Search the Community

The Champions 10/3 The BHEASTS 1/5 Worth a punt?,think I'll have some of that:54: http://sports.williamhill.com/bet/en-gb/betting/e/2045987/Scottish-Premier-League---Outright.html

Peralta is gone.

The November edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking reveals very little change in the top ten, with the top seven positions unaltered from last month and world champions Germany still out in front ahead of Argentina and Colombia. France, however, are now in joint seventh place together with Portugal (7th, up 2). In the top 20, England (13th, up 7), Romania (15th, up 6) and Czech Republic (17th, up 5) have all made good progress. Guinea (38th, up 17) have climbed into the top 50 on the back of two victories in CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2015 qualifiers, as have Mali (49th, up 9), with their rise coming at the expense of Trinidad and Tobago (54th, down 5) and Egypt (60th, down 22). As a result, the regional composition of the top 50 has shifted slightly in favour of Africa (10 teams, up 1). With the exception of CONCACAF (3 teams in the top 50, down 1), there are no other changes to the number of top 50 teams of the other confederations (UEFA: 31; CONMEBOL: 6; AFC: 0; OFC: 0). Further down the ranking, the Faroe Islands (105th, up 82) have made considerable progress thanks to their surprise victory over Greece (25th, down 7) in the UEFA EURO 2016 qualifiers. The other teams to have climbed more than 20 places are Jamaica (71st, up 42), Cuba (79th, up 33), San Marino (180th, up 28), Haiti (68th, up 25), Liechtenstein (130th, up 25), and Thailand (144th, up 21). For San Marino, their draw with Estonia - also in the EURO 2016 qualifiers - sees them climb off the bottom of the table for the first time in six-and-a-half years. A total of 150 new 'A' international matches have been taken into account for the November edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, bringing the total number of matches evaluated in 2014 to 817. Sixty-one of these matches were part of continental qualifiers in Europe, Africa and the CONCACAF region, with the other 89 being friendly matches. http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/news/y=2014/m=11/news=england-close-in-on-top-ten-2479554.html?cid=newsletter_en_20141127_newsid Scotland are up 1 to 36th but behind Israel, Iceland, Wales and Senegal and only marginally ahead of Ghana, Guinea and the Cape Verde Islands. Mohsni's Tunisia are up 9 places to 22nd, their highest ranking for 16 years after qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations by beating Egypt 2-1 and drawing 0-0 with Botswana; whilst Peralta's (remember him?) Honduras are down 3 places to 72nd their lowest ranking for 16 years after their 6-0 loss to Japan (where he was used as a sub) and 0-0 draw with China (where he started in CMF and was subbed).

