ian1964

Rod Petrie has shot down claims that Uefa have embarrassed the SFA by hammering Rangers for sectarian chants. He claims the action from Europe’s governing body has INSPIRED our football authorities to be tougher in tackling the scourge in our game. Uefa have lashed Gers twice after bigoted songs were belted out at Europa League qualifiers against St Joseph’s and Legia Warsaw. That sparked claims SFA chiefs have been slow to act. But new president Petrie fired back: “Why would we be embarrassed? It was a competition which was run by Uefa. As the competition organiser Uefa have dealt with bad behaviour and unacceptable conduct, within the competition THEY run. “Equally, we look to the SPFL to take a similar approach and where there is unacceptable behaviour and things which are patently wrong to the vast majority of people, we expect the SPFL to be working to eradicate that. “We are very happy to do our part in working along with them. This has to be a collaborative approach where we work together to try to make sure the environment is as safe and as positive as it can be. “We welcome the statements which came out of Rangers, and welcome the statements which came forward from responsible fans’ groups.” Rangers were ordered to close a section of Ibrox for last month’s home play-off leg against Legia. They will be forced to do so again for the opening group game against Feyenoord on September 19 following another guilty charge of ‘racist behaviour’ by their fans in Warsaw. Gers chiefs also acted by refusing to take a ticket allocation for the match with Young Boys in Switzerland on October 3. Petrie added: “I think the events that took place, and the punishments that have been imposed, has had an impact. “Hopefully that is now helping to ensure a sea-change within attitudes of people coming to games. It’s an opportunity for Scottish football to come together to learn the lessons of the past.” Ex-Hibs chairman Petrie, who replaced Alan McRae in June, will have at least two years at the helm. He added: “I want to see things get better, I want to see things CHANGE. “It happens to be the thing that is almost the highest priority on my watch — so I’m not going to run away from it.” Meanwhile, Alloa chief and SFA vice-president Mike Mulraney, above, said: “I don’t recognise such a thing as a ‘90-minute bigot’. I only recognise someone who is bigoted, who exports that feeling for 90 minutes.” https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/4694997/rod-petrie-sfa-uefa-rangers-rap/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1567916522

Dutch star chats to RangersTV about his career in Light Blue. https://rangers.co.uk/tv/view.php?it=17682&c=archive&act=watch

Allan McGregor - 2020 Wes Foderingham - 2020 Andy Firth - 2020 Jack Alnwick - 2020 Filip Helander - 2023 Connor Goldson - 2022 Nikola Katic - 2022 George Edmundson - 2023 Borna Barisic - 2022 James Tavernier - 2022 Matt Polster - 2021 Jon Flanagan - 2020 Glen Kamara - 2023 Andy Halliday - 2020 Andy King - 2020 (loan) Scott Arfield - 2022 Ryan Jack - 2021 Jason Holt - 2020 Steven Davis - 2020 Greg Docherty - 2022 Joe Aribo - 2023 Ryan Kent - 2023 Jamie Murphy - 2021 Jordan Jones - 2023 Eros Grezda - 2022 Brandon Barker - 2022 Sheyi Ojo - 2020 (loan) Alfredo Morelos - 2023 Jermain Defoe - 2020 Greg Stewart - 2021

Find out how Stephen Kelly is getting on at Ayr United. https://rangers.co.uk/tv/view?it=17667&c=&act=watch

Question now is, what punishment will/should they receive from the SFA/SPFL?

MARK ALLEN says the £7million capture of Ryan Kent shows the support of the board and where they want Rangers to be. The signing of the winger last night brought an end to the summer long transfer saga involving the Light Blues and Liverpool. Rangers splashed out £3.5million for Bologna defender Filip Helandar earlier in the window but the fee shelled out on Kent dwarfs that. And the Ibrox director of football believes the magnitude of the deal shows the level of progress being made by Steven Gerrard's side on and off of the pitch. He told talkSPORT: "We made our intentions very clear right at the start of the window - Ryan was a key target and we got there in the end. “Liverpool Football Club have been fantastic first and foremost in what they’ve done and helped us try to get this over the line so a lot of credit has to go them for that. “Ryan enjoyed his time at Rangers and he was obviously keen to come back but the respect enjoyed by both clubs certainly helped us. “It says a lot for the support and the vision of the board in terms of where it wants to get Rangers to. "Obviously, like all businesses it needs to be done in a prudent manner. "And over the last few years, the board and everyone at the club, we've put it back on an even keel with a sensible business approach. “Obviously on the playing side, European qualification has helped us and we’re now getting to the point where Rangers is in a place where hopefully we can move forward." https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/4677506/mark-allen-ryan-kent-rangers-vision-support-transfer-news/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1567506185

