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Playing devils advocate here, who got the better of the recent transfer window? Based purely on numbers, it has to be Celtic who have brought in Robson, Mizuno, Hutchison, Hinkel and Samaras. Robson's form this season suggests he will beef up their midfield and Hinkel is an international standard right back and if he can avoid further injury he should help beef up their defence. Mizuno is, if you believe the hype, the next Nakamura with amazing potential. Big deal. He scores amazing free kicks but does bugger all else so why get excited just because the Tims bring in a younger, more naive and untested version of said dead ball expert? Hutchison is 20 years old and has had a few first team opportunities but is surely not a first pick and has yet to show he can cut it at the top level consistently. So, again I ask, what is there to get excited about? Samaras is perhaps slightly different. He scored some good goals when he first arrived at Man City but quickly faded and showed that he is pretty inconsistent. Putting my cards on the table, I would have quite liked him to have signed for Rangers so the fact he has only a short term deal is prudent on Strachan's part as he strikes me as the type of player, like Lovenkrands, who disappears until it's contract renewal time. This makes him a dangerous commodity for the rest of the season. So, in summary, Celtic have bought some untested potential in Mizuno and Hutchison but have added solid squad players in Hinkel and Robson. Samaras could be dangerous in the SPL but he doesn't have this bear too worried. Turning my attention to Rangers, I have heard all the doom and gloom merchants and I have to agree that, on the face of things, we lost one of our best players in Hutton and didn't replace him. We also lost back up players in Carroll and Ehiogu but neither have played any more than a game or two and wont be missed. We have replaced both with Alexander, a Scotland squad regular, and Dailly. The latter is not a popular signing but he has been given a short term deal to provide squad cover. He wont be first pick for any of the back four or central midfield positions but he has the pedigree and experience which should be more than adequate to do a decent job in the SPL so lets not get our knickers in too much of a twist over this one because what else is the January transfer window for if it's not to add squad cover, in whatever positions are needed? Rangers undoubtedly needed cover for the midfield given that Thompson is out for around another four weeks so to see Steven Davis arrive from Fulham is a shrewd move. A bluenose all his days it shouldn't take him long to settle. He hasn't found himself in Roy Hodgson's plans at Fulham but he is a tidy wee player who has played regularly in the EPL so I would put him in the same bracket as Barry Robson in that he's a good solid squad player who is likely to play pretty regularly in the remaining games of the season. Daniel Cousin's switch in the opposite direction should be reviewed by FIFA next week and I will be surprised if he isn't allowed to go and good riddance I say. Whilst he was on the pitch and scoring goals I supported him as I do every Gers player but he annoyed the f*** out of me with his lazy play. It was all the more annoying when you saw flashes of the player he can be and you wonder why he couldn't do it more regularly. His comments in the press slagging of his team mates show him up to be a poor team player who is only interested in himself. His blatant mercenary attitude to getting a move to the EPL merely serves to highlight this further so au revoir Danny boy, thanks for the goals and good luck to you but you wont be remembered too fondly by this bear. Returning to an earlier point about the transfer window. You dont often see clubs splashing out and bringing in lots of players unless they have just brought in a new manager, or they are struggling to compete. This is exactly where I think Celtic are. They are competing with us, just, but they've been poor and are four points behind so advantage Rangers in the title race. Celtic's ropey defence has been their biggest downfall and Hinkel should help but it's the centre half position that they should have focussed on in my opinion. It's not like they've gone and splashed six or seven million on a top quality player that is likely to make a significant difference. Rangers are weakened in the right back position but if Smith and Webster can return to full fitness it will be like signing two new players. Darcheville, Boyd, Naismith & Novo should be more than capable of scoring the goals to win the title so bring it on - we welcome the chase. Stewarty