After last night’s extraordinary scenes in Belgrade, where the Serbia-Albania match was called off when a drone flew a pro-Albanian flag over the pitch, we look at sport’s other great incendiary political gestures, from Souness to Gazza. • Souness plants flag on enemy territory Graeme Souness was never one to back down from conflict and he certainly found it while managing Galatasaray in 1996. Facing fierce Istanbul rivals Fenerbahçe in the Turkish Cup final, Galatasaray, who had won the home leg 1-0 at home, secured the cup with a 1-1 draw in Fenerbahçe’s Sukru Saracoglu Stadium. Souness, perhaps emboldened by the victory, decided to celebrate by taking a gigantic Galatasaray flag and planting it in the middle of Fenerbahçe’s pitch. The incident sparked a predictably violent response from the home fans who rained objects down on the pitch, while medal presentations had to be temporarily halted after the Turkish President was hit by a bottle Press reaction was equally furious. Souness was condemned for his insulting gesture and considered responsible for the Fenerbahçe supporters’ riotous behaviour. Funnily enough, Souness didn’t have his contract renewed at the end of that season, having lost out on the Turkish title . . . to Fenerbahçe. Souness though was unrepentant. “One day I would’ve got round to planting a flag at Celtic Park if I’d stayed on as manager of Rangers,” he said later. • Gascoigne plays the pipes Paul Gascoigne could hardly be considered a political animal but he managed to stir up some serious controversy after he played a mock flute during an Old Firm match at Celtic Park while warming up as a second-half substitute. The gesture, which is symbolic of the flute-playing of Orange Order marchers, is considered a Loyalist symbol insulting to Catholics. Gascoigne first made the mime after scoring his first goal for Rangers in 1995 with the suggestion he had been egged on by team-mates and knew nothing of its significance. But this time the gesture infuriated Celtic fans who had been taunting him and Gascoigne was fined £20,000 by Rangers after the incident. He also received death threats and left Rangers at the end of that season. • Baghdatis sparks furore Marcos Baghdatis, the Cypriot tennis player, found himself at the centre of a storm at the at the 2008 Australian Open when a video posted on YouTube almost a year earlier showed him holding a flare chanting slogans such as “Turks out of Cyprus” at a barbecue hosted by his Greek Australian fan club. The local Turkish Cypriot community claimed it was a “racist attack” and a “straightforward provocation of our community”, and called for him to expelled from the tournament. However, he was allowed to play on with Baghdatis claiming he was not calling for Turkish Cypriots to leave Cyprus, but rather an end to Turkey’s military occupation since 1974. • Football goes to war Perhaps the only time that a sporting event has resulted in conflict, the “Football War” between El Salvador and Honduras was sparked by best-of-three World Cup qualifiers in 1969. Honduras, who won the first match 1-0, lost the second 3-0 in San Salvador after Honduran players endured a sleepless night before the game, with rotten eggs and dead rats allegedly thrown through the broken windows of their hotel. Honduran fans were also attacked at the game By the time of the third match, won 3-2 by El Salvador after extra-time on June 27, tension had ratcheted up so much that Honduras broke off diplomatic relations By July 14, El Salvador had invaded Honduras. When the conflict ended on July 20, between 1,000 and 2,000 people had been killed and 100,000 had lost their homes. It took 11 years to negotiate a peace treaty. Ironically El Salvador hardly shined in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico either. They lost all three of their group games without scoring. • Black power salutes In perhaps the most famous political protest made in a sporting arena, Tommie Smith and John Carlos both raised a black-gloved fist during their medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City in a silent demonstration against racial discrimination. The Afro-American pair had finished first and third in the 200 metres with Smith triumphing in a world-record time of 19.83 seconds. Smith and Carlos also wore human-rights badges on their jackets along with Peter Norman, the Australian silver medal-winner. “If I win I am American, not a black American,” Smith said later. “But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will understand what we did tonight.” The response from the IOC was swift, banning both American athletes from the Games and dubbing their actions as “an act of racial protest.” The pair were largely ostracised on their return to the US and Norman was also censured by Australian athletics for his involvement. But their brave action is now regarded as one of the most eloquent statements ever made in the fight for racial equality.

