight. It may then become clearer the type of playe that will best suit our new system. I can't wait for the game. The result is irrelevant, but I do want to see a marked difference in the attitude of the players. And of course I really want to see an excitingly attacking approach. Let's go.

In my opinion, the TOP has made a complete hash of this and they're trying to cover that up by redirecting the focus to how King has been breaking their agreement. At each stage along this process they appear to have made attempts to add conditions into the action King is to take in making this offer. It looks like he has complied with each one, until the most recent one where they said it had to be a GBP based fund that makes the offer. I don't understand why they felt the need to add this condition, but either way they've mismanaged it. If it was always important, it should have been included initially. If it wasn't, why is it now a requirement? And with it being a more recently added condition, I'll be surprised if they are successful in punishing him further because it takes a reasonable amount of time to comply and they'd have to demonstrate that he's had more than enough time to comply. King is far from blameless in this, but he appears to be able to manoeuvre between the lines of this order and that's not acceptable. Some will rightly blame King for manipulating the system, but others will also blame the TOP for allowing it. At the moment, it appears to be a toothless, and useless panel. For the TOP to be an adequate and effective financial control, it clearly requires a better calibre of personnel than it has currently. If someone like DK can drive a coach and horses through its gaps, how can it be relied upon to safely assure the more material mergers and acquisitions? At the moment I've got very little confidence in them, or their ability to determine the materiality of a breach of their rules. As Rangers fans (or other supporters that are just as obsessed by our club), we are obviously interested in this, but as tax payers we should be asking questions about some of these organisations that appear to be completely ineffective in achieving their objectives. HMRC's handling of the Rangers tax case just didn't make any sense at all, and I can't see why anyone would accept that was done in the tax payers' interest. And now this TOP is demonstrating how much time and money they are willing and able to waste for no purpose. It's a disgrace!

Cars, fridges and clothes are all the same Pete. It's the material, not the colour. Don't take my word for it though, I'm sure you'll confirm that on the internet somewhere. ??

I thought you'd rather have a drink with a Celtic supporting tory voter than a Rangers supporting SNP voter. ?

The good thing about the new strips is that there's at least one that each of us loves. I think the white one is the best away strip I can remember us having. As for black being unsuitable in good weather, did you know that the colour of a material has NO effect on its ability to retain heat. It's only the material that does that. It's a common myth that white keeps you cool and black retains the heat. Every day is a school day here on Gersnet!

I'd love us to sign Defoe. He would be the biggest thing in Scottish football in the last 10 years. However, I just can't imagine that happening. As Franc said, his salary is likely to be well beyond our reach, and I'd imagine there would be a long list of clubs interested in signing him. He might be in his thirties but he's definitely still as sharp as ever and able to score 20 goals a season. For me, that puts him out of our league but I'll keep everything crossed that he's willing to reduce his salary just to get the chance to wear one of those fine three new strips. Either that, or Stevie G has some compromising photos of him.

The new strips look amazing. I'm pleased they've kept our home strip simple. The orange strip looks brilliant, but the away strip is an absolute belter. I'm loving that one. ?? In my opinion that's the best one we've had for a long long time. Well done Hummel. Great job!

France 1-2 Uruguay Russia 1-1 Croatia Sweden 1-2 England  Brazil 1-2 Belgium Let's be honest, this World Cup is so unpredictable that these predictions are now a complete stab in the dark. Thoroughly enjoying the football and drama of it all. It's the best World Cup so far in my lifetime. Great to see England win that game.

Trying to reduce 40 years into 3 goals is a tough task, but I'll go for: - Cooper's free kick in the cup final against Aberdeen - McCoist against Leeds (brilliant counter attack, and probably the best one I've seen for any team) - Nisbett against Brugge. We were right behind the ball and could see it spin. What a moment! Reading some of the others on here really brings back some amazing memories. Wouldn't it be great if this season we all had a new goal/moment to add to our favourites. {And just like OneVision I failed to read the question properly. I'll substitute the McCoist goal for the goal Durrant scored against Celtic, after being slipped in with a reverse pass from Cooper. Class goal from two of the best players I've ever seen in a Rangers shirt.}