ian1964

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article4794938.ece

No doubt Timmy will be fuming at this

Just some more accurate journalism !!!!!!!!!

When Glasgow Rangers fans sang the lyrics 'from Ireland they came, brought us nothing but trouble and shame' at an Old Firm derby, they never thought it would cause so much trouble. But the song, which goes on 'well the Famine is over, why don't they go home?' angered one fan so much he put in a complaint that led Irish diplomats to raise the concerns with the Scottish government. Now anti-censorship campaigners have stepped into the row, claiming this weekend that any attempt to curb the fans from singing the lyrics would be a 'dangerous' assault on freedom of speech. It is the Rangers fans' right, they say, to insult the Irish over the Great Famine if they choose. Index on Censorship's Irish-born spokesperson, Padraig Reidy, said he was concerned about the state intervening. 'Considering we all know that there have been nasty, offensive songs at Old Firm games for years, making it into a national issue seems absurd and dangerous. It's trying to set a legal limit on speech that isn't incitement to violence. Rangers and Celtic have an agreement between themselves to sing what they want,' he said. Reidy said that, while the song about the Famine is undoubtedly offensive, behaviour should be controlled by the two clubs rather than the state. 'It's different to anti-discrimination laws, which are a very good thing, but seeking to outlaw any kind of insulting or offensive speech/songs does become very problematic, because someone will always take offence,' he added. A complaint was made after Rangers' victory over Celtic last month. Irish diplomats raised concerns with the Scottish government over chanting by a section of the Rangers support at the Old Firm match. Rangers FC said it has asked its fans to refrain from singing the song. The controversial song refers to the Irish famine that killed an estimated one million people in the 1840s. Tens of thousands of Irish people emigrated to Scotland's central belt to find work. Four decades later these emigrants and their descendants helped to create Glasgow Celtic in 1888. Rangers Football Club has approached Strathclyde Police for guidance, a spokesman for the club said, adding fans had been actively discouraged from singing the song at games. A spokesman for the Scottish Executive said the government in Edinburgh was working with both Glasgow clubs to lower sectarian tensions. Meanwhile Northern Ireland's Sports Minister has rejected an invitation to Celtic Park. Democratic Unionist MP Gregory Campbell had been invited to a Celtic home game by the club's chairman and former Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid after Campbell and his wife were subjected to sectarian abuse by Celtic fans on a ferry between Scotland and Northern Ireland. Campbell wrote to Dr Reid last week calling for Celtic to take more robust action against fans who sing pro-IRA songs at away games. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/sep/21/rangers.celtic1

Craig,i'm not saying it is right if he walks straight back into the team,what I am saying is the players are all professional football players and will play when they are asked to play,how many players were upset when Cousin started against Celtic ?,but WS got the result and team selection spot on !!!,that's what counts.

I have to agree with this post,no-one can deny BF is quality and should benefit playing with quality,and I also think too many people are reading WS wrong here.I can't help thinking there is too many fans that don't want F back in the team..........and IMO that is wrong,he is quality and he will improve our team,so much so that I still think on his game he is better than Mendes,but what I want to see is them playing together, which can only improve our team

Gribz, the Hemdani one is a strange one,he is turning out to be the old one season foreigner,shame really as he has quality,but I can't help thinking he doesn't want to play here,but then why didn't he move ?........crazy but I do think we have seen the last of him and he will move in January

I actually can't wait for BF to start playing again,I really think we are going to see the BF of old when he plays along side Mendes ,if so then we will have the best midfield we have had since the days of Gio,Albertz etc;

BF is a class player,who has had a bad couple of seasons by his standard,do you guys not think he will get back to his best with more class around him ?, I do. If I was the manager i'd be looking to play my best players every week,that's your job as a manager,wether other people think the players you play are your best players doesn't really matter,a manager picks his team to win,WS obviously feels BF will improve Rangers chances of winning,so do I. Should he go straight back into the team ?,if you think he is one of your best players yes,but what does that actually mean ?,will he play when he is not fit ?,or not ready ?, I doubt it. If he comes back playing to the standard he is capable of then I don't think anyone will be arguing about if he should be playing or not