Wednesday 1 October 2014 IS ALLY McCOIST'S POSITION UNTENABLE? No, not yet, but we appear to be trundling progressively closer to that state of affairs. Six points behind in the SPFL Championship is a surprising position for him to be in after seven fixtures and the situation is worsened by the fact his side have already lost at home to both Hearts and Hibernian, generally regarded as their two main rivals for promotion. The question is: how far behind must they fall before something dramatic has to happen? Eight points? Nine points? What will tip things over the edge? Will it be defeat at Tynecastle on November 22, or the latest in a long line of losses in knockout competition when St Johnstone pay a visit to Ibrox in the League Cup? So far, McCoist's players have done just enough to keep him away from the noose. They scraped an ill-deserved win at Falkirk thanks to a late, deflected mis-hit from Lewis Macleod in their second league match of the campaign and beating Inverness Caledonian Thistle to maintain interest in the League Cup was a big result. The team showed promise when winning 4-0 at Raith Rovers, but that has been shown to be a one-off and belief that McCoist can turn them into a side capable of providing entertaining football every week is dwindling. Supporters are not yet calling in significant numbers for McCoist's resignation or removal, but performances are nowhere near the standards expected. A number of bookmakers have already installed Hearts as favourites for the Championship and that is only sensible on current form. McCoist did agree a pay-cut, understood to amount to 50%, on the £825,000-a-year wage he enjoyed until January 2014, but his earnings are going to continue to prompt questions when his team plays as it did in the process of losing 3-1 at home to Hibernian. Open revolt in the stands, if it happens, would force the issue. SHOULD HE CONSIDER WALKING AWAY IF THINGS DO NOT IMPROVE? Tough one. Would you walk away for less than to what you are entitled when you had witnessed a number of others from the boardroom - all accountable, in part, for almost £70m being squandered in two years - receive pay-offs? HOW MUCH OF THIS CAN BE BLAMED ON THE ONGOING UNCERTAINTY CREATED BY THOSE ABOVE HIM AT BOARDROOM LEVEL? None of it. The players state ad infinitum, after all, that they do not focus on financial concerns. McCoist knows the pressures at Ibrox. Whatever is going on in the background, asking Rangers to set the pace in the Championship with a budget that dwarves anything available to other clubs in the division is not unreasonable. The money being spent on Rangers' football department means they should beat everyone in the game other than Celtic. IS SPECULATION OVER McCOIST'S FUTURE NOT A KNEE-JERK REACTION AT AN EARLY STAGE IN THE SEASON? Not really. Rangers fans have, generally, been scathing over the standard of football they have watched for the last 2½ seasons. The team did win the Third Division and then SPFL League 1 by a street, but they regularly struggled to dispatch teams of part-timers. McCoist's record in cup competitions cannot be allowed to pass either. Rangers did not, whatever he may say, spend the money they did purely to win Scotland's bottom two divisions. If they did, they spent way over the odds. Losses to top-flight sides such as Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Dundee United were dressed up as understandable and acceptable; questions over Rangers having a Premiership wage bill were glossed over. Defeats in the Ramsdens Cup to Queen of the South and Raith Rovers, who humiliated them in the final at Easter Road, were shameful in the extreme. WHAT WILL HAPPEN, THEN, SHOULD RANGERS FAIL TO WIN AT LIVINGSTON ON SATURDAY? McCoist will have to answer questions on whether or not he believes his time is up. ARE THE GROWING QUESTIONS OVER HIS TACTICAL APPROACH FAIR? Yes. Too many games have resulted in an over-reliance on long balls and there is a distinct lack of variation about the play. His team selections continue to raise eyebrows as well with players continually being played out of position. The side has been letting in goals too easily, but Darren McGregor, a centre-half, continues to be fielded at right-back while Bilel Mohsni remains a starter. McGregor admitted in the match programme for the Hibernian game that he had only played on the right "a couple of times with St Mirren". Wouldn't Richard Foster be a better bet there with McGregor in the middle? Lewis Macleod is a central midfielder who was being used on the left before injury. Rather than use attacking players with pace in the wide midfield positions against Hibernian, McCoist used Steven Smith, a full-back, and Arnold Peralta, a central midfielder. So much emphasis seems to be placed on sending Lee Wallace powering down the left flank, but Rangers are not getting behind opposition defences often enough and that is contributing to Kris Boyd's clear problems. He is a natural predator, but has failed to score in the league and has only hit the net in two of 12 appearances. There have to be greater signs of an established style of playing at Rangers. Regular supporters also note the absence of a Plan B. BOYD SCORED 22 TIMES FOR A POOR KILMARNOCK TEAM IN THE PREMIERSHIP LAST SEASON. WHY HAVE THE GOALS DRIED UP? He missed a number of chances at Raith Rovers and Alloa and looks a shadow of his former self, but he is not receiving adequate service. Rangers have lacked invention, variation and creativity. Boyd admits that he has been forced to feed off scraps at times. WHY HAVE SO MANY ESTABLISHED TOP-FLIGHT PLAYERS STRUGGLED AT RANGERS? Great question. Dean Shiels, Ian Black and Nicky Law all arrived in great form. David Templeton had just scored for Hearts against Liverpool at Anfield in the Europa League qualifiers. Marius Zaliukas, signed this summer, is not even deemed worthy of a start in a defence leaking goals left, right and centre. All these players are going backwards. Are they simply incapable of handling life in the goldfish bowl or are their collective troubles a reflection of wider failings within the team as a whole? Probably a bit of both. WILL THINGS CHANGE WHEN KENNY MILLER IS FIT AGAIN? Will Kenny Miller be fully fit again? He is three months from his 35th birthday. His career has been built on relentless workrate and selfless running. That catches up with you eventually. We are a month into the season and he has already been laid up with hamstring and calf problems. A NUMBER OF OLDER PLAYERS HAVE BEEN BROUGHT IN AND REMAIN. SHOULDN'T RANGERS HAVE USED THEIR TIME IN THE LOWER LEAGUES TO CONSTRUCT A STRATEGY BASED ON YOUTH? Of course they should. Jon Daly, for example, admitted earlier this week that he can no longer train two days in a row because of knee trouble. McCoist is not entirely to blame for the way Rangers have frittered away their millions, but they missed a trick. Two years in the bottom divisions could have been used to build a young, fit squad that could grow together. If those in the existing youth set-up were not good enough, a more structured, long-term and cost-effective transfer policy could have been employed. Instead, Charles Green was struggling to sell season tickets following his takeover and permitted McCoist to lure established top-flight players to the club. He needed quick results and could be understood in having gone for a quick fix. In the meantime, Rangers' footballing department was allowed to continue without a recognised scouting network. Rangers' development squad, for the record, currently sits close to the bottom of the SPFL Development League with three points from four games. EVEN IF HEARTS DO WIN THE LEAGUE, WON'T RANGERS STILL ACHIEVE THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF GETTING BACK TO THE SPFL PREMIERSHIP THROUGH THE PLAY-OFFS? Let's just say that anyone who has watched Rangers' two meetings with Hibernian so far would be reluctant to place money on that. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/...=email%2Balert

