ian1964

I hope he sticks to his word

I actually thought Dailly & McCulloch did ok today, I also find it hard to blame todays result on WS, Iknow he signed the players!!!, today the only thing I was unhappy with WS was why he never took Boyd off ????

To be fair, we have the best defensive record in the league,well before today.I have to agree with gers4life's op regarding the first half, it was excellent and Lafferty showed he is a very capable striker with his finish,and also his work rate was immense, I just hope his injury is minor.I could not believe the second half............Novo missed a great chance at 2-0 which would have endd the game as a contest, BF had his best game for a long time and took his goal superbly,Dailly & McCulloch played well, my only criticism of WS today is he should have taken Boyd off earlier, Boyd really needs to take a good look at himself as he was awful the whole game, still can't believe we never won that game today. Is the ouur title dream over ?, well I still refuse to believe so, however we need/needed to win all our remaining games and considering we have not won three games on the trot all season it was always going to take an lmighty effort, this result doesn't make me think we will win the SPL, we could/should have went top of the league today to pile on a bit of pressure and once again we failed when it mattered.It's not over till the fat lady sings..............but as I said I don't hold out much hope

EXCLUSIVE By DARRYL BROADFOOT ALEX McLEISH will make a fresh bid to sign Kris Boyd in the summer regardless of whether Birmingham City are playing in the Coca-Cola Championship or the Premiership. McLeish last night reiterated his admiration for the Rangers striker despite Boyd failing to agree personal terms when Birmingham's �£3million bid was accepted in January. Birmingham occupy the second automatic promotion spot in the Championship with seven league games remaining and Boyd is a priority target, irrespective of what division the Midlands club will be playing in next season. Boyd's future is almost certainly away from Ibrox at the end of the season. He was sent home from training by Walter Smith for showing a poor attitude in the build-up to the Old Firm Co-operative Insurance Cup defeat at Hampden and despite scoring 95 goals since McLeish signed him from Kilmarnock for �£400,000 in 2006, he has been left out of big games by Smith. advertisement "I wouldn't rule out working with Kris Boyd again," McLeish said. "I couldn't rule it out, him being a part of my squad in future. "It is hypothetical now but we tried to go for him in January and I am really surprised he couldn't finish the deal. I got the feeling he didn't want to leave Rangers. I don't know if that has changed but I thought it was a good opportunity for him to come to England with a view to playing in the Premier League." McLeish is a huge fan of Boyd's predatory talents. He understands the tactical dilemma that has prompted Smith to omit him from Rangers' most demanding games in the SPL and in Europe and cited even more illustrious examples of natural-born strikers, Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba at Cheslea, who are unable or unwilling to take their share of defensive responsibilities. McLeish also confounded the popular conception that Boyd, with his dour demeanour, was a troublemaker after spats with Paul Le Guen, George Burley and now Smith. "I don't think he is problematic," McLeish added, "It is just a decision not to pick him. Sometimes I didn't play him away from home. "I can understand Walter Smith because a lot of teams, especially in Europe, play three in the middle of the field and if you don't match up then very often, you can get your backside felt. "Fabio Capello, as England manager, has been prone to doing that. I found it difficult getting strikers to work back to deep-lying midfielders. "They don't like to do it. It was a problem for Luiz Felipe Scolari and even Guus Hiddink said they Anelka and Drogba are two great strikers but that he must get them to think about their defensive job. "That maybe explains why Boyd has been in and out at Rangers. He understands it but also knows his worth and if he is playing in the right circumstances, he will get goals. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/display.var.2496874.0.0.php

Mar 21 2009 By Hugh Keevins RANGERS face an injury crisis as Walter Smith's personnel problems mount. Madjid Bougherra is definitely out of the crucial clash with Hearts at Ibrox today. Kirk Broadfoot is highly unlikely to play against the Edinburgh side and Smith is not confident the defender will be fit to face Holland in Amsterdam next weekend. That leaves Scotland boss George Burley with a major problem as Spurs' Allan Hutton fights to be fit for the vital World Cup qualifier. Smith is running out of players and will have to field Lee McCulloch and Christian Dailly as his central-defensive partnership against Hearts. Davie Weir is suspended after his red card against Inverness while Bougherra has failed to respond to treatment on his calf injury. And Rangers' forgotten man Andy Webster won't be facing his former club as his chronic injury problems go on. Losing a second league game in arow at Ibrox simply isn't an option for Rangers or Smith. The fans will demand victory today in the wake of the Co-operative Insurance Cup defeat by Celtic last weekend. But Smith last night defended his team against claims of a lack of character in the match with their oldest rivals at Hampden. He said: "If you win these games you're great. If you lose them then you're the worst team in the world. The whole team gets torn apart in the post-match analysis. "I have to tread the middle line and keep the players focused. "We have shown lots of character this season. But Hearts will be tough to break down. "Csaba Laszlo has assessed what he's got and shown no fear while making Hearts steadier." http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/2009/03/21/rangers-left-with-injury-crisis-in-defence-86908-21215492/

