ian1964

MARK WALTERS rejected a plea from Sir David Murray to snub Liverpool and stay at Rangers. Now he looks back and confesses he may have been WRONG to turn his back on Ibrox. Walters was a right-wing revelation for the Gers, scoring an impressive 51 goals in 143 games, including an extra-time winner in an Old Firm Cup Final. But the skilful wideboy followed Graeme Souness to Anfield in 1991, despite a last-ditch offer from Gers chairman Murray to spearhead the Rangers attack under new boss Walter Smith. Walters said: ââ?¬Å?It was very hard for me to leave. I was happy and we had won three titles in a row. ââ?¬Å?But when Liverpool came in it was different. ââ?¬Å?It wasnââ?¬â?¢t just any old club, it was Englandââ?¬â?¢s most successful club and I felt it was too good a chance to miss. ââ?¬Å?Sir David Murray tried to convince me to stay and warned me Iââ?¬â?¢d regret moving, and maybe I do, but I felt I had to accept a new challenge.ââ?¬Â Walters arrived at Ibrox on New Yearââ?¬â?¢s Eve 1987. His early games were blighted by sickening racist chants and abuse, but he brushed them off and won the crowd over with the magic in his boots. He had burst onto the English scene with Aston Villa, but as the Midlands club struggled the wingerââ?¬â?¢s career stalled. Until Gers boss Souness swooped. In just over three years in Govan, Walters won three league titles and two Skol Cups, but alongside the glorious highs there were rare disappointments. He admitted: ââ?¬Å?Villa were a sleeping giant and my career wasnââ?¬â?¢t really going anywhere. I needed a change and was delighted when Rangers came in. ââ?¬Å?They were a huge club playing regularly in Europe, so for me it was a dream switch. ââ?¬Å?There was a bit of racism from a minority in my first few games, but Iââ?¬â?¢d encountered a little of it in England so I wasnââ?¬â?¢t too affected by that. ââ?¬Å?Winning the league and scoring in cup finals were memories Iââ?¬â?¢ll never forget, while Iââ?¬â?¢ll also never forget my first Gers goal, which was against Raith Rovers. ââ?¬Å?My biggest disappointment was losing the 1989 Scottish Cup Final. ââ?¬Å?We were after a treble, but we lost it at the final hurdle to Celtic, which made it doubly difficult. ââ?¬Å?But in the main all my memories of Ibrox are happy ones.ââ?¬Â Walters played alongside some of footballââ?¬â?¢s top stars in his time with Rangers, Liverpool and Villa. But just who would he select for his dream XI? SunSport took him down memory lane to find out. Chris Woods: Great all-round keeper, as brilliant at dominating his box and claiming crosses as he was shot-stopping. My Rangers team-mate would have had more caps had he not been Peter Shiltonââ?¬â?¢s understudy. Steve Nicol: Great engine and comfortable, and good enough, to play anywhere across the Liverpool back four or the midfield. Richard Gough: Another Ibrox team-mate and another very comfortable on the ball. He scored a lot of goals as well and he was so fit. Advertisement Click here Terry Butcher: Richardââ?¬â?¢s centre-half partner and another brilliant player. He had a fantastic range of passing and a never-say-die attitude. Great leader in the dressing room. Tony Dorigo: Great athlete who got up and down the park all day. We played together at Villa and, like the others in my dream team defence, Tony was capable of scoring goals. Mark Walters: I gave a decent run of goals for my position but I also made a few and liked to try and entertain the fans. Gordon Cowans: Deceptively strong for a small guy and never shirked a tackle. Technically very good and ran all day. Ian Durrant: Would have been among the best in the world had he not had that injury. I considered him world-class in his early 20s. Heââ?¬â?¢d have been the Scottish version of someone like Gazza for his ability on the ball. John Barnes: Born entertainer but very disciplined defensively. He scored a lot of goals and it was a pleasure to play alongside him at Liverpool. Ian Rush: Many headlines for his goals but there was so much more to his game. He helped start so many attacks for Liverpool by winning the ball off the opposition defenders. Peter Withe: Scored Villa winner in the European Cup Final. Great foil for Rush, holding the ball up as the target man. http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/article2378914.ece

A ST Mirren supporter on the real radio last night came with'' Dorman should have been on the short list after scoring 10 goals,playing consistently well all season, in a team fighting for survival '', I have to agree he has a point.

