ian1964

Traynors' view.I can't stand the cretin,but this is a good read. THEY are still so far away from reach but at least now the glint of the three trophies Rangers seek can be seen by the naked eye. All they have to do is keep following the light. Walter Smith is constantly told his players are running on empty but all he can see is a group of believers still striving to reach beyond human limits. If what fuels some of these players could be siphoned off, the Grangemouth refinery's workers and management could close the place, argue the toss from now until the end of time and our motors would still be running. But this Rangers squad don't even need to keep their legs pumping like pistons for ever. They have only to make sure their limbs function through just a handful of matches, starting tomorrow with the final Old Firm encounter of the season. Celtic won the last one - Gordon Strachan's first Old Firm victory over Walter Smith - which ensured the championship remained a live issue, but the Parkhead side must come out on top in this final meeting also if the pressure is to be piled on their rivals. Anything less than three points would make it virtually impossible for Celtic to hold on to the SPL title even though Rangers have a punishing run-in. If Rangers win, or draw, they would be boosted by a powerful mix of adrenalin and confidence and the effects of a spineless SPL's refusal to sanction a meaningful extension to the league campaign wouldn't be too destructive. Rangers would be almost certain to collect the remaining points necessary without operating at full tilt, but to ensure that luxury they have to be prepared to summon up one more massive effort at Parkhead. Strachan's side are in better shape and the manager has probably been struggling to hold them back in training but just after midday tomorrow he'll let them off the leash. They are likely to attack Rangers at pace and try to dominate the midfield areas just as they did 10 days ago and Smith's side will be willing to soak up pressure, believing they'll also pierce Celtic's defence at times. However, this time Rangers will have to match up, especially in the middle, if they're to take what would be the most important step towards winning the title. The bulk of the evidence, though, suggests Celtic are fairly firm favourites to even the score, at least in terms of matches won against their traditional rivals. Strachan and his players know that if they can win again they will force Rangers to doubt themselves, perhaps for the first time this season. Barry Ferguson and the others won't be able to prevent their minds from wandering up ahead and looking at their packed schedule which is enough to frighten even the most seasoned pros like DavidWeir and Christian Dailly. Celtic, Fiorentina in Florence, Hibs, Motherwell twice, Dundee United, St Mirren and Aberdeen all between now and May 18. That's eight matches in 22 days and don't forget Rangers, who also have a Scottish Cup Final on May 24, could yet have a UEFA Cup Final to play. That's not a match schedule, it's hard labour as a result of criminal negligence on the part of the SPL. Let's make it absolutely clear just one more time that this group of preening lame brains have done nothing to help a Scottish side reach a European final and have failed also to protect the integrity of their own competition. Should Rangers overcome Fiorentina and reach the final in the City of Manchester Stadium, it will be in spite of the people who are supposed to be working for the benefit of the Scottish game. If Rangers claim European glory, Lex Gold and the rest shouldn't dare try to bask in the success. No doubt he'd be tempted but it would be disgraceful if he were to hold up his league structure as the reason for this success. In fact, in finding it impossible to assist Rangers properly in their quest to reach the heights, the SPL might inadvertently have boosted their determination to get the jobs done. Rangers now feel victimised. They believe it's them against an establishment they suspect were afraid to upset Celtic and if this anger is channelled properly it could give the Ibrox club added momentum at the most critical time of the season. Rangers are equipped to go to Parkhead and do just enough to end Celtic's interest in the title pursuit and then do the same to Fiorentina next Thursday. If they are in the final and cruising towards the championship, they would go to Easter Road next Sunday on an incredible high. Fatigue wouldn't come into it and Smith would then find himself trying to subdue his players just as Strachan has been doing in the build-up to tomorrow's match. Although they allowed Celtic to win the psychological and physical battles last time, Rangers know they can kill off their rivals tomorrow but it will take a tremendous effort, remarkable calmness and buckets of belief. They have to put everything out of their minds except this one challenge, simply because the outcome will have such a significant bearing on how many trophies they win. Three points tomorrow would give them vital breathing space in a hectic few weeks and you can be absolutely sure Smith has been using the SPL, as well as Aiden McGeady's comments, to fire up his men. He'll have been telling them to prove they don't need the SPL's help and to show McGeady, who said Rangers shouldn't be allowed an extension to the season, that the balance of power really has switched from one end of Glasgow to the other. McGeady, of course, will be one of the key players along with Shunsuke Nakamura and Barry Robson, but Rangers believe they have been pushed into a corner. They are wounded and there is only one thing they can do now. They'll come out fighting and despite their aches and pains they'll keep going until they drop. They'll be battling for Smith, themselves, and the fans. There are a lot of angry men in Smith's squad and if they really do believe this is their season, all their effort and sacrifices now come down to this one match, they could clamp both hands around the championship. Win tomorrow and they'll be on such a high they wouldn't need an aircraft to get to Florence but lose and they could crash and burn. There is just too much to lose in this one match and the very fear of seeing everything slip away in the wake of defeat could galvanise Rangers just enough to do what is necessary.

