ian1964

Me to:sneaky:

Ally McCoist today refused to blame Kenny Miller for leaving Rangers mid-season for the lure of Bursasporââ?¬â?¢s millions. The striker has moved to Turkey in a deal that will net him Ã?£50,000 a week on a two-and-a-half year contract. Rangers will get just Ã?£400,000 ââ?¬â?? plus a further Ã?£100,000 should the Turks qualify for the Champions League next season ââ?¬â?? for their top scorer. The departure of the 31-year-old, who was out of contract at the end of the season, has left many Gers fans wondering if their hopes of three-in-a-row will go with him. But on the day Miller revealed the new contract offered to him by the Ibrox club would have meant accepting a ââ?¬Å?30 or 40% wage cutââ?¬Â, McCoist held no grudges. The Ibrox No.2 said: ââ?¬Å?Kenny has made a wonderful contribution for the period that he has been here. ââ?¬Å?It would be safe to say that Kenny has been great for the club and the club has been great for Kenny over the period. ââ?¬Å?It has certainly been a good partnership and he goes with our blessing and our thanks. But we will be disappointed to see him go obviously because he has been an integral part of the team over the past few seasons.ââ?¬Â Miller has been criticised for rejecting the opportunity to join Premiership side Birmingham in favour of Bursaspor, whom he came up against in the Champions League earlier this season. But he insisted today: ââ?¬Å?Listen, it doesnââ?¬â?¢t bother me what people think. People can have their opinions. Ultimately everyone should look at the facts of the situation. ââ?¬Å?I wasnââ?¬â?¢t offered a contract by Rangers which I felt was suitable for me. ââ?¬Å?Whether it was now or the summer, I was definitely leaving. I just donââ?¬â?¢t think itââ?¬â?¢s right for me to be labelled a money grabber just because I have been offered a better contract somewhere. ââ?¬Å?Should I just sign for Rangers again, even though the contract is worth 30 or 40% less than my current one? ââ?¬Å?Or should I think about my family and providing for them? Football is a short career, remember.ââ?¬Â Gers boss Walter Smith has launched a frantic bid to find striker back-up before the window closes on January 31, using the incoming fee and Millerââ?¬â?¢s wages between now and the end of the season, which would have amounted to around Ã?£350,000. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/editor-s-picks/ally-mccoist-we-don-t-blame-kenny-miller-1.1081175

KENNY MILLER has revealed he choked back tears in an emotional Rangers exit. Miller, 31, told of his heartache at ending his goal-laden stint at Ibrox as he sealed a dream �£50,000-a-week deal in Turkey. The Scotland striker was finalising his sensational �£500,000 move to Bursaspor last night. And he told SunSport: "The actual moment I said goodbye to everyone was hard. Walking away wasn't easy. It was quite emotional. "There's no doubt the two-and-a-half years I had at Rangers have been the best time of my career. Working with the gaffer Walter Smith, Coisty, Kenny, Durranty, big Jim, the physio and the doc was brilliant. "But on Tuesday night things were developing and I realised I was on my way out of the club. All of a sudden it was difficult. "I reported at Ibrox for the game with Inverness like all the other lads but the gaffer took me aside before he read out the team and we spoke about how close the deal was to happening. "He shook me by the hand, wished me all the best and I went back down to say cheerio to everyone. "But for that few minutes, standing in the gaffer's office, it was quite emotional. "You always get nerves when you leave a club and you're thinking about what's ahead, but this was different. "I really enjoyed my time there and walking away from that wasn't easy. "As much as the decision itself wasn't hard, actually walking out the door was tough. "It's crunch time when you're actually going around the dressing room shaking all the lads by the hand. "These guys are my best mates and boys I've been through a lot with." Miller will officially sign his deal today after final negotiations throughout yesterday. SunSport can reveal a late bid from mega-rich United Arab Emirates side Al Ain almost threw a spanner in the works. But Miller dismissed their approach, having given Bursaspor his word he'd sign for them. Miller has had a whirlwind few weeks, but reckons he handled it well - until last weekend's Ibrox clash with Hamilton. He added: "I like to think I handled it okay but last Saturday was maybe the first time the situation affected me. "I never felt comfortable during the game and I didn't do myself or the team justice. "Until then I was fully focused on winning games, scoring goals and retaining the title." Miller now reckons Rangers could lose other star men. As SunSport revealed earlier this week Sevilla are interested in keeper Allan McGregor. Miller added: "There are some really good players there and it's up to the people in charge to decide whether to sell them or not. "Allan McGregor is one of the best goalkeepers in the country - or anywhere for that matter - and there's no doubt in my mind he'll be on a lot of manager's shopping list."

