ian1964

MADJID BOUGHERRA admits the pressure is on Rangers to win this weekend's Old Firm clash with Celtic at Ibrox. Walter Smith's men go into the game trailing the Parkhead outfit by four points at the halfway stage in the championship. bougherra_160Defender Bougherra expects Gordon Strachan's team to push for victory as they try to gain revenge for Gers' 4-2 win the last time the sides met. But he realises the visitors would be happy with a draw too for the sake of preserving their lead and he knows it's up to the Light Blues to ensure they go home empty handed. Bougherra said: "This is one of the big games in the championship because Celtic are in front of us and we are four points behind them. "We need to come back and win to ensure we stay close to them at the top of the league table. "I'm still quite new in Scotland so I haven't followed the game here too much but I know Celtic have a good team. "They are leading the league so it really goes without saying they have some good players. "They can come to Ibrox with no more pressure on them than we've got. They're the ones with a four-point lead and a draw would be okay for them. "At the same time, they will try beat us because we won against them last time and we must make sure that doesn't happen."Madjid Bougherra Bougherra insists losing would not spell the end of Rangers' title hopes should they slump to defeat in the derby. It would certainly make overtaking their Glasgow neighbours in the league table more difficult but the Algerian feels that would still be possible were Gers to come off worst. The stopper, who should be fit to play tomorrow, added: "Losing would not destroy our title ambitions. "The last time I spoke to the press, we were seven points behind and now we're four away from Celtic. "If we had won at Dundee United, the gap would have been down to two and that shows how quickly things can change. "The championship is long and there is still half a season to go. At this point, we have another 19 games to play yet."

Nacho Novo has emerged as a �£2 million transfer target for Hull City, the surprise package in the Barclays Premier League this season. The Rangers forward is on Phil Brownâ��s wish-list when the scramble for signings starts again in six daysâ�� time. Brown splashed out �£3 million on Daniel Cousin in August â�� only 48 hours after the bustling front man had scored in Rangersâ�� 4-2 triumph away to Celtic. Hull have been alerted to the fact Novo has failed to find a permanent place in Walter Smithâ��s starting line-up and Brown is lining up a second swoop on Ibrox. Novo, the Spaniard signed from Dundee in July 2004 after refusing a move to Celtic, still has 18 months of his contract to run and is in no rush to leave. However, Brown could offer him a better chance of regular football and the thought of teaming up again with Cousin could persuade Novo to make the move. Smith has been told that he will have to sell next month to generate cash to bring in new players and Jean-Claude Darcheville is already on his way back to France with Valenciennes. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/scotland/article5397900.ece

2 more sleeps.................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3 more sleeps..............CANNY FOOKIN WAIT !!!!!!!

CELTIC'S Dutch striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink could be in line for a shock comeback in Saturday's Old Firm crunch at Ibrox. Record Sportcan reveal he has rejoined first-team training and has not given up hope of proving his fitness to play at least some part in the match. Vennegoor of Hesselink has not kicked a ball since October 4 when he injured his groin in the 4-0 win over Hamilton and had been ruled out of boss Gordon Strachan's plans for Ibrox. But he will train this morning at Lennoxtown and will be given another punishing workout on Boxing Day.

