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Ally McCoist has said Rangers have not made any bid for AZ midfielder Brett Holman, either as a permanent signing or on a loan deal. The club has been persistently linked with a move for the player in the last week. Speaking after Rangers arrived in Australia for their pre-season tournament in Sydney, McCoist admitted he was a fan of the Socceroos star but insisted there was no deal being discussed. ââ?¬Å?He's certainly a player I like and I know Walter [smith] likes him,ââ?¬Â he said. "I saw him a couple of times at the World Cup and he's somebody who's impressed me and he took his goals well," said McCoist. "I won't lie to you, he's a player who excites me," added McCoist. "But there's been no contact at all between the clubs with a view to getting him over." Rangers hope to sign three new players Wilson completes Liverpool switch The denial from Rangers comes after Holman told AZââ?¬â?¢s website he was unaware of any interest from the SPL champions. ââ?¬Å?I hear from others that there are rumours about Glasgow Rangers, but I know nothing,ââ?¬Â Holman said. ââ?¬Å?I have been on holiday for two weeks and no one has spoken to me about that.ââ?¬Â While Holman may not have been approached, Rangers are looking to recruit new players before the beginning of the season. Following the sale of Kevin Thomson and Danny Wilson, Rangers chief executive Martin Bain has reassured fans that moves are underway to sign replacements.

Walter Smith has confirmed he wants at least two new signings before the start of the new season. More...

When Rangers head off on their long-haul flight to Australia tonight, there will be plenty of time for Walter Smith to occupy himself with blue-sky thinking. Sleep is unlikely to come easily to the Rangers manager as he continues to mull over the financial nightmare that plagues his dream of landing the kind of player that will bolster a threadbare squad ââ?¬â?? and generate a ripple of excitement among the fans. Economy class will be the ticket with no chance of a Very Important Player upgrade. Michael Tongeââ?¬â?¢s name may not be on the passenger list when the plane taxis down the runway at Glasgow Airport. But by the time Rangers return from their tour Down Under on August 2, the Stoke City midfielder could well have landed at Ibrox on a season-long Ibrox loan agreement. The Englishman is one player definitely on Smithââ?¬â?¢s in-flight radar and a former Ibrox apprentice reckons the former England Under-21 star would be a shrewd acquisition. Barry Nicholson played alongside Tonge during a loan spell at Preston North End and reckons he has all the hallmarks to make an impact down Govan way. Tonge may carry a bargain tag, but Nicholson is convinced the fans will warm to player who carries a bit of quality. The former, Rangers, Aberdeen and Dunfermline player said: ââ?¬Å?I think Michael would do really well at Ibrox. ââ?¬Å?When he was younger he was very highly rated and he was one of those players who was talked about a lot when he was still a kid. ââ?¬Å?It has maybe not quite gone according to plan for him over the last few years, but he is a really good player. ââ?¬Å?He is very comfortable on the ball, he has good technique, he is a good passer of the ball and he is also able to create things. ââ?¬Å?When he was at Preston he made a good impression and I think heââ?¬â?¢d be ready for the step up to Rangers. ââ?¬Å?He is not really an out-and-out winger. I think if he went to Ibrox he would play the way that Steven Davis last season and always look to cut inside. ââ?¬Å?He is very clever at doing that and seeing the forward pass that can then open something up.ââ?¬Â The days of multi-million pound household names arriving in Glasgow are over, at least for the time being. Right now, the climate is one of prudence and purse-tightening, a fact reflected in the sheer number of players in the last 12 months who have swapped the SPL for the Coca-Cola Championship. Nicholson understands the reasons for this, but he remains a staunch defender of the Old Firm ââ?¬â?? and what they can bring to the table of any player with a hunger to parade his skills in a unique setting. He said: ââ?¬Å?Everyone I have spoken to recently seems to go on about the decline in standards in Scotland. ââ?¬Å?That may be the case, but you have to hope that there are some young players coming through who can help to change that. The Championship and the SPL are probably on a par in terms of the level the games are played at. ââ?¬Å?But the Championship is a lot tighter because there are more teams who are of a similar standard and with the same kind of finances available to them. ââ?¬Å?I still think that a player moving from Stoke, say, as Michael would be, and going to Rangers is a big step up. ââ?¬Å?Aside from anything else, Rangers will be playing Champions League football this coming season and that is a huge draw for most players. ââ?¬Å?Everyone wants the chance to play at that kind of level and even just in terms of size and stature, both Rangers and Celtic are huge clubs. They still have big reputations and while they canââ?¬â?¢t spend the way they did, they still give players the chance to play in front of 50,000 supporters week in, week out. ââ?¬Å?There are not too many clubs in Britain who can make that boast. At the same time, I can understand why so many players have moved out of Scotland to come down here. ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢d have to say from my own point of view that I am enjoying my football down here. I wouldnââ?¬â?¢t be in any rush to move back, although I still keep an eye out for the SPL scores. ââ?¬Å?It would be nice to see the profile of the league rise a little and if there were some decent European results this season it would go a long way to helping achieve that.ââ?¬Â A flight of fancy that Walter Smith would definitely share.