I think if Lafferty gets a run up front,which is more likely now that Miller has gone,then I'm sure he will contribute to retaining our title,as for the fee we paid for him well that has nothing to do with him.

Poll at the bottom of the page,get voting for Edu:smile: http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/usa/story/us-soccer-five-key-questions-for-bob-bradleys-usa-squad

I would rather see WS strengthen the midfield or defence and hope the strikers we already have will step up to the plate for the second half as I think we have enough forward players here already. If Webster is going to start playing and playing as well as he can play then that will be a bonus and a factor in any potential signings,but can he be relied on??. So if we are allowed to make any signing I would look to strengthen the midfield,even though it's pleasing to see the likes of Ness,Hutton pushing through. Having said all that the main worry for me is will WS be allowed to sign anybody???.

Kenny Miller is poised to sign for Bursaspor on Friday, with Rangers accepting �£400,000 for the striker. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/default.stm

It was just on the news that was what Rangers got for him

I'd think Jelavic and Lafferty would be up front leaving Naismith in his midfield role where he has been on top form for us.

AT first, Charlie Adam was reluctant to leave Rangers. Ian Holloway, the Blackpool manager, even accused the midfielder of refusing to answer his phone calls. But having watched DVD footage of Adam in action, and heard around the seaside town how popular, and influential, the player had been during his loan spell at the club the previous season, Holloway persisted. When they eventually met, it was Holloway who was blunt. ââ?¬Å?You know, I want to get to the Premier League,ââ?¬Â he said to the young Scot. ââ?¬Å?And I want to get you to a top-four club.ââ?¬Â Adamââ?¬â?¢s reaction was to submit to the managerââ?¬â?¢s charisma and bluffness; he signed, in a Ã?£500,000 transfer, and now 17 months later he is valued again, this time by other Barclayââ?¬â?¢s Premier League sides. ââ?¬Å?I want him to go to a much bigger and better club,ââ?¬Â Holloway said earlier this week. ââ?¬Å?But until I get the right phone call, he will crack on with us.ââ?¬Â A bid of Ã?£2m from Birmingham has been rejected, and another of Ã?£2.5m from Aston Villa, but now Liverpool are said to be interested and it seems inevitable that Adam will move on again. For Rangers, the only consolation is 10% of a fee that might even rise as high as Ã?£5m, to accompany a few regrets about the way a talent has flourished since leaving Ibrox. Adam was pigeon-holed by the time he left: a thickset, sedate midfielder capable of passes that were imaginative, in scale and ambition, and crisp shooting with his left foot, but also an imprudent lack of judgment and an air that could become melancholy on the field. Supporters began to distrust him, and he seemed stalked by jibes about his figure (not helped by a comment he once made about never having considered eating salad). Yet if it was enough just for Adam to break out of a rut in Glasgow, he would still occasionally reveal the player he was then: wistful as much as incisive, a kind of compromise between the great sweep of his passing ability and a skittery poise. Instead, Adam has developed into a shrewd midfielder, his play shaped by aplomb, a sense of belonging and, most emphatically, of confidence. Holloway has allowed a surge in the midfielderââ?¬â?¢s esteem, so that he is now considered a significant player in Craig Leveinââ?¬â?¢s Scotland squad, and an accomplished enough performer in the Premier League for Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, to remark: ââ?¬Å?Ian Holloway has done a fantastic job. He brought Charlie Adam down from Glasgow when nobody seemed to want him and he is one of the best players in the league.ââ?¬Â What is at the root of this progress? In part, it is Hollowayââ?¬â?¢s willingness to confound. At his first Blackpool training session, he told the players they were going to play like Barcelona. He lined them up in a 4-3-3 shape, asked them to keep the ball and to attack sides. In essence, he granted his players freedom, not only to express themselves, but also from trepidation. For all that Adam sought to prove himself at Ibrox by hitting long passes that were too ambitious and too ill-conceived, he is not a cocky, arrogant figure. Hollowayââ?