By Andrew Dickson RANGERS could be without THREE first-choice defenders when they play Hearts tomorrow at Ibrox in the SPL. Veteran stopper David Weir will definitely miss out as he is suspended after his red card against Inverness in the last league game earlier this month. Kirk BroadfootBut Kirk Broadfoot and Madjid Bougherra are at risk of joining him on the sidelines as they struggle to overcome injuries in time. Bougherra missed last Sunday's League Cup final against Celtic with a calf knock and he is still seen as a slight doubt. While Broadfoot was able to play in the game at Hampden, he has a problem with his foot and after playing for two hours just five days ago he hasn't totally recovered. Each player will be given the opportunity to show they're fit and able to take part in the crucial clash with the Jambos. But if they're also ruled out, the likes of Lee McCulloch, Christian Dailly and Andy Webster could be summoned to feature at the back. Teenager Danny Wilson, who was on the bench for the recent Scottish Cup tie at St Johnstone, could be another option. Kevin Thomson is the only other confirmed absentee for Gers as he continues his rehabilitation from a serious knee injury. But it's the situation he's faced with in his rearguard which will be causing the most concern to Walter Smith at this stage.

By Andrew Dickson WALTER SMITH admits he's feeling the pain of defeat more than ever - and that it's making him even more determined to bring the league title back to Ibrox. Rangers resume their SPL campaign again this weekend when they host Hearts and it's a game everyone at the club is desperate to win. Walter SmithLast week's League Cup final defeat to Celtic and the recent loss at home to Inverness have left the manager hurting as much as anyone. But he's eager to bounce back from those two disappointments when the Jambos come calling and is looking for his team to respond positively. Smith said: "Defeats get harder to take as you get older and I can't really put my finger on why that's so. "Whether you have a greater deal of resilience to them when you're younger or whatever, I'm not sure. "But it certainly takes a bit more to get over them now. It was similar last season with the way the campaign finished. "Now it takes a bit longer for them to go through your system but even then, they don't go until you get going on a good run. "You always want to win. That's why we're here and we don't take jobs on thinking we're going to lose out at a certain stage. "We know what we have to do - we're trailing behind Celtic a little at the moment but we've got a home game to come and we'll have to try to catch up with them. Ally McCoist and Walter Smith"We've shown a determination to get back on top after falling a few points behind last season and now we're keen to do that again." The destination of last season's championship was determined by Celtic's seven-game winning run in the closing stages of the campaign. Smith reckons it'll take something similar to settle this season's competition - and he knows the onus is on his men to produce. He added: "It would seem as though one of the teams in contention is going to have to come up with something like that if they want to come out on top. "The most important thing for us is that we catch up first with Celtic and the biggest thing after the disappointment of the final is to get back on track. "After any defeat, such as an Old Firm loss, that's the main thing and that's what makes tomorrow's game as vital as it is for us." Smith, meanwhile, insists there's no problem with his defence after it was criticised for the goals it has lost recently. Walter SmithStrikes conceded against Hamilton, Inverness and Celtic all came from high balls but the manager is adamant it's nothing to worry about in the long term. Smith said: "We have just had a situation where, for a long number of games, we've handled that sort of thing quite well. "We have still conceded the fewest goals in the league and it's just that I keep complaining about the ones we do lose. "It's always a poor way to concede when you do so from set pieces and we have been a wee bit dozy in those cases over the season. "We just need to put up with the criticism we've had. Everybody gets it these days whether you're a banker, a politician or something else. It's something we have to accept. "Statistically speaking, we have still been better at the back than anyone in the SPL and we haven't been that bad."

Villarreal v Arsenal Manchester United v Porto Liverpool v Chelsea Barcelona v Bayern Munich Ties to be played on 7th/8th April and 14th/15th April. Champions League semi-final draw Manchester United or Porto v Villarreal or Arsenal Barcelona or Bayern Munich v Liverpool or Chelsea Ties to be played on 28th/29th April and 5th/6th May.

Rangers 3 - Novo 2, Lafferty 1 Hertz 0

Get the petition drawn up

The state of this country is in, it can't be much worse whoever is in government

Maybe we should all e-mail him and tell him we will vote for him if he takes up our fight

I read that mate, it seems Rangers are the only club with this problem ??