Scum 0 Rangers 1,[ Novo ]

Walter Smith yesterday lambasted both the Scottish Premier League and Peter Lawwell, the Celtic chief executive, over the rescheduling of the final league games of the season, which may force Rangers to play four games in eight days. While Smith criticised the SPL’s recent decision over the fixtures as “unfair”, he openly lampooned Lawwell for his much-quoted “sporting integrity” statement, in which the chief executive argued against extending the season in order to help Rangers to fulfil all their remaining matches. If Rangers do not reach the Uefa Cup final, the SPL has still decreed that no outstanding games should be played in the free week between May 18, when the Clydesdale Bank Premier League is due to finish, and May 24, the day of the Scottish Cup final. “Why could we not have played a game in that week? What the SPL has done, instead, is force us to play four games in a week,” Smith said yesterday. “Is it right to force a club to do that? I don’t think it is, regardless of which club it is. From Rangers’ point of view, the league have opted out of making a decision which would have helped a club which is helping to lift the profile of Scottish football [in the Uefa Cup]. Related Links SPL decisions could cost Smith his job Smith reveals his love for Italian football Smith finally daring to dream “We then have this ‘sporting integrity’ situation, which actually gave me a good laugh. Peter Lawwell seems to be the head of the sporting integrity committee — both its chairman and chief spokesman. Peter would be better coming out and saying he wants Rangers to have to play four games in a week because it suits his team and helps their quest to retain the championship — he should just be honest about it. “If it was the other way about, I would be hoping that Celtic had to play four games in a week, so fine. But Peter is as well being honest about it, instead of hiding behind what he is calling ‘sporting integrity’.” Smith appeared to hint heavily that he believed the SPL had been overly-influenced, if not simply manipulated, by Celtic in their revision of the fixture list. “What bothers me most is that the SPL have assented to every request that has been made by Celtic, especially these two [Old FIrm] games that we’ve had at the moment,” Smith added. “It is no coincidence that we are playing one of our biggest league games of the season when they had a fair idea that we would have two very important {Uefa Cup] semi-finals.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/spo...cle3818959.ece

How much damage, to us bringing home the SPL, would a defeat to the scum do on Sunday ?

Not according to Davie Moyes,he is very unhappy at the treatment Everton fans received and has warned Gers fans to be wary

Aye................I think

TBH,it's a strong enough team and if our midfield perform tonight then IMO we have a great chance.Added bonus for me is that i've just found out that the game is on tv over here at work................ya dancer

Fook it,changed my mind,2-0 GERS

For the first time in a long time,i'm not too confident,however I can see this as a banker draw,0-0 / 1-1.

RANGERS' under-19 squad have clinched the SPL title for the second successive season and coach Billy Kirkwood is encouraging fans to flock to Hampden for Wednesday's SFA Youth Cup Final against Celtic. Billy Kirkwood with league trophyThe 19s drew with Motherwell at Murray Park last Friday afternoon to win the championship and current Captain Andrew Shinnie and winger Georgos Efrem were pictured with Kirkwood and the SPL trophy at Murray Park today. With the title secured, Billy's team are now concentrating on Wednesday's tie against Celtic - who were beaten 5-0 in last season's Final thanks to goals from Steven Lennon (3), Dean Furman and Andrew Shinnie - and supporters have the chance to see the latest crop of young Light Blues in action at Hampden. Turnstiles in the West Stand are open to Rangers fans who can pay at the gate from 6pm on Wednesday (Adults can attend for just �£5 with Concessions costing �£2) and the match kicks of at 7.30pm. Kirkwood commented: "The boys have worked hard all season and I am delighted they were able to win the league for the second season in a row. We are now looking forward to the SFA Youth Cup Final and we hope for another big crowd at Hampden. "An amazing 11,486 supporters turned out to cheer on both teams last season and it would be nice to top that. There will be a lot of talent on show and it would be a fantastic achievement for the Club to clinch another league and cup double. "It will be a difficult game, of course, but we hope to have a good crowd behind us to help secure further silverware for Rangers." The Under-19s squad will parade their league trophy at half-time in next Thursday's UEFA Cup semi-final tie with Fiorentina at Ibrox and from next season the Under-19s will play their Old Firm league games at the Andrew Shinnie with league trophyStadium, with entry free to Season Ticket Holders. The Club has already frozen prices on Adult Season Tickets for next season and reduced the cost of Juvenile Season Tickets by a third to encourage more families to football and Midfielder Andrew Shinnie knows playing at Ibrox in front of supporters will be beneficial for the Club's youth players. He commented: "We are fortunate to play the majority of our games at Murray Park and the facilities are excellent but moving the Old Firm games to Ibrox will be a great experience. "All the youth players here dream of playing for the first-team there so it will be nice to play in front of the Rangers supporters on home soil."