ALLY McCOIST today revealed Rangers midfielder Arnold Peralta is currently stranded in Paris - trying to sort out a work visa. Peralta has failed to return to Glasgow since the end of last season and McCoist admits he has no idea when he is coming back. The Honduran internationalist is in France with his girlfriend attempting to secure the visa he needs for a work permit. The 25-year-old was tipped to leave Ibrox last season after newspaper comments attributed to him appeared in his homeland. He struggled to hold down a regular first team place in League One last season and was quoted as saying he would move on in the summer. The 30-times capped player was due to represent his country at the World Cup Finals in Brazil. However, Peralta suffered a thigh injury in Gers final League One match against Dunfermline. He missed friendlies against Turkey and Israel before being ruled out of his national squad for the tournament in South America. He has not turned up for pre-season training or the tours of either the Highlands or Canada and the United States. But McCoist has confirmed he is fully fit after shaking off his knock and expects him to rejoin his team-mates for the 2014/15 campaign. He is, though, just not sure when that will be. The Gers manager said: "The mystery that is Arnold Peralta is definitely coming back - but when he's coming back, sadly I can't give you a definite on. "He's been in Paris trying to sort a visa. That's where he is at the moment and we're waiting. "The good news is that he's fit - the health issues are long gone. It's just location issues. "We are in dialogue with him, we haven't left him. He just needs to get his visa sorted and that of his girlfriend's. He needs the visa for the work permit. It's not getting it that's the problem - it's the delay that's the issue." Meanwhile, McCoist has revealed that Cammy Bell, Lee McCulloch and Lee Wallace should both be fit for the Petrofac Training Cup game against Hibs at Ibrox tonight. The pair picked up knocks in the pre-season friendly match against Derby County at Pride Park on Saturday. Elsewhere, Seb Faure and Richard Foster, who missed the weekend fixture, could both be available for the first competitive game of this term after resuming training. McCoist said: "The boys came in on Sunday and were iced up, but everyone was training yesterday. "Wallace is okay, the skipper and Cammy too. We're all out training so that indicates we're in reasonable health. "Foster is okay as well and Faure has also trained. I'd be hopeful they have a chance." Tickets for the Hibs game are on general sale and are priced £21 for an adult, £15 for a concession and £5 for a junior. Fans can pay at the Copland Road Stand tonight. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/paris-visa-riddle-for-rangers-midfielder-peralta-174850n.24958801