Walter Smith admits the lack of depth in Rangers' squad has given him cause for concern. More...

Rangers manager Walter Smith believes the younger players at the club will have a chance to shine. More...

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/editor-s-picks/rangers-move-for-oz-star-brett-holman-1.1041689 Loans are no good IMO - I don't think players are as motivated as they would be on permanent deals.

Rangers striker Kenny Miller has admitted that Kevin Thomson's departure from the club is a 'blow'. . . More...

SMITH explains Kevin departure for Boro More...

Anyone else not that happy about the slight vanity fair involved with the recent interviews with Walter Smith? It seems his Last Minute Decision To Stay has been taken primarily at the behest of Ally McCoist and not some overarching ambition or desire to succeed. I understand completely why he would would vaguely need the blessing of a person who had been promised the job, but the truth is that we aren't a monarchy, there are no heirs to the manager's 'throne'. It seems like there's been no focus the desire to progress, or to build, or even to consolidate - it's been all oh-I-was-all-ready-to-go-but-they-persuaded-me-to-stay etc. When this is combined with the fact that he's announced his leaving, I just don't think it sets the right sort of tone for the season at all. But, then, I'm in a bad mood. I've just never had such a negative buildup to a season. Especially not as champions.

From the guys at the Assembly Not a bad wee scheme this one...

Rangers manager Walter Smith admits he may be resigned to losing some of his star names. More...