If more people,players,refs were more open/honest about the teams they support then it certainly wouldn't bother me,although I could see the amount of allegations of favouritism it may create, but to be honest referees and players must support a team to be involved in the game professionally, I have no problem with them showing who they support

Blah ! blah !, You talk the talk, it's time to walk the walk

By Andrew Dickson KENNY McDOWALL says Rangers can handle the weight of expectation as fans look for them to deliver the SPL title this season. The Light Blues get back to league business on Saturday after two cup ties when they host Hearts. Barry Ferguson and Kenny McDowallWith just 10 games to go and this match presenting a chance to go top of the table, it's a fixture Walter Smith's men are determined to win. They know they're under pressure to bring the championship back to Ibrox for the first time since May 2005. And McDowall insists that he, the rest of the management and the playing squad are all ready to meet that challenge head on. The first-team coach said: "There's always pressure at Rangers and the players know that. "When you don't achieve things and it's starting to cost the club money, it's a bit different. "Rather than hoping to win, you find that you have to and that's when things are really cranked up. "We're comfortable with having to handle that. It comes with the territory and we know we have to deliver trophies and championships. "If you can't take the heat from that, I think you're in the wrong job but our players deal with it well and I think the coaching staff does too. Walter Smith and Kenny McDowall"The manager's the master at it. He's been there and done it all before and he's passing his experience on to us and the players. "For that, we're grateful and we absolutely feel we can get the SPL title back here this season. We've never said anything else. "Our defeat in the Inverness game a couple of weeks ago was a blip we didn't need but we're still in the thick of things in the league. "We'll take the Hearts match when it comes on Saturday, hopefully win that then look to kick on from there. "It'll be a tough game and one in which we'll need to be on top form to get the result we're looking for. "Once it has gone we'll then look at our situation, decide what needs to be done and push on once more."

I think we all have hope, the point being that is all we have

I have never said we won't win the league, I normally bet on form !!

The fact is,even if we do win the league I don't think the criticism of the teams performances will go away, yes it will be less of an issue and will just be papering over the cracks, the doom and gloom that surrounds this club are not initiated from the fans, the fans are worried about the future of the club, quite rightly so

Cal, if some fans don't share the same confidence you have and feel the need to vent their frustration and disapointment in the teams performance then that is their parogative.But the point you make about how the Rangers fans are gutless and were out sung by the MOPES is just a dig at your own fans,and wrong IMO.Rangers fans turned out in numbers at the cup final and will turn out at every game in the hope of a good result, I personally wouldn't have a go at the fans especially as I wasn't at the game, however I will be at Ibrox on Saturday as normal and give my team the support I always do, but again I will be going there HOPING for a good result. I don't think the league is over, but I won't be running to the bookies with my cash to have a bet on that, are you?

By Andrew Dickson WALTER SMITH has backed his Rangers players to respond positively to their League Cup final defeat to Celtic at the weekend. Many of the squad that travelled to Hampden two days ago returned to Murray Park for training today, with the rest due to report back tomorrow. Walter SmithThey'll work together for the rest of the week in preparation for Saturday's crucial SPL match with Hearts at Ibrox. It's a match which will take Gers to the top of the league standings if they win, albeit perhaps only for a day. Claiming three points is essential and manager Smith expects a good reaction to the Old Firm loss in that fixture. He said: "The only guarantee with football is that you'll face disappointment from time to time and that was the case on Sunday. "If one team is far better than the other in a final then you can have no complaints about losing but the game at the weekend was a tight one. "Hopefully our defeat will lead to a determination to ensure our remaining games this season are successful for us. "It hasn't been through choice that we've had disappointments to come back from already this season but it has been the case that we've responded to them strongly. Walter Smith"We'll have to make sure we do that again and the players have shown previously that they have character. "They want to win and have a competitive streak in them. That gets tested throughout the season and this is one of those times. "There's a managerial responsibility in terms of treading the right path when you're looking to go in the right direction again. "But the players have a responsibility too and they'll pick themselves up. They have their pride and don't like losing so they'll want to ensure this doesn't affect them too greatly." There are worries that Smith could find himself with a defensive crisis on his hands ahead of the clash with the Jambos. While David Weir is suspended for the meeting with his old club, Madjid Bougherra, Kirk Broadfoot and Lee McCulloch are all carrying knocks too. Bougherra missed the final with a calf injury and McCulloch limped off on Sunday with the same problem. Madjid BougherraBut both should be fine for the weekend along with Broadfoot, who was able to take part at the national stadium after showing signs of progress. Smith added: "We're hopeful Madjid will be fit. He just missed out at the weekend and unless something untoward happens, we think we can get him back fit again on time. "Lee had a calf injury and there was always going to be a chance on Sunday that he could be affected by tightness there. "That's what happened and that's why he had to come off. He isn't injured as such and he'll be okay after a couple of days rest. "As for Kirk, his injury is quite a simple one. It's on the base of his foot and he needs a little bit of rest to let it heal. "He has had a couple of weeks where he wasn't training but he is doing a bit better now and he'll have no problem being fit for the Hearts match."

Ach, Walter is just lulling them into a false sense of security,watch the next OF game, it will be all out attack.........................!!!!!!!

Aye.........the most offensive thing was a bunch of numpties running around impersonating Rangers players :devil:

TBH, I'm more worried about our defence

The Dutch will be quaking in their boots!!!