WALTER SMITH wants the Old Firm to play in a European League and leave their reserve teams to battle it out for the SPL. The Rangers boss insists a new set-up can help bridge the financial chasm that exists between the continent's elite clubs and Scotland's big two. Smith admitted his team have no chance of competing at the business end of the Champions League while they earn a fraction of the money the big guns in England, Spain, Germany and Italy make. And he wants UEFA to sanction a new European League involving big clubs in small countries - teams like Rangers, Celtic, Ajax, Anderlecht, Marseille, Porto and Benfica. He is advocating a league that would run at weekends - but insists Rangers would still put out a B team to play in the SPL should it ever come about. And Smith believes that would make the Scottish league more competitive - giving the non-Old Firm clubs a much better chance of winning the title. Smith said:"Rangers and Celtic are two huge clubs who deserve to be in a better circumstance than they are in in Scotland. There are a number of big clubs all over Europe who find themselves in the same position. "We are nearly all hamstrung in terms of finance in comparison to the bigger leagues and few people are doing a great deal to try and equalise that. "UEFA have got to help bigger clubs in small countries and there are a whole load of them out there, desperate to get closer to the likes of England, Germany, Spain and Italy in financial terms. "It's the biggest problem in European football at the moment and it impacts on us at Rangers and Celtic. "The problem is wider than just letting a few more teams into the Champions League. "There should still be a Champions League but there should be a European League to rival ordinary domestic leagues. "We should have a Saturday fixture in a European League. If Rangers and Celtic were offered the chance to play in a new European format I would agree to that. "But that doesn't mean we couldn't have teams here. I would hope we could still have a team making a decent challenge in the Scottish league but it would give the other teams in Scotland an opportunity to win, which they are not getting for the same reasons we are not getting them European-wise." Smith's frustration at being unable to compete with the game's giants was voiced as he looked back on a year that saw his team reach the UEFA Cup Final then fail to make the Champions League only three months later. But even if Rangers had reached the Champions League, Smith is adamant it would have taken a miracle to come close to winning it. He added:"UEFA have to come up with a way of helping teams challenge the big teams in the Champions League at the present moment. "Benfica, Porto, teams like that, have a similar problem to Rangers and Celtic in terms of making a challenge in the Champions League. None of us are making a challenge. "Who is going to win it - a Real Madrid or Manchester United. You won't get Ajax or Porto doing it again. "It needs a closing of the gap in financial terms and there's no way of doing it at the moment. "UEFA has a responsibility to look at that and to give the opportunity to big clubs in a small-country environment to get a level of finance that would help them compete." http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/2008/12/24/rangers-and-celtic-must-quit-scotland-to-have-chance-of-success-warns-walter-smith-86908-20993073/

Galloway the TIT: [ame=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=j09Fj0yOM-E]YouTube - George Galloway Humiliating Himself[/ame]

Celtic have completed the signing of Czech Republic Under-20 defender Milan Misun from FK Pribram The 18-year-old left-back has signed a four-year contract with the reigning Scottish Premier League champions. "It's a tremendous honour to sign for a club of Celtic's stature," Misun told Celtic's official website. "I know that there are some quality players at Celtic and I will need to work extremely had to break into the first team." The defender opted for a move to Glasgow despite interest from Italian Serie A club AC Milan. He is a young man with certainly a lot of potential Celtic manager Gordon Strachan Celtic have deployed Lee Naylor and Mark Wilson in the left-back position this season, but Wilson is a naturally right-footed defender. "We are delighted to complete the signing of Milan Misun," added manager Gordon Strachan. "He is a young man with certainly a lot of potential and we will be doing all we can to maximise his potential and try and ensure that he is a success at Celtic." Last week, Celtic captured Derry City winger Niall McGinn and Dundee United goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska has signed a pre-contract agreement to join in the summer. MY SPORT: DEBATE One for the future I think, but already playing for Czech U-21 team so can't be all bad?? Powered_Up_Pac-Man Whilst on trial at Celtic's Lennoxtown training centre, Misun was joined by FK Pribram team-mate Anton Fantis, but the SPL leaders have put a possible move for the 16-year-old on hold. Strachan said he had yet to make a decision on whether to sign Brann Bergen defender Erlend Hanstveit, although it appears unlikely he will be offered a deal. Hanstveit cut short his Celtic trial to return to Norway for his wedding and will learn Strachan's thoughts through the club scout. "We need to make contact there through John Park," Strachan said on Friday. "Once we make contact then we will make clear our decision." http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/7783307.stm

By Andrew Dickson WALTER SMITH has refused to reveal whether he intends to start Kris Boyd in this weekend's Old Firm derby with Celtic. Kris Boyd celebrates his 150th club goalThe Rangers striker is in excellent form just now and after 18 goals so far this season, his confidence is as high as ever. His return against the Parkhead side over the years is the one thing which has let him down and he has just one career goal against them to his credit. That came in a 2-0 win at the end of the 2006/07 season but he hasn't featured in any of the five derbies since then. He has often been left out because of his poor workrate but that has improved considerably in recent months. As such, Smith now must decide whether to use the potent hitman and insists he'll not make his verdict known until the day of the game. He said: "Kris is doing very well for us at the moment. He is the leading scorer in Scotland by far and his return has been very good. "He has always scored goals and there has always been consistency in that respect but this season he has been working hard for the team as well.Kris Boyd "I think Kris has tried to add a little bit more to his game than he has done previously. In the past, he has relied solely on his goals but he has added to that. "The good thing is he has shown that hasn't taken away from his talents as a striker and that has been the most important aspect. "I haven't included Kris in a lot of games before and whether he starts at the weekend, you'll need to wait and see. "It is always difficult to leave Kris Boyd out of your team because he is a natural goalscorer. "It was difficult all the way through last season but that's why we are here. It's our job to make difficult decisions sometimes."