NO-NONSENSE Greek referee Kyros Vassaras has been put in charge of Thursday's Euro crunch with Fiorentina and both teams will need to be on their best behaviour. Vassaras has handed out 38 yellow cards and issued three red cards in six matches this season - five in the Champions League and one in the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. The experienced official booked 10 players and sent off Pepe as Roma defeated Real Madrid 2-1 in the Bernebeu in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. He then cautioned eight players in Barcelona's 1-0 win over Schalke in Gelsenkirchen on April 1.

You could play JCD wide left

The one thing that stuck out for me was the '' fringe players '' didn't really bust a gut to try and make it hard for WS to leave them out the next game,it's times like these that you want players who have been on the side lines to come in with at least some energy,but it doesn't seem to be happening,especially a semi final,and no disrespect but a first division side.

Rangers 3 Novo 2,Cousin St Johnstone 0

Incase anyone missed it. http://www.zshare.net/audio/1075131888eddcdc/

RANGERS' under-19s have drawn 0-0 with Motherwell at Murray Park this afternoon, a result which secured a second consecutive League Championship title at this age level. Under-19 captain Andrew ShinnieBilly Kirkwood's talented group of players only needed a point to be crowned Champions and did so with a disciplined performance on what was a bitterly cold afternoon. After the 90 minutes captain Andrew Shinnie proudly held aloft the League trophy alongside his teammates and the Gers' coaches who celebrated in typical style. Kirkwood made several changes to his starting eleven for today's game ahead of Wednesday night's SFA Youth Cup Final but praised the entire squad after the final whistle. He said: "It feels great to win the league again. The boys have done fantastically well and to go through the season with only one defeat so far is tremendous. "We changed the team around a bit but the lads that came in were fantastic as we came up against a Motherwell side who worked very hard. "We have had a lot of tough games over the course of the season but I think we fully deserve to be Champions. Rangers under-19s celebrate winning the League Championship "It was never going to be easy to emulate the double that we won this season but the we have put ourselves in a position to do it and that is something to be proud of. "We can now look forward to the SFA Youth Cup Final against Celtic at Hampden and that will be a fantastic occasion for everyone."

If Webster stays clear of injury then he is a quality player IMO

The unwashed have a cheek,all they do is punt the long ball from the half way line

I don't expect the unwashed to drop any more points TBH,maybe against us,but then again if we win our games the SPL will come home,and QOS has probably ended the sheeps season

I thought our whole midfield were shite.However you can't expect to win all the OF games,they were always going to win one at some point and were desperate to do so.Everybody knows we could afford to lose the two OF games and still win the title,although we don't want that.Keep the faith WATP

Agree with this post,obviously I don't want certain players to leave,however WS is a very shrewd man and if he decides to let these players go then i'm confident he will get in players equal / better quality as we all know we are in the early days of rebuilding.Let's wait and see what happens when the time comes.TRUST IN WALTER

CAN Rangers make a clean swoop for all four trophies? Coral are offering 6/1 on Rangers to complete a historic quadruple. Rangers are 7/4 to maintain their winning streak against Celtic, and you can also get 6/1 with Coral on Rangers winning both SPL matches at Parkhead this season! RANGERS SEASON SPECIALS Rangers to win: SPL, Scottish Cup & CIS - 1/3 SPL, UEFA Cup & CIS - 5/1 Scottish Cup, UEFA Cup & CIS - 11/2 Quadruple 6/1 Rangers to:Coral Logo Qualify for the UEFA Cup final - 5/4 To win both SPL matches at Parkhead this season - 6/1 Total Season Points (after 38 games) 93pts or more - 7/4 89-92pts - 13/8 88 or less - 7/4