Pre-season training has started then and season 2010/2011 is now upon us. Are we really ten years on from the luxuries of the Advocaat era? A new decade it is then and comparisons with the money spent at the start of the last one certainly can't be made. No de Boer, Konterman, Ricksen, Lovenkrands, Christiansen, Miller or Flo arriving this summer as they did in 2000. Nope, no �£30million war-chests for Walter! Our financial cloth is cut differently now and the SPL is no longer a place for �£4million+ signings of rising continental stars or established Premiership talent. Instead, Ibrox in particular, seems to be concentrating on home-grown potential with a wage ceiling of an amount that doesn't appear to let us compete with our closest rivals across the city. Indeed, with Celtic being linked with a decent calibre of player (only the most optimistic of bears would argue Campbell, Ledley and Bullard wouldn't improve their squad) and Rangers being linked with, well, no-one of any real note; some negativity and panic is starting to set in across the community. When one adds the almost daily quotes coming direct from the club (not even from guessing journalists) that we are prepared to listen to offers for what seems any player, it is easy to get sucked into this whirlpool of trepidation. But let's look at the facts before we slit our wrists and write off our chances of a 54th title. I think it is pretty obvious our activity in term of players coming in is going to be minimal but as long as we don't lose any more players then we should still be competitive enough as new players will arrive eventually. Of course, if any key players do go such as Bougherra, McGregor or Thomson then that would be worrying but I'd still like to think we'd use part/most of any such income to bring in further replacements. Obviously Lloyds the wolf will want his share but reducing debt should be just as important an aim as anything else this decade. It would also be good to 'bank' some money for the rainy days ahead. Does this mean a Jos�© Gon�§alves is an able replacement for a Madjid Bougherra? Of course not but just how many Boumsong's, Cuellar's and Bougherra's can we expect to find year on year? In saying that, if our manager has one virtue it is that, as a former defender himself, he can spot a good centre-half and the former Portuguese under-21 international does have some untapped potential in the same way Bougherra had. On a Bosman he also fits our financial limitations while leaving any real money for much-needed creative players. Fortunately, sound-bites coming from Murray Park suggest the manager is more than aware where we need depth and improvement. Midfield and wide areas appear to be his priority and, despite the claims of fiscal paucity, I'm pretty certain we'll have our targets - affordable and interesting ones at that. After all, whose to say, we're not letting Celtic blink first so we know our opposition before we make our own purchases? I'd like to see new players brought in early to allow them to settle but if we save money by having to wait, then we may just have to be patient. I think it is pretty obvious I'm trying to be positive here but I'm also not daft. Recent times tell us our transfer activity inwards will be minimal while players will leave to accommodate the bank's interest. Nowadays that is a given. However, it is important to remember our financial situation is improving and we do still have a (albeit refined) squad capable of being competitive in the SPL. Furthermore, Walter Smith would not have signed a new contract just to be handcuffed again. It is easy to panic with the positive press speculation Celtic are getting (what's new there?) but as it stands they have only brought in a couple of average full-backs while they have lost five of their first choice players who played in the last Old Firm game and are looking to sell more. Have they really improved their squad? What are we afraid of in their team? Is Neil Lennon's undoubted love of their club and competitive nature enough to compensate for his undoubted managerial inexperience and mental fragility? Above all, the last ten years should have taught us Rangers fans to be resilient when it comes to off-the-field speculation. We're the champions here and we still have the best team. So, let's have a bit of balance and avoid getting caught up in a melancholy that has no merit as it stands. After all, even the financial excesses of ten years ago didn't guarantee league titles. Keep calm and carry on. :robbo:

McMILLAN agrees terms that keep him at Ibrox until 2012 More...

Rangers manager Walter Smith hopes to strengthen midfield and the wings before the start of the season. More...

BOSS reiterates there are no plans to sell Bougherra More... Hope he has his passport...

From the Daily Express, worthy of its own thread given the quotes on our policy: http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/185245/EXCLUSIVE-Walter-Smith-wants-wide-boy-for-3-in-a-row-bid/ Seems we don't want any new strikers and we're concentrating on a creative players. Fair enough from me.

Northern Ireland striker Kyle Lafferty says heââ?¬â?¢s ready to hit the goal trail for Walter Smithââ?¬â?¢s men. Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty says heââ?¬â?¢s ready to repay Walter Smithââ?¬â?¢s faith in him by making fans forget all about the loss of goal machine Kris Boyd. Lafferty has endured a torrid time at Rangers since his Ã?£3.5m signing from Burnley two years ago and been in and out of the team. But the Northern Ireland striker ended last season on a high, blasting five goals in seven games as Rangers wrapped up the title. And heââ?¬â?¢s vowed thereââ?¬â?¢s lots more where that came from if he gets a run in preffered centre forward position. Speaking in The Sun about the imminent departure of ââ?¬Ë?Gers goal machine Boyd. Lafferty said he understands ââ?¬Ë?Gers fans anxiety about losing the lethal finisher. And while Light Blues boss Walter Smith continues to run the rule over potential signings with a striker high on the agenda, Lafferty says the answer lies closer to home. And that pairing him up alongside Kenny Miller next season could reap rewards as Smith sets about trying to win three-in-a-row in what will be his final season at Ibrox. ââ?¬Å?Any club would be gutted to lose a quality striker like Boyd, ââ?¬Å? the 22 year-old said. ââ?¬Å?All of the boys are sorry to see him go. ââ?¬Å?His record for Rangers speaks for itself and Iââ?¬â?¢m confident heââ?¬â?¢ll continue to score plenty of goals wherever he goes. ââ?¬Å?The boss is considering all his options, including spending money on a new striker now it seems he has finally got some funds available. ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢ve seen a few names linked to the club and Iââ?¬â?¢m OK about that because I know whatever happens Iââ?¬â?¢m good enough to play for Rangers. ââ?¬Å?If I was given a chance to fill Boydââ?¬â?¢s boots I would be delighted if the boss felt he could rely on me.ââ?¬Â The striker added: ââ?¬Å?I learned a lot last year. I went through a spell last year where I didnââ?¬â?¢t score for five or six months, then all of a sudden I couldnââ?¬â?¢t stop scoring. ââ?¬Å?I feel as if Iââ?¬â?¢ve matured as a player- and coming through such a difficult time has done a lot for my confidence If Iââ?¬â?¢m given a a regular opportunity to play up front then Iââ?¬â?¢m confident I can produce the goals to get Rangerââ?¬â?¢s three-in-a-row.ââ?¬Â http://sport.stv.tv/football/scottish-premier/rangers/184609-rangers-lafferty-tells-smith-ill-deliver-the-goals-needed-to-clinch-three-in-a-row/