By Andrew Dickson MADJID BOUGHERRA reckons Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller are the best strike pair in the SPL. The defender, who is winning his battle to be fit for Saturday's Old Firm clash with Celtic, has been hugely impressed by them since he signed for Rangers in the summer. Kris Boyd celebrates his goal with Kenny MillerBoyd, of course, is the country's leading scorer with 18 goals and Miller has another seven to his credit, including two in the last derby four months ago. As Gers prepare to meet their rivals at Ibrox again this weekend, Bougherra is confident having the deadly duo in his team can help the Light Blues to three points. He said: "For me, I think they are the best forward pairing in the league. They are two very different strikers. "One of them is running all the time and the other is a good finisher. That is fantastic and Boydy is scoring in nearly every game at the moment. "When you are a defender, you are very confident that you'll win if you can keep a clean sheet because you have strikers like them in your side. "We always have a chance of winning when Kris is in the team. He is a great penalty-box player. "When you have someone like him in your team, you know your chances of scoring are very high. "I like Boydy because a defender might look at him and think because he doesn't run as much that that's okay.Miller and Boyd celebrate the first goal "Then they see how dangerous he is when he catches sight of goal and in the area, he is very hard to keep control of. He is fantastic every day in training and he is top class." Bougherra rates Boyd so highly he has compared him to Eric Cantona - but only when he scores. The way the ex-Kilmarnock hitman celebrates reminds his colleague of the Manchester United legend. Bougherra added: "I can't think of anyone in particular I could compare him to as a player but I told him that when he scores he is like Cantona. "Watch him the next time he scores and you will see what I mean. He postures just like him when he celebrates!"

[ame=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1kw6fuC305s]YouTube - Glasgow Rangers FC Hokey Cokey[/ame]

A SLUR campaign against Celtic legend Jock Stein has hit a mobile phone text service, it was revealed last night. The vile bigots behind the ââ?¬Ë?Big Jock Knewââ?¬â?¢ claims say the former manager kept quiet about a sex abuse scandal at the club. Now punters who text 118 118 to ask the question ââ?¬Å?What did big Jock know?ââ?¬Â get an answer hinting that Stein failed to report Celtic Boys Club molester Jim Torbett to cops. Abuse ... Jim Torbett Abuse ... Jim Torbett The response reads: ââ?¬Å?Big Jock Knew refers to the ex-manager of Celtic football club Jock Stein. ââ?¬Å?It pertains to a matter that Stein knew but didnââ?¬â?¢t report to the authorities.ââ?¬Â A section of Rangers fans have been blasted for singing ââ?¬Ë?Big Jock Knewââ?¬â?¢ at Old Firm games. The chant alleges former Scotland boss Stein tried to cover up Torbettââ?¬â?¢s sordid activities in the 1970s. But last night the 118 118 link was slammed by Celtic fan and MP George Galloway. Mr Galloway said: ââ?¬Å?There are no depths these disgusting bigots wonââ?¬â?¢t sink to. They could slither under the belly of a snake with ease. ââ?¬Å?Steinââ?¬â?¢s name and reputation will live on when these anonymous bigots are dust.ââ?¬Â Galloway added: ââ?¬Å?Thanks to The Scottish Sun for pointing this out. Iââ?¬â?¢ll be raising this in Parliament immediately.ââ?¬Â Torbett was convicted of abusing several lads who played for Celtic Boys Club in the 70s. Advertisement His crimes became public in 1996 when former player Alan Brazil revealed that he had been molested at the age of 13 at Torbettââ?¬â?¢s home in Sighthill, Glasgow. Torbett was jailed for two-and-a-half years in 1998. Last night a spokesman for 118 118 said: ââ?¬Å?We have looked into this. ââ?¬Å?The answer to the question just refers to a historical subject matter without offering any opinion or implication.ââ?¬Â http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/article2064748.ece

