ian1964

Deadline Day Logo Keane Arshavin Transfer Clockwatch 10.44 Reports in Russia suggest that Spartak Moscow's Austrian international defender Martin Stranzl is on the verge of a move to Britain, with Glasgow Rangers and Fulham identified as probable destinations.

Reckon he will miss the game through the injury he picked up on Saturday

Do Rangers have a new gem in John Fleck? It is too early to say, but in an age scarce for precocious Scottish talent, the 17-year-old certainly looks something to savour. On Saturday, Ibrox once more rose and paid tribute to the young midfield player, perhaps with gratitude as much as pride, given the way Walter Smithââ?¬â?¢s team toiled to overcome Dundee United. While Rangersââ?¬â?¢ teething problems continue, over on their left flank there remains a rare ray of light. Fleck, blessed with a robust physical presence, has a wonderful poise over the ball, enabling him to skip past opponents, and can also see a pass. He also has bags of confidence, as evident in the way he hungrily grabbed the ball for himself, after Mihael Kovacevic had pulled him down, to shoot home the 76th-minute penalty that set Rangers on course for this win. For Rangers fans there was an obvious downside. Part of the reason for the adulation of Fleck was born of relief, given the sheer poverty of Rangersââ?¬â?¢ approach up until then. Facing a five-man midfield is nothing new these days but Smithââ?¬â?¢s men got into quite a stew trying to find a way past United. Rangers created precious few chances and, as has been the case so often before, an increasingly irate Ibrox crowd let them know about it. Related Links * No worry over lack of Ibrox transfers * Chairman defends Rangers housekeeping * Novo fires Rangers into the final The young man on their left-midfield, however, remained unfazed by it all, and there is going to be excitement around Ibrox at seeing how well Fleck can progress. It wouldnââ?¬â?¢t surprise anyone if Walter Smith chose to rest him for Wednesday eveningââ?¬â?¢s glamour friendly against AC Milan, but his Rangers future looks full of promise. ââ?¬Å?It is scary how good he is,ââ?¬Â Steven Whittaker said of Fleck. ââ?¬Å?Heââ?¬â?¢s got talent in abundance and has shown that he is more than capable of playing on this stage. Heââ?¬â?¢s got a great future ahead of him. John has got that special type of talent ââ?¬â?? he sees pictures in his head. His touch and his contribution are very good.ââ?¬Â An irate Ibrox crowd? How often have we seen this before? Kris Boyd, in particular, became the object of scorn from a section of the Govan faithful. This was one of those classic occasions the striker would sooner forget, when all he does is replenish the ammunition of those who, bizarrely, want him removed from Ibrox. Boyd fluffed at this and fluffed at that as the play bobbled around him and became a desolate figure in the second half as United began to press. And the crowd let him know of it. ââ?¬Å?Four million pounds-worth of mince!ââ?¬Â a voice boomed from the main stand as Boyd ââ?¬â?? the subject of such a bid from Birmingham City ââ?¬â?? was relieved of duty by his manager after 73 minutes to make way for Kyle Lafferty. And as the poor Rangers striker trudged to the touchline, another voice rang out: ââ?¬Å?Aye, Boyd, just you keep walking... right out the front door.ââ?¬Â His manager gave him a heartfelt handshake as the striker sank into the dugout. Smith knows how unforgiving Ibrox can be. Fleckââ?¬â?¢s penalty with 14 minutes remaining, and Laffertyââ?¬â?¢s goal right on the 90th minute, spared Rangers any more angst. United, however, were once more a credit under Craig Levein, and are well and truly the third force again in Scottish football. With Willo Flood having gone, the battle goes on for Levein to keep his squad keen and vigorous with players that have remained under the radar. In such as Flood, Craig Conway, Scott Robertson and Morgaro Gomis, Levein has revealed his perceptive eye for a player, and over these remaining 24 hours of the transfer window he wants to try to acquire a new midfield player for Tannadice. The situation is all the more acute given Robertsonââ?¬â?¢s absence through injury for up to two months. ââ?¬Å?If your team is doing well you have to accept that the vultures will start to arrive,ââ?¬Â Levein said when asked about the loss of Flood to Celtic. ââ?¬Å?You just have to get on with it. My job is to find new players, but there is no doubt these have been a tough three or four days for us.ââ?¬Â Just three days earlier, United had lost to Celtic after 120 pulsating minutes and 24 penalties in the Cooperative Insurance Cup semi-final, but you wouldnââ?¬â?¢t have known they felt drained at Ibrox. While Leveinââ?¬â?¢s side have played better football than this, they remain a force to be reckoned with, on good days or bad. ââ?¬Å?I have some fantastic players and it was a testament to us that we came here expecting to win,ââ?¬Â Levein said. ââ?¬Å?We didnââ?¬â?¢t play particularly well but we worked our backsides off and the game was on a knife-edge for 75 minutes... basically, until their penalty. We were well in it up until then.ââ?¬Â Levein complained that the award against United was ââ?¬Å?softââ?¬Â, yet all the danger was caused by Fleck, who squirrelled into Unitedââ?¬â?¢s box from the inside-left channel and immediately got the better of Kovacevic. The United defender was forced to hastily try to stop the Rangers youngster, and Fleck hit the deck. Soft or not, plenty have been given in such circumstances, and Rangers were grateful to suddenly have their lead. Strangely, United wilted when both Jon Daly and David Goodwillie arrived to make up a three-man attack for the final 15 minutes, and Rangers eased to victory. With seconds remaining, Lafferty was left to prod a shot home from 18 yards after Lukasz Zaluska had saved from Barry Ferguson. Rangers, though, were under no illusions. ââ?¬Å?We were off the pace for an hour, and we struggled,ââ?¬Â Smith said. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/scotland/article5636186.ece

