ian1964

Worth keeping an eye on http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/seedcl2010.html

Is that not what Ally said he would be doing whilst working for ESPN @ the WC ?.

Rejection is a compliment to Rangers. Exasperation must have been felt when Chris Eagles turned down the club’s offer last week, even although it would have almost doubled the money he will earn in the Championship with Burnley. Even so, there is merit
in a wage structure that does not 
accommodate a 24-year-old yet to prove himself consistently effective. Wealth was once taken for granted at Ibrox, but the shift to frugality is complete. Kevin Thomson left for Middlesbrough partly because Rangers
understood they could not match the salary the midfielder would receive at the Riverside. Kris Boyd made the same calculation. Supporters will be distressed, but prudence should not be rejected out of hand. Eagles was a promising young winger when he broke through at Manchester United, before then contributing to Burnley’s promotion to the Barclays Premier League, but he often falls out of prominence. It is absurd to consider him a peerless figure. Common sense is to the fore when calls to breach a wage structure are rebuffed. Eagles might have heard of interest from different clubs, but 
Rangers have nothing to gain by trying to match the spending power of others. Clubs tend to shun the notion of a salary cap, but an unofficial one is already in place. It does not apply across the board: some teams will always be above such considerations. But money has drained from the Scottish game, and there is alarm in England, too. Some club chairmen have implored the Football League to apply some restraint to wage bills, for fear of being unable to control their own spending. Debts have curbed them instead. Walter Smith would prefer greater leeway, particularly with eight players out of contract next summer. Downsizing
has been forced on Rangers by the free spending that brought success and debt to the club under Sir David Murray. All the same, football in general needs to review its spending. Spanish football will prefer to rejoice at the national team’s World Cup victory rather than contemplate the debts that have accrued in recent years. A cash-flow problem prevented Barcelona paying all their players earlier this month, while Real Madrid’s last spending spree was financed by substantial loans from two friendly banks. Uefa are keen to impose financial controls, although the major clubs are predictably opposed. Roman Abramovich reined in his spending at Chelsea over the last two seasons, and there must be consternation in the boardrooms of most English Premier League clubs at the way Manchester City are now 
inflating the expectations of elite players.
Yaya Toure’s wage of almost Ã?£200,000 a week will be seen as a precedent. The splurge cannot continue. Rangers
might be wistful at the recollection of signing premium players like Brian Laudrup and Paul Gascoigne, but the 1990s turned out to be an aberration. Other players can always be identified. Eagles might develop further and discard some of the whimsy of his game, but he seems no more or no less a talent than Chris Burke, a player Rangers
developed then sold to Cardiff City. Charlie Adam is another who has thrived in the Championship – where Eagles has played most – since leaving Ibrox. There are always particulars, and both Burke and Adam looked to have run out of confidence before they left Scotland. Rangers were also seeking to reduce their squad at the time. Nonetheless, neither would have been on a higher wage at Ibrox than the one offered to Eagles. Rangers fans will grow anxious while their Old Firm rivals continue to spend money on wages and fees for players
like Joe Ledley and Daryl Murphy. Celtic will also have to sell to balance the books, though, and they balked at the demands of Jimmy Bullard, a player whose reputation seems to vastly exceed his accomplishment. Rangers’ finances are more tightly constrained while the club waits to be sold, but greater parity will eventually be restored. Restraint should be retained, though. The Old Firm will never be able to match the level of wages in the Barclays Premier League, but they should not be driven to recklessness by indivi-dual Championship clubs chasing their own route to the top flight. The greatest commodity will always be a manager’s astute judgement of a player’s worth. THE Clydesdale Bank Premier League has become a source of expertise. Billy Reid was the latest manager to be approached by a Football League club, although he opted to stay at Hamilton
rather than succeed Paulo Sousa at Swansea. Managerial reputations continue to be cultivated in Scotland. Alex McLeish and Owen Coyle will be conspicuous in the Barclays Premier League this season, having established themselves since leaving the Scotland job and St Johnstone, respectively. There must be Scottish traits that lend themselves to managerial authority,
although it was assumed the socialism and work ethic imposed by growing up in mining and ship-building communities were central to the successes of Bill Shankly, Sir Matt Busby, Jock Stein and Sir Alex Ferguson. Perhaps it is a refusal to be dis-regarded that expresses itself most forcibly in Scots. Coaching skills are taught by the SFA, but nature exerts an influence, too. Reid will be coveted again, while Derek McInnes looks like the most promising young manager of his generation. They are maintaining a tradition.