¬â?¢s management rescued him from the doubt that left his composure so diminished. Even now, as captain of a Premier League team, and the player so central to Blackpoolââ?¬â?¢s fortunes that their entire approach is moulded around him, Adam can still be fretful. ââ?¬Å?He needs to believe in himself a bit more,ââ?¬Â Holloway said. ââ?¬Å?He says he does, but he doesnââ?¬â?¢t really. You wonââ?¬â?¢t get him strutting round the place like heââ?¬â?¢s a chocolate bar, licking himself. Heââ?¬â?¢s not like that, but he is a fantastic footballer.ââ?¬Â There is a stubbornness to Adam ââ?¬â?? he fought Blackpool over a bonus clause in his contract that they were not willing to honour, and won ââ?¬â?? but his development can also be traced to something less acute: maturity. At Ibrox, he was a young player trying to make his way in the game, at a high-profile, intense level. Now 25, with a son, a fiancee and a less frantic nature, he is a more measured individual. Blackpool have contributed to this. The players wash their own kit, and Adam tells stories of occasions when the team bus has caught fire or broken down. Yet so much of the clubââ?¬â?¢s maverick, homespun nature is a consequence of Holloway that their success ââ?¬â?? individually (Adam is among many cast-offs or players with a point to prove at the club) and collectively ââ?¬â?? seems an aspect of his own character. Ahead of a game against Stoke City earlier this season, he took the players on a midweek trip to a casino. He has danced to Ghanaian gospel music in the Upton Park dressing room, and made the players dress in drag for a charity calendar (Holloway wore a penguin suit). It is the trust he grants them that is crucial; it is as if he shoulders the responsibility so that the players can perform above themselves. A form of man-management, certainly, but few have taken to it so readily as Adam. So what is at the heart of this resurgence, this marked rise? ââ?¬Å?I am a better player,ââ?¬Â Adam says. ââ?¬Å?Itââ?¬â?¢s as simple as that.ââ?¬Â Hands off, says Holloway Ian Holloway, the Blackpool manager, has rejected Aston Villaââ?¬â?¢s Ã?£3.5m bid for Charlie Adam because he says, ââ?¬Å?you donââ?¬â?¢t get genius cheapââ?¬Â, writes Mark Walker. The Blackpool and Scotland midfielder is a wanted man with several Premier League clubs lining up a bid for the former Rangers player. Gerard Houllier, the Villa manager, had an offer rejected this week and Liverpool are also said to be interested in the playmaker but Holloway is determined to hold on to his captain. He said: ââ?¬Å?They can shove their bid wherever they like it because if they think he is only worth Ã?£3.5m they are watching a different game to me. ââ?¬Å?If they want to insult me by offering Ã?£3.5m then, sorry, they are barking up the wrong tree. Iââ?¬â?¢ve seen what he does and some of it is genius ââ?¬â?? and you donââ?¬â?¢t get genius cheap. ââ?¬Å?I think Charlie owes it to us to stay and then he will have a choice of clubs to go to as long as his arm. I want him to go to a club which is not struggling. It has always been my goal to get him to one of the top five or six clubs. If Manchester United ring me and make me a realistic offer, I might have to consider it but until then heââ?¬â?¢s staying put.ââ?¬Â Meanwhile, the Blackpool striker DJ Campbell insists Adam must remain at Bloomfield Road. The Scotland midfielder produced another impressive display as Hollowayââ?¬â?¢s side completed the double over Liverpool, winning 2-1 at home in midweek. Campbell insists itââ?¬â?¢s vital to the Lancashire side that Adam remains at the club. He said: ââ?¬Å?Charlie played really well again, despite the speculation. ââ?¬Å?Weââ?¬â?¢ve got genuine people in the Blackpool team. Thatââ?¬â?¢s the key to it, but weââ?¬â?¢ve also got good players. ââ?¬Å?Obviously, thereââ?¬â?¢s been a lot of talk about Charlie, but itââ?¬â?¢s really important that we keep him here.ââ?¬Â http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/english-football/charlie-adam-sitting-pretty-1.1079874