RANGERS starlet John Fleck was at the centre of a storm last night after getting embroiled in a bust-up in a nightclub ââ?¬â? despite being only SEVENTEEN. Fleck and his pals were kicked out of Glasgowââ?¬â?¢s trendy Karbon bar in the early hours of yesterday after trouble flared. Boozy thugs began taunting the talented youngster ââ?¬â? who had scored his first goal for Gers just hours earlier in the 2-0 win over Dundee United ââ?¬â? before throwing punches at his mates, shocked eye-witnesses claim. Trendy ... Glasgow bar Karbon Trendy ... Glasgow bar Karbon Last night one source said: ââ?¬Å?At 17 he shouldnââ?¬â?¢t have been in the nightclub in the first place. ââ?¬Å?But itââ?¬â?¢s fair to say him and his pals were being antagonised. Snapped ââ?¬Å?At first they all did their best to ignore the taunts but eventually one of them just snapped and a fight broke out. ââ?¬Å?Punches were thrown ââ?¬â? but not by Fleck himself. His pals made sure he was kept at armââ?¬â?¢s length. But when the bouncers moved in, they didnââ?¬â?¢t stop to ask questions. ââ?¬Å?They just threw the lot of them out, including the young player. ââ?¬Å?Up until that point he was in great form because of the penalty he scored earlier in the day.ââ?¬Â Fleck has been caught up in a nightclub row before. He felt the wrath of his mum Christine last summer after he was snapped drinking Irn-Bru in another city club Kushion. Advertisement She said at the time: ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢m not happy with him going to the dancing because he is too young. ââ?¬Å?Heââ?¬â?¢s not been out for a while now. I donââ?¬â?¢t let him go out because of his age. Heââ?¬â?¢s not into drinking at all. ââ?¬Å?He is a brilliant, well-behaved boy. ââ?¬Å?A lot of people notice him at the dancing and he doesn't really like that.ââ?¬Â Fleck ââ?¬â? tipped as one of Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s most promising rising stars ââ?¬â? made his Gers first-team debut last season when he was just 16. His uncle Robert Fleck was a cult hero for the Ibrox side during the 1980s. In 2006 it emerged Rangers bosses bought Fleckââ?¬â?¢s parents a HOUSE away from his pals ââ?¬â? so he didnââ?¬â?¢t go off the rails. Powerful The club splashed out Ã?£100,000 on the pad despite the powerful wonder kid being just 14 at the time. Last night Rangers confirmed they were aware of the bust-up.l But officials insisted the row was nothing to do with Fleck and claimed he did not get kicked out of the nightspot. A spokesman said: ââ?¬Å?We are aware of an incident in a nightclub last night. ââ?¬Å?Our player was not involved in the incident and left the club of his volition.ââ?¬Â http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/article2195625.ece

Rangers and the MOPES will drop more points as the season goes on IMO. It's a case of who is worse and there is not much between the two teams

I thought 50-50's went in favour of the attacker ?

That'll feckin do for me

C'moooooooooooooooooooooooon........hold out

4 min et ?????

