ian1964

Gers Star Smith Set To Return Jan 15 2008 By Keith Jackson Exclusive RANGERS received a huge boost yesterday when long-term casualty Stevie Smith returned to action for the first time in more than a year. Smith played for half an hour in a youth match against Motherwell at Murray Park as he continues his recovery form an injury nightmare that stalled a promising Ibrox career. The 22-year-old has been sidelined since December 2006 when Paul Le Guen was still in charge of the team. Smith has gone under the knife for surgery to repair a damaged groin and his recovery was further complicated by an injury to his back. He has yet to make a top-team game for current manager Walter Smith. Great news,for him and Rangers

Aye,hope it goes ahead,I will be home from work for that one

Wednesday Feb 13th,return leg in Athens 21st Feb. Season Ticket Holders - 24 quid go on sale on Thursday :cheers:

Cup Game Is Off RANGERS' Scottish Cup clash with East Stirling has become a victim of the weather and there could be consequences for the rearranged Old Firm game on January 23. Ibrox is waterlogged after torrential rain all night and this morning and a decision was taken to call off the fourth round Cup tie with the Third Division side. Rangers officials are talking with the SPL and SFA right now to find out when the East Stirling match can now be played but January 23 is a Scottish Cup date. We will have more on this story as soon as we can.

I'm a Boyd fan,i'd rather have the player than 3 mil,I don't care if some fans think he can only score against the so called lesser teams,the guy is goal scorer.

I think the important thing here is he is a young player still to develope his potential,maybe the change will do that.I must admit I don't know too much about him,but any signing is a gamble so gambling on a young guy is worth more than gambling on bringing in someone like Cousin maybe.

Aye,tragic,RIP

He is better than Buffel mind :fish:

But,should the fans have a say in who we sign ?. I mean should we not allow the manager to sign players that he thinks can do a job for Rangers and build his own team. Some players are never going to be accepted.I'm not against fans voicing their opinions,but tbh I can't really see the point in that particular song as we don't even know if he is going to siign,and will it make a difference ?

I don't care who signs for Rangers as long as it improves the team

Sorry,don't mean to dis you,but BOLLOCKS TO THAT STORY

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/...905079.0.0.php WALTER SMITH'S January transfer budget won't be hit by Rangers' failure to make the Champions League last 16. Wednesday's 3-0 defeat to Lyon cost the Ibrox club a place in the knock-out stages, plus around an additional �£4m on top of the �£13m they have already made from Uefa payments and five home European ties. Rangers will need to reach the last 16 of the Uefa Cup to make up that lost money. A decent TV pull in the round of 32 draw a week today - with the likes of Spurs, Bolton, Bayern Munich and Fiorentina all possible opponents - would help offset some of the financial hit from the Champions League. Smith's funding for January was already in place, and any additional Euro revenue would not have been filtering through to him. He had cash left in the kitty after splashing out more than �£10m in the summer. That money will be used in January, along with whatever Smith generates from transfers. I understand Brahim Hemdani has an agreement to leave next month after failing to secure an exit in August. The French/Algerian midfielder wanted out before the last window closed but stayed on after Smith told him of his need for experience in the Champions League campaign. But Hemdani is unhappy at not featuring in SPL games and wants to play in the Premiership. He was watched by Middlesbrough and Reading against Lyon, while the man who signed him - Alex McLeish - could yet try to take him to Birmingham City. Hemdani has 18 months left on a �£20,000-a-week deal and is almost certain to get his wish for a move next month. He is likely to be joined by Daniel Cousin. Rangers have been far from impressed with the Gabonese striker's attitude in the past few weeks. The �£1m summer signing from Lens was hooked at half-time in the Lyon match and has already expressed a wish to play in England. He has a �£3m exit clause in the summer, but Rangers are likely to move him on in January for somewhere around �£2m. Thomas Buffel is being tracked by Anderlecht in his homeland. He is another player Smith would happily let go for around the �£1m mark, with the Belgian another high earner on �£17,000-a-week. Fringe players such as Ugo Ehiogu, Chris Burke and one or two others may also be shipped out. Smith would like to bring in three players - a striker, a left-back and another midfielder - and already has his eye on who he wants. But he is loathe to make too many changes after such upheaval in the summer, and it's unlikely any more than three new faces will arrive next month. With Stevie Smith and Andy Webster both set to return to the squad in the next month or so, Smith feels he would be well covered for the second half of the season SPL title battle and the Uefa Cup campaign.

http://talkingsoccer.blogspot.com/20...ulham-and.html

http://www.tribalfootball.com/article.php?id=69372

A couple of old fashioned wingers is what i'd like to see

No thanks !!!!

