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We asked the question last night about how much is being paid for the loan players from NUFC It turns out Rangers don't even know as Ashley hasn't decided yet. Must be the first club ever to sign five players without first agreeing how much they will cost. Discussion took place today and most likely outcome will be dependant on how many games they play. Wonder how they got that past the two Football Associations. Contacts claim the players were hawked around England first with no takers hence the reason we got them with half an hour to go in transfer window.
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Glasgow Rangers bidding to sign clutch of Newcastle United fringe players on deadline day Glasgow Rangers are hoping to tie up a multiple loan deal for a clutch of Newcastle United fringe players on deadline day. The Ibrox club are eager to bolster their squad in order to keep a tight grip on the Scottish Championship play-off spot they are currently occupying. With Hearts the runaway leaders, Rangers’ hopes of promotion will go up in smoke if they slip out of second place with Hibernian breathing down their neck. Now Rangers hope to sign some of United’s fringe players which could see the likes of Haris Vuckic, Gael Bigirimana and Kevin Mbabu going north of the border. Today is the last day that international loan deals can be completed and that includes moves to Scotland. I haven't a clue about these players, but I'm sure they'll be better than what we have at the moment. http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/glasgow-rangers-bidding-sign-clutch-8561228?
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http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=1961&newsCategoryID=3&newsID=14129
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Notices of Complaint: Rangers FC and Michael Ashley Monday, 15 December 2014 The Compliance Officer has issued the following Notices of Complaint: Alleged Party in Breach: Rangers FC Disciplinary Rule(s) allegedly breached: Disciplinary Rule 1: All members shall: (b) be subject to and comply with (i) the Articles (ii) this protocol. (f) behave towards the Scottish FA and other members with the utmost good faith. Disciplinary Rule 19: Except with the prior written consent of the Board: (a) no club or nominee of a club; and (b) no person, whether absolutely or as a trustee, either alone or in conjunction with one or more associates or solely through an associate or associates (even where such person has no formal interest), who: (i) is a member of a club; or (ii) is involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management or administration of a club, or (iii) has any power whatsoever to influence the management or administration or a club, may at the same time either directly or indirectly:- (a) be a member of another club; or (b) be involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management or administration of another club; or © have any power whatsoever to influence the management or administration of another club. Disciplinary Rule 77: A recognised football body, club, official, Team Official, other member of Team Staff, player, match official or other person under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA shall, at all times, act in the best interests of Association Football. Principal Hearing date: Tuesday, 27th January 2015 Alleged Party in Breach: Michael Ashley Disciplinary Rule(s) allegedly breached: Disciplinary Rule 19: Except with the prior written consent of the Board: (a) no club or nominee of a club; and (b) no person, whether absolutely or as a trustee, either alone or in conjunction with one or more associates or solely through an associate or associates (even where such person has no formal interest), who: (i) is a member of a club; or (ii) is involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management or administration of a club, or (iii) has any power whatsoever to influence the management or administration or a club, may at the same time either directly or indirectly:- (a) be a member of another club; or (b) be involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management or administration of another club; or © have any power whatsoever to influence the management or administration of another club. Disciplinary Rule 77: A recognised football body, club, official, Team Official, other member of Team Staff, player, match official or other person under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA shall, at all times, act in the best interests of Association Football. Principal Hearing date: Tuesday, 27th January 2015 http://scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2566&newsCategoryID=1&newsID=14110 -
Alloa were missing 9 senior players due to illness and injuries, some of their players were late in turning up due to work and traffic. Leading by two goals (despite how poorly we had played) with 25 minutes left and we go on to lose the game to a bunch of part timers. Add the fact that Macleod pulled out of the warm up but McCoist elected to play him just rubs salt into the wound (McCoist should be made to explain this decision).... all in all it all adds up to the most humiliating game in our history IMO. I'd love to wrap up the post by offering a soundbite that "at least it can't get any worse" but I'd be fibbing.