By Andrew Dickson WALTER SMITH has handed Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor a sensational reprieve at Rangers by making them available for selection once more. It had seemed the players would never turn out for the club again after they were suspended for 14 days because of their behaviour whilst representing Scotland. Walter SmithNow they could be in line for a dramatic return to the squad at Hibernian on Sunday, although it's unlikely either will play since they've not trained with Gers since March 20. Ferguson and McGregor met manager Smith yesterday at Ibrox for talks and they'll now resume work with their Light Blues colleagues when their bans end in the morning. The two players were named in the press for their part in an early morning drinking session at Scotland's hotel after the national side had lost to Holland on March 28. Stories ran in a number of papers on the day George Burley's team was preparing to host Iceland and the duo reacted by making rude gestures to the media at Hampden hours later from the substitute's bench. It was those actions that prompted Smith to ban them and he has admitted telling them and the press in an off-the-record conversation they'd never appear for the club again. Now, however, having heard the SFA concede they handled the situation badly at their end, the Gers boss has reconsidered his stance. Allan McGregorAfter deciding Rangers were the only ones who would suffer from his decision in the long run, he has reinstated them and each player will come back into his pool. But it goes without saying that each still has much to do to win favour from the manager and Ferguson will not be given the captaincy back at David Weir's expense. Smith said: "I felt the action we took against our players was warranted and that's still the case because of their actions and particularly the second incident in the dug-out. "From the club's point of view, I feel we had to act because the image they portrayed was a really poor one. "When I met the players in the aftermath, I was disappointed by their actions on both occasions when they were away with the national team. "At that time, I did say in an off-the-record conversation with journalists - and to the players themselves - that they wouldn't play for the club again. Barry Ferguson, Rangers"Since then, from my own point of view, I've looked at the way everything has been handled by the SFA. "I've read the president of the SFA saying he didn't think it was handed properly and George Burley then said the same thing. "Therefore, I'm looking at the situation and asking myself if I'm being a bit harsh on our players when it seems the SFA are saying they didn't handle it properly. "I do feel Rangers Football Club are the only people who are suffering and I'm penalising them if I stand by my previous statement which was made in anger. "I would like to go back and say the club will now - despite the innuendo, which I'm part of - consider them to be available for selection when they come back on Friday. "That does not necessarily mean they have to play and there's nothing automatic there. After being out for a fortnight, we have to take that into consideration in the short term." Both Ferguson and McGregor apologised to the club when they met Smith yesterday but the manager insists he had changed his mind about their futures before then. Allan McGregorHe has also stressed he doesn't hold the SFA accountable in any way for what happened, pointing the finger of blame solely at his two players instead. Now he is keen to move on from the affair which has rumbled on ever since it first became public knowledge at the start of the month. Smith added: "Both players apologised to the club when I met them in the morning and they said sorry for the image they put across of themselves and the club they represent. "They expressed regret and that's there but that has got nothing to do with the decision to allow them to play again. "What has altered my view was the president of the SFA saying it wasn't handled properly. "If somebody who is in charge of the players is saying the situation wasn't handled properly - and by that I mean the association - I've got to give them a little leeway. "The SFA are not to blame for the situation. The players who were involved are to blame for that. It only lies with them and they are totally responsible for their actions. Barry Ferguson and Gary Caldwell"But the SFA, with their admission, have made me think a wee bit about the actions I had already taken against the players. "Albeit I didn't say publicly they wouldn't play again, I did say that off the record. I accept that I was wrong there. "I made the decision to act because I felt what they did was a poor reflection of Rangers Football Club overall. "But if there is a wee bit of a problem, it's with the perception that they will not play for Rangers again and I admit my part in that. "I just feel that overall, if the initial situation and the subsequent parts had been handled better, the whole thing might not have happened. "That gives me the right to change my mind and all I'm doing is making them available for selection."

