ian1964

Mo Johnston has backed Mo Edu to become a sensation at Ibrox after playing his part in securing a $5 million move over the weekend. There is still some bureaucracy to overcome as Rangers need to secure a work permit for 22 year old American star Edu, and a tribunal will make a decision on that next week. However, once that hurdle is overcome, Toronto FC's director of Football, Johnston is convinced that the kid he drafted from college will be a major player for Rangers this season. The former Rangers striker said: "I am quite sure that Mo will be a huge success at Rangers." "He is a very good player already but he is still learning and he will learn from great coaches at Rangers." "He is easily the best young player in the States right now and I have no doubts he will do really well at Rangers." Johnston, while head coach at Toronto, drafted Edu from Maryland college last year and the defensive midfielder was voted Rookie of the Year in his first season for the club. Rangers approached Johnston for recommendations on players and he had no hesitation in picking out California born Edu. Walter Smith made initial inquiries at the end of last season and then stepped these up after having Edu watched at the Olympics, where he represented the USA. Negotiations where then opened up with the MLS, who own the rights to all players in the league, and a deal was concluded. Edu then flew into Glasgow and watched Saturday's Hearts game, then signed a five year contract, subject to a work permit. He then jetted back across the Atlantic to join the USA's full squad for Wednesday's World Cup tie in Guatemala. Johnston added: "It was all a bit of a whirlwind. It's a great move for Mo and Rangers but it certainly leaves us with a big hole in our midfield." "We picked him up from Maryland in the draft last year and he was a top players for us last season, winning the Rookie of the Year award." "There was a lot of interest from other clubs but Rangers managed to get the deal done with MLS." "They own the rights but we get a portion of the money." "He can play right back and centre back as well as defensive midfield." "I noticed that Rangers had signed Pedro Mendes and I think Mo can be the perfect foil for him." "He is a big lad and he takes no prisoners. He is strong and he can break up the play really well." "I have no doubts that Walter will get the best out of him."

Agreed Craig,I think we would all have liked Carlos to still be here,but he's not and with him leaving we have strengthened our midfield,and in Madjid we have a decent replacement.

by Lindsay Herron RANGERS have clinched a deal to sign exciting US international Maurice Edu on a five year contract, subject to a work permit. The Light Blues have agreed personal terms with the 22-year-old midfield player after clinching a $5million deal with Major League Soccer. The next move is for Rangers to obtain a work permit for the American star who already has six caps for the full national team having come through the ranks. Edu was at Ibrox for Saturday's 2-0 win over Hearts but he has now flown back to the USA to prepare for the World Cup qualifier in Guatemala on Wednesday when DaMarcus Beasley will be with him. The midfielder was recommened by Mo Johnston, who worked with the player at Toronto FC in the MLS, and Rangers had him watched before making their move. Johnston was coach at the Candian club before moving upstairs and believes Edu has a very bright future. Rangers are pleased to have completed the deal but have to wait for the work permit situation to be sorted out and have now set the wheels in motion. Edu will join Pedro Mendes, who made a fantastic debut against Hearts after his �£3million move from Portsmouth on Friday, and Spanish sensation Aaron Niguez who has joined on a two-year loan deal from Valencia. Steve Davis is also set to become a Rangers player tomorrow. A fee has been agreed with Fulham for the midfielder, who was on loan at Ibrox last season. and a deal has been agreed with the player in principle. Davis has one or two things to tie up with Fulham but all things being equal he will be a Rangers player tomorow. He is already in Scotland with the Northern Ireland squad preparing for Wednesday's friendly with George Burley's side at Hampden on Wednesday.

By David Melvin MAN of the match Pedro Mendes enjoyed an Ibrox debut that lived up to his expectations as he helped his new side to a 2-0 win over Hearts. The Portuguese midfielder's impressive first performance at the heart of the Gers' midfield was recognised by fans in the stadium who chose him as their pick of the bunch from a successful afternoon. A fine array of skills and an eye for a pass were evident in everything the 29-year-old did on his first appearance in a Rangers shirt. And he admits that his first Ibrox experience lived up to his pre match expectations. He said: "It was a game where everything went well and the support from the fans was fantastic. "It's nice to be picked as man of the match but I am just pleased with the performance and of course with the win. "It was a fantastic atmosphere, but I was expecting that as everyone I have spoken with has said 'Pedro, you will love Ibrox' and they were right." Mendes suffered some cramp towards the end of the match after a whirlwind move ended with him in the starting line up a little over 24 hours after his arrival at Murray Park on Friday. The former Portsmouth man admitted it was a tiring few days, but he's looking forward to a bright future in the Scottish game and ahead to next weekend's meeting with Aberdeen. He added: "It's always good to start with a win, but I'm a little tired now. Everything went so quickly, I only arrived in Glasgow yesterday and it was a busy day with the medical and signing. "I only managed a little bit of jogging yesterday and then the game today, but everything went well so I'm happy with that. "I was tired towards the end of the game. I hadn't slept much since hearing about the move but now hopefully with the training my fitness will go up again. "I was pleased with the game, it was an open match and Hearts played well - they have some good footballers. "So it was an open game and that wasn't too much of a surprise to me so I'm looking forward to the next match."

