ian1964

Ok, but then Walters tactics got us to the final of every competition and got us two trophies

If we go on to win the league,and possibly the treble,and get straight into the CL,will we look back on the sale of Carlos as a good bit of business ?

WS cost us the title ?, him and all the players surely.

Andrew Dickson reports from Parkhead WALTER SMITH paid tribute to his Rangers players after their magnificent 4-2 derby win over Celtic at Parkhead. The Light Blues manager raised eyebrows before play began by selecting Daniel Cousin to partner Kenny Miller up front. But his decision paid off when the Gabon hitman fired in the opener - and he was even more ecstatic when Miller then struck a second-half double. Pedro Mendes was the other scorer with a screamer from 25 yards and there's little doubt the visitors deserved to take three points from the first Old Firm clash of the season. While Smith will be acclaimed by many Gers fans for choosing the side he put out, he was keen for the men at his disposal to take the credit instead. He said: "We are obviously pleased to win the game. It was quite open and we were delighted to get the first goal then disappointed at losing one shortly afterwards. "It was a scrappy one from our point of view and 1-1 was probably just about right at half-time. "But whoever gets the first goal of the second half in Old Firm games often goes on to have the have the upper hand. "We managed to score then add another quite quickly and it was always going to be difficult for Celtic to come back after that. "You are always on edge when you come here but in the end, it was a terrific victory at a place where it is very difficult for any team to get a win and our players did very well." There was obvious focus on Miller as he returned to Celtic Park just two years since he joined Gordon Strachan's side after a previous spell with Rangers. He famously scored his first goal for the Parkhead team against the Light Blues but made away fans forget that with a wonderful brace today. His first effort was a brilliant right-footed volley across Artur Boruc's goal and the second was a tap-in after the Pole fumbled the ball. Miller's return to Ibrox has not gone down well with some supporters, who have made their feelings on the matter known over the last few weeks. Smith is hopeful the Scotland hitman's contribution today goes some way towards appeasing them. When asked how much pressure he thought Miller was under ahead of this game, the manager joked: "Not as much as me. "I thought Kenny played well. It seems to be the case quite often in football that people score against their former clubs and that was the case here. "I'm just pleased we managed to get the goals we needed and it doesn't bother me who scores them. "But Kenny played well today and if his performance doesn't win people over, we've got a bit of a problem. I don't know what he would need to do. "He has got his goals now so it is over with and hopefully he can go on to get a few more as the season goes on."

Gribz.........you're like a dog with a bone........COUSIN WANTS TO LEAVE

For me I don't see what the dilema is, he wants to leave end of

I won't vote on this, I wasn't against him signing

Sorry Gazza,I just posted another thread on this,stick with yours and can a mod delete my thread.

Serious question lads,to the guys on here that dislike Miller, do you feel any different about him now,just wondering ?

Cheers Barry,you're a gentleman,reading that I could actually see the goals

Yes, still here. No-one is arguing with the the fact Cousin is better than Boyd,only Cousin doesn't want to be here,so hopefully he has played well enough today to get the move he craves and we get some cash for him

Never seen the game...........working .............but Cousin maybe has just played himself into the move he wants ?

Get Fleck involved

Did I hear correctly when the the commentator said that Cesc Fabregas[sp],has played over 200 games for Arsenal and he is still only 20 years old ?

KEVIN THOMSON is hoping he can play the role of lucky mascot tomorrow when Rangers face their oldest rivals at Parkhead. The midfielder was gutted to miss both meetings between the sides at Celtic Park last season, but sitting out the two defeats has left Thomson with a 100 per cent record from four Old Firm ties. Thomson grabbed the winner in a 1-0 win over Celtic at Ibrox back in March but was helpless as he watched his side slip to defeat twice in the East end of Glasgow in April. But he has tasted victory at Parkhead in a light blue shirt when he played his part in a 1-0 victory there in Walter Smith's first Old Firm game after his return to Rangers. And Thomson now admits he is desperate to continue his record with another victory on Sunday. He said: "I've got a 100 per cent record and I'm quite happy to put that on the line on Sunday and look forward to it and hopefully after the game I'll be able to say I still have the same record. "I got a win there in the first season after I joined when big Ugo scored. I don't know how he did it. Someone suggested it was an overhead kick but I'm not quite sure about that. "The league was dead and buried at that stage, but it opened my eyes to how much it means to the fans and to the players. "The manager said just last week that, no matter how early they come, matches away to Celtic are a big part of the season. They might not be critical to deciding the league but we don't want to give them a lead. "If they were to win it would open a three point gap but we can go there with every confidence and hopefully we'll have an advantage come Sunday night."