An absolute farce of an award

STEVE DAVIS and Pedro Mendes have been short-listed for the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award. The Rangers midfielders have been named along with Celtic pair Scott Brown and Gary Caldwell as the candidates for this year's honour. Davis and Mendes have been key men for the Light Blues this season as they strive to wrest the title back from their rivals and retain the Homecoming Scottish Cup. The voting for the Cheque Centre/PFA Scotland Player of the Year Awards has now closed. Footballers from across the four Scottish leagues have cast their votes and the four Old Firm players are the front runners. In the Young Player of the Year category Andrew Driver (Hearts), Steven Fletcher (Hibernian), James McCarthy (Hamilton), and James McArthur (Hamilton) are all nominated. The winners will be announced and presented with their awards at a star-studded dinner at the Hilton Glasgow on Sunday May 3 sponsored by Cheque Centre I can't understand why Davis & Mendes are up for this ????,Bougherra yes

He's not back in training, according to the official site: Kyle Lafferty, who is not yet back in full training despite newspaper reports claiming he is, may play again as early as the home clash with Celtic on May 9.

If we play to our capabilities all the time we would have the title in the bag IMO,the problem we have is the amount of missed opportunities we have had to seal it, we to play to our capabilities for the rest of the season and if we do then I believe we will win the SPL

I must say I dislike the BJK campaign, BJK did know and reacted, however as BD said not enough and could/should have went straight to the police, but as I said I don't like the whole campaign, especially singing it at football matches

Yip, the MOPES will start bungee jumping without ropes again

The integrity of the SPL, SFA, UEFA,Celtic FC must be upheld.....................oh! waait a minute.........'' That's no fucking fair ''...........GIRUY scummy MOPES bastards