No worries mate,looks like we'll have to get the train through

RANGERS are ready to unleash Jean-Claude Darcheville from the bench against Lyon tonight as they go for Champions League glory. The Frenchman is poised to make a shock comeback just a fortnight after suffering a recurrence of his long-standing hamstring injury against Kilmarnock. Walter Smith will name Darcheville among his substitutes with Rangers only requiring a draw to book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League. However, Smith will turn to the influential striker as a last throw of the dice if his side need to chase the game in the closing stages of the crucial Group E tie. The Ibrox boss knows bringing back the injury-plagued Darcheville so soon after yet another setback represents a major risk. But with �£5million on offer for joining Celtic in the knockout phase of the competition it's a gamble he's willing to take. Smith said: "Darcheville is touch and go and he is far closer than I thought he would get. The awkward thing for us is that he could suffer a recurrence of the injury and we would have to take him back off again. "Effectively he could play although we will just wait and see. "I still don't think he will be fit enough to start the game." Smith admits his players are feeling the heat ahead of tonight's showdown with the French cracks at Ibrox. But he reckons they are well equipped to handle the pressure-cooker situation after beating Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade in a winner-takes-all qualifier to reach the group stage of the competition. He added: "There are games like this all the time. How can you say the qualifiers weren't bigger games? "The games on a sectional basis are easier to handle than the qualifying games to reach the group stages. "They are really quite intense because there are so many millions available. "Obviously, when we reach this stage it becaomes a big thing to reach the last 16 and hopefully we can do that." If you're fit enough for the bench then you're fit enough to play IMO,Walter is he fit ?

The Heat Is On By Andrew Dickson LYON manager Alain Perrin admits his is the side under most pressure ahead of tomorrow's Champions League tie with Rangers. Alain Perrin during Lyon's training session at IbroxWith the teams both on seven points in Group E, it is Gers who are ahead of their rivals by virtue of their 3-0 win at the Stade de Gerland in October. That means a draw at Ibrox will be enough to send them into the last 16 for the second time in three seasons. If the Ligue 1 side is to advance at their expense instead, they must end the Light Blues' 14-match unbeaten run at home in European ties. While Smith insists his players are going into the game with a relaxed attitude, Perrin can feel the tension rising. He rates the match as his biggest test at the Lyon helm and will not be helped by the absence of injured players Gregory Coupet, Cris, Patrick Muller and Fabio Santos. The former Portsmouth manager said: "I think the pressure is on us. We have an obligation to get results as the supporters expect them. "It is important we get one here and we are going to have to have the drive to qualify for the next stage.Sidney Govou "Rangers are the favourites because they only need a draw and they will have their own fans behind them. "It is a decisive, make-or-break match. Rangers have the advantage and they are going to try to attack us so we will need to be careful. "They have lost their last two Champions League matches but they were away games and tomorrow they will be at home. "Sometimes we play to play good football but Rangers play to win. We are obviously going to have mental and physical commitment to get a result." While Perrin appears to be feeling the heat, Lyon forward Sidney Govou is less agitated by his team's predicament. A target of Paul Le Guen's when he was in charge of Rangers, the French cap could have been lining up against his countrymen tomorrow had fate turned out differently. As it is, he will be in a visiting side he believes can go into the match with confidence they can come from behind to claim second place in the pool. Sidney Govou and Juninho train at IbroxHe said: "This is a big match because we can qualify for the next stage of the Champions League and there is quite a lot of pressure. "Rangers probably have more pressure to deal with than us. Of course, we will be under pressure because we are the away team. "But we don't really have anything to lose. It is an exciting match and different to any I have played in before. "Rangers have an advantage as they can draw 0-0 but it doesn't mean anything. It is not easy to get a draw. "Our coaches have told us we must try to win and have motivation. We know what we have to do and it is important to be physically strong."

Michel Gets Gers Clash ONE of the world's top referees, Lubos Michel, will handle Rangers' showdown with Lyon on Wednesday night. Ironically, he last covered a Rangers match at Ibrox seven years ago when the Light Blues drew 2-2 with Monaco in a match they had to win to reach the second group phase of the Champions League. The Slovakian was voted the second best referee in the world last year and has been a regular Champions League official and has also covered World Cups and European Championship finals He sent off Liverpool's Jermaine Pennant during their 1-1 draw away to Porto earlier this season and also handled the group phase match between Olympiacos and Real Madrid. Michel also sent off Bobo Balde in the 2003 UEFA Cup Final when Celtic lost to Porto and handled Scotland's 1-1 draw with Italy at Hampden in 2005 as well as the national team's 6-0 hammering by Holland in 2003.