RANGERS have been saddened to learn of the death yesterday of Davie Kinnear who was an influential figure both on and off the field in nearly 24 years of service to the club. Kinnear, who was just 18 days short of his 91st birthday, joined Rangers from Raith Rovers in 1934 and spent 10 years as a player. He also spent 14 years with the club as Trainer and Physiotherapist between 1956 and 1970 when he worked with the great team put together by Scot Symon, a former team mate at Rangers. Scot Symon and Davie KinnearThe Fifer played as an outside left and had the arduous task of following in the footsteps of the legendary Alan Morton who had retired in 1933. However, he took part in three championship winning campaigns playing 109 times and scoring 32 goals. His most profitable campaign was 1936/37 when he only missed one of the 38 league matches and scored eight goals as Rangers beat Aberdeen by seven points for the title. Kinnear was also a key protagonist in the game that set the all-time Ibrox record attendance of 118,730 when he scored along with Alec Venters in the 2-1 defeat of Celtic on January 2, 1939. That attendance remains a record for a league match in the UK and will surely never be beaten. Kinnear's competitive playing career was cut short by World War Two and he was one of many Rangers players - including Willie Thornton, Eddie Rutherford and Willie Paton - who saw active service. He played for Third Lanark and then Dunfermline and then left football to work as a physiotherapist in hospitals. Kinnear was brought back to Ibrox in 1956 by Scot Symon to become the trainer and physio after Symon replaced the peerless Bill Struth as manager and he was a popular man. It was during his time in hospital that he worked with Harold Davis, who had been severely injured in the Korean War, and then recommended him to Symon who signed him. Symon was not a tracksuit manager so Kinnear would take all of the training sessions and then work on the injured players in the afternoons along with close friend Joe Craven who did the same for the reserve team. Rangers were hugely successful in the early 1960s, of course, and many of the team remember Davie fondly. He went on to work for Davie White when he replaced Symon in 1967 and left in 1970 when Willie Waddell took over and brought in his own backroom team.