It would be a futile exercise to try to penetrate the fossilised dinosaur faeces that passes for a cranium in their cases. I will leave that to far brighter and far braver people whose mission will be to illuminate the many deep and dark areas of their psyche and neutralise those black primeval urges. All I can do is pose a few questions and ponder upon possibilities. The few questions: Why do small brained primeval bigots expose themselves and their club that they profess to love, to ridicule? Why does Rangers Football Club (among many others) allow their stadium to be polluted with the songs and banners of evil? Why do the progressive media in Scotland not condemn the campaign and uphold the great man’s name? (On second thoughts, the phrase ‘progressive media in Scotland’ is being submitted to the Guinness book of Records as a candidate for the greatest oxymoron ever written). Have they learned nothing by their Nelsonian denial of almost a hundred years of bigotry? Are they again ‘innocently naÃ?¯ve’ of the bandwagon that will roll and the casualties caused if the deceitful menace of this new strain of hatred is not exposed and eradicated? Will they continue to share the wash-hand basin with Pontius Pilate? Why the “decent Rangers supporters who are of the huge majority” not tear the banners down, drown out the chants, and point out the perpetrators? (Perhaps that ‘Huge majority’ is not quite as huge as some would like to pretend it is.) The pondering possibilities: It is patently obvious that the world at large has removed its blindfold and earplugs that isolated it from the prejudice that was not just celebrated by the Rangers’ support and encouraged by the club, but was also the reinforced pillar upon which the whole rancid organisation placed its collective head and wallowed in dreams of supremacy . It has been decreed that blatant promotion and celebration of sectarian hatred is now a ‘no no’! “Aye, you there. Don’t pit yer fingers in yer ears and shut yer eyes. You wae the Lambeg, drumsticks, and picture of the Pope on the skins” And in a flash all was peace! Not quite! Unfortunately the sudden drive to identify with the force of reason and the soul of decency has a nasty little edge. Not once has there been a statement that the behaviour, the chanting, the beliefs or the culture are wrong. A declaration such as that only happens in places like South Africa and is now also happening in Sierra Leone and Rwanda. The cries of bigotry having been ignored, condoned and tolerated for a 100 years are being muffled now ONLY because Rangers may be docked points, part of the stadium may be closed, and David Murray may lose money if he can’t sell the club on! As a consequence of addressing the symptoms only, the hunger for hatred and the chase to satisfy it by feeding on another defenceless target rumbles on, as virulent as ever, in their distended bellies of pish and wind. The search for a new song was no more than a cover for the quest for a new outlet to broadcast again the bitterness and the need to sneer, and mock. Parasites gorged on and sustained by hatred know well that they need a victim to survive, and what more convenient and powerless a victim than a man who can not respond as he would have in life. Aye full of hate, full of ignorance, and cowards as well! That makes a stiff-run in the brag-hand of the bigot. Is there some mutation of the DNA or genetic make –up of the marching legions of Rangers followers that so many of them exhibit the absolute need for hatred? I am not here talking about people singing their support for Britain, the Queen, or even the historic battles that still grab the imagination of the dull but harmless. Within a relatively, albeit decliningly so, liberal society, that is an established right, and while I don’t agree with their basic ethos, I don’t hate them for it. I am talking about those who find that their triumphal megaphone has suddenly been taken from them and they no longer can squeeze the evil puss of naked sectarianism from the open sores that pass for mouths. Lies shouted long and loudly enough in the cloisters of isolated minds will eventually become accepted as truth, and disastrously will corrupt their own children who will eventually become indistinguishable from the zealots who tried to wreak havoc and destruction on Glasgow Airport. In treating the children of the future as so many of the past treated their offspring, the singers, the chanters, and the condoners place themselves on the same plane as Torbett himself. Must the future be the battlefield of history resounding to the clarion call of new wars, new victims, new reasons, but all conducted in a same old void of reason? Or do we stop now? Perhaps out there in other mutations are taking place. Mutations that say ‘hold on, one day soon my son or daughter will be walking down the same side of the road as their son or daughter. They will be wearing the different colours of two sworn rivals for football honour. They’ll sing their songs and we’ll sing ours and we’ll laugh and mock but when they’ve passed, there will be no need for the stonemason to chisel another name on the memorial to victims of hatred’. Mutations that will say, “I’m not going to ignore this and not say something. I’m going to put this on the front page and lead the news with it. If we want to be a country we need to act as one with decency to each other and a passion for the truth” Our version of civilisation will then have taken a huge leap into the sunshine, and Scotland’s only shame will be that the bitter hatred wasn’t condemned earlier and the tumour excised much more quickly. Even in the apparent ridiculous lies of this corrupt lyric lies an opportunity. An opportunity to really examine that man that Big Jock was. An opportunity to inspire many of us to be half as big, half as brave and know half as much. Now that really would be a fitting legacy for our children! And an even more fitting tribute to just how much ‘Big Jock Knew’.