Folks, I'm announcing this in the Rangers Chat section here so that we can get as many people playing as possible. If you'd like to take part in the GPL (Gersnet Prediction League) for the World Cup in Brazil this summer then I've just set up our mini league on a site called Predict the World Cup. To join this Gersnet Prediction League follow these simple instructions: 1. Go to http://www.predicttheworldcup.com 2. Register as a new player using your Gersnet username (so that we know who's who!), but choose a unique password (and take a note of it!) 3. Click the "Join league" button and then in the required box enter the code If you've done that correctly, then you've joined the league and should see your username there alongside myself and anyone else from here who joins! There will be a wee prize (TBA) for the winner, so get signed up before June 12 and take part! I'll list (and update) the league players here: Annan Bear BEARGER Bluebear54 blueflag compo craig globespanscott Gribz Juan Little General onevision PapaBear Pete Rangersitis rbr Ser Barristan Selmy shorerdbear steve1872 Super Cooper Tannochsidebear TheTinMan99 Thinker Time4_Change Zappa The competition [b]RULES[/b] are explained here - [color=#0000FF]http://www.predicttheworldcup.com/site/help[/color]

http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7109-large-squad-heads-north

Good to see so many players back, fit and ready to go. Big year ahead for Macleod, Temps and McKay in particular! Galley: http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/galleries/item/7080-gallery-fitness-testing Story:

Can anyone advise who sanctioned the signing of a player who can't make the subs bench of the Honduras national side? 'The Famous Glasgow Rangers' Oh how they laugh

I think England have the potential to get to the semi finals but can just see Hodgson being so negative and continuing playing out of form Rooney and players out of position therefore will go out in the group stages. England should let teams worry about them and play to their potential and strongest team with players who are in form. Giving Rooney an automatic start means he switches off, and I agree with Scholes that he has peaked already. He would be better coming off the bench at a high impact level. Welbeck is a bizarre one, I don't know what anyone see's in him. Sturridge is a must, and then let the other creative players go and play. For me Id go with 1 of these teams: _____________________Hart______________________ Johnson______Cahill______Jagielka______Baines ___________________Gerrard___________________ Sterling____Barkley______Ox-Cham____Lallana ___________________Sturridge__________________ Or start this against Italy: _____________________Hart______________________ Johnson______Cahill______Jagielka______Baines ______________Gerrard____Wilshire______________ Sterling_____________Barkley__________Lallana ___________________Sturridge__________________

Has been replaced in Honduras squad due to an ongoing thigh problem...