RANGERS TO CASH IN ON JACKPOT CUP TIE WITH BID FOR GOODWILLIE RANGER are ready to use a surprise �£1m Scottish cup windfall to finance an increased bid for Dundee Utd's David Goodwillie. The move which will also depend on Kenny Miller leaving Ibrox this month for either Fiorentina or Birmingham has been sanctioned by manager Walter Smith and the Bank. Ibrox coffers will be boosted following Tuesday's cup draw which paired Rangers with Old Firm rivals Celtic in the last 16 of the competition and which is likely to generate over �£1m in gate money and Sky TV revenue . The jackpot pay day has not been budgeted for and added to any fee the club will get from Miller's exit during the transfer window Rangers are planning to use some of the extra cash to increase their offer for the �£1.5m rated international striker. Free-scoring twenty one year old Goodwillie has been in Rangers sights now for months but they have been unable to make any official offer as talks between the club and Miller continue over his actual exit date. Celtic meanwhile are also in line for an unexpected cash bonanza as they will bank around �£750,000 from their share of the gate and TV payments which could help bankroll their swoop for Norwegian striker Erik Huseklepp. Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/222859/Rangers-to-cash-in-on-jackpot-cup-tie-with-bid-for-Goodwillie/Rangers-to-cash-in-on-jackpot-cup-tie-with-bid-for-GoodwillieRangers-to-cash-in-on-jackpot-cup-tie-with-bid-for-Goodwillie#ixzz1AuYcFmYW

Why do you think that is ?.

I agree with RBR. Charlie Adam was a decent player for us despite contiually being asked to play LM. Aye he tried the '' Hollywood pass '',but that can be looked upon as being inventive?,I remember Pedro Mendes trying the same type of pass and when it never came off he didn't get as much abuse as Adam got. I think the proof is in the pudding,which nobody can deny,Charlie Adam is a good footballer and a player who gives his all,and I for one hopes the guy gets a big money move.

Me signed as well,c'mon fellow bears,at least an attempt would be good

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xgdmhc_rangers-celtic-minute-silence-ibrox-disaster-january-1971_sport

