ian1964

ha ha,quality.......................

It was rumoured the last time he pulled out at the last minute,the other players were turning a bit against him,RUMOURS!!!!

Chelski 0-1 down at home:p

Do Manure not have a wee ditty to the same tune???,if they sing it will the POLIS move in and arrest them??

--------------------------McGregor-------------------------- Whittaker------Webster---------Weir------------Broadfoot ----------------------------McCulloch--------------------------- Weiss------------Davis------------Naismith-------Lafferty ---------------------------Miller------------------------------- I'll go for this team

Funny listening http://www.realradio-scotland.co.uk/player/listen-live/h48fjksz/

40/1 http://sports.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/football/european/rangers-vs-manchester-utd-e214585569-m218690847

40/1 with Ladbrokes

50/1 with Ladbrokes:)

Still a long time until k-off,he'll pull out of the game due to an eye lash strain:)

THE problem the Scottish Football Association is having with referees at the moment can be traced back a mere nine months to their feeble reaction to an incredible claim on the official Celtic website. You may recall that less than two hours after Rangers had won the Old Firm game at Ibrox in February, in a match which saw the Parkhead captain Scott Brown sent off, the official Celtic website made an astonishing attack on the referee. It claimed no fair minded person could agree the sending off of Brown was the correct decision. The clear implication was the referee was not a fair minded person. The further implication being that he was biased. Yet, when the matter was referred to the SFA's General Purposes Committee,it led to the SFA giving Celtic no more than a slap on the wrist, in the form of a censure. It was hardly the sort of defence a referee deserved from the SFA, and perhaps there was resentment among officials at the lenient way Celtic were dealt with. At the time I felt the SFA decision was tantamount to sparing the rod and spoiling the child. Or, to put it another way, giving an inch which would soon become a mile. However, that was not the first time Celtic appeared to have been indulged by the SFA in recent years. When Hugh Dallas was felled and bloodied by a missile, to the extent that his wound needed stitching, the men in charge of the SFA at the time felt the offence was serious enough to warrant a substantial fine. However, by the time Fernando Ricksen was also battered by a missile and also needed a wound stitched, the SFA appeared to have lost its grip. A slap on the wrist was all that followed, despite the previous. At the time surely stronger action was needed to lay down a marker. Perhaps an order to close the ground for a couple of matches - suspended for five years - was the way to head off any more trouble. People who heaped ridicule on such a suggestion were noticeably quieter just two years later when the Rangers doctor became the latest victim of the missile throwers inside Parkhead. Much of what has followed - and which has climaxed in the refereeing strike - has appeared to take root in a support which gives every sign of being out of control. Two years ago on Remembrance weekend the Green Brigade staged a protest against Celtic wearing a Poppy on their strips. The protest was inside Parkhead in the exact same area of the same stand where the Bloodstained Poppy banner was raised this month. Surely therefore, nobody inside Celtic should have been surprised the Green Brigade - a group many may believe the club has over-indulged - should have staged some sort of protest. Last Saturday there was more bother in the same section of the stand, and Celtic chairman the Baron Reid of Cardowan, was the subject of more hate filled banners. And that despite some harsh words spoken by the Baron Reid of Cardowan regarding the SFA at the Celtic AGM. It seems it is impossible for anyone inside Celtic to go far enough to satisfy the zealots and extremists who have attached themselves to the club. Yet there are still some media outlets who would have people believe the strike action being taken by referees has been prompted by a number of actions by a number of clubs, their managers, players and supporters. In fact, any of these run-of-the-mill confrontations which have taken place in recent weeks and months have been no more than we have witnessed over the years, and are what referees regard as usual. What has been unusual has been the perception of a campaign to get rid of Hugh Dallas, undermine the SFA and create anarchy, which has many Celtic supporters whipping themselves into a lathered frenzy. There was even a letter to UEFA from one Celtic supporter begging for intervention. A supplication which was quickly kicked into touch by that higher authority. Does that make UEFA party to a great conspiracy? Goodness knows what they think about what's going on in Scottish football. Maybe the Eurocrats are having a sly wee snigger behind their hands at the way Celtic supporters are ranting. But surely there is somebody within UEFA who can see the danger, and who can have a quiet word with the Baron Reid of Cardowan and ask him to try and calm Celtic supporters before some extremist and zealot commits one of act of madness which even the recently supine Scottish Football Assocation cannot dismiss with a mere censure. http://leggoland2.blogspot.com/

Can't see Fleck coming in there Craig,I think Lafferty may play as well as Weiss, and Naismith maybe playing more central