.......for their silence over FIFA World Cup scandal in Qatar. JIM Murphy MP has called on the SFA to stand up and be counted amid more damaging revelations over bribes. THE SFA came under mounting pressure yesterday to end their silence over the Qatar World Cup scandal. Labour MP Jim Murphy called on Scottish football’s controlling body to stand up and be counted amid further damaging revelations over bribes. A leading investigator who exposed FIFA corruption also called for the SFA to make their position on Qatar clear. But SFA chief executive Stewart Regan refused to say anything when approached by a Sunday Mail reporter on Friday at his home in Glasgow’s West End. Regan would only say: “I’m just on my way out. Thanks very much.” The decision to award the 2022 tournament to Qatar has been embroiled in controversy over labour conditions for migrant workers and corruption. This year, the Sunday Mail exposed the abysmal conditions faced by men building the stadia and *infrastructure. And new evidence linking disgraced Qatari football official Mohamed bin Hammam to bribes have plunged the 2022 event further into crisis. Yesterday, Murphy urged the SFA to break their silence over the slave conditions in Qatar before FIFA’s annual congress in Brazil this week. The shadow international development secretary travelled to Qatar with the Sunday Mail in April to probe the working conditions of migrants. He said: “FIFA is engulfed in scandal. The time for real and decisive action is now. So many people, including UEFA president Michel Platini, the English FA, the British representative on the FIFA board and other football associations around the world have spoken up. “The SFA must now break their silence and stand up for what’s right. “The allegations of corruption must be fully investigated and, if found to be true, Qatar must be stripped of the World Cup immediately. “But FIFA must also seize this opportunity to force real change in Qatar and finally bring the industrial-scale abuse of migrant workers to an end. FIFA has two choices – change or rot from within.” Scots writer Andrew Jennings, who uncovered evidence about vote-rigging and bribery in his book Foul: The Secret World of FIFA, urged the organisation to put their house in order. He claims too many decisions are based on keeping FIFA delegates happy, rather than for the good of the game. He said: “You only have to look at the line-up for the 2014 World Cup to see that there just aren’t 32 great teams in the world. “Who would want to cross the road to watch Honduras, other than those with a Honduran passport? “The more teams you have in the World Cup, the more jollies for the officials. “Your team’s no good but Sepp Blatter looks after you by making sure you get a nice holiday in Brazil. You’ve got all these old guys in their declining years that don’t speak out but get a huge amount of money, World Cup tickets and first-class flights. “That’s the kind of men that Sepp Blatter approves of. “To get rid of him we need politicians and outside agencies like the UN and the European Parliament to get involved.” Jennings has been investigating FIFA for a decade and has been barred from Blatter’s press conferences since 2003. He has also researched and presented a string of Panorama exposés on the organisation including The Beautiful Bung, which probed bribery claims in 2006, and FIFA’s Dirty Secrets, which exposed alleged corruption among executive committee members. Last week, allegations emerged that former FIFA official bin Hammam *controlled a £3million slush fund which was used to buy the support of key *officials for the Qatar World Cup bid. This has led to renewed calls for FIFA to restart the bidding process. Even without the corruption allegations, there have been huge question marks over playing the World Cup in the Gulf state where summer temperatures can reach up to 50C. FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke has admitted the Qatar World Cup will be switched to winter but Jennings says that would have a catastrophic financial effect on Scottish football. He added: “Poor old Qatar were trying to run a clean bid and the crooks of FIFA had their hands out. “Who wants to go to Qatar? The fans don’t want to go because you can’t get a beer. The players don’t want to go and the clubs don’t want to release them. “If you’ve just paid £10million for a fantastic pair of goal-scoring legs, you’re not going to risk them in the hot sands of Qatar. It’s time the Scottish FA and the other three home nations tell FIFA enough is enough.” Last week, documents were uncovered allegedly showing secret payments from Qatar’s top football official to influential figures. It was claimed the leaked papers revealed that disgraced bin Hammam had made *payments to football officials in return for votes for Qatar. UEFA president Platini, who initially supported the Qatar bid, now says the vote should be re-run and sanctions imposed if *corruption can be proved. FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce has also said he would be in favour of re-running the vote for the 2022 tournament if the *allegations are proven. Yesterday, the day after we approached Regan, the SFA issued a brief statement on Qatar. They said: “We echo the comments of Jim Boyce. If any evidence of wrongdoing around the 2022 Qatar World Cup bid is proved, we would support a re-run of the bid process.” But Murphy said: “It’s not good enough for the SFA to meekly whisper a one-sentence comment. “The SFA seem to be one of the *quietest football organisations on the planet when it comes to the dreadful plight of World Cup *workers.” Meanwhile, angry Brazilians have launched an anti-FIFA graffiti campaign to protest at the cost of staging the World Cup. Powerful images – many showing hungry children – have been springing up all over venue cities. And the protests have the backing of World Cup legend Romario. Now a firebrand left-wing politician, he is fiercely critical of the staging of the tournament. He said: “There are far more important things that need improving in Brazil – like schools and hospitals – rather than staging the World Cup.” Brazilian police used tear gas and rubber bullets to break up violent protests just days before the start of the tournament Trouble broke out in the city of Sao Paulo where the opening game of the tournament will be played on Thursday. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/scotlands-football-chiefs-savaged-silence-3661362

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/mobile/rangers/peralta-eyes-rangers-escape-162843n.24175472 Feel free to walk away any time Arnold, and wave any pay off if you're that keen to go.

