ian1964

Friday BUMP!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/predictor/

Liverpool left it mighty late for there win http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/8516466.stm

Bad news for us,this is not going to help us get back on a strong financial footing,tough times ahead.

Landry N'guemo last night claimed Celtic are good enough to take 39 steps to the title. But boss Tony Mowbray admits he might have to rope in a couple of full-backs to ease his central defensive crisis. Cameroon midfielder Nguemo has targeted 13 wins from 13 SPL games between now and the end of the season as they bid to topple Rangers from the top of the table. The Light Blues are 10 points ahead and even if their rivals go on a winning run it might not be enough to land them a 43rd championship. But Nguemo reckons 13 out of 13 would be good enough to take it - and he insists his team are strong enough to make it happen. He said: "The spirit is very good here and I'm very happy to play in this team. We are 10 points behind the leaders and we have to really fight in order to go to the top of the table. "We cannot afford any more mistakes, we must win all 13 games. We have a good team, we can win all these matches." Mowbray concedes he will have to patch up the centre of his defence, with Glenn Loovens and Jos Hooiveld injured and Darren O'Dea suspended for this weekend's visit of Dundee United, leaving teenagers Josh Thompson and Thomas Rogne as the only natural centre-backs. Right-back Andreas Hinkel is back in contention after recovering from a thigh injury but asked if Thompson and Rogne will team up against United, Mowbray said: "It might not be a centre-half. I might play Mark Wilson there, I might play Lee Naylor there. "You can play full-backs at centre-half no problem, it's been done many times, as long as they have a defensive mind and understand the danger." Will they EVER learn to keep their mouths shut ? http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2010/02/19/celtic-can-win-13-out-of-13-spl-games-to-steal-title-back-insists-landry-n-guemo-86908-22053926/

39 year old CB = MOPES would love to have a defender as consistent as him Workmanlike midfield = Davis for player of the season?,Whittaker on 10 goals so far Boyd & Miller = best strikers in the SPL. This article is a pile of shite, because we are so far in front they say '' as poor Rangers team as I have seen for a long time '', trying to take away any praise for Rangers FC, if the positions were reversed the article would read C****c easing their way to another title, C****c are so far ahead of every other SPL team. I feel their pain and I enjoy how much they are hurting :spl:

SCOTLAND will have only one entrant in the Champions League from season 2011-12 after being overtaken in the Uefa co-efficient ranking table by Belgium last night. Another poor season for Scottish clubs in European competition had already seen a slide to 15th place in this season's provisional ranking list which will determine participation for the 2011-12 campaign. Only countries in the top 15 are granted two or more places in the Champions League. But last night's Europa League results for Belgian clubs, with Club Brugge and Standard Liege beating Valencia and Salzburg respectively while Anderlecht drew at Athletic Bilbao, saw Scotland drop to 16th place, meaning only next season's SPL champions will go into the elite club tournament where they will begin in the second qualifying round. It has serious financial consequences, especially for the Old Firm whose half-yearly accounts published this week graphically underlined the value of reaching the group stage of the Champions League. This season's SPL winners will go into the group stage of the 2010-11 Champions League, while the runners-up will face two qualifying rounds. http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/SPL-loses-a-Champions-League.6087292.jp

Mmmmmmmmmmm, there's something not quite right about that

He can't be seen to pick too many '' HUNS ''

