ian1964

Got my CL package yesterday,canny wait for the games tbh

Agreed,also you actually felt confident before a game,whoever we were playing, that we could get a result. Prior to kick off last night I was dreading the game in case we got well humped,that's the difference between Smith,Eck & Burley

Aye,based on non qualification

Surely continuity doesn't really affect any National team as they are together less than a club team !!!. It's ok if you have the right manager in place and IMO and that of many others Burley is not the right manager,and should never have got the job in the first place,IMO. Any manager is judged on each qualifying campaign, Burley = FAIL

I beg your pardon, I am entitled to my opinion, and my opinion was not directed at you in particular,just my opinion on Burley and the '' Tartan Army ''

Weir showed the Heid, Scotlands player of the year, how to play as an International CB, the Hied let Scotland down with his performance against Norway

We're not out of the World Cup because of last night,the whole campaign has been a disaster,Scotland SHOULD have qualified in second place in this section easily,IMO.

Get Burley tae feck,and stick yer Tartan Army up yer erse

Walter Smith

England have to be a good shout to win it

Penalty aside I was really impressed by the performance of Naismith and hopefully he goes on to show the undoubted quality that he has for Rangers

That's why it WAS a penalty

Yip,we all see the game differently

Easy to pick out a MOPE!!!!,outside the pub at half time having a smoke and a few guys were saying how well we had played the first half, I said '' Miller should have scored '', guy replies,'' aye Miller is shite '', I then said '' he was unlucky and playing well,and Broon should have scored '',........'' nah Broon was stretching for the ball, I said '' well Naismith scored a perfectly good goal '', he said '' aye but the keeper never moved for the ball as he knew he was offside ''.............!!!!!,they really do have a complex

Fair enough,but IMO he was pulled back in the box.............stone waller for me

Agreed, he did well,although a lot of the saves he made were straight at him,Gordons saves on Saturday were better IMO,however I don't want to take anything away from his performance and he did have a good game

Can't really deny that Miller should have scored,but you can't deny the keeper did well,as for Broon over stretching!!!!.........maybe but he never had the goalie to beat,all in all I thought Miller had a very good game tonight,as did all the Rangers players IMO

Miller missed one chance that he should have scored,you could say the goalkeeper did well,however Broon 9 missed the easiest chance. Whittaker was excellent tonight and really showed what a good player he can be,Naismith was the best player in a Scotland jersey tonight and his goal wass never offside

I thought Scotland played well,better than I expected,the best players for Scotland were the Rangers players,Naismith being MOTM IMO and his goal was never offside,Miller had a good game and was unlucky not to score and was brought down for a stone waller penalty,Weir was solid although he WILL get blamed for the goal,Whittaker was also excellent IMO,and before what WILL be said about Millers miss,Broons miss was far worse IMO. However the good thing that has came out of this poor qualifying campaign is that Burley WILL be removed from a position he clearly is not capable of doing.The question now is who will take over from Burley................Walter Smith ???

Mmmmmmmmmm,got a feeling Holland are going to rip Scotland a new arsehole

Has to be big Lee,terrific strike,like to see more efforts from distance from all our midfielders

CL draw this week...........canny fookin wait [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0-bWN2KGHo]YouTube - Rangers vs Barcelona Entrance[/ame]

What do we know though??,we're only punters!!!