http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=590&Itemid=1 The morning after the night before, eh? Iââ?¬â?¢m sure Iââ?¬â?¢m not the only football fan nursing the equivalent of a hangover this morning as the hype of January transfer window closes for another season. Internet forum server issues, ridiculous radio-phone rumours and around-the-clock satellite sports news excitement ââ?¬â?? coupled together they make for quite a cocktail of commotion and emotion. Hence the hangover this morning; especially when our team havenââ?¬â?¢t been as pro-active as weââ?¬â?¢d all like. Despite my article of Tuesday morning warning all Rangers fans of the unlikelihood of substantial investment in the wake of the Alan Hutton transfer, movement occurred nonetheless and it seems we werenââ?¬â?¢t far off securing the services of Italian striker Andrea Caracciolo from Sampdoria while we did manage to sign the Fulham and Northern Ireland midfielder Steven Davis on loan from the Premiership. Davis is actually a decent signing and although Iââ?¬â?¢m not personally a huge fan of loan deals, he will provide the kind of genuine back-up and depth required for Barry Ferguson and Brahim Hemdani as Kevin Thomson sits out for another two months. Obviously the Ã?£4million deal for Caracciolo was the most exciting rumour of the day and every Rangers fan waited with baited breath as we heard Walter Smith and Martin Bain were in Italy. Unfortunately (or as it may have turned out ââ?¬â?? fortunately) the huge striker chose to stay in his homeland and drop a division to Serie B to play with his former club Brescia. Itââ?¬â?¢s ironic that in the week one Rangers player leaves to realise his ambitions what seems to be our main transfer target lacks the same aspirations in his career to move to the UK ââ?¬â?? instead blaming a lack of self-confidence and the weather for his decision. Hardly the mental and professional discipline you want to hear from a player you want to spend the total of around Ã?£7million on! A lucky escape then perhaps? Unfortunately what this debacle does highlight is the further incompetence of our Chief Executive. Martin Bain quite simply is not up to the job. I bear the man no ill-will and in his Rangers career (over 10 years now) heââ?¬â?¢s done some good work in the face of constant criticism and financial downsizing while being the stereotypical lamb to the slaughter while his boss relaxes in France. A well paid ââ?¬Ë?yes-manââ?¬â?¢ nonetheless though and the way weââ?¬â?¢ve conducted our business this January (and in the past) shows just how out of his depth he is. To avoid any confusion Iââ?¬â?¢m not criticising the club about not spending the ~Ã?£10million from the Hutton/Cousin deals per se. As I wrote the other day, not spending it is understandable to a degree and Iââ?¬â?¢d much rather we were prudent and efficient in our dealings. However, if there was around Ã?£5million to spend, surely the old adage of not keeping all your eggs in one basket applies here? Weââ?¬â?¢re told that the club have scouted Caracciolo for months, yet we leave it to the absolute last minute to try and negotiate our way through the confusing world of the Italian transfer system ââ?¬â?? three clubs involved directly, other clubs interested, translators required and agents hovering with their claws as sharp as ever. Yet, ex-catalogue model Bain is deemed to have the tactical nous to navigate his way through such a tough deal ââ?¬â?? all in a few hours!? I certainly donââ?¬â?¢t pretend to be some sort of finance guru or transfer expert but time was never going to be on our side so instead of wasting time taking last minute flights to Genoa, we should have moved onto our next target. We do have one Ewan Chester, donââ?¬â?¢t we? Or was Willie McLies too busy hawking wee Broon again to furnish us with his usual brand of short-term client information? Certainly Martin Smithers and his merry band of under-achieving assistants are not justifying their inflated wages while the rest of us pay for the privilege of watching them let us down time after time. But, and this is the crux of the article, all the above does not mean we have a convenient get-out clause for not winning the league (or the other competitions weââ?¬â?¢re in). Yes, we should have strengthened while Celtic have done so (to a degree) but we still have more than enough talent at Ibrox to compete on all fronts. Losing Alan Hutton is a big blow and Daniel Cousin (if he does actually leave ââ?¬â?? more crazy dealings by our staff given the obvious FIFA rulings) is a similar loss. However, we have deputies more than capable of taking their place. Steven Whittaker has shown he has the game to develop into a fine player while a fit Darcheville and a determined Boyd would keep out most strikers out of many teams anyway. Christian Dailly and Neil Alexander may not be the most glamorous of signings either but both will provide competition for places and much-needed experience as we proceed towards our goals. As such, despite all the valid criticism aimed at the likes of Bain and despite all the obvious disappointment of not capturing another player or two, itââ?¬â?¢s vital we keep our eyes on the prize. A four point lead is a good one and should be able to defend this over the coming months with the existing squad. Three Old Firm games in two months will be the ultimate decider but we have nothing to fear in that regard either. So, confidence should remain, support for the players and manager should remain and no excuses will be accepted. The SPL is attainable and nothing less will suffice.

Zurawski - worth his weight in gold, so good he can't be sold coz no one can afford himm.. etc etc... http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/7223140.stm LOL....

Watching rangers destroy celtic at parkhead back in 1999, the fans lost the plot while there players lost there heads and we won the title. But it was a Sunday evening clash packed with controversy as some of the home players and their fans lost their heads as well as their title. its on just now on rangers tv (just hope they show the complete game with ref pelted by coins and going crazy) doubt it though

I've got a 1990's CD on at the moment and loads of songs are bringing back great memories of going to Ibrox on a saturday with my mate on the train from Aberdeen. It was magical days out during 9IAR. Im trying to find the best game for me but i cant see past our 3-1 win against Celtic at Hampden in 1994. They were playing there for the season in the league while the pigsty got done up. Hateley took the lead then Van Hooijdonk scored. Hateley put us back infront then Laudrup scored a wonder solo to win the match 3-1!!! October 30th 1994!!! By far my best Gers memory!!! :cheers:

While we have a cup semi final to look forward to Im sure we'll be keeping one eye on the scores from Fir Park!! 'Well could do us a wee favour here and its not beyond them. C'mon the Steel men!!

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/display.var.1998664.0.0.php Trying to find out more about this lad from a few City fans I know... A lot of money (fee and wage) for a player that failed to prove himself in England... However, I'd say he's a more attractive option that the other names linked so far - especially if we can lower his demands.