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Regarding Mike Ashley, the question of dual club ownership and the rumoured '10% rule', for anyone interested in reading the exact rules in the current 2014/15 SFA Handbook (Articles of Association/rules & regulations) just have a quick read of Article number 13. titled "Dual interests in clubs" which starts on page 90 of the Handbook PDF document. http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/resources/documents/SFAPublications/ScottishFAPublications2014-15/Handbook%202014-15..pdf
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RANGERS Football Club can this afternoon confirm the signing of Marius Zaliukas on a two-year deal. The Lithuanian defender joined Ally McCoist’s squad in Brora last week and during his second trial spell with the club he impressed both in training and in a 45-minute run-out against Brora Rangers at Dudgeon Park. Having successfully completed his medical he will now travel with the League One champions to North America tomorrow. Zaliukas came close to agreeing a deal with the Light Blues last September but after training at Murray Park he moved to Elland Road instead. Prior to that the 30-year-old centre half spent seven years in Edinburgh with the Jambos and captained the club Rangers will face on the opening day of the Championship season at Ibrox. In total he played 220 times for Hearts following his move from FBK Kaunas in his homeland and scored on 14 occasions. Manager Ally McCoist has already added one central defender to his pool this summer with ex-St Mirren stopper Darren McGregor putting pen-to-paper on a one-year contract on June 11. With Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd also returning to Ibrox last month, Zaliukas’ decision to join Rangers is another boost for the manager and the club as the preparations continue for a massive year in Scottish football’s second tier. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7183-zaliukas-joins-gers Hopefully an end to Jig at the back, thank goodness. Zaliukas will surely be the No. 1 choice CB with Faure but more likely Mohsni.
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If Ally first wins championship, then the SPFL at first attempt? I make it about a 98% chance Rangers will win the championship this season, then about a 33% chance they win SPFL season after. So just about 2/1 Ally will do the unthinkable! Kris Boyd really is a master signing. Maybe Commons is better (2 guys called Kris!) but that's it. I'm sure you'll think…yippee then eat large quantity of humble pie. You know, I'm better in my job than I was 2 years ago. Maybe the experience in the lower divisions will have done Ally the world of good.
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We know that season ticket sales are slow/low, and this is for a variety of reason. One of them being Dave King's "trust". Does anyone know what sort of numbers are involved with the trust now??? Is it a significant number, or has it turned out to be a bit of a damp squib???
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Thursday, 29 May 2014 14:00 Gers Confirm Pre Season Tours Written by Rangers Football Club http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6988-gers-confirm-pre-season-tours RANGERS have today confirmed they will prepare for the 2014/15 Championship campaign with a visit to Northern Scotland and a 12-day trip to America and Canada. Following a successful training camp last year, the League One Champions will again head to Brora on 1 July for a six-day trip which includes a friendly against Buckie Thistle at Victoria Park on Thursday 3 July (7.30pm kick off) and a game against Brora Rangers at Dudgeon Park on Sunday 6 July (3pm kick off). Ally McCoist's squad will then travel to America and Canada from 12 July, playing two games in each country. Rangers play Ventura County Fusion at Ventura College Sportsplex in California at 7pm on 15 July then Sacramento Republic FC at Bonney Field, Sacramento at 7.30pm on 19 July. The Light Blues then play two games in Canada – against Victoria Highlanders at the Centennial Stadium, British Columbia at 6pm on 21 July with another fixture on 23 July to be confirmed in due course. Kick off times for all fixtures are local times. Rangers visited the United States ahead of the 2002/03 campaign and the trip to New York prepared the team for a treble-winning season, while Walter Smith’s class of 2006/07 won an end of season friendly against LA Galaxy in California in May 2007. Ally McCoist commented: “I am delighted our pre-season plans are now in place and we can prepare for next season’s important campaign in the Championship. “We enjoyed a successful trip to Northern Scotland last year and we look forward to taking the squad there once again to play Buckie Thistle and Brora Rangers. “We then head across the Atlantic to play four games in America and Canada and I have no doubt our overseas supporters will enjoy seeing the team in action once again. “We have a wonderful global fanbase and I am sure the members of NARSA (North American Rangers Supporters Association) will turn out in huge numbers at all of our games. “The trip to America and Canada is also a fantastic opportunity to re-introduce Rangers to the North American fans and I am confident the tour will be a success on a number of levels.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6988-gers-confirm-pre-season-tours
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Quote from Ally on BiasedBC, "The last two defeats confirmed what we need to do and add to the squad" Ally McCoist, Rangers manager. For me it's more about removal than addition. We are now a laughing stock. Useless managerial team, useless board. Helpless/hapless/utterly toothless fans groups. We're sinking fast. Heaven help us please, because we seem utterly incapable of helping ourselves. -
I'm not wanting to start an 'Ally bashing' thread as such as right now I don't think there is any point. We could argue all day about decisions, tactics etc. After speaking to/texting all of my mates/family during/after the game yesterday it was clear than NONE of us wanted Ally to remain in charge. And a few of us were complete Ally defenders of late. Some may have been just a knee jerk reaction to the result I'm not sure. Which led me to this, is there anyone that actually wants Ally to stay? And if so why?