United will take on Rangers on Wednesday night without the club's first-choice centre-backs. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have been successfully re-united at the heart of the Reds' defence in recent weeks, starting together in all bar one of the last six games - the exception being Bursaspor away when it was deemed advisable for Rio to avoid the four-hour flight. Now Ferdinand will miss another Champions League match, as will his Serbian sidekick following Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to rest the pair and place his trust in the likes of Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans. Ferdinand and Vidic, who both trained at Carrington on Tuesday morning, have missed the same game on just one previous occasion this season - the 3-2 Carling Cup victory at home to Wolves, when Smalling and Evans played the full 90 minutes in tandem. Look out for quotes from Sir Alex and further team news following his pre-match press conference at 16:30 this afternoon (Tuesday). Absentees from training on Tuesday included Darren Fletcher, Darron Gibson, Gary Neville, Owen Hargreaves and Michael Owen. It's a CONSPIRACY:grin: http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={F9E570E6-407E-44BC-800F-4A3110258114}&newsid=6653579

On now,discussion http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/bbc_radio_scotland

I'll probably change my mind as the kick off draws nearer and fancy a sneaky wee win:p

I think our form has slumped the last few weeks shipping a lot of soft goals and also Bougherra will be a big loss,I hope you're right though,but I just can't see it

MANCHESTER UNITED are the only reason Sir Alex Ferguson never became boss of boyhood heroes Rangers. Ferguson turned down the chance to take over at Ibrox when he was at Aberdeen and his pal Alex McLeish claims it was because he had his eyes on the United job. Govan-born Fergie returns home to Gers tomorrow in the Champions League and McLeish - who played under him in the all-conquering Dons side 30 years ago - claims the club still has a place in his heart. He said: "Alex declined the chance to manage Rangers - but that was only for one reason. Even then he had this big vision of going to England and managing Manchester United. "Rangers weren't the only club he declined at that time. There was Arsenal and Tottenham too. "In my opinion, the boss was waiting for one club and one club only - United. The rest is history." McLeish was Gers boss when United won 1-0 at Ibrox in the Champions League seven years ago thanks to a Phil Neville strike. Big Eck remembers seeing the twinkle in Fergie's eye as he sat in his office after the game, reliving his days as a supporter and then a player at the club. McLeish, now boss at league rivals Birmingham, said: "Sir Alex still has a soft spot for Rangers after all these years. He loves walking into Ibrox and being inside. "I still remember him coming into my office when we played them in the Champions League seven years ago. "There was quite a big entourage in the of f ice that night. I can remember Andy Roxburgh being there, too. "But Sir Alex was holding court and he loved every minute of it. He was so pleased to be in the Rangers manager's office having a drink and a laugh. "It was good to see him walking through the door, even if the result hadn't been so good for us." And McLeish won't rule out a place in the Champions League last-16 for Rangers. It would take a shock win over Manchester United at Ibrox for that landmark to be reached but Big Eck thinks that's possible. And he's convinced Walter Smith has got better attacking options now than he had when he took his side to Manchester for the 2008 UEFA Cup Final. He said: "You look back on that time and realise that Rangers maybe didn't have all that much going for them in an attack. "There wasn't a huge threat about them going forward but I think Walter has come up with a way now where they can make chances." Rangers only scored five goals in eight matches on the way to the final against Zenit St. Petersburg and needed a penalty shoot-out in the match against Fiorentina to make the journey to Manchester. But McLeish sees greater all round strength about them now. He said: "Defensively speaking, Walter's got them looking sound. They lost plenty of goals in the Champions league last season but, apart from the last 20 minutes of the game against Valencia in Spain, that's not been the case this time. "That's why, looking in from the outside, I think they have a real chance against United. "I always thought they had a chance of pipping Valencia into the last-16 and if they beat United you never know what might happen. "I wouldn't rule that out by any means. If it does happen Rangers will have a great chance in the final game in Turkey against Bursaspor, especially since Valencia have to go to Old Trafford when United may need a win to qualify." Rangers' home form in the Champions League this season has increased McLeish's belief that the team, and the fans, could be in for a memorable night against the man who keeps Govan on the map from a Lancashire base. Eck said: "Rangers have been really good in their games against Bursaspor and Valencia. Walter's come up with a formula that suits the players at his disposal. "Not only does it work for them defensively, but they're making an impact going forward and look far more potent now." Despite Fergie's feelings for Rangers, he'll be focused on taking full points and defender Patrice Evra claims United want to wrap up qualification before their final game against Valencia. United play Arsenal six days later at Old Trafford and Evra claims they do not want to play Valencia, needing a result to go through. United require just a point at Ibrox to make the last 16 and Evra is confident they can cope with the hostile atmosphere. He said: "Our aim is to make sure that by the time we play Valencia we will have already qualified. "But that won't be easy. We know that it will be a big occasion for Rangers. The Scottish fans will make so much noise."