Only a month away. Being it Brazil should in theory be the best World Cup but some stadia are not even ready. We are due a good World Cup as the last 2-3 haven't been great. Mexico 86 was the first WC I can remember and is probably the greatest of all time. Italia 90 was good as was France 98. I fancy Argentina to win it. Groups below and Ive put in bold who i think will qualify from groups. Group A Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon Group B Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia Group C Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan Group D Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy Group E Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras Group F Argentina, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Iran, Nigeria Group G Germany, Portugal, Ghana, United States Group H Belgium, Algeria, Russia, South Korea

Dunno how many 3rd tier teams are present at the World Cup, be we are! Arnold Peralta (at the clubs HP)

11 Feb 2014 09:32 PERALTA is part of the Hondurus squad looking forward to the World Cup finals this summer but the South Americans' build-up clashes with the date of this season's cup final. ARNOLD Peralta will face a club v country dilemma if Rangers reach the Scottish Cup Final. Ally McCoist’s men will earn a semi-final on home turf if they see off Albion Rovers in the last eight at Ibrox next month. But if they reach the showpiece at Parkhead on May 17 they will have to plead with Honduras to allow Peralta to join their World Cup build-up later. The Hondurans have just announced they will be preparing for the finals at a month-long training camp in Miami. That starts on May 12 so Peralta would miss the cup final if the Honduran FA aren’t flexible. McCoist will have to hope Peralta’s national boss Luis Fernando Suarez allows the midfielder to delay his departure by a week. Honduras face France, Switzerland and Ecuador in the World Cup and Peralta is a cert for their squad. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-star-arnold-peralta-facing-3133047

Forfar Athletic ‏@ForfarAthletic 18m Rangers v Forfar Athletic - 16.11.13 - Match Postponed Forfar Athletic are disappointed to announce that our... http://fb.me/14XKWq0cr Forfar Athletic are disappointed to announce that our visit to Ibrox to face Rangers on Saturday November 16th has been postponed. We had been advised yesterday that it was likely to go ahead and Rangers had forwarded tickets to us for sale. However following further international calls today for Rangers players the SPFL have advised us that the game will now be postponed and re-arranged for in all probability a midweek slot in December. Tuesday or Wednesday December 3rd/4th the most likely dates. It has to be emphasised that Forfar Athletic have no complaint with the Ibrox club on this issue, as they have attempted as best they could to feed us up to the minute information as it came to hand. Similarly Forfar Athletic have attempted to keep supporters fully informed over the past week as the scenario developed. ‘Loons’ officials realise that this news will come as a disappointment to supporters, some of whom were looking to make a weekend trip to Glasgow taking in the Friday night Scotland fixture as a bonus.

The last time I wrote a match preview I talked of the need to install a football philosophy. At that time i talked of playing like Barcelona, off playing a high defensive line and pressing the ball high up the park. I was therefore delighted when we played Stenhousemuir at Ibrox recently to see us playing a high line, indeed on several occasions Moshni could be seen urging the defense forward to the half way line. We reaped the rewards of this and ran out 8 - 0 winners with stenny never really making it out of their own half for long spells. So imagine my surprise when on Saturday i tuned into el classico to watch Barca playing classic Walter smith tactics. Everyone behind the ball, working hard to retrieve it then hitting on the break and very impressive they were. Off course Walter learned this from Italian football. Southampton are having a great start to the season playing a high pressing game and of course pep has Byern starting to play this way. I guess this just proves that the style of football it's self is perhaps less important than the team working hard, being organised and having talented players. so far this season we have been working harder and have added some talented players. Hopefully more of the same tomorrow night will see us through to our first ever Ramsdens cup final apparently at Easter Rd. I don't expect the team to vary much on what seems to be allys favored line up. :rf::jig: :ap::ib::lm: :jd: Perhaps only little/clark is debatable. Me personally i would like to see perlata at right back and temps come in at right mid to see how that goes as i think we lack some pace and width, plus foster is poor.