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Dave King’s war of words with the Rangers Board could cost Scottish football millions. Rangers former director Dave King has ramped up his increasingly volatile spat with the Ibrox directors yesterday by releasing a hard-hitting statement. The South Africa-based businessman last night publicly suggested Charles Green might be the “power behind the throne” at the Ibrox club. And in an emotive response to the current directors’ criticism of him, he claimed they were asking fans to show blind faith in their actions. Promising to fly to Scotland this week for action meetings with supporters’ representatives, he pointedly said Rangers fans are loyal — but not stupid. It has now emerged the uncertainty once again enveloping Rangers could scupper the SPFL’s plans for a lucrative TV contract to cover games in the Championship next season. That is the latest twist in an extraordinary few days of turbulence that have once again brought the very future of the Light Blues into question. Angered at the news Rangers were to take on a “soft” loan with a repayment when he himself would have offered it interest-free, King made his move. He advised fans to withhold their 2014-15 season ticket money, and instead put it in a Trust. However, while that move got the overwhelming support of the official supporters groups, it angered the Board, who accused him of effectively threatening to put the club out of business. Such a move would leave the club in danger of falling into insolvency, which would be as big a blow for the League as it would be for the club. Anticipation of a highly-attractive Championship in 2014-15 has brought interest from broadcasters. With Rangers and Hearts set to involved, and possibly Dunfermline and even Dundee, the SPFL have been inundated with inquiries from a wide variety of media companies. In particular, it is understood a number of broadcasters, including the BBC, have inquired about the possibility of a one-year deal to include both live action and highlights. The League, however, has been trying to sell the rights as a three-year package worth millions over the period. They feel that is the best way to broaden the game’s appeal Now, though, they are concerned the internal strife at Rangers, possibly now just two games away from being the Championship’s biggest asset, will have would-be bidders running scared. Uncertainty is traditionally a major problem for anyone looking to invest in the game. The SPFL know that only too well, having struggled to attract a title sponsor for the new set-up. That has drawn criticism for the Board and Chief Exec Neil Doncaster. Ironically, Rangers’ woes could actually end up making the product more attractive for potential viewers. Were Ally McCoist’s side to go into administration, under the new rules they would pick up an automatic 25-point penalty. A handicap that would negate any advantage they will hold over their Championship rivals next season. As things stand, the League One champions-elect are already warm favourites with the bookies to continue their journey straight through the lower leagues. That is not too surprising, given they are set to go through an entire season in the country’s third tier without losing a single game. The manager, though, is adamant the Championship will be far more competitive and has warned lots of improvement will be required. The combative tone of King’s latest statement would appear to make clear that King has no intention of ever joining forces with the current Board. Having had one unsuccessful meeting with Sandy Easdale, he appears now intent on trying to force the directors out. And in doing so, he has opted for a twin approach. The first is an upbeat message to fans, who would follow him talking of a “watershed moment” in the club’s history. The second is an attempt to call upon the men who currently run Rangers to justify their actions. Whether he succeeds only time will tell. But without question, this latest news signals an escalation of hostilities. Meanwhile, Rangers boss Ally McCoist admits to frustration that off-field events are jeopardising the recent progress made by his team. “I am slightly concerned that, once again, other issues may detract from what so far has been a very successful campaign,” he said. “We are hopeful in the next few games we can clinch the Championship. We have got the Ramsdens Cup Final ahead, also the Scottish Cup quarter-final, with an incredible incentive to win that and get a home tie in the semi-final. “So on the football side, there are, for the first time, positives. But I am not going to get carried away.” http://www.sundaypost.com/news-views/scotland/ex-rangers-director-king-could-kill-tv-deal-1.248023