Nov 23 2010 Keith Jackson One of Scotland's best Oever referees last night launched a blistering double blast at Celtic and the SFA for dragging the Scottish game to the point of crisis. Former top-class whistler Brian McGinlay - rated by many as the finest official the country has produced - waded into the scandal which has engulfed football as emergency talks were being scrambled in a bid to avoid this weekend's top-flight fixtures being scrapped. McGinlay blames the Parkhead club for launching a concerted campaign against the country's refs and whipping up a frenzy by calling into question their honesty and integrity. And he believes cowardly top brass at Hampden are every bit as culpable for failing to stand up for their men in the face of Celtic's repeated innuendos. And he insists the entire furore is rooted in the West of Scotland's culture of religious intolerance. But while McGinlay has nothing but sympathy for today's under-fire officials he also insists they are wrong to threaten the strike action which looks set to bring the game to a standstill. He said: "In all my years in the game I have never known anything like this. It's a complete shambles and I really have no idea how it is going to be resolved. "Celtic started it but the SFA have done nothing to defend or protect their own referees. I can understand why the guys feel so angry and let down but this situation is to no one's benefit and I don't honestly think a strike is going to do it much good. "In fact, I had a wry laugh when I saw the weather forecast for this weekend - minus 10 and blizzards to hit the West Coast of Scotland? Perhaps George Peat's prayers have been answered." SFA president Peat finally broke cover yesterday morning as Scottish football entered its meltdown moment. By mid-afternoon, he was involved in full-scale emergency talks with chief executive Stewart Regan. But as far as McGinlay is concerned it was all too little too late. He said: "What must have disappointed the referees is the fact these attacks have been allowed to go on and on unchecked by anyone at Hampden. "You can feel a bit of sympathy for Regan because he's only just in the job and must already be wishing he was back at his cricket club in Yorkshire. "But I'm disappointed the president has sat there watching this and saying nothing. I have heard he's been ill recently but he certainly looked hale and hearty on my telly doing the Scottish Cup draw earlier today. So why has he sat back and said nothing for so long? "The SFA have a responsibility to protect their referees but it's been total silence. Even Hugh Dallas - the one guy you'd expect to come out in defence of the refs - has done nothing because he's been too busy covering his own back. "Now we find ourselves in this situation and I don't know how it will be resolved. It's gone too far now and these attacks have gone unchecked for too long." McGinlay believes one club above all others has been guilty of relentlessly going after the men in the middle - ever since the Dougie McDonald debacle at Dundee United five weeks ago. He said: "You could put Celtic up on a charge of bringing the game into disrepute but that would probably result in making the already aggrieved feel even more aggrieved. "But this situation has certainly not been helped by Celtic's behaviour and their continuously demanding explanation after explanation. I'm very surprised the chairman Dr John Reid - a man who spent a career working at the heart of British society in the House of Commons - has said what he's said. "He didn't quite go all the way but he came as near as to saying that Celtic are discriminated against and that his club has had decisions made against it all through the years. "That does nothing to help the majority of Celtic fans who had already convinced themselves this was true in the first place. One of my next door neighbours and best friends is a Celtic fan. He's totally sane and sensible until it comes to two o'clock on a Saturday. He's one of the few people in the country who still thinks it was a penalty at Tannadice and can't be convinced otherwise. "That's the problem we face in the West of Scotland. It's a deeply ingrained thing. You can kid on to yourself that religion isn't a deep-rooted part of all this but it is. It's a West of Scotland problem more than it is a football problem. It always has been. "There is no doubt about it. Celtic believe there is an institutionalised bias against their club but I can honestly say I have never seen any kind of evidence that would back this up. "Never in my life have I seen anything as vociferous as what is coming out of Celtic Park at the moment. The ultimate insult for any referee is to have his integrity questioned or to suggest there is a sinister reason behind his decisions. I'd have been very annoyed had anyone levelled that at me so I can see why the referees are angry enough to go on strike. "These are terrible accusations that are being made and the people at the SFA should have done something about it long before now." McGinlay is adamant there is no basis to the conspiracy theories which hang over our game like a bad smell. But he believes Celtic won't let up until both McDonald and Dallas are out of work. He said: "In my time I was never accused by anyone of being part of a conspiracy. But the climate has changed recently and I honestly don't know why. "It obviously all stems from the incident in the Dundee United-Celtic game. But at the end of the day the correct decision was made. Only in Scotland could we reach the point of meltdown because a referee got a decision right! "The problem was the referee and the linesman were trying to come up with an explanation which would have been deemed acceptable by the assessor. "But when you watch the replays you can clearly see Dougie McDonald saying, 'It's my mistake'. He knew he'd got it wrong and changed his decision. But from that moment the whole saga has gone on and on. "I can't understand why Celtic can get so upset about what you might call a white lie. Football is full of lies. Managers lie about team selections and injuries on a day-to-day basis. "Over the years clubs have lied about attendances. I'd referee games and think there were about 80,000 in the stadium then go home and find out there were only 31,000. It's gone on for years and years. "So I can't see why Celtic have taken such offence at this supposed lie. I watched them against St Mirren the other week and then heard Neil Lennon calling his team world-beaters. "He must have been the only bloke on the planet who thought his team were world-beaters that day. Or was that a lie to try to appease the Celtic support? "The fact Celtic have kept this going for so long has made life hard for everybody. I don't think there will be satisfaction in the east end of the city until both McDonald and Dallas are gone. It's not one head they want - it's two. "So how on earth this is going to be resolved I do not know." http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/2010/11/23/ref-crisis-this-would-never-have-happened-if-sfa-had-the-bottle-to-stand-up-to-celtic-86908-22733472/