ANDY WEBSTER was back in a Rangers shirt for the first time in almost three years yesterday - and hopes he's there to stay. The defender made his first start since his successful loan at Dundee United as Gers beat Queens in Jim Thompson's testimonial thanks to Kenny Miller's strike. It was his first game for the Light Blues since he scored in his only other appearance - a 4-0 win over Gretna in September 2007. A series of injuries and loss of form following his move from Wigan in January 2007 had restricted his chances. But Webster hopes to make the most of his return to the champs. He said: "It isn't an issue the last time I played for Rangers - you just deal with it and get on with it. "I was just glad to get out there, be back amongst the boys and back to that sort of level playing football. "It was hard before but I am getting a buzz going into this season. "After being on loan at United last season, it is a clearer picture for me now." Webster claimed a Scottish Cup winner's medal with the Arabs last season and wants more glory with the Light Blues. He said: "Once last season finished, I started looking ahead to this season. "I am hungry for more silverware - you want more when you get a taste of it and obviously being at Rangers you get a chance to win silverware." Webster, 28, admitted partnering old Scotland pal Davie Weir in defence at Palmerston helped ease his comeback. He said: "I've played with big David before and he is a top-quality player. It made things easier for me going back in." Rangers were given a real workout ahead of their trip to Australia. They fielded their strongest side possible, with just World Cup stars Madjid Bougherra and Maurice Edu missing. And the sight of a bench full of kids illustrated just how threadbare Walter Smith's squad is. The midfield had a slightly different feel from last season with Steve Davis in the centre alongside Lee McCulloch and Stevie Naismith and Steven Whittaker on the flanks.Kyle Lafferty partnered Miller up front in what is likely to be Gers' main pairing for the new season. The Ibrox men had plenty of chances to bury Queens but home keeper Roddy McKenzie continually thwarted them until he had to go off after being clobbered by Sasa Papac in the 33rd minute. Advertisement That saw Doonhamers assistant boss Neil Scally take over in goal until Gers boss Smith loaned them his No2 keeper Neil Alexander at half-time. And Alexander could do nothing to prevent Miller from clipping the ball home from 10 yards in the 55th minute for the only goal. Webster admits their squad is thin but reckons it could be the chance for some of the youngsters to shine. He said: "In years gone by it has been difficult for players to get an opportunity such was the size of the first-team squad. "But there is a lot of quality with the younger players and they might get an opportunity. It was a good test for us and I thought it was quite a good standard. "It is nice to get on the pitch after you've done all the hard work in pre-season and it was a good workout." Doonhamers boss Kenny Brannigan joked that he hoped to keep hold of keeper Alexander. He said: "We have three keepers injured so it would be nice if we could extend the loan deal. "It was actually Walter who suggested we could use Neil and that was great." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3059065/Queen-of-the-South-0-Rangers-1.html#ixzz0u50eiaIe

Cheers,is that just for this season,or is there still talk of him signing the contract offer he has?.

What's the latest with Wilson anybody?. Obviously the liverpool link has calmed down a bit,is it still on?. I said at the time he should stay with Rangers and develope his potential, but also said if he doesn't want to be here then he should go. Hopefully he sorts his head out, signs the contract he was originaly offered and gets on with his career.Does he want to sign his contract for Rangers?, if not is WS right to keep him in the team?.