Tony Mowbrayââ?¬â?¢s time at Celtic is almost at an end. In my mind, he is a dead man walking as Celtic manager and the next 10 days look like determining his fate. It wonââ?¬â?¢t be the fansââ?¬â?¢ calls for him to go that eventually ends his eight-month association with the club, should he lose or draw against Dundee United or Rangers. No, the parting by mutual consent will come from a board panicking at the thud of season tickets being returned to the Parkhead door in disgust at Celtic losing the title for the second season in succession to one of the most mediocre Rangers sides I can remember. The buck stops with the manager for failure, but there are other culprits in this farcical situation the club is currently mired in. They find themselves trying to claw back 10 points on a team that contains a 39-year-old veteran in defence, a workmanlike midfield, a Celtic reject and a Ã?£3.5million waste of money. The catalogue of mistakes is damning on and off the field, and the performances and results are evidence enough that it is not working under Mr Mowbray. During his stewardship, Celtic have played 39 games, won 19, lost 11 and drawn nine. When Mowbray arrived at Celtic, as second choice, in June 2009, the proclamation from chairman John Reid was: ââ?¬Å?The fightback starts here, today. ââ?¬Å?And thereââ?¬â?¢s nobody better to lead that fightback than Celticââ?¬â?¢s own, and Celticââ?¬â?¢s manager, Tony Mowbrayââ?¬Â. In Mowbrayââ?¬â?¢s words, he wanted to make Celtic ââ?¬Å?feared and respected in Europeââ?¬Â. ââ?¬Å?Weââ?¬â?¢ll be trying to emulate good football,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?Try to give the supporters a brand of football that they can be proud of; score goals, win trophies, play with a panache and style.ââ?¬Â Feared? No. Respected? No. Scared? Yes! The defending has Celtic fans looking through their fingers in the stands or, for many ââ?¬Ë?stay-awayââ?¬â?¢ supporters, popping up from behind the couch with a quilt over their heads. Iââ?¬â?¢ve said all along that, with this defence, Celtic have to score three goals to win. I am sorry, I was wrong, after last Saturday at Aberdeen; itââ?¬â?¢s five to win a game. Fifty goals scored, 28 conceded and a team now heading into the United game on Saturday without Darren Oââ?¬â?¢Dea, Jos Hooiveld (injured again) and Glenn Loovens, not to mention the suspended Aiden McGeady. Whoââ?¬â?¢s to blame? Mowbray takes the brunt with a team that contains four loan signings, only one of whom has a realistic chance of staying on. Does that strike you as a long-term plan or short-term panic? Hooiveld was signed while unfit and Iââ?¬â?¢ve already gone over the complete lack of urgency to get more cover in central defence at the start of January rather than the end. Defensive mistakes since the transfer window opened have cost Celtic 12 points in their last eight SPL games. There are no excuses. Remember the bravado of some Celtic fans about the players brought in and what was going to happen in the title race? Rasmussen has started one match and made three substitute appearances, Ki has had three starts and three sub appearances and Zheng Zhi hasnââ?¬â?¢t reached double figures in matches started since he arrived last September. As if to add fuel to the fire ââ?¬â?? or in this case to try and put out the fire ââ?¬â?? Tony then appoints Scott Brown captain of Celtic. Everyone thought the new captain was on his way out; we must have been misled? Could we have been wrong? Tactical decisions have been bewildering, but since Iââ?¬â?¢m not paid to make those decisions, I have elected not to dwell too much on Brown at left-back at Rugby Park or Robbie Keaneââ?¬â?¢s substitution at Pittodrie. The financial results released by Celtic this week show a drop in turnover from the last managerââ?¬â?¢s failings and the increase in debt shows the new boss has not spent it wisely or in the right areas. You cannot fool all of the people all of the time. Clueless, rudderless and by the time the final whistle goes at Ibrox on February 28, they will be SPL trophy-less. Chief executive Peter Lawwell has stated: ââ?¬Å?We have strategies in place for the further development of the club.ââ?¬Â It wonââ?¬â?¢t be with Tony Mowbray at the helm.

Cash-strapped Portsmouth have asked the Premier League for permission to sell players outside the transfer window. However, BBC sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar said he believes the transfer window, which ended on 1 February, is a Fifa regulation. "I don't think it's in the gift of the Premier League to allow Portsmouth to sell players outside of it," he added. The club confirmed: "We have put in a request to the Premier League to sell players outside the transfer window." There are two transfer windows a year in England, running from 1 January to 31 January and from 1 June to 31 August. However, if the window is set to close on a weekend it can be extended because of administration reasons, hence the most recent transfer window closing on 1 February. 606: DEBATE They simply cannot grant this as it will open the floodgates... famouszukeeper Pompey, who are believed to be about �£60m in debt, have not identified any specific players for sale but reports suggest Algeria international Nadir Belhadj, midfielder Kevin Prince-Boateng and young defender Marc Wilson could be made available. Portsmouth have already had four owners this season and are understood to be in negotiations with two buyers who are interested in taking them over. The south-coast club, who are bottom of the Premier League, survived a winding up order last week but were forced to deliver a detailed statement of their finances to both the High Court and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on Wednesday. And they face another winding up petition from HMRC over an unpaid �£11.7m tax bill on 1 March. Hong Kong-based businessman Balram Chainrai became the club's fourth owner of the season in early February when he secured 90% of the club's shares after previous owner Ali Al Faraj defaulted on loan payments due to Chainrai. Portsmouth are eight points from safety in the top flight and their players have been paid late on four occasions this season. The club are also involved in a separate dispute with former owner Sacha Gaydamak over whether they have missed a deadline in paying a �£9m chunk of the �£28m they owe to him. The Premier League recently withheld �£2m of transfer payments and a �£7m slice of television revenue to divert to Chelsea and Watford for the signings of Glen Johnson and Tommy Smith respectively. The Fratton Park outfit are also being sued by former defender Sol Campbell for �£1.7m for unpaid image rights. Meanwhile, a financial expert says Portsmouth face a very real threat of extinction because of their financial problems and he believes administration is an unlikely option. "Arguably, the level of debt associated with this case will mean that it is unlikely that a suitable or willing benefactor will be found," said Simon Wilson, a partner with restructuring experts Zolfo Cooper. To continue to underwrite the club would most likely result in greater losses at a later date Financial expert Simon Wilson "Portsmouth therefore face the very real threat of liquidation because it is increasingly unlikely that an administration order will be sought or granted. "In this eventuality, the players' contracts are no longer assets of the club and it would lose its membership of the Premier League. "The role of the liquidator would be to realise whatever free and available assets still remain. "The value of these assets would be nominal. While the unsecured creditors, including HMRC, would likely see no return from such a process, it is not in their interests to continue to support a business that is simply not viable and has no financial substance. "To continue to underwrite the club would most likely result in greater losses at a later date. This would be an unprecedented case in the realms of the Premier League and would throw light on the fact that clubs can no longer rely on 'white knights' to rescue them from financial ruin. "Many football clubs have allowed their levels of debt to grow to immense proportions. These debts cannot be serviced and investors simply don't have the appetite or ability to take on such poor business propositions." http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/portsmouth/8522283.stm