BAIN says Gers want to keep Bougherra and Wilson More...

The RST has finally completed its transformation into a blatant whore, desperate to do "business" with anyone for a negotiable price. No pride left, where do these clowns go now that they've hit rock bottom? Read the following and marvel at the prostitute pretending to act on behalf of Rangers supporters. Bearwoodbear has finally lost his marbles... The RST would welcome talks with Rangers director Dave King regarding joint ownership of the club. Speaking in a newspaper article on Friday, King dismissed the idea that Rangers could be owned by its fans as "rubbish" - the RST are unsure whether this was aimed directly at their proposal or not. "What we are looking for is partnership," said RST chairman Stephen Smith. "Although the Trust is in favour of supporter ownership of the football club - that's our mission statement - we are entirely happy to work in partnership with anybody who sees the fans as a major stakeholder and wants the fans more involved. "We will settle for a halfway house, or fans taking 20% or 25% or 30% of the football club, that will give us a greater stake and a greater involvement and diversify share ownership. "If Dave King, or anyone else, wants to engage with the support on that basis, we are still willing to do that. "Our position is, and always has been, that we are prepared to work with anybody who has the best interests of the club. "We are happy to have discussions with anybody, from David Murray downwards, about the future of Rangers and the role the organised fans can play in that, in terms of taking a major stake and making the phrase 'the Rangers family' mean something. "If Dave King is happy to do that, then we are happy to meet him and I'll meet him any time he wants."