THE taxman has launched a �£150m war on English football. HM Revenue and Customs are taking on Portsmouth in the first salvo of a three-pronged attack on the game. They want to: * Stop clubs dodging tax by putting lesser- known players on huge image rights deals and claw back �£100m. * Confiscate millions more in VAT rebates which clubs claimed back on agents' fees. * Tear up Premier League regulations and the rules of football so players, managers and other clubs no longer have to be paid in full when a club like Portsmouth goes belly up. And if they succeed, English football will never be the same. Clubs, already hit by the global economic crisis, will face big bills and then either have to accept they cannot compete or take even greater risks to do so. And banks, who are already growing more wary of lending money to an industry which spends like there is no tomorrow, would take a tougher stance on football. Most significantly, it is likely they would start cutting or withdrawing the lines of credit which prop up the Premier League, whose total debt is an eye-watering �£3billion. HMRC's appeal against Portsmouth's bid to come out of administration will become a test case on the image rights issue. Victory would give them the green light to go after the �£100m their investigation says they are owed across the board. Triumph in the long-running VAT case would bring in just millions more. But the ultimate target is the football creditors rule and bringing to heel a sport which has taken the mickey out of the taxman for far too long. PORTSMOUTH may be forgiven for feeling persecuted but the taxman's latest legal threat is nothing personal. Pompey are just the most farcical and shocking example of the way Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs reckon football has taken them for a ride. And now it's payback time. For more than two decades, the taxman has tried - and mostly failed - to make football cough up what it owes. Inquiries into alleged bungs failed to add a single name to the George Graham roll of shame. But HMRC are now determined to clamp down on other forms of alleged tax-dodging, especially image rights payments to players. A tax spokesman said: "The Government remains committed to ensuring everyone pays their fair share of tax and that the minority who seek not to do so, shouldn't succeed. "Image rights is a technical area where the tax treatment will be largely dependent upon the facts of the particular case." Pompey are far from alone in paying certain players for the right to use their image or reputation to sell products. But the amount HMRC are claiming from the Fratton outfit is a huge - �£13,293,651.72. And, don't forget, that's �£13million in unpaid tax. The actual sum they have paid out in image rights over a number of years is far more. Manchester United, when announcing the bond issue used to refinance their debts earlier this year, told potential investors they could owe the taxman up to �£5.3m in relation to image rights. Assuming the taxman assessed the clubs over the same period, Pompey somehow owe more than twice that owed by the biggest club in the world. The latest accounts for the Hong Kong-based company that ultimately owns Birmingham report a potential bill for more than �£5m. That would be the level you might expect at Portsmouth. But �£13m? United can legitimately argue Wayne Rooney (below) is worth the �£760,000 he is paid per year in image rights. But the list of debts published by Pompey's administrators reveals some strange names. Tal Ben Haim (below right), John Utaka and Lauren, players whose commercial pull is hardly substantial, are all owed image rights money. The exact sums are not revealed - though we do know Sol Campbell is claiming �£1.7m - but they are the sort of names HMRC have been investigating on a deal-by-deal probe into the Premier League. The suspicion is this: in order to attract a certain level of player, clubs who cannot afford to meet their wage demands and the tax on them work round it. They pay a basic salary and the 40 per cent tax rate on it, but also pay image rights into a separate company, often based in a tax haven. If the player is from the UK, he will pay between 21 and 28 per cent corporation tax; if he is from overseas, he may well end up paying no tax at all. While David Nugent's image rights payments went to a firm in Rochdale, Croat Niko Kranjcar had his cash directed to Nakano Advisors Corp in the British Virgin Islands and Ben Haim's was collected by Talis Assets Ltd in Guernsey. If HMRC can convince the High Court in the autumn that Portsmouth owe all or some of the �£13m, there will be two sets of consequences: Some for Portsmouth, some for football in general. Legal In June, Pompey's creditors approved a Company Voluntary Arrangement which would pay them just 20p for every pound they were owed. HMRC believe that is not a big enough return for the public purse and that the voting was unfair. Why? Because administrators did not include the �£13m of image rights tax debt. Had it been included, the taxman could have voted down the CVA because they would have spoken for more than 25 per cent of the total unsecured debt. So HMRC would be able to force the administrators to come back with a better offer. But they would also have legal backing for their attempts to collect at least �£60m in back tax from across football. A leading agent said: "It would cause problems for some clubs because the tax bill could push them out of business." The big clubs could still attract the biggest players by paying well for their image rights. But smaller clubs may find convincing a certain level of player harder. The agent feels the taxman is being harsh on football and that the Prem and FA must take steps to minimise the damage. The agent said: "Football is sexy and going after the game gives tax officials something to talk about down the pub. "What about rugby league, rugby union and cricket? The FA and the Premier League should sit down with taxman, draw a line in the sand and agree to pay compensation on behalf of their clubs to sort out the current situations. "Then they should come up with cast-iron guidelines across ALL SPORTS. However, the taxman's Holy Grail is to overturn the football creditors rule whereby players and other clubs are paid in full while other creditors settle for a proportion of money owed. A tax source said: "It is not acceptable that people in football can walk off into the sunset, paid in full. "It's not a tax on football, it's about getting people to pay their fair share to UK plc."