NJOI bears they hate us ....watp "[The Muses] are all of one mind, their hearts are set upon song and their spirit is free from care. He is happy whom the Muses love. For though a man has sorrow and grief in his soul, yet when the servant of the Muses sings, at once he forgets his dark thoughts and remembers not his troubles. Such is the holy gift of the Muses to men." ~Hesiod~ As the final few stragglers exited the now deserted and hushed terraces of Rugby Park, the occasional smack of a seat springing upright echoed across the grass, the pie-stall shutters rattled and crashed down for another week or two, ââ?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬Â¦AND Martin Bain obviously learning from his new found role model, Peter Lawell, issued a statement congratulating the Rangersââ?¬â?¢ supporters upon their behaviour. As they slapped themselves on the back and merrily marched their way back to cars, buses, trains, planes and boats, the happy throng linked their limbs and broke into a resounding reprise of their new anthemââ?¬Â¦. ââ?¬Å?Big Jock Knewââ?¬Â. The promise of a new inspiring and imaginative aria had been in the air for a season or more, and now after months of ââ?¬Ë?Lodge Idolââ?¬â?¢ selection shows and intense deliberation by selection committees, the choice had been made. Clandestine practice sessions had been conducted in large white buildings up and down the less salubrious areas of some of Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s most historic landmarks including Airdrie, Larkhall, and Bridgeton! Places that will forever be remembered for having their twinning applications rejected by Baghdad, Carstairs, and ââ?¬Ë?Somewhere in the Afghan Mountainsââ?¬â?¢! Their efforts now had paid off; and having memorised all three words and the correct sequence, the massed marching nation of Billyââ?¬â?¢s Bands of Brithers were now able to belt it out with guttural gusto. They still had a problem with the melody, but surely the listening world would agree that the inventiveness, talent, enthusiasm and ambition of this musical masterpiece truly encapsulated the core of everything that Rangers Football Club was founded around and still stood for in the twenty-first century. But this commemoration to Big Jockââ?¬â?¢s Knowledge didnââ?¬â?¢t just stop with their adulatory acclaim. The campaign to recognise the great manââ?¬â?¢s mental prowess was accompanied by stickers on lamp-posts, banners hung over motorway gantries and bridges, and even the statement being promoted through the Steven McKenna Real Radio programme. (This last one was an obvious aberration as the remainder of the Scottish media knitted their own chunky woollen jumpers, pulled them down over their eyes, stuck their earphones in and once more ignored the toxic bile that sprung from the rancid well in Copeland Road). And so with an open mind to the boundless limits of avant-garde theatre, the infinite scope of alternative comedy, and the stains on Tracy Eminââ?¬â?¢s mattress protector, I thought I might objectively and dispassionately offer a critique on this new offering to the vision of the muses! There is so much to agree with in the sentiments and accuracy of the title ââ?¬Å?Big Jock Knewââ?¬Â. For a start Big Jock obviously Knew that a club mired in sectarianism (and lets be clear what that means ââ?¬â?? the approval and encouragement of baseless hatred) was a curse on civilisation and he wanted nothing to do with their organisation, their supremacist spine, and the insidious establishment support structure. Big Jock also Knew about people and the innate virtues that fashion strong characters, champion progressive principles, and ensure that even in the most hostile of environments, those values flourish! Then there was his unique and total grasp of football and what makes it the marvellous sport that it is. Simply winning was not enough! Winning while playing in with speed, skill, imagination and verve was the non-negotiable contract he made with himself, the team and with the support. Undoubtedly Jock also knew from the moment he returned from Llanelli to Celtic, exactly where his destiny lay and with whom his ambitions would be realised. With an insight and vision often referred to, but still to be fully appreciated, he revolutionised Celticââ?¬â?¢s reserve structure and culture during the 1950s. He recruited lads with talent and turned them into men who lived, played, and carried themselves in the way that he knew men should live, play, and carry themselves. When he returned to Celtic, many of those men were still there and the lessons that they had learned all those years previously, bloomed again in colours and freshness magnificently culminating on that match but also matchless day of 25th May 1967. I think Big Jock Knew just how much that day would have meant to Brother Walfrid and his dream. Even in the face of ââ?¬Å?youââ?¬â?¢re one of usââ?