Rangers director Dave King finally breaks his silence today on the cash crisis that has engulfed the club he loves. The South African-based tycoon has kept his own counsel during the last few troubled years as the banks clamped down on Rangers. But starting today and ONLY in Record Sport the man who has already invested �£20million in the Ibrox club speaks out from his luxurious Johannesburg base. King rarely grants interviews but the multi-millionaire, who is still regarded as the only man who can come to Rangers' rescue, sat down with the only paper capable of gaining access to him. And he didn't hold back: * In our sensational two-day series he reveals how Rangers were left teetering on the brink of administration. * King out lines his hopes for Rangers in the years ahead and REFUSES to rule out the possibility of investing further in the club . * He insists the Andrew Ellis deal was NEVER a realistic option. * King claims Walter Smith's latest title success SAVED Rangers. * He ACCUSES Rangers' bankers of attempting to asset strip the club . * He identifies and pays tribute to the real resistance HEROES behind the scenes in the fight to keep the club alive. The 55-year-old kicked off his astonishing insight into his Rangers love affair by revealing he is mulling over new support for the club and is developing a five-year plan to turn around the financial situation at Ibrox. Ex-pat King invited Record Sport into his South African home for his first in-depth interview with a Scottish paper and suggested he could be willing to make available some of his reported �£300m fortune for the club he first grew to love growing up in Castlemilk. Asked if he was in a position to invest in the club again, King said: "I wouldn't say yes to that today. However, I wouldn't rule out taking a greater role in the club going forward. "Things must settle for a couple of months first. There are a lot of emotions that must die down and I wouldn't mind spending time with David Murray when I'm next over just to see what it means to him now. "I've had discussions with people such as Douglas Park and he says if the time is right and things settle he is willing to invest in a proper, commercial basis. "There are enough people out there with money to put together a funding group to get the club to a position it should be in. "It needs enough money to bring the debt down to a sustainable level, new money to take away some of the historic problems and enough money to create a kitty for the manager for five years." King has outlined the battles with Lloyds as they fought to protect their investment in the Murray Group, Rangers' parent company, which reached crisis point last year due to the global recession. He maintains it was the stubborn approach adopted by the bank that prevented him f rom launching a takeover bid last autumn. He said: "I looked at buying the club in the third financial quarter last year. "I felt the position adopted by the bank was inflexible and commercially aggressive against the club. Their demands were excessive. "It provided no opportunity for me to sensibly come in and put money into the club knowing the new money would not be going into Rangers but to protect the bank's position. It would have been throwing good money after bad." Silly Rangers have been taken off the market by majority shareholder Sir David Murray after a move to buy the club by London property developer Ellis stalled. King added: "I knew the El lis deal would not be concluded as soon as it was announced. I have my own ability to do due diligence and that deal would only have happened under very silly circumstances. "I don't think he's a silly investor but my assessment told me there was no possibility of Ellis structuring a deal that could have made sense for him." King acknowledged the right of the bank to demand its debt be repaid but believes they also share a responsibility for allowing Rangers to dip into the red to the tune of over �£30m. He said: "I recognise the responsibility of the bank to recover the money owed but they should have recognised a greater share of responsibility for participating in the funding levels Rangers received. "Walter securing the SPL title and the Champions League money saved the day. The bank are now much more willing to listen to considered argument, plus we have the benefit of that Champions League cash which has bought us this 12-month period of calm. "I'd describe Rangers as being in a comfortable position at present. We've had the operation and we're home. However, we're going to have to look after our health carefully." http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/2010/06/25/dave-king-rangers-and-me-86908-22358553/

CHAMPIONS unfurl flag against Ayrshiremen on August 14 More... Full list here: http://www.scotprem.com/content/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/8737585.stm