THE numbers may have diminished from last season's double-winning squad, and there will no doubt be much biting of nails and glances at the clock as the transfer window edges into its final week. But, as this summer of speculation over more possible exits and on-going financial worries continue, Rangers displayed one massive trait at Tynecastle that has not abandoned them - a fierce will to win. ONE BY ONE By Thomas Jordan McGREGOR Error Under pressure to turn on the style after being handed back the No.1 jersey but badly at fault for Hearts' openinger. However, a fantastic second-half save from Goncalves was a major turning point in the match. WHITTAKER Steady Difficult afternoon for the full-back with Hearts having the benefit of an extra man but held his position and got up and down the park. PAPAC Decent Always among the most consistent performers and performed well as full-back and third centre-half at times. BOUGHERRA Solid Rangers must avoid losing the defender during the transfer window or they are in serious trouble as he was outstanding once again at the heart of the defence. WEIR Leader Forget the fact he is closing in on 40. Stood up and was counted when his side needed him most. McCULLOCH Clinical An early contender for top goalscorer this season? Highly unlikely but the midfielder is thriving in his new central midfield role after netting his second goal in as many matches. THOMSON Rash Waited 10 months for his first competitive start but lasted all of 13 minutes before being sent off for needless late challenge on Ian Black. Left his team-mates seriously up against it for the restof the match. DAVIS Excellent Dragged Rangers forward and made the difference. An intelligent footballer with fantastic work ethic. FLECK Unfortunate Never really got a chance of influence the game after Thomson was sent packing and came off at the interval to allow Smith to adopt a more solid line-up and system. NAISMITH Busy Won his side a last-minute penalty and although he wasn't always at his best against Hearts he worked hard for his team-mates. MILLER Hard working Frustrating afternoon for the striker as he led the line on his own with next to no service but didn't stop trying. SMITH Solid Came on at half-time and operated as a wing-back at times as he tried to get up and down the park but the defensive side of his game helped Rangers take control of the game. BOYD Winner If anyone was going to snatch a winner with just two minutes on the field then it was him. Stepped up to score from the penalty spot in the last minute to seal the points. WALTER SMITH Clever The manager more than earned his money at Tynecastle. A goal down - and a man down at the interval - he swapped Fleck for Stevie Smith, tinkered with the formation and system and was rewarded with a vital victory. It was that spirit, that mark of champions, which allowed them to leave the capital with three big points after yet another highly-charged showdown with Hearts. Sure, there was much for those of a Rangers persuasion to be concerned about in the aftermath of the 2-1 win. The poor attempt keeper Allan McGregor made to save the shot from David Witteveen which gave Csaba Laszlo's men the lead in the first half was one. The entire Gers defence, too, was at fault for allowing Witteveen to get in a position to take a shot on goal in the first place, although TV pictures showed the striker should have been flagged for offside in the build-up to the goal. And, yes, Kevin Thomson's ordering off in his first start in nine months for a rash tackle on Ian Black after little more than 10 minutes, changed the complexion of the match and was a challenge the midfielder should have stayed away from. Nevertheless, Walter Smith's side left with the spoils. And, to have emerged with victory from this bear-pit type arena having played with 10 men for over 80 minutes, says a lot about the spirit in the champions' camp. It may have taken a highly-controversial last-minute decision from referee Craig Thomson, one of several he made in this live TV encounter, to ensure they grabbed the win courtesy of Kris Boyd's penalty, but Rangers played like THEY had the numerical advantage in the final stages and deserved what they got for driving on until the whistle. Smith said: "In the second half we played better, we imposed ourselves on the game. It's always a tough place to come, Tynecastle. Sometimes when you've got 10 men you can play between the opposition a bit better, strangely enough. But at the time we took the lead I felt we deserved it for what we had put in to the game in the second half. "We had to battle for 80-odd minutes with 10 men, and we did so after a first half where we didn't start well." As the players traipsed off the pitch at the end of an enthralling meeting, the rejoicing visiting supporters chanted as one: "That's why we're champions!" They were spot-on. It is not the games which Rangers will win at a canter at home which will see them retain their title - it is matches like these. The points they pick up on the road, especially when the chips are down and the odds are stacked heavily against them, will prove crucial. That good teams win when they are playing badly is an old cliche. Still, it remains true and that is exactly what the Glasgow club did yesterday. The grit and determination they displayed in Gorgie will serve them well in the months ahead and they are sure to smooth the rough edges off their play. McGregor certainly showed great mental strength to shrug aside his blunder and produce a magnificent goal-saving touch from a Jose Goncalves shot early in the second half. That sublime touch allowed Rangers to draw level when Lee McCulloch rose well and glanced a curling Stevie Smith free-kick into the opposition net. The foul by David Obua on Kenny Miller which led to that strike was every bit as bad, if not worse, than Thomson's on Black and just resulted in a caution. The Rangers midfielder should probably only have received a yellow card from Thomson, Scotland's leading official, but cannot feel too hard done by after committing such a foolish act. His manager felt it was harsh, saying: "I thought it looked far worse than it actually was - but it was an opportunity to send him off. "I don't think there was any great contact made and obviously if there had been, the player would never have been able to continue in the manner he did do for the rest of the game." Like Kevin Thomson, Ismael Bouzid must also be wondering what he was thinking about today after challenging Steven Naismith so clumsily on the edge of his own penalty box in the final minute. The Hearts support were incensed by the decision, but television replays again showed it was on the line and referee Thomson had called it correctly. Boyd, who had been on the park for seconds after being left on the bench following a bout of illness in midweek, stepped up to take the spot-kick. He made no mistake and buried it powerfully underneath Janos Balogh to open his account for the season in some style. The man who finished last season as Scotland's top scorer was ecstatic to net his first goal at Tynecastle in seven years in such dramatic circumstances. Having failed to hit the target in pre-season or against Falkirk last week, Boyd is sure to be lifted enormously by his contribution. It is also to be hoped that Hearts will take decisive action against those who showered the celebrating players with missiles afterwards. But, if they continue to show such impressive resolve and sharpen up defensively, the Rangers players can expect to keep on being showered with praise by their followers