by Lindsay Herron WALTER SMITH revealed today that even although he has a wealth of talent in his midfield area Barry Ferguson wll walk straight back into the side when he is fit. Ferguson is perhaps less than a month away from coming back in to lead the side and Smith will have no hesitation in putting him in. The dilemma, of course, will be who to leave out when Ferguson is fit given the way Steve Davis, Pedro Mendes, Kevin Thomson et al have been playing. Ferguson had ankle surgery in July and is now working intensely with the Murray Park medical team with a view to being ready after the next international break. Smith said: "Barry is the captain and when he comes back he will play - simple as that. It's just a case of when. "He had a terrific season for us last season but there was a lot of pressure on him become much of the onus was on him. "This season we have a capability to divide that onus among different players so that will be good for all concerned. "We will be delighted to have him back, even if it causes us a problem in terms of selection."

Sep 19 2008 By Keith Jackson AIDEN McGEADY'S stormy relationship with Celtic manager Gordon Strachan could be heading for crisis point after the winger was singled out in the wake of last month's Old Firm defeat. Record Sport understands the latest rift between the pair was behind Strachan's decision to bench the winger for Sunday's emphatic win at Motherwell and the Champions League clash with Aalborg. The rift began when strict disciplinarian Strachan barred McGeady from a first-team debriefing in the aftermath of that 4-2 derby defeat. Strachan called the rest of his squad into a room inside the club's Lennoxtown HQ to pore over a video nasty of the match and analyse exactly where Scotland's champions had gone wrong as Rangers romped to victory. But McGeady - last season's SPFA Player of the Year - was told not to bother taking part. Instead, he was instructed to go for lunch on his own at the training ground canteen. Strachan has been growing increasingly concerned with McGeady's form since the start of the season and is determined to get the player refocused on playing the kind of football which wowed supporters last season. But sources close to the player insist McGeady is so furious at the snub he may even be considering his future in the knowledge he would have no shortage of suitors in the January transfer window, including the likes of Newcastle, Spurs and possibly even Manchester United. And Strachan's last two team selections have done little to lighten McGeady's mood. The Republic of Ireland international has shared a roller-coaster relationship with his boss ever since Strachan took over from Martin O'Neill three years ago. This time last season McGeady stormed up the tunnel in a bad mood after being substituted in a league match at Parkhead. Strachan did not take kindly to what he viewed as a public show of petulance and was quick to lay down the law. The pair called a truce and the player enjoyed his most productive season yet in Celtic's top team, helping the club to a third successive league crown and being honoured by his fellow professionals as the country's top talent - proving Strachan's actions right. But McGeady's form has slumped since the start of the new campaign and his involvement in a couple of latenight flash-points in Glasgow city centre did little to impress Strachan. With Shunsuke Nakamura hoping to return to Japan in January, Strachan sees McGeady as his long-term guiding light but is determined to make the player concentrate totally on his game.

Seems things are just getting worse !!! http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1701343.ece

SPAIN has become the latest country to be caught up in an Old Firm storm ââ?¬â? this time over death threats to Rangers star Nacho Novo. Diplomats with the Spanish Consul General in Edinburgh last night confirmed they have launched their own probe into the sick stunt by internet bigots. Assault ... Celt Lennon Assault ... Celt Lennon It comes just days after Irish officials contacted the Scottish Government over Gers fans taunting Celtic rivals with the controversial Famine Song. Last night Spanish consular spokesman Federico Palomera said: ââ?¬Å?We have made it known to the relevant authorities.ââ?¬Â They are acting on complaints they received against yobs who posted Spaniard Novoââ?¬â?¢s home address on a Hoops supportersââ?¬â?¢ website. The posting on the popular Huddleboard followed suggestions on some internet chatrooms that Rangers players should be seen as targets for attack. It came amid the backlash to an assualt on Celtic coach Neil Lennon in Glasgowââ?¬â?¢s West End, just hours after his sideââ?¬â?¢s 4-2 defeat in the last Old Firm match. Furious Ibrox security chiefs contacted Strathclyde Police bosses, demanding an investigation into the Novo web threat. They also ordered security staff to patrol outside the 29-year-oldââ?¬â?¢s Glasgow home amid fears for the footballer and his family. Yesterday a source revealed: ââ?¬Å?It appears the Consul General was contacted after they felt the authorities were failing to act on the Novo situation. ââ?¬Å?Not only did Novo have his address posted on a website, rival fans also sing a song which features lyrics praying he will be murdered in his sleep.ââ?¬Â The Ibrox ace has been targeted by opposing fans since turning down a move to Celtic to join Rangers from Dundee in 2004. Months later, he complained to cops after thugs sprayed ââ?¬Å?Novo RIPââ?¬Â near his home after an Old Firm victory against the Hoops. Bile Earlier this week, The Scottish Sun told how Irish diplomats raised concerns over Rangers fans chanting a song about the 19th century potato famine. Last night, the Rangers Supporters Trust welcomed the Novo probe. Spokesman Stephen Smith said: ââ?¬Å?This move is a logical response to a dishonest campaign motivated by sectarian bile and a sick desire to score points regardless of the truth.ââ?¬Â Rangers declined to comment on the matter.