from RM reiterating what we always knew here. Serious question....what exactly was Smith up to and why, was he spittin the dummy because Muir was advising against giving him to much money to waste, or was he firing bullets for another takeover faction, whatever it was Smith owes Donald Muir an apology at the very least and the supporters an insight into his allegations. It's the evening of Saturday the 13th of February 2010. Placards are being readied; banners are being kept under lock and key, their contents a matter of whisper. Flurries of internet activity, text messages and phone calls being exchanged on an hourly basis, the preparations are nearing completion. A section of the Rangers support was ready to protest. The night before the day when lovers the world over are preparing to reach their arms around their significant others and remind themselves of the affection and love they have in their shared bond. In the world of Rangers, it was the eve of one of the most important games in the 2009/10 season. The midweek before, we had endured a stuffy draw with Motherwell leaving the supporters frustrated at not being able to capitalise on the hapless and deteriorating performances of Tony Mowbray's Celtic. Come Saturday however, Celtic drew with Aberdeen in an epic eight goal encounter leaving Rangers with the impetus to beat Hibs on Sunday and surge the club to a ten point lead over our greatest rivals and potentially onward toward a second successive league title. Purely on the football pitch, Valentine's Day was to be a pivotal moment in the season; however, this was also being echoed off the pitch amongst supporters and the tone was certainly not of free love blowing through the Govan air. Ever since the turn of the year there had been speculation brewing from many different quarters about the financial circumstance that Rangers was perceived to be in - swimming against a tide of debt, facing a future stripped to a skeleton. Forty days to find a buyer or face an existence on par with St Mirren was the whisper that became the 'news'. Troublesome noises were reverberating from a Scottish media with a taste of blood in their mouths; threads and articles were being scrawled with haste from commercially run forums acting as judge, jury and executioner, cynically you could say to profit from advertising hits; 'fan chiefs' were popping up on the radio to offer their views on the turmoil yet, the default position adopted by almost all Rangers fans was one of bewilderment and a genuine thirst to just be told the truth. Rangers were being portrayed by both friend and foe as a pauper on the street corner, crippled by financial pressures being ramped up by Lloyds Bank, waiting for its remaining possessions to be stripped almost personally by the devil incarnate; the so called "enemy within", Donald Muir. Donald Muir was appointed to the Rangers board without much fanfare in October 2009 and introduced as having "more than 25 years' experience of strategy implementation and business transformation activity internationally in a variety of industry sectors". He has a bulletproof reputation in the city as a turnaround specialist and therefore he undoubtedly had the confidence of the bank to make a positive impact on the club. He was brought in by Sir David Murray who at the time was subject to mounting rumours of a badly recession-hit MIH; however we were told publicly that he was not appointed by the bank and does not get paid by them. But of course that doesn't stop conjecture and speculation - after all, never let the facts get in the way of a good story. I digress; let's get back to the narrative. So there we stood in the few days running towards the weekend of Valentines day; staring into the void of uncertainty and muddied waters - with rumour of financial meltdown aided and abetted Lloyds with Muir cast as the treacherous puppet master. Pressures were being ramped up by media sources across the country through a number of mediums. Some of the Rangers support decided to get proactive. Tired of waiting for answers, a group of fans decided to get out there and make things happen for themselves and by proxy, for everyone else. A protest was hastily arranged. Despite reported investment, public relations at Rangers has been poor for a long time, there's no doubt about it. In many respects, the Rangers' Board deserved the Protest that was hashed together first over the internet and then by a thrown together steering committee with bears from different walks. Had there been a bit more involvement of the support, a bit more openness, a bit more clarity from the club, there would have been no need for the support to seek answers through these pound the street means, as these, to me at least, have always whiffed of the unwashed. The spreading wings of the protest could have been clipped with ease however, nipped at the bud. Our incumbent Chairman could have done the type of televised interview that our former Chairman was sometimes so adept at when it came to the crunch and he decided to pull his head above the parapet. But that didn't come. Johnston is the strong silent type and is almost always straight down the middle. Even a dampening official press release would have put some minds at rest. But that didn't come either. So the supporters decided that they had no other option but to take to the streets. However, somewhere along the line the plans for the protest became distorted, a machine gun style quest for answers from everyone, someone, became more focussed and Muir became the target once again for many. One of the Rangers forums going as far as to invoke a filter making the phrase "enemy within" automatically appear whenever his name was typed - their eggs were placed firmly in their basket on this issue. Message boards were awash with arguments about the motivation of the protest. Some arguments carried old baggage, yet most inquisitive minds just wanted clarity about what exactly the protest was aimed at, never mind what was going on at the club. Petty swiping became prevalent; with different 'camps' emerging with people who were for a protest and some that felt it was unnecessary. One the eve of the protest these camps were at a standstill, the protest was to carry on regardless, as was their prerogative and the people who thought it unnecessary got on with preparing to head to Ibrox to support the team as they did week in week out. However, it was at this precise juncture that two articles appeared on this website. One entitled "Rangers Protests ââ?¬â?? Donald Muir, the Saviour Within?" and another given the title "State of the Rangers - This is the truth, the whole truth, & nothing but the truth". In all honesty, the protest went largely un-noticed, all the bluster soon was yesterdays news; a damp squib with some predictable and pointless banners alongside some genuine and impassioned requests for clarity. One thing that did happen was that the authors of both of the aforementioned articles were immediately given treatment by fellow Rangers supporters that Muir had became accustomed to ââ?¬â?? their characters being sniped at from faceless internet assassins whose identities, allegiances and motivations were easily unmasked from behind their monikers. The "State of the Rangers" article contained the assertions of one of the staff members of this site and the information obtained was completely contradictory to the narrative that had been pushed by the media and by some factions of the dissenting Rangers support. In summary, this article pointed to the following bullet points of information: ââ?¬Â¢ Rangers will not be downsized next season and the bank doesn't run Rangers. There is a business plan agreed and the bank will be serviced with a repayment of Ã?£1 million per year towards reducing the debt ââ?¬Â¢ The budget for player's salaries will be the same next season as it is this season. ââ?¬Â¢ Contract offers have been made to Boyd, Novo & Broadfoot and, if they wanted to, they could sign them tomorrow. ââ?¬Â¢ If Rangers win the league and therefore qualify for the Champions League there will be a budget for the manager to strengthen the squad, but at the moment he cannot buy players until he sells to keep in line with the business plan. If we take a cursory look at the statements made in the press recently by Alastair Johnston, Martin Bain and Walter Smith since the end of this season - every one of these four key assertions has came to fruition. In fact, it reads much like a summary of the news that has came from the club in recent weeks. The million pound repayment was not news to some at the writing of the article as it had been outlined in the end of year accounts a matter of months before. The bank were, and still are, satisfied with this agreement; the doubts that this was not the case and that the bank were going to call in all the debt at once was only ever a rumour - hearsay designed to cause mischief and to worry our support when the facts of the matter were there for everyone to see. What of the budget for next season? Well an exact figure has not been outlined, presumably as there is no such thing as a fixed budget for Smith to work from. It's all relative - spend more on wages and new contracts, have less for transfer fee's and visa versa - common sense really. But in terms of a ballpark figure, Ã?£5 million seems to be the universally agreed banding that Bain and Johnston confirmed which is based on a percentage of the guaranteed Champions League monies. As predicted. For clarity; "We have agreed with Lloyds that we can spend some of the Champions League income and we also hope to maintain wage levels as they currently stand and reinvest any transfer proceeds that we might have." Martin Bain (26/05/10)