David Weir has put patriotism ahead of wounded pride by answering the call-up for Scotland's final shot at World Cup salvation - and could yet be partnered in the heart of defence by Stephen McManus. The veteran Rangers star, omitted by boss George Burley from the squad which crashed 4-0 in Norway, will return for the must-win double-header against Macedonia and Holland. And so desperate is Burley for experienced defensive recruits - as he seeks to salvage the nation's disastrous qualifying campaign - that he will consider playing McManus alongside his Old Firm rival, if he can overcome the ankle injury which has kept him sidelined for the start of the season. The Scotland coach could also name Craig Gordon in his squad today after his No1 goalkeeper marked his return from a knee injury by playing for Sunderland in last night's 4-1 Carling Cup win at Norwich. McManus, having made steady progress on his own road to recovery, played for 75 minutes in a bounce game last week. He is due to play in another closed-doors fixture this week and has an outside chance of being involved in the SPL clash with Hibs at Easter Road on Sunday. Burley is due to have further discussions with Celtic boss Tony Mowbray before making a late call. However, as he prepares for the home games with Macedonia and Holland on September 5 and 9, Burley will be relieved that Weir has agreed to come back for the conclusion of a crisis-hit campaign. Craig Gordon Fit again: Craig Gordon could be named in the squad after returning from injury to play for Sunderland Gary Caldwell is suspended for the Macedonia game after being red-carded during the defeat in Oslo, while brother Steven is out, despite Burnley boss Owen Coyle saying he expects him to recover from a groin injury. Weir was disappointed to be excluded for the Norway tie and there were rumours that the 39-year-old, who famously retired from international duty during the Berti Vogts era, would spurn any SOS from Burley. But Sportsmail understands that, following a telephone conversation with Burley, Weir is ready to step into the breach at Hampden on Saturday week. The pair had previously agreed that Weir would be called up only when he was likely to play, avoiding the prospect of him spending time away from home without being used. With a Caldwell brothers partnership now ruled out for the Macedonia game, Weir is guaranteed to start in the must-win match against the team directly above us in Group Nine. Burley will have been encouraged to see Gordon make his long-awaited return to action last night. Sunderland boss Steve Bruce rested Marton Fulop after an unconvincing display against Blackburn last Saturday and watched the 9million Scot make a number of good saves against Paul Lambert's League One side. Despite having only trained fully for a week, Gordon could yet feature in the Premier League trip to Stoke this Saturday in his bid to win the No1 jersey back from his rival. Burley would have no hesitation in putting a fully-fit and confident Gordon straight back into his team at the expense of David Marshall and Neil Alexander. Burley travelled to watch Birmingham City's 0-0 draw with Stoke last Saturday but, while James McFadden remains a key player for the international side, striker Garry O'Connor will not be called upon this time around. Scotland must beat both Macedonia and Holland to clinch second place in Group Nine - but even that might not be enough to merit a play-off spot as one of the eight best-placed runners-up. With the nation's chances of a place at South Africa fading fast, Burley has been told that his position as Scotland boss will come under review at the conclusion of the qualifying campaign. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1208810/Weir-ready-return-fold-Scots-prepare-crunch-World-Cup-games.html#ixzz0PAJ1VhPi