Saturday, 26 January 2008 Aberdeen v Hearts, 15:00 Hibernian v Gretna, 15:00 Kilmarnock v Dundee Utd, 15:00 Motherwell v Inverness CT, 15:00 Rangers v St Mirren, 15:00 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday, 27 January 2008 Falkirk v Celtic, 14:00 Aberdeen Hearts looks like a draw to me. Hibs v Gretna well there is a game i would have betted on Hibs a few games ago but Hibs have been rank and Gretna have found a new burst of life. I am still going for the Hibs win though. Kilmarnock v Dundee Utd Utd have signed Mark de Vries as far as i know and i think he will be a handfull for the Killie defence. That added to the form of Barry Robson makes dundee the favourites for me. Motherwell v Inverness The Caley new manager effect, has ground to a hault after their run of good form. Motherwell should be far too strong for them at Fir park Rangers v St Mirren. We are coming in to a run of home games whereas the tims are on the road for three games. Lets hope we win all our home games and the tims drop some points.Rangers to win. Well there's a surprise. Falkirk v Celtic. i still think the tims will be too strong for Falkirk who have been pretty crap recently. We can only hope they pick this game to return to form. celtic will win by a country mile.

Much can be debated about Walters tactics in SPL / Euro games and his choice selections. But I wonder how he feels being back at Rangers with the club being ran totally different. He no longer can buy multi million pound players and has to pick and scrape from the bottom end of the market and the club are a selling club if the opportunity comes around - although in Cousin's case our hands are tied as he wanted the move - but in Alan Hutton's case the player wants to stay at lease until the end of the season. TBH he hasnt done too badly so far with some buys in certain areas. He's done well with McGregor in goal and brought him on to be a fine keeper. Cuellar at the back has been a bright spark for 95% of the season, I just hope we can hold onto him. Davie Weir has been solid throughout but needs a break at the moment. In midfield McCulloch and Thomson have been popular. McCulloch was a preferred signing of mine and got off to a great start this season but went off the boil for a few games but I expect him to be back to his best soon. Thomson remains a popular player with the fans. We'll see a bit more from Naismith soon IMO and hopefully Darcheville can stay clear of injuries for a while. In the last 12 months we have went from being a disaster to title challengers. Dont get me wrong Celtic arent a top club - they have some on field problems at the moment in the SPL - but I think credit can be given to Walter for putting us in the situation we are in again and playing in 4 competitions as we head towards the end of January. We can only ask for a bit more attractive football and that may take a little bit longer but should come.

Why not......... :moon: I used to have a tshirt that said that!! Lets laugh at them for being them!!

McFadden is a good player but going above 4 mill to get him is pushing his worth to the limit imo.

According to Clyde Sport a fee of �£4m has been agreed between the 2 clubs. Poor move for the lad if he goes cause he's West Ham through and through. Doubt it will happen though.

http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,5~1216200,00.html http://www.uefa.com/uefa/keytopics/kind=64/newsid=646355.html No mention of Celtic at the meeting but amusing that after all their hoo-ha about being a full member of the G14 while we would be associate members, that pressure group is about to be dissolved...

According to the Clyde sportsdesk which is a Saturday. Police say they'd prefer to play the game in daylight. It must be a cup weekend or the clubs who Rangers and Celtic were meant to play that weekend have agreed to move the fixture to accomodate the OF game.

Who is going I am

0-0 after 33 minutes :fish: Come on the Binos !!!!!