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Billy Brown believes the time has come to allow Hearts to add to their meagre squad as injuries and suspensions mount at Tynecastle. With a transfer embargo still attached to the club while they battle to exit administration, Hearts were again unable to name a full quota of seven substitutes in Thursday’s Edinburgh derby defeat to Hibernian. Hearts have 14 fit players to choose from, with further places in the squad having to be handed to youths from the Under-17s. Brown questioned whether the sight of kids just out of school having to be called into the first team could damage the reputation of the game in Scotland and declared that “enough is enough”. He said that the sanctions on the club were punishing the wrong people, with former owner Vladimir Romanov now out of the picture. Brown said: “We’ve taken our punishment on the chin and as far as I’m concerned the punishment should end now. “We should be able to sign players now. Everybody speaks about sporting integrity and it is about time the ban was lifted. “It is not the people here that are at fault for what happened. The man who caused it has gone. “We have about 13 or 14 players to pick from and we can’t fill the bench. Jamie Hamill is suspended on Sunday and Scott Robinson will be suspended [later in the month]. “This isn’t a bluff. Within three or four injuries and suspensions we are having to put 15 and 16-year-olds in. “You tell me if that’s a benefit to Scottish football. “I think the time has now come. Enough is enough and we have to be given a bit of leeway.” http://m.stv.tv/sport/football/clubs/hearts/258929-billy-brown-enough-is-enough-hearts-transfer-ban-must-be-lifted/ -
MIke Ashley sell up and move his empire to Glasgow? Why not, says Chronicle columnist John Gibson Amid an avalanche of whacko football stories that tend to emerge during the lull in hostilites brought about by the international break, one caught my eye which would warm the cockles of a considerable number of Geordie hearts. Billed as an exclusive by the bright young internet site Winner Sports, it suggested that Mike Ashley is privately considering selling Newcastle United and moving his football empire to Glasgow Rangers. And, most important of all for Mr Cashley, it makes financial sense. The line of thought is that Ashley feels United are unable to compete with the big clubs already chasing the lucrative Champions League spots in the Premier League and wants to switch to a more level playing field. He supposedly believes it will cost at least £100m for Newcastle to compete with the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham and, what is more, there is no return of investment guarantee of course. The Sports Direct founder, already flirting heavily with Rangers, is said to be shifting his attention to the Scottish Premier League after it was handed a massive boost with their share of TV money from the recent BT Sport mega Champions League rights deal. Should Rangers win promotion this season and next as expected then they will return to the Scottish Premiership for the 2015-16 season. If Ashley was to purchase Rangers he would realistically be competing with only Celtic for that lucrative Champions League spot and, despite the lack of depth in the SPL, he would still enjoy the sort of big crowds that pour into St James’ Park. A significant reward for a not so hefty investment. Ashley’s official line is, as always, that he has “no intention, desire or ambition” to sell. Oh yeah? That must be because of his popularity on Tyneside! We’ve heard about Ashley getting out before, of course, and it has proved to be a false dawn, but this makes more financial sense. He has already bought into the club and recently tried to persuade Derek Llambias that going up to Glasgow, as he did to Newcastle, would be good for his health. However, Tonto gave the Lone Ranger short shrift. Nevertheless, there is evidence of interest and there’s no harm in many Geordies hoping is there? http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/john-gibson-mike-ashleys-rangers-6311192?