TRUST ADVICE TO MEMBERS ATTENDING GAME AT CELTIC PARK, SUNDAY 31 AUGUST Over at least the last five years, many dozens of Trust members have expressed concerns about aspects of both policing and stewarding at Celtic Park. These concerns include: being threatened with arrest or ejection from the stadium for spurious, trivial or unexplained reasons; flags, banners and clothing with no offensive or sectarian connotations confiscated or not allowed into the Stadium; a gratuitously hostile, unfriendly attitude displayed by a handful of police officers and, more worryingly, a large number of stewards; intimidation and threats of arrest or ejection for singing ââ?¬Ë?sectarianââ?¬â?¢ songs, despite said songs having no sectarian content or connotations. These concerns have been aggravated by the obvious double standards on display, where the home support is seemingly at liberty to throw missiles at players and club employees, sing sectarian bile about ââ?¬Ë?Orange b*stardsââ?¬â?¢ and ââ?¬Ë?H*nsââ?¬â?¢ and display offensive and sectarian banners and flags. In advance of the game on Sunday, the Board of the Rangers Supportersââ?¬â?¢ Trust offers the following advice to our members: 1. Letââ?¬â?¢s conduct ourselves as we usually do, in a manner which accurately reflects the best traditions of our support and our Club and our pride in them. 2. The Club, the RST and other supportersââ?¬â?¢ groups are united in opposing racism, prejudice and sectarianism and have recognised the huge strides made by the Rangers support in recent seasons. Regardless of the inevitable provocation, do not hand our enemies any excuses for their behaviour or a propaganda gift by inappropriate singing or chanting. 3. Report any instances of provocative or inappropriate behaviour from opposition supporters to the police. Be polite, sensible and ask what, if any action is being taken. 4. If approached by stewards or police officers be calm, polite and avoid unnecessary confrontation. If asked to do something you believe unreasonable, ask precisely why or under what law or ground regulation this is being requested, and if necessary take note of names, police badge numbers and any witnesses in the vicinity. 5. If necessary use camera phones to record incidents of concern. If you or your fellow supporters are threatened, bullied, harassed or arrested unreasonably, ensure that you have witnesses to hand and note the location and time of any such incidents. The Trust Board will be meeting this week, in advance of the RST AGM next Saturday, and will review the conduct and outcome of Sundayââ?¬â?¢s game. We have had informal discussions with the Club on this and have also previously raised the issues with Strathclyde Police. We remain concerned at the lack of clarity in the responses from the Constabulary and the refusal of a high profile public service to either engage with or explain themselves to the public they profess to serve. The Trust AGM provides a perfect opportunity for the issue of conduct and treatment at Celtic Park to be debated and for Trust members to decide collectively how we take this forward. Stephen Smith RST Chair, on behalf of the Trust Board

Rangers 2 { Mendes,Lafferty} Mhanks 0

ARCHIE CAMPBELL regained his goalscoring touch this afternoon by blasting home a sensational hat-trick as the under-19s beat Aberdeen 3-1 at Balgownie Playing Fields. The pacey hitman helped Billy Kirkwood's side take their unbeaten run to three games out of three in the league but it was a strong and confident performance all-round from the Murray Park kids. Rangers went in at half-time with a two goal advantage in place after Campbell had hit the net on 21 and 44 minutes. His first was a quick turn and shot from the edge of the box and he made no mistake with his second after he was found by Isa Bagci who supplied an excellent through pass before his teammate finished with aplomb. But the home side responded quickly after the restart and caught their Glasgow opponents cold by making the scoreline 2-1 with only a minute of the second-half played. Campbell, however, was in fine form and when the striker had the chance to bag his side's third after good play from Kal Naismith there was only going to be one outcome. Rangers are now the only team in the under-19 league to have a 100 per cent record after recent wins over Falkirk and Hearts and Kirkwood was delighted to see his side pick up all three points. He said: "It was very pleasing to see the boys get another victory and it was a good display although we were a bit erratic at times. "Ross Perry and Jamie Ness, in particular, were excellent on the day as was Archie who took his goals really well. "That will do his confidence a lot of good and, hopefully, he can push on now and enjoy a good season. "But overall I thought it was a decent game between two sides who like to get the ball down and it's always nice to travel back from Aberdeen with three points in the bag. "We had a few players out today such as Danny Wilson, Stephen Stirling, Rhys McCabe and Kane Hemmings but the lads that came in did very well." RANGERS: Vaiculis; Durie, Scott, Perry, Cole (Dick 68); Hutton, Forbes, Ness, Naismith; Campbell, Bagci (Wright 87) Subs Not Used: Adam