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/sport/39Everything-was-agreed-We-came.4398689.jp

RANGERS target Maurice Edu will today jet in to Glasgow to discuss personal terms after the club agreed a $5m fee for the midfielder. The 22-year-old American will be at Ibrox to watch the first SPL home game of the season against Hearts after recently returning from the Olympics in China. The Toronto FC star appeared in all three of his country's matches in Beijing and is viewed as one of the rising talents in US Soccer. He enjoyed a fantastic start to his Major League Soccer career with the Canadian side after being selected as first pick in the 2007 MLS draft. His first season in the American top flight saw him go on to score 4 goals in 25 games with those performances earning him the crown of Rookie of the Year from his fellow players and MLS coaches. That first season in the professional game also earned him a call up to the US national side late last year, and saw him included in their under-23 squad for this summer's Beijing Olympics. Rangers will now work with the player and Toronto FC in a bid to secure a work permit for Edu. After discussing terms in Glasgow, the player is due to join up with his international team mates, including Ibrox star DaMarcus Beasley, for the World Cup qualifying match against Guatemala.

The Rangers Supporters Trust have warned the club's chairman, Sir David Murray, that they expect a demonstration against the sale of Carlos Cuellar at today's game against Hearts. Sir David accused those who suggest there is a conspiracy behind the sale of the defender of trying to cause "mayhem" at Ibrox. He insisted he and his fellow administrators did nothing wrong in agreeing to include a �£7.8m release clause in the player's contract when he joined from Osasuna last summer. That clause was triggered by Aston Villa this week, with Cuellar choosing to leave rather than accept vastly improved terms. Some fans have demanded resignations and there are rumours of protests this afternoon. An RST spokesman, David Edgar, said: "Sadly, I still believe there will be protests on Saturday. The RST are not in favour of it and will not encourage it, but I can see something unorganised happening." But Sir David said: "I know there have been a lot of questions asked: 'Was he forced out the door?' etc, etc. But the clear fact is we sent out on the website an honest statement by the chief executive [Martin Bain] explaining the situation. But then people want to read into it and put their own twist on it; there's not a lot we can do." Pedro Mendes will go straight into the Rangers squad after his �£3m move to Ibrox. But his fellow new recruit, the Spanish youngster Aaron Niguez Esclapez, will not be involved as he is short of match fitness. David Weir returns from suspension, but Nacho Novo is banned. The Independent