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I'd say we need to move on other players first but interesting news nonetheless... http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/4983-zaliukas-trains-with-gers
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Written by The Ref: The definition of sabotage is:- 1. The destruction of property or obstruction of normal operations, as by civilians or enemy agents in time of war. 2. Treacherous action to defeat or hinder a cause or an endeavour; deliberate subversion. The term "sabotage" derives from French factory workers throwing their wooden shoes ("sabots") into machinery to jam them and stop production. In a sense this was the very first use of industrial sabotage. The aim of industrial sabotage is to cause maximum disruption and/or damage by secretive means. Often industrial sabotage works hand in hand with industrial and economic espionage. Economic espionage is often orchestrated by governments and is international in scope, while industrial espionage is more often national and occurs between companies or corporations. The purpose of espionage is to gather knowledge about an organisation or organisations and it may describe activities such as theft of trade secrets, bribery, blackmail and technological surveillance. In any business, including football, information can make the difference between success and failure; if secret information is stolen, the competitive playing field can be levelled or even tipped in favour of a competitor. Although a lot of information-gathering is achieved legally through competitive intelligence; at times other parties feel the best way to get information is to take it. This commonly occurs in one of two ways. Either a disgruntled or dissatisfied employee appropriates information to advance their own interests or to damage the company or, secondly, a competitor or foreign government seeks information to advance its own technological or financial interest. ‘Moles’ or trusted insiders are generally considered the best sources for economic or industrial espionage. Individuals may leave one company to take up employment with another and take sensitive information with them. As a Rangers supporter, I read the above and draw great similarities to what we have witnessed over the last few years and continue to witness now. Have the normal operations of our club been disrupted? Yes, and they still are. As we endeavoured to rid ourselves of the debt we were carrying under David Murray, were we hindered? Yes. David Murray was being pressurised to sell the club by the Lloyds banking group, despite successfully managing to reduce the debt we were carrying. With the outcome of the ‘Big Tax Case, still in the balance, and with sensitive and confidential information surrounding the tax case being leaked illegally to the general public through the media and online blogs on an almost daily basis, it made it almost impossible for Murray to find a buyer. How convenient it was then, when a little known man by the name of Craig Whyte appeared on the scene to buy the club for the princely sum of £1. Quite who Craig Whyte is, where his loyalties lay, or the real reasons why he bought our club are still not known, but I for one would like to know what his real part was in the destruction of our club. Was he put in place to deliberately drag our club down? Was he a pawn in a much bigger game? Was he really just a charlatan and fly-by-night who saw an opportunity to fleece one of Britain’s great institutions? Will we ever know? When we survived with our history intact, I suspect many thought that we had reached the end game and could move on. It is obvious that we will not be allowed to move on. We are still being attacked; confidential information is still being stolen from our club and leaked to the public. Whether this is being done by a mole or electronically, I don’t know, but somehow that information is finding its way into the public domain and damaging our club in its efforts to stabilise, move on and recover from the events of the last few years, and it must be stopped. I am convinced that a major crime has been and is still being committed here, and the only way to get to the bottom of this is to have a full independent police investigation. The leaking of confidential information itself is a breach of the Official Secrets Act 1989 and warrants an investigation. I don’t want to appear paranoid, but something stinks in this whole saga, a saga which has brought Rangers fans into conflict with each other, simply due to the lack of honesty, truth and clarification surrounding this whole mess. The thought that a group or organisation may have deliberately tried to destroy the institution which is Rangers Football Club may seem like something from the film Mission Impossible, but could it actually be nearer the truth than some would like us to believe? http://www.vanguardbears.co.uk/article.php?i=97&a=industrial-sabotage