RANGERS captain Barry Ferguson, Craig McShea and Tom Miller from the Rangers youth squad teamed up with local MP Ian Davidson today to send a goodwill message from Ibrox to football-crazy schoolchildren in Malawi. Mr Davidson, the MP for Glasgow South West, is leading a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association delegation to the African state next week. During his trip he will visit the Milonde Community Day Secondary School which is 'twinned' with Govan High School in Glasgow. Rangers, through the Rangers Charity Foundation, have donated strips, tracksuits, drinks bottles, and boot bags for the Milonde pupils and they will be taken to the school by Mr Davidson next week. Rangers Charity Champion Barry Ferguson said: "The Charity Foundation has done a tremendous amount of work in terms of giving kit to children in countries around the world and as a club we are delighted to be sending this kit to a school which has got such close links to our local community here." Mr Davidson said: "By all accounts the children at Milonde love their football and I'm sure will be delighted with these gifts from Rangers. "The pupils at Govan High have formed a very close bond with the school and there is a growing link between Hills Trust Primary and the local primary in Milonde as well. This gesture underlines those links." Connal Cochrane, Rangers Charity Foundation Manager, added: "We are delighted to supply children in Africa with some Rangers kit and hope this further helps the good relationship the Milonde School has with this part of Glasgow."

MAURICE Edu has expressed his delight at finally signing for Rangers and is hoping he can quickly play a part in the team with an appearance against Celtic on Sunday. The midfielder jetted in to Glasgow early on Friday and after a short training session, admitted he felt ready to be involved in Walter Smith's squad for the weekend's derby match at Parkhead. Smith will assess the 22-year-old in training on Saturday but Mo's initial reaction to life at Murray Park after a delayed flight from Canada has been positive. He said: "I'm excited to be here, it's what I've been waiting for, for the past couple of weeks. Now everything is finalised so I'm here and I'm happy. "I've managed a jog this morning and got the legs going again, so I'm fine, I'll be ready. I don't know what's been finalised but I hope to be part of the squad and part of the game too." The former Toronto FC man insists he knows what to expect from Sunday's Old Firm meeting if Smith deems him fit enough to play a part. He added: "I've seen a couple of the games on TV and I've spoken to Mo Johnston about them. He explained how great a game it is and how competitive they are. "He just advised me to be prepared, to go out there and play my game, enjoy the atmosphere and really just enjoy the experience." The US international's move from the MLS has been a protracted affair with the club having to secure a work permit before finalising the deal. With that now done and dusted Edu is delighted to have the opportunity to become part of the setup at Murray Park. He said: "I came out here a little while ago when I saw the Hearts game and I had a chance to explore the city and the facilities here. "They are probably the best I've ever seen and now I have the chance to be here and train at this facility and be part of the team so I'm excited to be here." And despite there being no European football to look forward to at Ibrox this term, Edu admits the appeal of regular involvement in the premier club competitions was an added attraction when deciding to trade the MLS for the SPL. He added: "The MLS is definitely improving, but over here this team plays in the Champions League and the UEFA Cup against the best players in the world. "For me it's a step up but I think it's the right choice because I feel I'm going to improve as a player, playing with better players every day. I'll get good coaching and I can develop as a player, which is important to me. "I'm a box to box midfielder. I can make tackles and break up the play but at the same time every now and then I'll get the occasional goal so that's what the fans can expect to see from me. "It's up to the manager how he sees me fitting in, but I think I can bring something that can compliment the team and benefit it in the long run."

WALTER SMITH is hoping that his side can enjoy a successful away day at Parkhead this weekend but is fully aware just how difficult it will be to take three points in Glasgow's East End. The Gers' last victory at the home of their greatest rivals came on March 11, 2007 when Ugo Ehiogu's was the unlikely hero with a stunning overhead kick. A similar result this weekend would do just fine for the gaffer who is looking forward to another explosive encounter. "When you go to Celtic Park at any time you expect an extremely difficult game and that will be no different on Sunday," said Smith. "Historically, Rangers and Celtic don't lose a lot of home games and if you do then your position as manager can be in trouble. "So Celtic have an excellent record not just in the SPL but in Europe over the past five to ten years. "It's a tough place to go, as is Ibrox, but there is no doubt we can get a big psychological lift if we can get a good result on Sunday. "That is what we will set out to achieve." Several Ibrox stars including Perdo Mendes, Madjid Bougherra and Kyle Lafferty are likely to make their Old Firm debuts this weekend but Smith has no fears about throwing them into the world's biggest derby. He said: "Most of our players have a lot of experience, even the new lads, and they will be able to handle a situation like this. "They have been involved in important game throughout their careers including internationals so they will know what to expect. "At the end of the day playing in an Old Firm game is a great experience for any player as it doesn't come much bigger than that." Smith confirmed that Lee McCulloch is out of Sunday's game due to a knee ligament strain.