It does make you wonder if SDM has got wind of some sort of protest planned for Saturday,as has been floating about on other forums,that has instigated the signing of these players this week as a way of making any planned protest look a bit silly and defflecting some of the shit that may have been heading his way.Maybe that's a bit negative thinking from me,but why all the signings now ?,if these signings had been made earlier would we still be in europe ?,or is it simply the fact that Carlos was sold and freed up some cash ?,who knows.At least we have made some decent signings,time will tell of course,but things certainly look a bit better for the season ahead.Domestic treble this season ?,every chance as we are looking so much stronger now compared to a couple of weeks ago,so this bear will be having a wee wager on the treble.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GERS CLINCH �£3M DAVIS DEAL: Rangers will end the longest transfer saga of the summer this weekend by signing Fulham midfielder Steven Davis for �£3 million. The Northern Ireland skipper was a massive hit at Ibrox during his loan spell last season. Then he spent the summer in limbo as the clubs haggled over a price to make the move permanent. But last night boss Walter Smith, whose transfer kitty was bolstered by the �£7.8m sale of Carlos Cuellar to Aston Villa in midweek, finally got his man as Fulham agreed to sell and Davis was close to agreeing personal terms. The deal is unlikely to be done before Rangers face Hearts at Ibrox today but Davis will be Smith's third signing in a week by tomorrow night at the latest. The club unveiled �£3m Portsmouth midfielder Pedro Mendes yesterday, hot on the heels of signing Valencia's highly rated attacking midfielder Aaron Niguez on Thursday. Davis' arrival may mean Smith putting on the back burner his interest in Palrmo's Australian internationalist Mark Bresciano. But the Ibrox manager will push ahead with moves to bring American midfielder Maurice Edu to Rangers. The 22 year old has just finished representing the USA at the Olympics and Rangers are trying to obtain a work permit for the player. Edu was recommended by them from their former striker Maurice Johnston, now his manager at Toronto Blizzard in the MLS. Smith said: "We asked Mo if he thought there were any players in American league he thought would do well over here and he recommended Edu." "The MLS, who own all of their players, are happy for him to come to Scotland." "We're in the final stages of tying things up, but we still have to put in for the work permit." "He's only 22 and we'll continue to look at him." Meanwhile, Andy Webster will soon be on his way out of Rangers in a loan deal. The injury hit defender now needs games and Smith's looking for a suitable deal. He said: "Andy has been out of the game for two years and he needs to play again." "Motherwell are interested in him but nobody has done anymore than talk to his agent." "If they can come to an agreement, and the player is happy to go there, there is no reason why he shouldnt."

Does anybody think these signings will help us with promoting the club a bit more worldwide ?,I think it will bring in a bit of interest in their respective countries,enhancing Rangers FC. Edu has his own website http://www.mauriceedu.com

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/display.var.2426181.0.0.php

That for me tells you the POTY award he got was wrong,how come he got it for half a season ?,why didn't Hutton get it for the first half of the season ?

I actually have high hopes for Webster,if he could just keep free from injury I honestly think the guy will go on to be a great CB for Rangers,letting him go out on a short term loan is an ideal way of getting him back to what we all know he can do.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/k1TlrNMe7S1OmDIYYd

I also think he is weak & lightweight,however he should give us more '' flair ''.

by Lindsay Herron WALTER SMITH has hinted that DaMarcus Beasley could be back into the Rangers line-up for Saturday's first home game of the SPL campaign against Hearts. Getting Beasley involved could be a big move as Rangers have been looking for more creativity in their play and the American winger can provide it. He was on the bench at Falkirk last week and should be ready now to come back in after recovering from a hamstring problem. Smith said: "Coming back from the hamstring injury you are always wary when a player goes out into his first match, but with another week's training under his belt we would hope that DaMarcus would be ready to play on Saturday. "Considering he missed most of last season, we would hope that he would be injury-free now. "You could see his worth to the team when he came back in for the Cup Final last season and with our other wider players - Chris Burke and Stevie Naismith - out at the moment he gives us a good option." The Rangers manager will have further options on Saturday as Davie Weir is free from suspension while Kenny Miller should be fit after a thigh knock. Kevin Thomson is also expected to recover from a similar injury sustained at Falkirk last Saturday. Smith added: ""We will have some decisions to make for Saturday. Davie is available again and I believe Kenny and Kevin will both be fine. "Madjid Boughherra came in last weekend and did very well. Kirk Broadfoot has been playing centre half since pre-season started more or less and he has been doing well too. "I think it is his best position. He played most of his games at full back last season because of the consistency shown by Carlos Cuellar and Davie. "He has had the chance to show what he can do this season and he has done well."

The 8million we got for Carlos is to go to WS

Agreed,I am saying that with the expectation of a couple of midfielders signing

I agree to an extent,however we did play with two strikers against Falkirk,and tbh I don't see him playing 4-5-1 this season,apart from maybe away to the scum,but I do believe that we will see a more attacking formation as the season unfolds,let's face it we have no european teams to play and I do not believe WS will stick to the '' make sure we don't lose '' tactics from now on.Although it is still a niightmare to be out of europe so early,it may just be the turning point & kick up the arse that Rangers need,got to admire my hopefulness,no but seriously the SPL is a must and having only the domestic treble to play for will make or break Walter and a lot of the current players,THE SPL IS A MUST AT THE VERY LEAST.

This is a really good idea,although we are strting to sound like the scum,but it would certainly be interesting just to see how many decisions go for them and us

Good,now we won't see the clarty mob winning,i'm off to the pub :cheers:

Stop being level headed,if it's 50/50 he shouldn't have given it :box:

Craig,VGH was pulling the defender

Absolute disgrace

Never a fuckin pen