¬Â overtures from John Lawrence who tried to entice him across the city, Big Jock adhered with a passion to beliefs and standards hewn from the coalface and sculpted into a way of life. Suddenly it had dawned on Rangers that as much as they liked to think they knew so much, Big Jock simply knew far more and was even cleverer in his use of that knowledge. But what probably came as the most damning of shocks to the Govan Gentry, was that here was a man who realised that philosophy of honour and egalitarianism found no welcome, no respect, and no comprehension in the bowels of Edmiston Drive. While probably he wouldnââ?¬â?¢t have shouted out his reasons in detail, Big Jock Knew that he would never have fitted into an environment where he couldnââ?¬â?¢t scout never mind pick the players he wanted; where he couldnââ?¬â?¢t associate openly with lifelong friends; and unacceptably where he would have to live a lie! Big Jock Knew that Ibrox and its custodians, under the pernicious guise of institutional tradition, harboured a sickness and that anyone who took the road to that place paid a non-refundable toll that sustained, aided and abetted that illness. Big Jock Knew that in being part of that cult, a man would no longer be able to look in his shaving mirror and see an honest and honourable face staring back. But most of all Big Jock Knew, to the dumfounded chagrin and amazement of RFC that he was not, never had been, and never would be ââ?¬Å?one of themââ?¬Â. After all, having been ostracised by one community of closed minds in Burnbank, it would have been an anathema to even contemplate returning to such a shadowy and Stygian environment. I donââ?¬â?¢t know what John Lawrence thought, but surely as he looked down from the apex, at the pyramid of bile beneath, he could see more than the reflection in his shiny brown brogues! Not only had a genius of the stature of Jock Stein dismissively rejected his dishonest bait, but to those who were not deaf, dumb and blind Big Jock had made it clear that Rangers feared and denied that the world had moved on from the dark days when witches were burned at the stake, young boys climbed chimneys, and your given or chosen faith was an indelible ââ?¬Ë?stainââ?¬â?¢ on a your character that could impact the ability to play football, work in a bank, or hold out to those with faith, hope for entry into heaven! Yes WATP ruled then and just how appropriately close is that acronym to the even sadder twin brand of WASP! And now we have all this knowledge being so carefully and skilfully packaged into one simple song and one simple phrase, as at last nearly 40 years later we have a mass ââ?¬Ë?mea culpaââ?¬â?¢ being performed as the reactionary legions of bigots. Not only have they lain down their rusting swords of prejudice, but with an almost Paulian enlightenment they have recognised Big Jockââ?¬â?¢s skill, humanity, honesty and honour, and for all posterity have writ it in the annals. I humbly spread my arms as I welcome you all, with no rancour or triumphalism, into the sunlight of magnificence that nourishes the countless varieties of flora and fauna that co-exist, cooperate, and share lifeââ?¬â?¢s ups and downs on our journey from the sudden ââ?¬Ë?slapped-arseââ?¬â?¢ wakening at our birth to the dimming of the lights as our earthly eyes close for the last time. From beyond that earthly veil, the big man has indeed worked his magic once more and opened the door to the resurrection that accompanies the realisation that indeed ......... ââ?¬Å?Big Jock Knewââ?¬ÂÃ¢â?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬Â¦..!!! But that damned grave-walker has just stood on my spine and the shiver suggests that this might not be a hymn of praise after all! What the mighty masses of Mordor are all REALLY singing is a demeaning and slanderous attempt to destroy the memory, achievements and character of the single greatest manager to ever arise in Scotland. What they are attempting to say is that Big Jock not only Knew about what was happening during the dark days of Jim Torbettââ?¬â?¢s perverted actions at Celtic Bhoys Club, but that in some way through his actions he did nothing about it and either covered it up or turned a blind eye to what was happening. I wonââ?¬â?¢t really deal with that in detail, for anyone with the ability to read or listen will know the true facts behind that terrible and terrifying corruption that was visited upon the young boys in Torbettââ?¬â?¢s charge. They will know that Celtic Boys club was not part of Celtic Football Club. They will know that when the rumours started Big Jock was THE ONLY MAN in Scotland who took any action when, irrespective of the lack of evidence, he summarily kicked Torbett out and banned him from Celtic Park. They will know that many people, from the police to business associates of Torbett and acquaintances, did nothing to investigate or corroborate the rumours. They will most importantly know that one of these people was most certainly NOT Jock Stein. And the saddest thing is that even knowing all of this, there are thousands upon thousands who chant this putrefaction as their need to hate drags them back into their swamp of ignorance.