Larsen agent in Ibrox talks over possible �£1.4m move Rangers have been offered Soren Larsen, the Danish international striker, as a potential replacement for Daniel Cousin. Larsen is available for �£1.4m from the German side, Schalke 04, and his agent, Ivan Marko Benes, met with Rangers chief executive Martin Bain yesterday to discuss a possible move for the 6ft 4in centre-forward. Rangers have also been linked with a move for the Hearts goalkeeper, Steve Banks, after Derby County reached agreement to take Roy Carroll to Pride Park. Paul Jewell, the Derby manager, had hoped to have the Northern Ireland goalkeeper at training this morning, but Walter Smith was only willing to sanction the transfer if he had another back-up to Allan McGregor in place. "The chairman has spoken to his agent and Walter Smith and hopefully we can get that one over the line today or tomorrow," said Jewell. "If he comes, Roy Carroll is a top-class goalkeeper." Banks has reclaimed his first-choice status at Tynecastle after the recent failed experiments with Eduardo Kurskis and Anthony Basso. Hearts caretaker manager Steven Frail is reluctant to lose the Englishman, who also doubles as goalkeeping coach, but moving to Rangers would be more lucrative for him. Benes left Bain with a DVD of Larsen's scoring feats for club and country in an attempt to expedite a deal. Rangers are in the market for a centre-forward regardless of Cousin's future but while no deal is imminent, Larsen fits the bill. He scored six goals in his five international matches for Denmark two years ago and has been nicknamed Die Waffe - The Weapon - for his prowess alongside his countryman and former Rangers attacker, Peter Lovenkrands, in the Bundesliga. He has scored 17 goals in 55 starts but wants a new challenge. He would cost around �£1m per year in wages but his physical prowess is ideally suited to the rigours of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League. Eintracht Frankfurt, Wolfsburg and FC Copenhagen have already enquired about the 26-year-old - who was linked with a move to Celtic in August 2006 - but Larsen has no intention of returning home to Denmark. Smith was at the Emirates Stadium last night on a scouting mission at the Carling Cup semi-final between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. Bolton and Middlesbrough have been alerted to Cousin's situation. Rangers are confident they can keep the striker, who signed a three-year deal in August, at least until the end of the season but may find a bid of around �£3m irresistible.

Linky Cannae beat a midweek OF game. Hutton won't be suspended for the OF game as we play Gretna and ICT away before we play the dhims on the 23rd.

Rangers face a fixture backlog after last night's rescheduled Clydesdale Bank Premier League match against St Mirren was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch at Love Street. The latest delay exacerbated a pile-up that already includes outstanding away games against Gretna and Celtic. Walter Smith, the Rangers manager, bemoaned the latest incon-venience as officials at the SPL scoured the calendar to find a suitable alternative date. Ian Blair, the SPL's director of administration, will attempt to address the deepening problem first thing this morning. Finding a new date for the St Mirren game will be the priority since the original match, scheduled for November 10 last year, was cancelled to allow Scotland longer preparation time for their ill-fated Euro 2008 qualification decider against Italy. "Rangers have a lot of midweek games and are also involved in the UEFA Cup," said Blair. "Hopefully, they will be involved in more midweek European games, but it poses a problem for us domestically. advertisement "It is already proving difficult to fit in the outstanding games and this is an added complication for us. We are still trying to find a date for the Old Firm game but we will make the latest cancellation a priority." Rangers will play Gretna - a match postponed from Sunday, December 9 to aid the Ibrox club's Champions League pre-parations against Olympique Lyonnais - at Fir Park next Wednesday and may be permitted to play St Mirren the following midweek, but only if both sides negotiate their Scottish Cup ties without the need for a replay. Tuesday January 22 and Wednesday January 23 are designated as cup replay dates, but the SPL may seek special dispensation to play the match then, provided both clubs are free. Another possibility is to play the St Mirren game on the first midweek of March and delay the league split by playing the outstanding Old Firm fixture, cancelled on January 2 as a mark of respect after the death of Phil O'Donnell, on April 8. Smith will leave it to the administrators to alleviate the increasing burden but admitted that it was an unwanted complication. "There is a difficulty fitting in this game now and we've had enough trouble trying to fit in the Celtic game," said Smith. "We will need to sit down and discuss things again and will just have to fit the two games in somehow." Smith and his St Mirren counterpart, Gus MacPherson, agreed that the referee, Stuart Dougal, was right to postpone last night's game after torrential rain. Dougal made his first inspection at 6.15pm and with no sign of the weather abating decided to call off the match 20 minutes later. "The referee's decision was correct," said Smith. "It was not just a problem with the pitch but driving conditions for the fans on the roads. It is the proper decision." The cancellation has cost St Mirren around �£30,000 in lost television revenue, with Setanta Sports set to screen the match live, but Dougal was more concerned with player safety. "It was a bit of a lottery, or even worse," said Dougal. "It was just about playable after my first inspection but it was clear it was only going to get worse. "I had to take into account player and fan safety. In an ideal world, I would have liked another 15 minutes to make up my mind and but in my heart of hearts I knew it would not have made a difference. "I spoke to both sets of players and they came to the same conclusion." Alan Hutton's future, meanwhile, remains at Ibrox for the foreseeable future after the full- back rejected the latest offer from Tottenham Hotspur. The player and his agent were informed of the improved personal terms of the proposed �£9m transfer but the 23-year-old reiterated his intention to stay in Scotland.