Rangers FC ARE owned by MIH !! Why would Murray not allow Rangers go to the wall ??

Alastair Johnston, the Rangers chairman, insisted last night that the club are on the road to financial recovery, though he was unable to shed any light on any potential new Ibrox owner appearing on the horizon. Johnston was speaking on the day of some encouraging Rangers interim financial results being announced, which revealed a profit of Ã?£13.1 million — an increase of Ã?£22 million on last year — and a hike in turnover to Ã?£37.8 million. Rangers, however, remain “within the remit” of their bankers, Lloyds, whose aim is to reclaim as much of their lending to the Scottish champions as possible. On this subject Johnston appeared to be caught between being appreciative of Rangers’ bankers and being frustrated by them. The Rangers chairman refused to divulge what the present Ibrox debt stands at, though it is believed to be down to around Ã?£27 million from the Ã?£31 million figure stated in the club’s last full set of accounts.”The recovery plan has gone well over the past nine months,” Johnston said. “I think the club is in a better position now than it has been. So that aspect is pleasing. We have a business plan in conjunction with the bank and we are happy to abide by that.” But while “tentative discussions” had taken place with various parties, Johnston confirmed that no bid had yet been made to buy Rangers.”We have had no offers to buy the club,” the Rangers chairman said. “There have been tentative discussions, but no offers. But the sale of the club, when it happens, will I hope be the catalyst to one of my great objectives here — which is to remove the reliance of Rangers FC on external financing. “That ambition is still my key objective. In the long term we want to be able to sustain our own independent revenue streams at Rangers.” Johnston sounded less effusive, though, when asked about the contribution of Donald Muir — the Murray Group’s representative on the Ibrox board — to the club’s cause. “Well, ah, let me say this — Donald is always interesting to listen to,” Johnston said, a mite hesitantly. “He says some things that are constructive, and other things that maybe we might hold a different view on. But Donald is always interesting.” Johnston also insisted that he still hoped to persuade Walter Smith to remain as manager into next season. “I’ve always said that I want Walter to stay at the club,” he said. “But Walter has said — and we respect this — that he wants to see this season out first and then take a view of things in the summer.”

Great, I think I am right in saying though that Rangers FC are owned by MIH and if we don't get a buyer then we are in deep shit no ?.