Well,the hooped BHEASTS got another doing in their build up to the Braga game,good enough for the wee rhat Lemon:)

Walter Smith could make Michael Tonge, the Stoke City winger, his first summer signing. The Rangers manager has been offered the former England Under-21 player on a season-long loan after Tonge failed to make an impact following his Ã?£2m transfer from Sheffield United two years ago. Tonge scored both goals as United shocked Liverpool in the League Cup in 2003, but made just 10 appearances in the Barclays Premier League after joining Stoke. The 27-year-old was loaned to Championship clubs Preston North End and Derby County last season. Herald Sport understands Tonge is excited about the prospect of joining Rangers and, unlike Smith’s attempts to land the Burnley midfielder Chris Eagles, money will not prevent the transfer being completed. As Smith finds it increasingly difficult to bring in the players he wants on the budget he has, he may be ready to gamble on one who has struggled to find his best form in recent seasons. A Rangers insider said: “The club have been offered his services and it is something Walter Smith is looking at seriously as he needs wide players who can make things happen in the final third.” Smith is also attempting to sign Brett Holman from AZ Alkmaar. The Dutch club have sanctioned a season-long loan for the 26-year-old attacking midfielder, who scored twice for Australia at the World Cup, and the move will hinge on whether Rangers can match Holman’s wages.

This is not a sensible time to try any kissing-the-badge-style stunts around Ibrox. Any player who might be inclined to waffle about how much Rangers means to him, or how he would never wish to play anywhere else, can be quickly exposed by a glimpse of some pound signs. Even those who regard themselves as “Rangers men” have their price these days. Kris Boyd, Nacho Novo and Kevin Thomson all had their moments when it came to laying it on thick about the thrill of pulling on a blue shirt. When it came down to it, all three of them left because they could earn more dosh somewhere else. Rangers continue to be financially hamstrung. Every player in the final year of his contract – like Kenny Miller – has been told they will not receive anything “significant” in terms of an offer to stay. Miller isn’t the type to pull the wool over any supporter’s eyes. The Scotland forward genuinely would like to stay at Rangers beyond an existing contract which ends next summer, but he was pretty blunt about one thing at Murray Park yesterday: if job security and financial stability were offered to him by another club, the chances are he’d be off. He said: “I don’t want to leave but sometimes it can be exciting. If it’s the right thing and something you’re interested in, then fine, it can be a welcome chat with the manager. But as it stands there aren’t any decisions to be made so you just need to get your head down and get on with it. “You just never know what can happen. I’m sitting here now but something could happen tomorrow. It leaves uncertainty within the squad at the moment because we don’t know what’s going to happen. But the manager spoke to the lads who are going into this season with a year left on their contracts and he explained the situation. At the end of the day there’s nothing we can do about it.” Miller, Lee McCulloch, Danny Wilson, Andy Webster, Sasa Papac, Neil Alexander, Andrius Velicka and David Weir are all free agents next summer. Thomson was in the same position until he left for Middlesbrough in a Ã?£2m move on Thursday. Weir’s career will end at Ibrox but any of the other seven could be the next to leave if Rangers receive a bid. If someone was to bid around Ã?£2.5m for Miller any time soon Rangers would have a major decision to make. That would be good money for someone they could lose for nothing in a year. The situation means that around half of Smith’s squad face a worrying, or at least an uncertain, few months. “It’s not ideal but this is the situation the club is in,” said Miller. “To be honest it’s a disappointment when you’re happy somewhere and feel settled. Under normal circumstances, if you’re doing well and the team is successful then the manager would be knocking on a few doors saying he’s looking to extend your stay. But if the club isn’t in the position to do that then there’s nothing anyone can do. “It does bring uncertainly. Going into the last year of your contract gives you all different things to worry about. You think about what would happen if you get injured and things like that. We just need to deal with it and if any decisions need to be made along the way then we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Personally, I’m as happy now as I’ve ever been at any other time in my career. The only time we worry about it is when the gaffer pulls us aside and says ‘somebody wants you, do you want to go?’” If Rangers’ financial position improved and they could make Miller an offer he would happily stay longer at Ibrox. “I’ve said I would be more than happy to sign again at Rangers. I’ve been really settled and I’m really enjoying my time, and my football as well which is the main thing. But it’s not happening so there’s no point sitting talking about it.” Miller confessed that it felt like “full turnaround” since his first spell at Rangers around 2001, when they were high rollers with the likes of Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Ronald de Boer, Jorg Albertz and Tore Andre Flo on the books. “We look around the dressing room at the moment and there are maybe only 15 or 16 experienced, first team lads. Ideally we’d have four more but by the looks of things the younger lads are going to be a big part of it. If the ones who left are not replaced then we just need to get on with it but just for sheer numbers we need a couple of bodies just to freshen things up. It’s not a concern at the moment, but if we lose any more then it would be.” Rangers agreed a Ã?£2m fee with Burnley to sign Chris Eagles only for the player to turn down a transfer. Miller feels the 24-year-old made the wrong choice. “No disrespect to Chris Eagles, but is he going to get a team in England where he will get Champions League football? Probably not.” Miller was officially unveiling the new away kit, which will be worn in tomorrow’s Jim Thomson testimonial against Queen of the South at Palmerston. No Miller badge-kissing, then, just a bona fide attempt to sell the jerseys.