Yesterdays win puts us 1 point clear with 2 games in hand on most and 1 on Celtic (who's game will be a tricky emotional trip to Motherwell). We have a hectic January with re-scheduled games against St Mirren and Gretna. They have to be banker wins but will be awkward games. If we win them then it sets us up nicely to drive onwards. But the best thing at the moment is we have given ourselves this chance following 2 years of being out of it at this stage. We'll also have the OF game to be played again and that game that could say a lot should we win the Gretna and St Mirren games. With the transfer window open and Alan Hutton set to stay on for the mean time it will be interesting to see if anyone leaves or any additions come in. Lets kick on and stay on top and bring the title back home.

So I just read. Thoughts ? I guess from their perspective at least Chesney has finally seen his defence is mince. Will he be better than they already have ? Can't be any worse I suppose !

got a word through in my word of the day email. faineant, pronounced fay-nay-AWN. means lazy, given to doing nothing. sluggards. sounds exactly like our san giro friends. "we hate celtic, faineant bastards, and we`ll chase them anywhere". altogether now!

My website is looking for Rangers fans to help contribute to it through articles, posts and news stories etc in relation to Rangers FC. Whether you think of yourself as a budding journo or maybe you just like giving your opinions then contact me if you are interested. We have a lack of gers fans on the site at the moment and its a big top hevy with Celtic, Caley, St Johnstone and Aberdeen fans. We also produce a fanzine and this is an area where you can contribute to also. visit my site at http://www.scotzine.com or contact me through here to say your interested. Cheers (Again frankie gave permission)

I don�t know if anyone else was due to do this or Gribz will be back on but if so then feel free to scrap it. Rangers V Dundee Utd After our unexpected rest during the festive season the first big issue on Saturday will be a one minute applause in respect of Phil o�Donnel. A directive from the SPL has asked all teams to hold the applause before the kick-off. Reading through other forums the last few day�s this seems to have split the Rangers support with many refusing to applaud and preferring a minutes silence. Rangers have no choice in this as the SPL made the decision probably projecting the wishes of the family. This is not a time to make a political stand in my opinion so hopefully everyone will show their respect and put there hands together and clap. Apart from the only long term injury steven Smith, Lee Mc Culloch is doubtful and probably be out for three games now as he has a two match ban kicking in after Saturday. Charlie Adam and Nacho Novo are available for selection again. Rangers had a much improved performance at Hibs last time out and the chances will be that Walter Smith will keep the same starting line-up. Adam replacing Hemdani is also a possibility judging on Walter not playing Hemdani in the SPL games. Dundee Utd bounced back from a run of defeats with an impressive victory against Hearts on Wednesday but an undisciplined performance by Hearts saw them reduced to eight men. Going with past performances United will come in the hope to smother the midfield and play a 4-5-1. Barry Robson has been in fine form of late and could be rewarded with a move to celtic(at least in wages) so he will be looking to impress. He does have a good goal tally for the season but most have come from penalties or free kicks. We certainly have to worry about giving stupid free kicks away around the 20 yard area. Rangers squad:: McGregor, Hutton, Weir, Cuellar, Whittaker, Burke, Ferguson, Hemdani, Thomson, Cousin, Darcheville, Naismith, Carroll, Adam, Broadfoot, Boyd, Furman, Novo. I think walter will keep the same team as against Hibs and that was: McGregor Hutton Cuellar Weir Whittaker Burke Ferguson Hemdani Thomson Naismith Cousin