Now the Spanish Consul are involved http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/article1702847.ece#

BD.............you are correct............these afternoon sessions can get one confused !!!,apologies, i'm off to bed

I think you mentioned we would have gone through before me

TBH i'm not sure what the protest will achieve ?,i'm a great believer in give someone enough rope and they will hang themselves,I would appreciate more fight back from Rangers FC as a club,but at some point people will see through the Celtic fans agenda,good luck all the same.

You are entitled to your opinion mate,just like the rest of us,however why go on about something that is in the past ?.The bottom line is we never qualified for the CL,get over it.I seem to remember a lot of fans giving WS pelters for his team selection prior to the OF game..................but we ripped the scum up for arse paper,yet we still here from these guys how bad a manager WS is,which is open to debate,but my point is why criticise the manager on a thread about our finances ?, the players that played against Kaunus should have been good enough to win the game.............they didn't win,we never qualified,we lost out on money,so let's look forward to winning the SPL and get the cash we need

If ma granny had baws

So if Mendes was in the team against Kaunus we would've went through ?

Back Where I Belong By Andrew Dickson BARRY FERGUSON has welcomed the midfield signings Rangers have made - and says they make him even hungrier to return to action alongside them. The Ibrox captain could be playing again in a month after resuming training at the start of September following ankle surgery in July. Barry Ferguson in FlorenceFerguson is on the comeback trail despite some suggesting his career was in ruins as a result of the injury which has sidelined him since the summer. And the 30-year-old is desperate to prove his doubters wrong after claims there simply wasn't room for him in Walter Smith's side any more after the influx of new faces. Pedro Mendes and Steven Davis have both impressed since penning deals and Maurice Edu is expected to shine in the months ahead too. But Ferguson is adamant there IS a place for him in the Light Blues' first XI and is ready to meet the latest challenge he is faced with head on. The skipper said: "I think the new signings brought in by the manager recently are good players. "Davo (Davis) has obviously been here before and he knows what it is all about when you play for Rangers so it was never going to be a problem when he arrived. "Pedro has quality too and everyone can see that. He knows how to slow a game down and how to pass and he is someone I look forward to playing with. "Big Madjid (Bougherra) has been great at the back and looks like he has been there beside Davie (Weir) for years. Maurice also played well in his debut at the weekend.Barry Ferguson "The boys up front have done well too and the gaffer has built a great squad. Hopefully when everyone else who is out gets fit, we'll be very strong. "It is something I'm very excited about. I can't wait to play in this team and while there is competition, that's the way it should be. You need that. "It is healthy and it's making me work even harder as I come back. I'm giving that extra bit in the gym to make sure I get back to my best. "I can't wait to play and I'm having to try not to get over-excited. I'm stepping things up each day and it's getting harder but that's what I want. "You realise when you are out how much you miss football and I'm so hungry to play again. "I've heard whispers about me being finished but I don't know where people get that kind of stuff. I want to show people how fit and strong I am when I come back."