C'mon ICT...................hold out

Link working well for me

ICT goal was not offside IMO

http://www.iraqgoals.com/en/ch1.html

Link for the game if anybody wants to watch it http://www.iraqgoals.com/en/ch1.html

Aye...........but they are fighting for their survival & a new manager :cheers: Hopeful Loyal

Aye......wishful thinking from me

What chance of a wee upset here ?,I think this will be a tough match for the MOPES, new manager and all.........................MON the ICT

We have LMc.........................

WHO, in their right mind, seriously expected bigger attendances for this weekâ��s Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-finals? I reckon that every paying punter should have been given a gold medal. Rangers v Falkirk pulled in more fans than watched Premiership contenders Liverpool at Wigan on Wednesday. The following night Celtic and Dundee United, with Scott MacDonald scoring the decisive penalty, above, drew a bigger crowd than the midweek Portsmouth- Aston Villa match despite live, terrestrial TV coverage. Set against the bigger picture, the Co-op Cup is an irrelevance. It lost its sparkle the moment its winners were denied a place in Europe but in these dire financial straits football needs every thin dime it can get. We should be on our knees thanking the insurance giant for its continued support of our game. For over a year, the SFA failed to hook a sponsor for its own flagship Scottish Cup before Glasgow entrepreneur Willie Haughey stepped in to save it. Football sponsorship will be the first casualty as the multi-nationals battle for survival. Be in no doubt, this game of ours is in a bad way. Every club in the country is in uncharted water. This is no ordinary credit squeeze and those who believe weâ��ll still have 42 senior clubs standing by this time next year need counselling. Even Carol Vorderman would struggle to make sense of Hearts' balance sheet Face facts, there will be no government bail out of Scottish football. In the current financial climate it will be every club for itself. When we see Sir David Murray is prepared to jeopardise Rangersâ�� title hopes by selling one of his best players in mid-season then we should all recognise the gravity of the situation. This week there was talk of Livingston players striking after their wages failed to appear in the bank on time. It was a carbon copy of events at Tynecastle earlier in the season. Even Carol Vorderman would struggle to make some sense of Heartsâ�� balance sheet as owner Vladimir Romanov continues to pile up the debts. But if Livi and the Jambos were the first to show signs of distress, they wonâ��t be the last. With sounder leadership in the past, Scottish football would be in better shape to get through this, but weâ��re reaping what has been sown for decades. Take that poor Hampden surface the other night. Those criticising the groundstaff or stadium director David Kells are missing the point. The pitch is poor because the amateurs of Queenâ��s Park are the only people who have the right to use it. Everyone else, including our international football team, pays through the nose for the privilege. We shovelled millions of pounds of taxpayersâ�� cash into rebuilding the ground but then we allowed Queenâ��s to keep the title deeds. You honestly couldnâ��t make it up. It might be called the National Stadium but it no more belongs to the nation than Harrods does. In a deal that would make the eyes water the SFA originally agreed to pay �£22million over 20 years for office space and use of the pitch! Not that the SFA ultimately represents the biggest threat to Scottish football. That distinction goes to the SPL, a private members club which is clearly no longer fit for purpose. Their manifesto promised to foster youth development. FAILED! They're doing their best to sink Scotland's World Cup hopes They promised supporters a better standard of football. FAILED! Better value for money? FAILED! Their only success was in driving clubs into the hands of banks through the 10,000 seat rule. Currently, theyâ��re doing their best to sink Scotlandâ��s World Cup hopes by kicking off the SPL season just days before George Burleyâ��s boys travel to Norway. Well done Lex Gold, take a bow. There is so much wrong with the game you wouldnâ��t know where to start, but start we must. Itâ��s several weeks since SFA president George Peat promised a major review of Scottish football. Independently chaired, it was to include all the relevant parties for the common good of the game. Since then we havenâ��t heard a cheep. If this was a throwaway soundbite to earn Peat some kudos he should be strung up. We donâ��t have time on our side. Half empty grounds and mudbath pitches will be the least of our worries unless Hampdenâ��s sixth floor gets its act together. More than a decade ago Fergus McCann told us Scotland couldnâ��t support more than 20 senior football clubs. Thereâ��s every chance heâ��s about to be proved right. http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/scottish/scottish_sport/150637/For-credit-crunch-read-meltdown.html