The worrying thing about this,and other HEADLINES,it's surprising how many people believe what they read in the tabloid/shit stirring so called journalistic reports !!

Cousin Says Sorry Over Bevvy Row Dec 11 2007 By Keith Jackson RANGERS striker Daniel Cousin has apologised to his team-mates for branding them "out-of-shape bevvy merchants". Then he vowed to make it up to them by firing them into the last 16 of the Champions League. Cousin was mortified yesterday when comments attributed to him in an interview with a French newspaper ahead of the do-or-die Group E showdown with Lyon surfaced in Scotland. Cousin was quoted as criticising his Ibrox colleagues for drinking too much beer and gorging on fast food. But the former Lens hitman met boss Walter Smith at Murray Park yesterday to insist his words had been lost in translation. Record Sport understands Cousin asked teammate Amdy Faye to translate for him at the meeting as he explained himself to Smith. And Cousin then spoke exclusively to Record Sport to make a public apology to team-mates and supporters - before promising to deliver them to the promised land of the knock-out stage by dumping his countrymen. Cousin - speaking through agent Willie McKay - said: "If anyone is upset about my comments then I would like to say sorry to them. I did not mean to cause offence. "I was asked to explain the cultural differences between France and Scotland. Who am I to judge my team-mates or be critical of them? "I have explained all this to the manager because I feel my words have been taken out of context and made to look like criticism. "That was not my intention. All I can say is that the boys have been great to me since I joined the club and the fans have given me fantastic support. "If anyone feels let down by these comments then I will repay them the best way I know how - by scoring the goals against Lyon which take us to the last 16 of the Champions League. "It is my dream to give the club a night to remember." Cousin was also reported to have criticised the standard of the Scottish game and hinted that he is already seeking a move to England's top flight - just three months into his Rangers career. While it is possible that both player and club will part company at the end of the season, Cousin insisted: "Believe me, I am happy in Scotland. "I am with a great club and enjoying our European adventure. "My only concern is to make sure this adventure continues and to do that I will have to play my part and help the team get the result we need against Lyon." Rangers need just a point to join rivals Celtic in the knock-out stage. With Jean-Claude Darcheville ruled out, Cousin - who netted in a 3-0 away win over the French champions earlier in the campaign - is again in line to lead the Rangers attack. Share this article

At the end of the day,can any one of us have expected us to be in this position when the draw was made ?,don't think many would have,however here we are just needing a draw from the last game in the group of death,with european football guaranteed in the form of the UEFA CUP after a great performance,so far,in the CL.It's in our own hands now if we get through to the knockout stages,and for me I am delighted with our progress,so win lose or draw it is a definate improvement on the last couple of seasons and I truly believe we are on the way back to where we should be,the best team in Scotland,so what ever happens on Wed. we have made great strides forward,and for what it's worth I believe we will get the result we require to progress,and if we don't then i'm still happy the way we are back challenging on all fronts.

One thing that no-one has spoken about is, considering we only need a draw, don't you think that Lyon will be very wary of us scoring the first goal ?,which obviously will make their task a real up hill struggle,all the talk is about what Lyon are going to do to us !!!!!,let's not forget all the pressure is on THEM,they're away from home in the CL and NEED TO WIN,not an easy task for any team and especially at a ground where the home team don't often lose and where they are facing an incredible atmosphere from a massive home crowd.BRING IT ON !!!!

Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish will make a bold bid for Rangers and Scotland striker Kris Boyd this week - if the Glasgow giants go out of Europe. McLeish is a big fan of Boyd, the goalscorer he took to Ibrox in the first place and who was a regular in his international squads. Poacher Boyd is also a Rangers fan and will not want to leave if Walter Smith's men get a result against Lyon and join Glasgow rivals Celtic in the last 16 of the elite competition. But if Rangers lose, McLeish will be on to his pal and Ibrox manager Smith in a bid to do business for the prolific striker. Big Eck thinks he needs more goals to survive the relegation battle despite two encouraging performances against Tottenham and Newcastle in his first games in charge. Advertisement Boyd's name was circulated around England in the last transfer window and his long-term Rangers future is uncertain, especially if they go out of Europe.