ALLAN MCGREGOR wrote his name into the history books on March 29 when he became the first Rangers keeper to record four consecutive clean sheets against Celtic but he doesn't want to stop there. Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor show their thanks to the fansThe club's No. 1 will travel to Parkhead tonight for another crucial clash against Gordon Strachan's men and would love nothing more than to increase his remarkable run to five as Walter Smith's side look to put one hand, or glove for that matter, on the SPL trophy. Keeping Celtic at bay in front of 60,000 fans in green and white is easier said than done but Greegs is confident his team can once again do the business in the world's greatest derby. When the clubs last went in to battle it was the men in Light Blue that gained a vital psychological boost with a stunning 1-0 victory. This game will be remembered for Kevin Thomson's majestic goal but few will forget the fingertip stop which denied Andrius Hinkel a second-half equaliser. When the German right-back cut inside and unleashed a dipping shot from 30-yard the Celtic fans in the Broomloan Stand were already off their seats ready to raise the roof. McGregor had other ideas and his save brought back memories of Andy Goram's unbelievable stop to deny Pierre Van Hooijdonk at the same end of the ground during the nine-in-a-row era. It was another moment of magic from the 26-year-old who has been inspirational in Rangers quest for an unprecedented quadruple this season. Allan McGregor celebrates at the final whistle Although Carlos Cuellar may be the early favourite to scoop the country's Player of the Year awards for his terrific consistency Allan must also be in with a fighting chance of picking up a few gongs. Winning individual honours, however, will be the last thing on his mind right now. The SPL takes centre-stage this evening in Glasgow's East End and Allan is hoping it is his opposite number Artur Boruc that is once again picking the ball out of his net. He said: "Obviously I would love to keep another clean sheet against Celtic, that would be a dream scenario but as long as we get a result that's all that matters really. "All the boys will be right up for the game and we have to be quietly confident of getting a result although it will be very hard. "They will be fighting for their lives and have a league title to retain while we are trying to win it for the first time in three years. "Both Celtic and ourselves need to be on our toes right now and try to take three points from every game we play in. "That is what happens when you are with the Old Firm and tonight's game is no different. "I think we will need to play better than we did in our last two wins over them at Ibrox but hopefully we can come out on top." Allan McGregorRunning out in front of a packed Celtic Park would have a lot of players quivering in their boots but Allan can't wait to get out on the pitch and strut his stuff. "I actually quite enjoy going to Parkhead and I think a lot of lads say that. It's a challenge and if you can come away with a win it's the best feeling in the world. "To be honest I am not too bothered about the atmosphere at away grounds and that's the same at Parkhead. "Once you are out there you just get your head down and concentrate on the job at hand. "I have no doubt that tonight's game will start and it will be frantic for a while and it usually settles down after that. "It will be up to our players to get on the ball and take the game to Celtic. "We want to win the game, that is our main priority and obviously my aim is to keep a clean sheet again but if we come away with a draw it is perhaps not too bad a result."

STEVEN DAVIS is relishing the prospect of making his first trip to Parkhead as a Rangers player tonight and is desperate to make it two wins out of two against the club's greatest rivals. Steven DavisSteven made his Old Firm debut in the 1-0 win at Ibrox on March 29 and once again put in an industrious performance that Stuart McCall would have been proud of in his heyday. Having played in massive Premiership games with Aston Villa and Fulham and also come up against some of the world's best players on the international stage Davis has already proved that he thrives on the big stage. The 23-year-old has been outstanding in Rangers quadruple quest but admits that it does not get any bigger than playing against Celtic in the East End of Glasgow. Having watched his boyhood heroes in action at Parkhead on TV and get three points Steven hopes he can also achieve this and help Rangers get a victory which will take them one step closer to the championship. He said: "Old Firm games are always very tough game and there is a lot of importance on this one. Stecven Davis "If we can win it will put us in a great position but, on the other hand, if Celtic get three points they will get a massive lift. "So we all know what will be at stake going into the match but hopefully we can do the business on the night. "I got my first taste of an Old Firm game at Ibrox and it was a great feeling to come off the pitch at the end with a victory. The atmosphere at Ibrox was exactly what I expected. "I had watched the games on TV before and it was great to be involved in one. "Obviously I am now looking forward to going to Parkhead to play. "It will be hostile but I am sure that is something all our players will thrive on." Kevin Thomson was the Rangers hero when he scored a stunning goal to sink the Celts at the end of March and Davis would love nothing more than to hit the net tonight. Davis wins the ball from HartleyHis only goal in a Light Blue jersey so far came against Werder Bremen at Ibrox on March 6 but he is desperate to add to his tally as soon as possible. "Everybody dreams of scoring the winning goal in an Old Firm match, that would be unbelievable. "Thommo got the last one at Ibrox and I was delighted for him. It is unfortunate that he is now suspended this week. "But we have a lot of quality players in the squad and whoever is involved will be desperate to get a good result."