I haven't seem enough of him to make a comment tbh, but do we not have any young players who would be just as good as him??, Fleck would feature more for me before we took a gamble on McArthur!!

Aye,should have been clearer mate, I'm not saying I want him in, just think WS will try and bring him in

McArthur in from the Accies now to replace Thomson?

How come nobody is battering down the door to buy the world class winger tattie face???? In the meantime, have a wee laugh at the BHEASTS http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2010/07/15/news/doc4c3f7cf0d4481937212868.txt

CHRIS EAGLES will jet out to Singapore with Burnley - and leave Rangers high and dry. The Clarets wide man left Gers chiefs stunned when he rejected an offer believed to be worth �£15,000-a-week basic - and demanded five grand MORE. Rangers had agreed a fee of �£1.5million with the Turf Moor outfit before opening contract talks with the player. They were confident he'd be jetting to Australia with them for their pre-season tour next week. Now he'll head to Singapore with Burnley boss Brian Laws and his squad after rejecting an offer which would have seen him double his Clarets wage. SunSport can reveal the bumper financial deal which was sensationally snubbed. I understand that Gers chief executive Martin Bain tabled a deal worth �£15,000-a-week to the 24-year-old. That's twice as much as the �£7,000-a-week the ex-Manchester United kid currently earns. He was on �£14,000-a-week when Burnley were in the Premier League last season but those terms have been halved now they're back in the Championship. Rangers felt the package they were able to offer would be good enough to land the winger. But former England Under-21 starlet Eagles demanded an extra five grand to take his weekly wage to a whopping �£20,000. Rangers were left stunned with his hardline stance, especially given he'd have earned bonuses on top of their basic offer. But after a stand-off Eagles and his advisors refused to buckle before walking away from the move yesterday afternoon. The official Burnley website released a statement which confirmed Eagles "had decided a move to Glasgow Rangers was not in his best interests. A fee had been agreed but he was unable to agree personal terms." Gers will now look elsewhere to bolster their squad before they jet out on their pre-season training camp in Sydney. But the loss of Eagles has been a hammer blow to boss Walter Smith and his plans for the new campaign. He's desperate to find an attacking wide player and saw Eagles as the perfect fit. Smith personally got involved in talks with Eagles at Ibrox on Wednesday afternoon. He was hopeful an agreement could be reached - but quickly realised Eagles was NOT certain to sign. Last night it emerged there was interest from Sunderland. But Eagles has just 12 months to run on his Burnley contract and looks set to let that run out.

No big loss IMO

CHRIS EAGLES swooped into Ibrox yesterday and gaffer Walter Smith urged him to be Rangers' wide-boy. The ex-Manchester United starlet, 24, had talks about a �£1.5million switch from Burnley. SunSport exclusively revealed the move this week and Eagles was given a tour of Ibrox by club legend Sandy Jardine before being whisked off to Murray Park for a medical. The deal is expected to be completed today with Eagles signed and sealed in time to fly out on the club's pre-season trip to Australia next week. Smith said last night: "We've had different players playing in the wider positions for us in the last few years. The likes of Steven Naismith, John Fleck and even Steven Davis have played in that area of the pitch when it's not their natural position. "We have not had a midfielder/winger and that's what Eagles is. "He can take the ball, dribble and do something a little bit different. We've not had that in the team so if he signs then I hope that's what he brings to us. "I watched him play for Burnley over the last few seasons and he's always impressed me. "It would be our first signing in two years - which makes a nice change - but I feel the freshness is something that we could be doing with in the group. "All being well, I'm hopeful that's what Chris will bring." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3055119/The-Eagles-has-landed.html#ixzz0thjKWGtg

Some quotes on Eagles from Burnley fans http://boards.footymad.net/forum.php?tno=104&fid=297&sty=2&act=1&mid=2120943712&page=1

more big wages:)

Big wages!!!!!

Agreed, Lafferty at least deserves a chance, and maybe he will come good, he is certainly young enough to improve his game,and attitude.

Of course,if he goes then there is no point in debating it,we just have to get on with it and Boyd can GTF:)

Well Ally was @ the WC looking for players from the teams that were knocked out early as they would be the only ones we can afford......................I take it he didn't see any???

Nobody is saying it can't !!, what is being said is that if Boyd leaves we lose guaranteed goals,whoever replaces him is a gamble:)

Who's comparing him to McCoist???