RANGERS chairman Alastair Johnston believes the remaining 13 games of the SPL campaign hold the key to the Ibrox club securing a healthier, long-term financial future. Speaking as Rangers published half-yearly accounts which reveal an operating profit of �£13.1 million for the six months to 31 December 2009, Johnston admitted the value of Champions League qualification cannot be overstated in addressing the prospects of reducing his club's �£31million debt and attracting new ownership and investment. The Scottish champions' interim figures also showed a turnover of �£37.8million, directly attributable to their participation in the group stage of European football's elite club competition this season. Twelve months earlier, on the back of elimination from the Champions League in the second qualifying round by Lithuanian side Kaunas, Rangers posted a loss of almost �£9million and turnover of just �£20.1million. The contrast is startling and illuminates Rangers' need to retain their domestic title this season. With Scotland's Uefa co-efficient ranking in freefall, it is likely to be the last year for some time the SPL champions will qualify directly for the lucrative group phase of the Champions League. Rangers, who squeezed into the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup last night with a 1-0 win over St Mirren, are ten points ahead of Celtic at the top of the SPL with 13 games to play, leaving them on course for a championship success which would underpin Johnston's quest to steer his club out of their current fiscal storm. "The main thing for us at the moment is the short term and focusing on matters on the field," Johnston told The Scotsman last night. "The next ten weeks will impact significantly on how we aspire to make progress for the club. "The figures we are announcing today are pleasing and they show just how crucial it is to be in the Champions League. We have to sound a note of caution, because we still face many challenges, but clearly getting into the Champions League again would be of significant benefit." Johnston succeeded Sir David Murray as Rangers chairman last August during a period of turmoil for the club as their finances came under intense scrutiny from Lloyds TSB. While he concedes the bank's ongoing involvement in the club's affairs is "not desirable", Johnston sought to ease concern among supporters as he insisted it is currently to Rangers' benefit. "Looking back to August, when Lloyds TSB were taking a more than unusual interest in Rangers, we have to be satisfied with where we are now," he added. "We were successful in persuading them that their immediate reaction, which was to look to downsize the club, was impractical and particularly unwise in terms of maintaining the club's value. "We reached an agreement with them which is not ideal for either party but is practical in the circumstances. In no way would I criticise the fans who are entitled to voice their opinions. But as far as our relationship with Lloyds goes, it is working. We need them at this point in time. Murray (International Holdings) are not going to put any more money into the club, so we need the bank. They have been left holding the baby after the economic crisis hit Murray. The bank are our stop-gap measure." Donald Muir, the corporate troubleshooter appointed to the board to oversee the club's financial restructuring, has become the focal point of protests from Rangers supporters, but Johnston called for understanding of his fellow director's position. "To say Donald Muir is conflicted may be overstating it, but he is wearing two hats," said Johnston. "He is a non-executive director of Rangers and is expected to work within that role. He also represents the Murray group of companies, so in that role he is seeking to liquidate to Murray's advantage. "In terms of a possible new owner, there is activity, but it is like shadow boxing at the moment. I would hope something will happen sooner rather than later, but there has to be understanding and probably compromise. It will be challenging going forward and hopefully we can adjust the current business plan which was the subject of Walter Smith's ire recently, rightly so in my opinion." Smith had expressed his frustration at the restrictions placed on him in the transfer market where Rangers have now not paid money for a new player since August 2008. Johnston praised the veteran manager for his part in achieving ongoing success for Rangers despite those handicaps and is hopeful Smith and his assistants Ally McCoist and Kenny McDowall will be in a position to agree new contracts this summer. "The guys know our position," he said. "Walter is at the stage of his career that whenever his time at Rangers does end, he will probably go and play golf. With Ally and Kenny, who are a bit younger, we are dealing with different scenarios. Walter is keeping an open mind at the moment. Whatever happens, history will show that Rangers were very fortunate to have him as manager during this period." Emerging from the January transfer window with the loss of only Pedro Mendes and Jerome Rothen was regarded as something of a bonus by Rangers but the club face further uncertainty at the end of the season when several players, including top scorer Kris Boyd, are out of contract. Boyd has decided to wait until the summer before making a decision on his future. "The offer to Kris Boyd remains on the table," said Johnston. "We hope he will stay but circumstances outwith our control, such as offers from English football, could persuade him to leave. We can't control the environment we are in when it comes to contract negotiations." KEY FIGURES TURNOVER �£37.8m Up by �£17.7m OPERATING PROFIT �£13.1m Up by �£17.0m OPERATING EXPENSES �£21.0m Down by �£3.6m http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Rangers-progress-in-cup-.6082665.jp

Aye,but until a buyer is found we are in deep shit

BBC Scotland interview with AJ:- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/8520966.stm

Welcome to gersnet guys,it's a good fair forum,enjoy.

BBC Highlights http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/8521215.stm

Great result for Perth side,wish HIVS would have won though,this will have no bearing on our game with them though,aye they will have gained a bit of confidence,but we are a machine and will take care of them setting us up for the OF game nicely, we are the champions and we will remain as champions

If we don't get a buyer/take over and because we are tied in with MIH we will go down with MIH ??.

He's also just said he doesn't know how much the club is for sale?, '' it's between MIH and the bank,until someone actually comes in and says we are interested in buying Rangers FC then it will be up to the bank & MIH to decide how much it would cost ''

About to be heard on real radio http://www.realradio-scotland.co.uk/station/listen-live/k8um6mai/

We need to get a banner for the next OF game YOU CAN'T BEAT THE ESTABLISHMENT

I don't think anybody is counting chickens yet tbf, the fact is we have a good chance of winning the treble so why not think we can?.

http://www.hmfckickback.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=68059