Rangers 0 Manure 2

David Rae, the Queen of the South chairman, last night called for Celtic counterpart John Reid to apologise to the Scottish refereeing fraternity in order to salvage his sideââ?¬â?¢s ALBA Challenge Cup final appearance. Queens are scheduled to take on Ross County at McDiarmid Park in the glamour game of the Scottish lower divisions this Sunday, but the match has been thrown into chaos in the 48 hours since Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s Category 1 referees voted to take strike action this weekend. The referees in question have been careful to deny that their industrial action was in response to the actions of any particular club, but Rae for one suspects the comments of Reid at last weekââ?¬â?¢s annual general meeting ââ?¬â?? where he called for Dougie McDonald to resign, and suggested that all referees should be forced to declare their childhood allegiances ââ?¬â?? were at the root of the problem. ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢m a bit concerned about it [the cup final going ahead] and I want to have a word with George Peat [sFA president],ââ?¬Â Rae said. ââ?¬Å?The SFA appoint the refs and itââ?¬â?¢s their job to find officials to run that game on Sunday. Itââ?¬â?¢s an all-ticket game and everything has been organised. It needs to be sorted by Wednesday. You have to think about the hospitality, because there are a whole lot of things involved. ââ?¬Å?I have some sympathy for the referees,ââ?¬Â he added. ââ?¬Å?There has been too much criticism thrown at them. Last week, a chairman of one of the biggest clubs in Scottish football came out with some comments that were out of order. ââ?¬Å?He went over the top and I think the referees and Hugh Dallas are due an apology. He is an ex-member of Parliament and they are used to slagging each other off all the time. That is politics but when you are chairman of a football club you have to respect officials, especially the referees. ââ?¬Å?This is not just going to affect Queen of the South against Ross County on Sunday. I have never known anything like it in the history of the game.ââ?¬Â The SFA have the power to import foreign officials or promote lower-grade referees in order to ensure that their fixtures are fulfilled, and Rae last night said he would accept any referee that the association deemed suitable for the match. ââ?¬Å?I would accept any official appointed by the SFA,ââ?¬Â Rae said. ââ?¬Å?But George Peat has got to come out of his ivory tower and speak to clubs like us because without the football clubs, he and the others wouldnââ?¬â?¢t have jobs. ââ?¬Å?But letââ?¬â?¢s face it, the referees have taken terrific abuse. They are human beings and canââ?¬â?¢t get every decision right. I believe they are the most honest guys. We need to get behind them. Itââ?¬â?¢s time to sit around the table and talk ââ?¬â?? clubs, chairmen, the SFA and Hugh Dallas.ââ?¬Â Rae feels that Reidââ?¬â?¢s plans for referees to declare their allegiances is unworkable. ââ?¬Å?Glasgow is the hub of Scottish football while in England you have 92 clubs and a lot of big cities who are spread the length and breadth of this country.ââ?¬Â http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/more-scottish-football/rae-calls-for-reid-to-apologise-to-scottish-refereeing-fraternity-1.1070137

Ha ha,i knew it HAD to be somebody elses fault

Was it the refs fault???,or the assistant refs???,the SFA??....................................NAW!!!YOUR JUST SHITE:D

Correct Pete,I'm just wondering what Boyd himself thinks,obviously we'll never know,but I think he must be regretting moving??,he had everything that we all can only dream of. Excuse my drunken ramblings lol

Just seems he is delaying his resigning a wee bit !!, will he resign???

If Miller moves then aye!!!!