Just kicked off,mon the Jam tarts

They really are a disgusting,low life, rhats,BHEASTS shower of SCUM

Ok one more from kiddyfiddlerstreet: merello 39 minutes ago Post #796 Member Avatar First team training [ * * * ] Posts: 133 Group: Members Member #5,900 Joined: 7 December 2006 Sporadically engaging with the press this week, the recurring theme seems to be that the Celtic Family are terrified that ‘The Silence’ will be broken on Sunday. 40 years on from the horrific and permanent quieting of 66 fans killed by inadequate stadium design, we are priming ourselves for headlines of shame, disgust and collective guilt with a degree of relish that sits ill with the occasion. An event that was not commemorated in 1981 in any manner by Rangers (indeed the front cover that year had Colin McAdam and Miss Rangers wishing everyone a Merry Xmas) has suddenly evolved into that curious form of inexplicable public grieving, commemoration or celebration that is now frequently used by Rangers to try and deflect from the shame they bring to every arena they occupy. ‘We are the people’ is probably the most acceptable chant they have in a modern era where most of the watches are still set at one and a half minutes past four (16:90 RMT) but it a mantra swamped by anti-Catholic, anti-Irish and anti-Republican bile that, if not ingrained in the collective DNA of the Rangers support, is quickly adopted by each and every one of them through the sweeping peer pressure and superiority complex found crashing down the aisles at every game. It is also an interesting aspect of the psyche of the Rangers support (press included) that individual misdemeanours become a matter of collective responsibility when Celtic are involved. Hence, one supporter disgracefully mimicking a crashing plane into the Twin Towers becomes a matter of shame for the whole support (including letters to the American Ambassador); an individual feud leading to an attempted murder in Amsterdam is defined as serious group violence and one ironic, though distasteful chant at a Seville road sweeper in orange overalls gets Leckified into a severe sectarian incident that could ruin the whole of the UEFA Cup experience in 2003. Contrast this with the stampede from fans and the Scottish press when Rangers fans misbehave. The classic is Manchester where we are asked to suspend belief in our own sensory faculties. Watching television reports on SKY, ITV and the BBC, one almost had to revert to confirmatory subtitles when contrasting national reports with the reportage from STV, BBC Scotland and Real Radio as a mastery of statistics developed nightly. Reporters and DJs rediscover the power of increasing the denominator and decreasing the numerator as a major riot becomes random acts of unplanned public disorder before developing into a full blown series of regrettable minor incidents that, according to Martin Bain "Were caused by supporters that don't normally attach themselves to our support". He also stated that the club was "in general, absolutely delighted with the behaviour of our supporters." That quotes like this led to silence from the Scottish Press speaks volumes. So, to paraphrase David Byrne, ‘how did we get here?’ How did the perception of Celtic fans as award-winning supporters welcomed everywhere they outside of Scotland become that to the accused and often convicted before the crime has been committed? In alignment with Jock Stein’s view of the BBC and ‘Blue Peter’ Thompson, I think that 2003 and the UEFA award caused a collective pain in our press not felt since 1967. In conjunction with this, Manchester 2008 also made Rangers and their fans more media savvy in a dangerous way. While attempting to diminish the indefensible, a realization became stark within the Rangers community that to triumph through improvement would be so counter to their culture and ideals that it was impossible and this left only one other option. When you cannot defend, you attack. How ironic, that a team who refuse to attack in case of embarrassment in Europe, become sophisticated in this strategy in public relations. So, Ibrox is transformed from a bile-infested sectarian hellhole to an outdoor sporting Albert Hall where the last night of the football proms happens fortnightly as a celebration of Britishness. Deep, sectarian anti-Catholicism becomes a means to publicize ‘anti-child abuse’ credentials, despite Catholic clerical child abuse being almost absent from Scotland. The Ulster angle of anti-Irish racism transforms itself into support for ‘our boys’ in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting for freedom. And finally, the poppy transforms from a symbol of communal remembrance into the celebratory mark of assent towards the illegal non-judicial murder of innocent Catholics in Northern Ireland. The most important point in all of this is that dissent is not allowed. Not within the Rangers support nor out with it. Anyone not complying through belief or conscience is marginalized, ridiculed and accused. Alternative perceptions developed through experience or study are demeaned and the method of using a mirror to your soul to judge your morality is discarded for the totalitarian approach of attacking minorities. So, I hope ‘The Silence’ is destroyed on Sunday. Just after the game would be fine so that there is no blurring of the line. I look forward to the Scottish Press coming out after the game and destroying their shameful silence by commenting of the lack of humanity of a support who celebrate child abuse and immorally attack Scotland’s greatest ever sporting legacy. I look forward to the silence being broken through the condemnation of a support who cannot shed their anti-Catholic shackles after 137 years. I look forward to the shattering of the silence over the overtly communal racism of a support who laugh at 1 million dead through British acts but relish the hope that at least one person will break ‘The Silence’ so that YouTube can be flooded with footage of some poor soul who stubbed his toe on the stairwell coming into the stadium. The strange thing is, I fully expect ‘The Silence’ will not be broken on Sunday.