Mopes............mopes...................mopes

CELTIC fans chief Peter Rafferty last night accused the SPL of handing Rangers an unfair advantage in the battle for the championship. Hoops supporters have reacted angrily to the news the league yesterday pencilled in the final Old Firm derby of the season for Saturday, May 9. That means Parkhead star Scott Brown will be suspended but Rangers defender Madjid Bougherra is eligible to play. Celtic defender Mark Wilson admitted the loss of his teammate would be a huge blow and said the fact Brown's ban came about because of a booking last season was "crazy". League bosses settled on the date following consultations with the clubs and Strathclyde Police. Last night, a Celtic spokesman said: "There was wide anticipation the match would be the first fixture after the split so we are slightly surprised. However, we are happy to get on with it." Rafferty, secretary of the Association of Celtic Supporters' Clubs, said: " There are rules and regulations but it's unfortunate we are losing a player and they are gaining one for such a big game. "We will miss Scott as he is one of our best players - if not the best one this season. I can understand people being angry about this. "We've been treated unfairly and I suppose fans, especially some of the younger ones,will be furious with this." Bougherra feared he would miss the derby if it was scheduled for immediately after the split but was relieved when May 9 was selected. It is Brown who will miss out and Wilson said: "It's a massive blow because Scott has been one of our top players this season, a real driving force for us. We will miss him. "It's crazy a booking from last season can count now.But there are a few crazy rules in the SFA and this is stupid." The fixture, to be shown live on Setanta with a 12.30 kickoff, was expected to take place on the weekend of May 2/3 but it is understood police feared bank holiday violence. Sunday, May 10 was ruled out as that is the date of the Glasgow Women's 10k, which finishes just a few hundred yards from Ibrox. The date selected could yet pose problems for league bosses, who were anxious to avoid a title-clincher scenario. If Rangers lose their next two games and Celtic win theirs, Gordon Strachan's side could retain their crown at Ibrox. Celtic's reserves yesterday missed a chance to wrap up their eighth title in a row when they lost 3-2 to Hearts' second string http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2009/04/15/celtic-fans-hit-out-as-scott-brown-faces-ban-for-last-old-firm-derby-of-season-86908-21279548/

I still think there will be more twists and turns yet, but as you said SA, win against the HIVS and it certainly puts us in a position to turn the screw, is this Rangers team up to it ?,time will tell, but if we do beat Hibs thenI'm sure our fans will be @ their best to help the team hump the MOPES

TOMMY WILSON'S reserve side earned a vital 2-1 win over Aberdeen that keeps their league title hopes alive after Celtic lost away to Hearts. With three games remaining Wilson's side are seven points behind their Old Firm rivals with the pair set to meet at Ibrox on April 28. A victory for Celtic at Forthbank would have ended the Gers' league challenge this afternoon but news of their defeat came just as the light blues secured victory. It was a hard fought but thoroughly deserved win for Wilson's side as a penalty from Stevie Smith and a John Fleck strike midway through the second half put them in control. A late Michael Paton penalty for the visitors made it a nervy final five minutes but the Gers had enough to hold on for three important points. They had dominated the opening 45 minutes, hitting the woodwork on three separate ocassions, despite losing Alan Lowing to injury after just 10 minutes. The right back came off worst in a 50/50 challenge and was replaced by Scott Durie who had only been included in the squad after a warm up injury to Ross Perry. John FleckIt didn't disrupt the flow for the home side though and they peppered the Dons' goal with long range efforts as Andrew Little and Stevie Lennon both tested Bertrand Bossu from the edge of the area. Little's rising left foot effort looked bound for the top corner until the giant keeper tipped it away at full stretch. And Lennon cam just as close when his strike from a similar spot was deflected behind after he had collected the ball following some wonderful movement by John Fleck. But the best chance of the first half came a little over ten minutes before the interval when a sweeping move ended with Little laying the ball in to the path of Lennon, but the forward could only fire his effort off the bar as Rangers hit the woodwork for the third time. With the match unfolding as though it may not to be Rangers' day there was relief when the deadlock was broken four minutes in to the second half. Andrius Velicka went down under the challenge of Samuel Stewart and left penalty duties to his first team colleague Smith, who duly despatched the ball low to the Dons keeper's left. Stevie SmithSmith was then replaced by Steph Stirling on the hour mark, perhaps with Sunday's visit to Easter Road in mind. And it took Rangers just five more minutes to secure the points when Velicka picked out John Fleck with a pinpoint pass and the 17-year-old made no mistake from just inside the box. Stirling came close to increasing that lead with eight minutes remaining as he rattled the Dons' woodwork for the fourth time in the match with a powerful drive from the edge of the area. However it was the visitors that would complete the scoring when Scott Gallacher was judged to have fouled Paton in the six yard box and the match's second penalty was awarded. Paton converted, but Rangers held out for the final few minutes to keep alive a slim hope of reserve league success. Rangers: Gallacher; Lowing (Durie 10), Webster, Wilson, Wylde; Lennon, Hemdani, Little, S.Smith (Stirling 60); Velicka (Miller 72), Fleck. Subs: Vaiculis.