Just added the Annual Report 2008 link for all the accountants on here

CHRIS BURKE marked his return to competitive action with a goal as Rangers Reserves produced a stunning display to beat Aberdeen 1-0 at Glebe Park in Brechin. Aaron Niguez, RangersThe winger hit the net in the 57th minute with a well-taken finish. John Fleck fired in a terrific 25-yard shot which the keeper could only parry and Burke was there to take his chance confidently with a left foot strike from the edge of the box. The match was a typically fiesty encounter with Aberdeen fielding several first-team players including Zander Diamond, Lee Mair, Jeffrey De Visscher, Stuart Duff, Chris Maguire and Michael Paton amongst others. But Tommy Wilson's new-look team handled the situation brilliantly to record their third clean sheet from their opening three league games of the new campaign. The coach was understandably delighted after the final whistle. He said: "Under the circumstances this was an excellent result for us. "Aberdeen named a very strong team with a lot of first-team players while we had a few younger lads join us because of the like of Dean Furman, Paul Emslie, Alan Lowing and Scott Gallacher going out on loan. John Fleck "We had to make a lot of changes to our system so from that point of view I am really pleased. "I thought Graeme Smith came in to the team in goals and was excellent. "He marshalled our defence throughout the 90 minutes and it was great to see wee Burkey score the winner. "He has joined us for training on several occasions now and worked ever so hard so he deserved that today. "Coming up to Brechin is never easy but this result will give all the boys a lot of confidence going forward." RANGERS (4-2-3-1): G. Smith; Little, Harvey, McMillan, McLachlan; Fleck, Shinnie; Efrem, Aaron (Forbes 70), Burke; Loy

by Lindsay Herron RANGERS boss Walter Smith has revealed that skipper Barry Ferguson could be back in action next month. Smith believes that Ferguson could be only a few weeks away from returning and the Dundee United game at Ibrox on October 18 could be a realistic target. Walter SmithFerguson has not featured at all this season having had ankle surgery in July but all things being equal he could be leading the side out in the middle of next month. He is working hard with the medical team at Murray Park having completely recovered from the operation. Smith said: "Barry should be back within three to four weeks depending how things go and that will be good for us, of course. "Gradually we are getting all of the injured players back and that is going to be beneficial. "I think Kyle Lafferty will be fit for the Motherwell match on Sunday. He missed the international matches with Northern Ireland and then had to sit out the Kilmarnock game. "But we think he will be available again this weekend. "Lee McCulloch is also on the mend and Chris Burke is close to full fitness while Stevie Smith is recovering from his ankle probem so we are gradually getting everyone back,"

RANGERS Football Club today published its annual financial results to year end June 30, 2008. During the year the Club achieved: - Participation in the UEFA Cup final - Winners of the Scottish Cup - Winners of the CIS Insurance Cup - Runners up in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League - 68 games in the season - Record turnover at �£64.5m (2007 - �£41.8m), an increase of �£22.7m or 54% - Net operating expenses increased by 32% to �£56.8m (2007 - �£43.1m) - Net trading profit on player amortisation and gains of �£0.7m (2007 - loss of �£2.7m) - �£13.3m uplift in profit before interest and tax to �£8.3m (2007 - loss of �£5.0m) - Additions to player registrations of �£18m (2007 - �£7.2m) - Net debt of �£21.6m (2007 - �£16.5m) Sir David Murray, Chairman of Rangers, said: "These results reflect what was a remarkable Sir David Murrayand historic year for the Club both on and off the park. We should be very proud of our collective achievements. "Our participation in European and domestic cup competitions obviously contributed greatly to our record turnover and it is encouraging to report a substantial net profit. "The increase in turnover also highlights the necessity for Rangers Football Club to qualify for Europe to meet the overheads that exist to run a club of our size. It is therefore important to look at all costs in running the business going forward. "Existing levels of expenditure cannot be maintained in the current economic climate and, as we look to the future, it is becoming more important to focus on the development of young players to ensure the long term sustainability of the Club. "I genuinely believe we are now seeing a steady stream of young talent emerging from Murray Park, and will continue to do so. "We were delighted with last year but extremely disappointed not to qualify for Europe this year. We have, however, re-grouped and invested as promised in the playing squad and I know that we can count on our fans' support as we strive to bring the league title back to Ibrox." http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/staticFiles/8e/c/0,,5~134286,00.pdf