DAVIE wants to remain a Ger in Walter Smith's final season More...

Rangers turn their attention to Maoulida to bolster their attack heraldscotland staff Share 0 comments 8 Jun 2010 Rangers could be set to take advantage of the financial crisis that has enveloped French side Lens, by signing experienced striker Toifilou Maoulida in a cut-price Ã?£500,000 deal. Reports in France suggest that the Ibrox club, in the grip of financial restraints themselves, have lined up a move for Maoulida to bolster their depleted attack following the departures of Nacho Novo and Kris Boyd. While Maoulida ââ?¬â?? who has previously been a target for West Ham United, Stoke City and Newcastle United ââ?¬â?? doesnââ?¬â?¢t quite carry the goal threat of Boyd, he is highly experienced and respected as one of the most colourful characters in French football. He has starred in almost 300 top-flight games for the likes of Montpellier, AS Monaco and Olympique Marseille during a 13-year career ââ?¬â?? with a goal average of one in every three games. However, itââ?¬â?¢s his goal celebrations that have brought him plenty of headlines with his own unique take on the ââ?¬Ë?message on a T-shirtââ?¬â?¢ routine. To avoid being booked for raising his jersey, Maoulida, who was 31 yesterday, started a new craze in 2005. While starring for Marseille against Nice, he tied a tissue to his shorts inscribed with thank-you notes to family, friends and fans ââ?¬â?? a celebration he has since repeated 39 times with a unique message each time. Signed by former Rangers manager Paul Le Guen for Rennes as a youngster, Maoulida ââ?¬â?? who is similar in style and presence to former Ranger striker Jean-Claude Darcheville ââ?¬â?? is keen to try his luck abroad and would view Champions League-bound Rangers as the perfect place to kickstart his career. Despite being Lensââ?¬â?¢ top scorer in a successful promotion campaign the season before, Maoulida found himself relegated to the bench for much of last term, but still scored 10 times in 24 games. He took a voluntary pay cut in the New Year as Lens were threatened with closure due to spiralling debts and is one of seven players the club have placed on the transfer list in an attempt to bring in some much-needed funds. In recent weeks, Rangers have also been linked with Portsmouth pair Tommy Smith and David Nugent, as well as Honduran World Cup striker Georgie Welcome, as they try to fill the void left by Boyd. Welcome, who players for Motagua in his homeland, is believed to be available for Ã?£600,000.