Record Sport understands a £2million down payment will be followed by instalments that will take the total fee to £7m with add-ons, an amount second only in club history to the £12m paid for Tore Andre Flo in 2000. It is also believed Liverpool drove a hard bargain with Ibrox chiefs in terms of potential sell-on fees, with as much as 50 per cent mentioned at one stage of the detailed negotiations should he be sold in the future for more than the buying price. Rangers stood strong and that figure was dropped significantly. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-transfer-news/inside-ryan-kent-transfer-rangers-19318950

Kent spoke to RangersTV after signing a four year deal at Ibrox. https://rangers.co.uk/tv/view?it=17678&c=&act=watch&r=350211211

Tbf Rab, the start we have had to the season it has been hard to replace anybody in the team, long season ahead

Holt to St Johnstone for a season loan

CELTIC are "inextricably" linked to the boys club, according to an SFA-commissioned report. The Parkhead club maintain they are a separate entity but the Independent Review of Sexual Abuse in Scottish Football has concluded they cannot distance themselves from the feeder team. According to The Times, senior figures in the review team have told the Hoops in no uncertain terms that they share an identity with Celtic Boys Club. The review does not name the youth team by name but officials have spoken to the Glasgow giants. It states: "Historically in Scotland, in some areas, community-based youth football clubs have come into existence, developed and grown with an identity shared with the local senior professional club. "In some cases, these are quite prominent. Essentially, they were 'feeder' clubs but with a relationship that went well beyond the throughput of young talent." It goes on to speak of the "clear and strong" links between the clubs, highlighting they were part of the same "family". The review concludes that Celtic FC and Boys Club share a history. It also suggests the senior side failed to 'do the right thing' about abuse allegations, choosing instead to try and protect their reputation. It states: "If the relationship and history between the youth football club and the senior club was so shared, so close and so inextricable on positive achievements then when alleged sexual abuse of young players formed part of the history of one then it too formed part of the history of the other. "A shared heritage is not confined to trophies, victories and celebration. It also extends to defeats, failures, and deficiencies. "There are many downsides to this which sometimes overshadow the positives. At times the closeness of this relationship might, in the past, have manifested in a 'closing of ranks'. "This is not surprising since any 'reputational damage' to one is therefore shared by the other. "Where the review has found that when allegations of sexual abuse have been made concerning the community-based youth football club our expectation would have been that the senior club (almost like a parent) would have taken steps to put this right permanently by doing the right thing. "Unfortunately, we have seen some instances where this has not been the case and the senior club's response has centred on protection of its reputation and standing rather than addressing the core problem with a view to achieving a permanent solution." Earlier today, we told how the review will call on Scottish clubs to accept responsibility for historic abuse and apologise to victims. Celtic, Rangers, Hibs and Motherwell are among the sides who have been called out for their past failures. The full results of the review are not expected to be published until next year. Four men associated with Celtic Boys Club have been found guilty of abusing young kids, prompting claims of a paedophile ring. The Parkhead side has expressed “regret and sorrow” for the victims but insist they are not legally responsible as the boys club was a separate organisation. Beast Frank Cairney was jailed for four years in February for preying on eight young players at St Columba’s Boys Guild in Viewpark and Celtic Boys Club’s under-16 team. The 83-year-old is also being probed by US cops over an alleged sex attackduring a boys club tour to New Jersey in 1991. Fellow former coaches Jim McCafferty, 73, and Jim Torbett, 71, were also caged for sexually abusing starlets. Ex-club chairman Gerald King, 66, dodged prison in January despite being found guilty of targeting five kids. Last month, we revealed that Cairney hatched a plan with Gordon Neely to have Celtic Boys Club youngsters train with Rangers. Neely said he’d take lads as young as 12 and that they could be signed on schoolboy “S” forms which tied them to the club once they turned 13 However, the Ibrox giants sacked the monster - who was also involved with Hibs - after a boy made abuse allegations against him in 1990. A source close to several victims said: “There was an arrangement between Neely and Cairney so Celtic boys could train at Ibrox. "These men were dangerous individuals. Serious questions need to be asked about this connection.” Earlier in the month, former Motherwell youth development officer Bob Allan, 69, was found guilty of sex crimes from over 20 years ago. It was found he assaulted one youngster, aged between 13 and 16 at the time, at an address in Cambuslang. The vile attack happened on an occasion between May 21, 1984, and May 20, 1986. At the same address on April, 1993, Allan then carried out another sickening attack on a lad aged just 15. Patrick McGuire, of Thompsons Solicitors who represent dozens of victims, has previously called on Celtic fans to demand the Parkhead side apologise and compensate survivors. Celtic have been contacted for comment. https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/4674306/celtic-boys-club-linked-sfa-review-sexual-abuse-scottish-football/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=scottishsuntwitter&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1567439506

You just realised that on Friday??