By David Craig, 31/01/2009 WOLVES swooped last night to sign Hearts skipper Christophe Berra in a Ã?£2million deal. Berra travelled south yesterday to meet Molineux boss Mick McCarthy and thrash out personal terms after the Jambos gave him permission to speak to Wolves. It was third time lucky for McCarthy in his pursuit of Berra. He twice tried to sign him last summer and saw offers of Ã?£1m and Ã?£1.5m rejected. Berra, 24, was under contract at Tynecastle until 2011 and the club had been holding put for around Ã?£3million. However, club owner Vladimir Romanov flew in to Edinburgh on Friday and he gave permission for Wolves to speak to Berra on Friday night. It is understood Hearts urgently need the cash and they didnââ?¬â?¢t want to jeopardise the deal by playing him in yesterdayââ?¬â?¢s 2-0 defeat to Hamilton. A Tynecastle spokesman said: ââ?¬Å?Hearts have given Christophe permission to talk to Wolves. He does so with our blessing.ââ?¬Â Berra watched Wolvesââ?¬â?¢ 3-1 victory over Watford before undergoing a medical at Molineux. Berra, who has three Scotland caps, has also been linked with moves to Fulham and Sunderland. Heartsââ?¬â?¢ dire financial situation ââ?¬â? they are thought to be more than Ã?£30m in the red ââ?¬â? forced Romanov to admit he would be prepared to sell key players. The likes of Andrew Driver and Laryea Kingston may also be sold before the transfer window closes tomorrow. http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/scottish/scottish_sport/151049/Wolves-snatch-Berra-Hearts.html

Levein : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/7863100.stm'>http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/7863100.stm Walter : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/7863100.stm

By David Melvin STEVEN DAVIS has praised John Fleck for having the confidence to make a vital breakthrough for Rangers after the teenage star opened the scoring against Dundee United from the penalty spot. John FleckThe Northern Ireland international admits he expected the 17-year-old to pass on the penalty taking responsibility after he was fouled by Mihael Kovacevic. But the talented midfielder refused to surrender the ball and confidently slotted it past Lukas Zaluska to rapturous applause from the Ibrox crowd. Davis said: "He showed again today what he's all about. It took a lot of bottle to take the penalty in a match that was so important for us to win. "But he was obviously brought down for the penalty and he was more than confident of taking it and he stroked it away well. John Fleck, Rangers scores a penalty for Rangers"It was a key moment in the game and he won it for us, but you maybe expect him to get the ball and hand it on to one of the more senior players. "But he grabbed it with both hands and obviously wanted it and he took it well so we're delighted that he's got his first goal for the club and hopefully he can build on that again." It was a crucial moment for the home side after they had been frustrated by a dogged United team for 76 minutes. Davis was relieved to get another important three points against difficult opponents with the small matter of an Old Firm game to come in a little over two weeks time. Steven DavisHe added: "We've seen that in most home games teams come and are compact and make it difficult for us and that's why that first goal is so important. "It took a penalty to get there today but once we scored that the lads relaxed a little bit and started to play some good stuff after that. "I've said it before, but all we can do is concentrate on ourselves and keep picking up wins. "We've done that today and it puts a little bit of pressure on Celtic but they'll be looking to go and win too ahead of the Old Firm game in a couple of weeks." Davis was also delighted to see his compatriot Kyle Lafferty return to action and grab a late goal to put a more comfortable look on the scoreline. Kyle Lafferty, Rangers celebrates scoringLafferty finished comfortably in to an open goal in injury time having replaced Kris Boyd shortly before Fleck's opening goal. And Davis was impressed with the way his international team mate's introduction changed the game. He said: "I think he made an impact when he came on today and to get a goal was an added bonus. "He's been out for a little while with some niggling injuries so it's good to have him back after Nacho picked up a knock."

TBH, I would sell him if this rumour is true,he has done nothing for far too long IMO,and that is me being a Fergie fan

Pity I never got the goal scorers correct

GARY MEGSON wants Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson to fill the void left by Kevin Nolanâ��s departure to Newcastle. Bolton boss Megson sent chief scout Colin Harvey to check on Ferguson in Rangers' clash with Dundee United yesterday. The Trotters hope the Scotland and Gers skipper, 30, can be bought for a cut-price �£2million as Rangers look to ease their wage bill. But a player Megson will not be pursuing is Sporting Lisbon winger Miguel Veloso after being quoted a price-tag of �£12m. http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/sport/150378/BARRY-FERGUSON-IS-BOLTON-TARGET.html