By Andrew Dickson PEDROS MENDES is desperate to get three points against Celtic on Sunday - so that he can crack open his growing champagne collection. The Portuguese midfielder was given the man-of-the-match award after Saturday's 1-1 draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie and won a bottle of bubbly as a result. It was his second accolade in a week following the prize he received in his first game for the club after joining from Portsmouth, the 2-0 win over Hearts at Ibrox on August 16. Now he's hoping he can toast a first Old Firm success with a glass or two in the aftermath of this weekend's opening derby of the season. Mendes: "People always tell you about games against Celtic but I think you probably need to play in one to really live it. "They are special fixtures for the supporters and I really hope I get the chance to take part and that my team-mates and I do as well as possible. "I have enjoyed my time in Scotland so far and everything is going well, both on and off the pitch. "The lads in the squad have been fantastic and my family are here so I am happy with life as I'm playing well too. "Now I'm looking for three points against Celtic. If we get them, I'll definitely be opening the champagne I've won. That's a promise." Mendes has played a big part in revitalising a Rangers side which initially struggled to get going when the campaign began. Indeed, his form has led to him being recalled to the Portugal squad more than five and a half years after he won his last cap. Having helped Gers turn in more refined performances over the last couple of weeks, the 29-year-old is out to keep the improvements going at Parkhead. Mendes added: "We were disappointed only to take one point from the Aberdeen game but we are confident of building on the good things we did there. "It is up to us to improve and try to play as well as we did in spells for longer periods of the game. "We will work hard this week and make sure we are ready for Celtic. I can only speak about how we've done since I joined Rangers but I think we have done well. "Based on the last couple of performances, I think the team is improving and we just need to keep looking to do that."

True,but we don't have european football to contend with so I hope that eases the normal strains of '' The modern day footballer ''.

by Lindsay Herron KENNY MILLER will become the first player in over 100 years to cross the great divide twice in Old Firm derbies if he plays for Rangers at Parkhead on Sunday. Tom Dunbar is the only other player to have achieved this feat and that was back in the late 19th century when Rangers and Celtic were quite chummy rather than fierce rivals. It could be a daunting prospect but Rangers boss Walter Smith has no doubts that the Scotland striker will handle it all. He told Rangers World: "I don't think Kenny will be bothered about going back to Parkhead. I'm sure there will be the usual banter between fans, but it is not something that is going to affect him. "He is an experienced enough player to handle it." Smith could have a number of new faces in his line-up on Sunday. Pedro Mendes, Kyle Lafferty, Madjid Bougherra plus the returning Steve Davis and Miller are liable to start with the potential of Maurice Edu and young Spaniard Aaron also taking part. Smith certainly has no qualms about introducing some or all of them to the unique atmosphere. He said: "Old Firm games can inspire you. If you want to be in football then these are the games you want to be involved in. "Any player worth his salt would want to play in this game. "During the match you can't say you enjoy it. If you manage to get a win then you do but if you lose then it's the end of the world, so to speak."

By Andrew Dickson PEDRO MENDES has been handed a massive boost ahead of Sunday's Old Firm derby with a recall to the Portugal squad. The midfielder is one of 18 Rangers players who have been called up on international duty next week. Many of those selected were expected to join up with their national associations for World Cup qualifiers, African Nations matches, youth games and friendlies. But Mendes wasn't anticipating a summons after winning his last cap for his country more than five and a half years ago against Italy. His early form at Ibrox following his move from Portsmouth appears to have found favour with new Portugal manager Carlos Queiroz. And the former Manchester United assistant manager has selected him for matches with Malta and Denmark in the coming days. The staggering tally of players who will be away from Murray Park next week is largely down to the number who will be in Scotland's squad. Allan McGregor, David Weir, Kevin Thomson, Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller have all been picked for meetings with Macedonia and Iceland. Kyle Lafferty and Steven Davis will also be on their travels for Northern Ireland's games against Slovakia and the Czech Republic. DaMarcus Beasley and Maurice Edu will play for the United States of America as they visit Cuba for the very first time. And Madjid Bougherra and Brahim Hemdani will team up for Algeria in their home African Nations Cup preliminary match against Senegal. Sasa Papac is in Bosnia-Herzegovina's squad to face European champions Spain and Estonia. In addition, four Light Blues youngsters have been asked to appear in selected age group matches around Europe. Steven Lennon, currently on loan at Partick Thistle, is in Scotland's under-21 squad for UEFA Championship qualifiers against Slovakia and Denmark. In the same competition, Giorgos Efrem will represent Cyprus against Belgium and Andrew Little will play for Northern Ireland against Germany. Arturs Vaiculis, Rangers' under-19 goalkeeper, completes the jet-setting pack when he joins Latvia for two friendlies with Belarus at that level.