Scotland manager Gordon Strachan has called up four players ahead of their World Cup qualification double header. Craig Bryson, Chris Burke, Kevin Thomson and Lee Wallace have been added to the squad after West Brom's James Morrison and Graham Dorrans withdrew. Strachan's side host Belgium on Friday before a trip to Macedonia the following Tuesday. Morrison withdrew with a groin problem while Dorrans's injury has not been disclosed. West Brom midfielder Morrison, who scored in Scotland's 3-2 defeat by England, suffered a groin injury in Sunday's defeat by Swansea. "He felt a pain in his groin just before half-time, the last couple of minutes in the first half," said Albion boss Steve Clarke. "The medical people will assess it but I would imagine he is doubtful for the Scotland trip." Scotland currently sit in fifth place in qualifying Group A with five points from seven games.

Thursday, 05 September 2013 10:00 New Men Ready To Play Written by Andrew Dickson ALL bar one of Rangers’ news signings have now been registered to play for the club with the SFA after the club’s transfer embargo came to an end on Saturday night. Only Arnold Peralta has still to have his paperwork completed, although that is because the Light Blues are waiting on international clearance coming through. When that arrives will be dictated by the National Autonomous Federation of Football of Honduras, whom the midfielder was most recently registered with. The expectation is he will also become eligible in the next few days and certainly before next weekend’s home game with Arbroath at Ibrox. Nicky Law, Jon Daly, Nicky Clark and Cammy Bell have all been able to turn out as trialists to some extent in recent weeks. But because their registrations were last held by clubs outwith Scotland, Peralta, Stevie Smith, Richard Foster and Bilel Mohsni couldn’t feature competitively. The latter three all played for the first time in a month on Tuesday as a Rangers side lost 3-1 in a closed-doors game to Hibernian. That match was held for the new additions and some other players who have had injuries to get much-needed minutes behind them. Peralta missed the game as he is currently on international duty with Honduras ahead of their World Cup qualifiers with Mexico and Panama. As things stand, Ally McCoist should only be without injured trio Ross Perry, Kyle Hutton and Chris Hegarty. All three remain sidelined with ankle injuries and Perry went through a procedure this week in order to accelerate his recovery. Andy Little missed the 5-0 win over East Fife at the weekend with a knee problem but he should be fit enough to play after the international break is over. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/4981-new-men-ready-to-play

Friday, 30 August 2013 12:40 Queens Date Confirmed Written by Andrew Dickson RANGERS’ Ramsdens Cup quarter-final with Queen of the South will take place on Tuesday, September 17. The match has been moved from next weekend due to the Light Blues having a number of players called up for international duty in the first few days of next month. Arnold Peralta meets up with the Honduras squad on Sunday and Lewis Macleod will represent Scotland’s under-21s in Holland this coming Thursday. Fraser Aird is also one of four youngsters who have been involved in the first-team pool this season who are in the Scottish under-19 pool for a friendly with Iceland on Wednesday. The absence of all of these players in the build-up to the weekend has been a strong enough reason for the fixture with Queens to be moved by the SPFL. Delayed coverage of the match, which starts at Palmerston Park at 7.45pm, will be shown on BBC Alba. The Light Blues lost to the Doonhamers in the last eight of the competition last season and they’ll be keen to make amends for that in Dumfries. They’ll go there with a full squad available due to the fact the club’s transfer ban and registration embargo will be over. But moving the tie means Ally McCoist will now have all of his new signings in his squad for the first time in the home match with Arbroath on Saturday, September 14 at Ibrox. . This article is from the official Rangers site - http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/4936-queens-date-confirmed

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3231766/Ill-be-Walts-Oscar-winner.html Honduran guy on FM forum that I use suggests the guy is a fine player and that the interest is genuine. Can't so I know anything about him but hopefully we are interested in adding players to the squad.