The Australian had a testicle removed in November after being diagnosed with cancer. And now he has been told by doctors that the operation was successful and he could resume his playing career. Moore, 32, had the operation at a hospital in Brisbane, where he is now captain of Queensland Roar. The veteran defender, who joined Rangers as a teenager in 1993, was diagnosed after discovering a lump six weeks ago. In a statement on their website, Queensland Roar said: "The Socceroos defender met with his oncologist this morning and was informed he would not require further immediate ongoing treatment and was given the all-clear to continue training and playing. "Doctors will continue to monitor Moore's recovery over the coming months to ensure his ongoing health. "The results are a boost for the player, his family, Roar fans and also the club." Moore played at Ibrox during current manager Walter Smith's first spell in charge but moved to Crystal Palace in 1998. He returned to Rangers after a short spell in England and became a key player under Dick Advocaat. Moore was appointed club captain by the Dutchman's successor Alex McLeish but was stripped of the captaincy after a row over his decision to go to the Olympics with the Australian national team. He later played for German team Borussia Monchengladbach and Newcastle United before returning to Australia. He was forced to pull out of the Australian international team for a match against Bahrain after receiving the cancer diagnosis http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/scottishpremier/rangers/3902019/Former-Rangers-captain-Craig-Moore-given-all-clear-after-cancer.html

By ALAN CARSON Published: 22 Dec 2008 rigTeaserImage RANGERS fans were effectively banned from singing the Hokey Cokey last night — as football’s bigotry row took a crazy new twist. Incredibly, church leaders and politicians are urging cops to nab anyone caught chanting the kids’ party anthem at Saturday’s Old Firm game. Barmy ... 'sectarian' dance Barmy ... 'sectarian' dance They fear sectarian thugs will use the dancefloor classic to ridicule visiting Celtic fans at Ibrox. But last night baffled Gers supporters’ spokesman Stephen Smith said: “This is absolutely insane.” The row came after Bluenoses flooded internet chat sites urging pals to chant the song, which experts claim was composed 300 years ago to mock the Latin Mass. Last night Nats MSP Michael Matheson said: “It’s important the police and football clubs are aware of the sinister background to this song, and take the appropriate action against individuals who use it to taunt Catholics.” It is believed the 18th century ditty was originally meant as a dig at the actions of priests during the Eucharist. The Catholic Church says the title comes from the phrase “hocus pocus”. Ridiculous And spokesman Peter Kearney said: “If there are moves to restore its more malevolent meaning (of this song) then consideration should perhaps be given to its wider use.” Gers fans swamped internet chat rooms in a bid to adopt it as a terrace chant. One insisted: “We must sing the Hokey Cokey — must!” Another said: “Altogether now ... Ohh Ohh the Hokey Cokey.” But other supporters were gobsmacked the song had been ruled offensive. One blasted: “We sang the Hokey Cokey at my son’s nursery Christmas party. Should me, my wife and four-year-old turn ourselves in?” 'No agenda' ... Fraser 'No agenda' ... Fraser 3\PA:Press Association Church bosses believe anyone nabbed singing it could fall foul of laws against incitement to religious hatred. But Murdo Fraser, deputy leader of the Scottish Tories, said: “I can’t believe children performing the Hokey Cokey are doing so in pursuit of any sort of anti-Catholic agenda.” Fellow Conservative Bill Aitken added: “There is a degree of over-sensitivity about these things at present. It is time we all moved on.” Gers fans were recently warned they faced arrest if caught singing the controversial Famine Song. Last night the Rangers Supporters Trust admitted they were stunned by any possible ban on the Hokey Cokey. Spokesman Stephen Smith said: “It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” Strathclyde Police said: “Any singing, chanting or other behaviour perceived as being racist or sectarian in nature and we will take positive action.” http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/article2060575.ece

Agreed, BUTCHER IS A TWAT, I do support Scotland but not before Rangers, and as he was never a regular first choice I do not think Scotland will miss Boyd,if Scotland were a team that COULD play 4-4-2 all the time then maybe yes, but we are simply not good enough to play Boyd all the time, and I am a Boyd fan but realise his limit

I believe bringing through our own young talent is the way to go,however you need to have a world wide scouting system to do that and we don't, why waste good money on POTENTIAL which is a gamble ?, we need to get a proper scouting system in place

I work overseas offshore and I am the same,I think I always just avoid the issue as deep down you know they don't like you and you just put up with them, vice versa,for the sake of work

Apart from the fact that this is so STUPID, I will be fucked if SDM or any other cunt will tell me not to sing this, it is a fucking farce full stop, and regardless of the result on Saturday, which we will win anyway,I will be singing it non stop

Well I will be singing the hokey cokey on Saturday with a huge smile on my face, and if I get lifted I will fight it all the way..............................does anyone know a good lawyer ?

[ame=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=R8S5O43QCbA&feature=channel_page]YouTube - Rangers - Brothers In Arms[/ame]

That price is with sky bet

Rangers 7/5 on Saturday ????, I will be having some of that

You mean jingle BEADS :devil:

http://www.gersnetonline.net/vb/showthread.php?t=9294

HT Falkirk 0 MOPES O