Just gonna give you one quote as I need to come out for air: costa bhoy Today, 6:24 PM Post #784 Member Avatar First name on the team-sheet [ * * * * * * ] Posts: 1,688 Group: Members Member #8,912 Joined: 20 June 2007 Just gone through the last five or six pages of this thread and it's not there so I'll go ahead and post it (apologies if it's old news). From CQN:- This week's MITB Our scheduled referee for Sunday, Craig Thomson, who is today reported as being a senior executive at a major contractor of Rangers, has a remarkable record in games involving Celtic and Rangers, one which is well worth analysis. See this linked document for a complete list of Thomsonââ?¬â?¢s games involving either Celtic or Rangers since the start of 2008. In the period, he has refereed Rangers on 14 occasions and Celtic 15 times. In games involving Rangers, his employers paymasters received 22 cards (yellow counting as 1 and red as 2) while their opponents received 38; Rangers receiving 37% of the total. By contrast, Celtic have received 34 cards and their opponents have received only 28; Celtic are on the rough end of 55% of the decisions. So the stats in games when Thomson is referee are: Rangers receive 37% of cards Celtic receive 55% of cards Celtic players are booked 44% more often than Rangers players Rangers opponents are booked 45% more often than Celticââ?¬â?¢s opponents Thomsonââ?¬â?¢s average number of cards per game (for all his games) is 3.76. His employerââ?¬â?¢s paymaster-club receives 41% of his average while Celtic receive 60% his average. In 14 games Thomson has never issued more cards to Rangers than their opponents but punished their opponents harsher on eight occasions. In 15 games he has issued more cards to Celtic than their opponents on five occasions while punishing their opponents more on only four occasions. The record establishes: Thomson is much harsher on Celtic, and on Rangersââ?¬â?¢ opponents, than the converse. He is less harsh on Rangers, and harsher on Celtic, compared to the rest of the SPL. He never punishes Rangers more than their opponents. Ever. Conflicts of interest are not allowed in any walk of life, Scottish football is no different. Craig Thomsonââ?¬â?¢s employers have a significant financial interest in Rangers, for this reason alone, he should take no part in their games until any such conflict has ended. As a lawyer, well accustomed to declaring conflicts of interest, he would surely not want to work under the glare of suspicion. We can only wonder if he reported the conflict to the SFA. His record ââ?¬â?? and this is a matter of record, not opinion ââ?¬â?? involving Celtic and Rangers is alarming on its own, his employerââ?¬â?¢s financial relationship with Rangers makes it impossible for him to referee Sundayââ?¬â?¢s game. Thomson has already been involved in controversy this month when the Evening Times reported he told SFA chief executive he was ââ?¬Å?disappointedââ?¬Â Hugh Dallas was sacked for sending a sectarian email. Show this man the door before he wrecks. :disgusted:

:boogie:

You can only imagine what the people who lost relatives and friends on this terrible day must be thinking when they read the likes of this shite,shame on him.

And so he should relish playing against them,the guy is in the form of his life and loves to score against the BHEASTS,he is one player the BHEASTS would love to be injured for this one. Hatrick this time Kenny?

Two tragedies linked by the cruellest twists of fate. "It had, according to the radio commentary on the BBC Scottish Home Service, been a tame Old Firm encounter but with a highly-dramatic finale. Two goals - one for each team - in the last minute of the game. The doyen of Scottish football commentators, David Francey, was at his loquacious best, injecting colour into an all-too-drab winter's afternoon in Glasgow. Before he signed off, he made mention of "something bad" appearing to have happened on the terracing at the Rangers end. In those days, "something bad" at an Old Firm match meant flying bottles and cans and police rushing in where ordinary mortals would fear to tread, to seize the perpetrators. But not this time. It wasn't that kind of "something bad", he thought. An hour later, news bulletins were talking of injuries, of scores of ambulancemen and women at the scene, of people being led away or carried out on stretchers - "something bad" had become "a major incident". With every television and radio bulletin that night on January 2, 1971, the toll mounted. Ten dead... 20... 30... I was home from university for New Year on the Isle of Lewis and in those days you couldn't get a Sunday paper there until Monday. And when we finally got them (around noon!), there was only one story. The Scottish Daily Express and Daily Record had pictures of the walking wounded, of club scarves peeking out from under the blankets that covered the dead. The back pages hardly bothered with the game. The peerless John Rafferty in The Scotsman wrote as only he could of fleeting triumph and sombre disaster following fast on one another. The papers asked how this could have happened and answered their own question with stories of one fan having tripped and fallen, bringing others down. Other papers told stories of fans who had decided to go at the last minute - and died. The drunken tangle on Stairway 13 became an enduring image of a day that made a mockery of the import too many of us place on football. Lewis had known tragedy at New Year. On January 1, 1919, more than 200 servicemen coming home from the Great War perished when the Admiralty yacht Iolaire struck rocks a mile out from Stornoway Harbour. Suddenly that New Year's weekend on Lewis, Ibrox and Iolaire seemed linked by the cruellest twists of fate."