RANGERS' injury list is showing no signs of clearing just yet - but a host of stars could be back in action by the time the SPL split begins on May 2. Sasa Papac is the only player of the seven currently sidelined with various ailments who might feature at Hibernian on Sunday. The Bosnian defender is now walking normally again having received stitches in his foot after he had to limp off during the first half of last Wednesday's 2-1 win at St Mirren. He faces a race against time to prove his fitness before kick off at Easter Road but the Light Blues management are hopeful he'll be given the green light to return there. DaMarcus Beasley is more likely to be available again for the Scottish Cup semi-final with St Mirren a week on Saturday and he is out of the trip to Edinburgh. The American is still struggling after sustaining a blow to his ribs in Paisley but he could be cleared to return for the forthcoming rematch with Gus MacPherson's side. Lee McCulloch is another who might play in that game after it emerged his calf problem is not as bad as was first feared. The former Wigan star is making good progress and since coming off in the latter stages of the 1-0 win at Falkirk nine days ago, he has made a notable improvement. Kirk BroadfootKyle Lafferty, who is not yet back in full training despite newspaper reports claiming he is, may play again as early as the home clash with Celtic on May 9. Much depends on how he does when he starts running again but it is hoped he will be able to play some part in the title run-in. As yet, however, there is no timescale being given for when Kenny Miller and Kirk Broadfoot can be expected to come back. Of course, Kevin Thomson will definitely miss the rest of term as he continues his rehabilitation from a knee injury and he'll be back in action after the summer. But the news a number of other players aren't far from being fit again is a further boost for Rangers manager Walter Smith after his patched-up squad won three times last week.

THE FINAL Old Firm derby of the season will be played at Ibrox on Saturday, May 9 with a 12.30pm kick off. And that means that Madjid Bougherra will be able to take part as he will complete his one match suspension the weekend before. Celtic, however, will be missing midfielder Scott Brown who misses the first two games after the split. An SPL statement said: "Following consultations with Strathclyde Police and the Heads of Security from Rangers and Celtic, the SPL today confirmed that the final Old Firm game of the season will take place at Ibrox Stadium on Saturday 9 May 2009, kick-off 12.30pm. The match will be broadcast live by Setanta Sports." The May 9 date gives the Rangers medical team some time to try to clear the injury situation.

It was never as bad as Nakeredmotor for the MOPES, at least there WAS contact

If Lafferty is back and fit in time, then I would play him with Boyd

TOMMY Wilson's reserve side will hope to keep the title race alive this afternoon but know victory over Aberdeen at Murray Park may not be enough for them. Tommy WilsonThey trail Old Firm rivals Celtic by ten points with four games remaining and know that a win for the league leaders over Hearts will end their hopes. But Wilson, who hopes to include returning first teamers Stevie Smith and Andrius Velicka as well as John Fleck in his match squad, admits while he retains hopes of a title success he knows his side are in a tough spot. He said: "We know a Celtic win will be enough for them but we just have to keep it going for as long as we can. "Given the circumstances surrounding the reserve side this season if I'd thought we would even be in with a slim chance at this stage I'd have been delighted. "We've had so many guys go out on loan and there have been a few move up to the first team too, but that's what it's all about for us. "If you look at the first team squad for Saturday's win over Motherwell it included Neil Alexander, Christian Dailly, Stevie Smith, Andrius Velicka and Mo Edu. "They've all played a big part over the season for us and that's meant that they've been ready when this first team chance has come along for them. "It would obviously be nice to win the reserve league this season but our primary role is to make sure the first team is well served." Kick-off for today's home meeting with Aberdeen at Murray Park is 2pm.

Stone wall penalty

I wonder if Boyd played for the MOPES, or any other SPL team if he would be getting POTY

What worries me is that Caldwell gets mentioned and not Bougherra ?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1169801/Gaels-blow-Rangers-line-Brunt-Feeney-Irish-summer-raids.html?ITO=1490