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Analysis: is Blue Knight Paul Murray fighting a losing battle? Hugh Macdonald Wednesday 21 August 201 THE shifting quicksands of the Rangers saga have consumed a variety of personalities. Charles Green, the bluff Yorkshireman from central casting, joined the ranks yet again of those who have been banished from the drama on the south side but a more significant character now has a leading role in what will happen at Ibrox. The name of Paul Murray was absent from a Rangers statement in the wake of the dismissal of Green as a consultant but it does not require the combined skills of Interpol to deduce that he forms a block to any immediate resolution to the boardroom problems. To summarise the plot so far, if somewhat crudely: there is a move from outside the boardroom to remove Brian Stockbridge, Craig Mather and Bryan Smart and replace them with Frank Blin and Murray. A club statement last night read: "This board has been working tirelessly to find an intelligent solution to the request for a general meeting and all of the directors are open to sensible and reasonable additions. For instance, the board are not against Frank Blin becoming a director but do have reservations about other proposals.'' When it comes to Murray, some on the board have more reservations than the Apaches. There was a feeling of relief that Green had gone, a belief among his opponents that a metaphorical stake had finally been placed through the heart of the significant shareholder, but there was also an anxiety about his almost diabolical powers of recovery. The most pressing difficulty for Rangers, however, centres on Murray. The opposition group could make a compromise by suggesting Blin, former executive chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers Scotland, is joined on the board by A.N Other. Jim McColl, part of the outside group, would not consider such a role but the more intriguing aspect is the willingness or otherwise of Murray to relinquish his attempt to join a board that needs stability. The indications last night were surprising concrete given the fluidity of events at Ibrox. First, it seems there exists a strong aversion to bringing in Murray from among existing board members. Second, there was no sign of Murray issuing any sort of statement saying he would fall on his sword to facilitate peace, at least for the present. The objections are believed to be both personal and on matters of business. The accountant was part of the board before Craig Whyte bought the club and is seen by some as part of the problem rather than part of the solution. One City source said: "Murray had his chance to influence matters when he was on the board and then had his chance with the Blue Knights. There is no mood among some on the board to bring him back into the fold.'' The private concerns are shrouded in claim and counter claim. The Rangers story has been extraordinarily messy with dirt thrown in all directions. Information has leaked steadily. Murray, rightly or wrongly, has been suspected as one of those who have used media outlets to his advantage. If true, he would stand in a crowded dock as the briefings have come from almost every source, every faction. However, the fog of war has cleared just a little over Ibrox. Green has been sacked, disposed of by an increasingly frustrated and determined Mather. There is now an opportunity for compromise and even, heaven forfend, resolution of the boardroom struggle. This could come in a variety of forms. Two options are most likely. The first is Murray stands down and the McColl group is allowed to bring in Blin and an unspecified ally. The second is that Murray, backed by McColl, stands his ground and maintains his attempt to come on to the board. This eventuality would be fast-tracked by the approval of a vote at the extraordinary general meeting. The crux of the matter is this: if the McColl group is sure of the support of a group of shareholders, it will feel it has no need to sacrifice the candidature of Murray. McColl and his cohorts will flex their muscle and the Blue Room will undergo yet another change of cast. Mather, it must be presumed, would not wait to be pushed and Stockbridge and Smart would face a limited future. There are a couple of possible twists, of course. This is a Rangers story, after all. The first is Murray could step aside temporarily, peace could break out and he could then be brought on board at a later stage. The second is that the present board finds enough support to win any vote. There is also the possibility of hearing the less than dulcet tones of Green joining the increasingly raucous debate. He may be gone but no one will be surprised at another scene-stealing interruption from the former chief executive. However, the narrative is now about Murray. Will he walk away or will he pursue his ambition to be on the board? History suggests it be latter option. The arithmetic will decide whether the erstwhile Blue Knight finally lands his prize. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/analysis-is-blue-knight-paul-murray-fighting-a-losing-battle.1377061992
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HEARTS star Craig Thomson has been arrested and charged over claims he preyed on a girl of 12. Thomson, 20, faces "historic" allegations of grooming behaviour on social networking sites. It's been claimed he tried to lure the youngster into meeting up with him more than two years ago. The girl, now aged 15 â?? who claims to have been targeted over a two year period â?? is understood to be from the Lothian area. Cops have now reported the footballer to the Crown Office. Last night a Lothian and Borders police spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that a 20-year-old man has been arrested and charged with an historic offence. "A report has been sent to the procurator fiscal." Thomson, from Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, has only recently returned to Scotland after a loan deal in Lithuania. Last night the player was not available for comment. And a spokesman for the Tynecastle side declined to comment. Thomson had been playing for Jambos owner Vladimir Romanov's other club Kaunas on loan. But with the Lithuanian team's season over Thomson returned to Scotland last month. He has not been training with the rest of the squad as uncertainty hangs over his future in the game. The right-back came through the youth system at Tynecastle and is contracted to Hearts until 2013. A Crown Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that the procurator fiscal at Edinburgh received a report concerning a man aged 20, in relation to an alleged incident on 11 April 2009. "The case remains under consideration." Hearts were rocked this week by supremo Romanov's plans to pull -out from the cash-strapped club. Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/3946043/Hearts-ace-preyed-on-girl-12.html#ixzz1e8cbUQ3C
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Lithuanian announces he is quitting football Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov has confirmed that the club has been put up for sale and that he is quitting football. The Lithuanian has told Russian state newsagency RIA Novosti that he is seeking buyers for Hearts, FBK Kaunas and Belarusian club Partizan Minsk. Russian-born Romanov is now keen to severe ties with Hearts - who he bought in 2005. "I want to leave football. I have given the order to find buyers for all my clubs," Romanov said. During his six years in charge Romanov has gone through eight managers during a up and down tenure since he took control. http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11790/7313172/Romanov-puts-Hearts-up-for-sale
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HEARTS pervert Craig Thomson sparked outrage last night as it emerged he could be back playing at the SPL club in weeks. Thomson, 20, was sent into exile by the Jambos in the summer after his sleazy online sex chats with underage girls disgusted fans. But insiders say he's now set to return to Tynecastle in a fortnight when his loan deal with Lithuanian side FBK Kaunas expires. A furious source told The Scottish Sun: "He's a devious predator and he's back for us to deal with again. "The loan deal was supposed to take him out of the spotlight â?? but it hasn't worked because people have long memories. "He is still a Hearts player so the odds are he will return to Scotland." And a source close to one of Thomson's traumatised young victims said: "If he is going to go back to playing football when he returns, it will be with Hearts. "Surely the club can't allow him back. He should be behind bars." Thomson, who is contracted to Hearts until 2013, has been playing for Jambos owner Vladimir Romanov's other club Kaunas since he was exposed as a slimy web predator. But Kaunas have just two games left in their season â?? with the final match on November 6. It will be up to Hearts bosses whether they keep him at Tynecastle, sell him or loan him out again. The deviant defender became an outcast after being convicted of online sex chats with two girls aged just 12 and 14. A court heard he pestered the youngest victim to strip off for a webcam. The disgraced star also told the older girl he wanted to have sex with her â?? and sent explicit pictures of himself. He was fined just £4,000 and put on the sex offenders' register at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in June. Last month the player sneaked back to his home in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, to visit family. When we confronted him the snivelling coward blamed our coverage of his sickening crimes for "ruining" his life. Thomson â?? who's made 51 appearances for Hearts â?? is also facing a new police probe after a girl of 15 came forward and claimed he bombarded her with sleazy messages when she was only 12. No one from Hearts was available for comment last night. Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/3892525/Pervert-back-at-Hearts.html#ixzz1bmjTqOHG
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Ok, first off I am going to be generous and forget Europe. Walter too had his Kaunas so there's precedence for us failing against teams on the continent we should beat. No, I mean domestically. If you look at the league, our record is 99% perfect. Our only dropped points were to Hearts on the opening day, and since then we've conceded only one genuine goal - Ally had a lot to live up to in the SPL, and I have to say, slowly but surely he's starting to earn my trust. The league cup was appalling, on the other hand, and with a strong team we lost to Falkirk youth. Everything was wrong that night. But the league is bread and butter - and I find myself slowly starting to believe in Ally now. It helps that a lot of players are having great seasons - Goian, Boca, Davis, Lafferty, Naismith - even Edu is starting to improve. And Wylde's come a long way. He's made a few decisions I find baffling - the Whittaker shambles remains his big gaffe. But so far, league wise, you really cannot complain. I just seriously hope we can scrape into the CL next season because 2 years without it would be a lot to stomach.
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By Tom English YOU don't have to be in Ally McCoist's company for very long to understand what his favourite word might be. When he gets earnest, which is pretty much most of the time in these early and troubled days of his reign, he has a way of speaking, a McCoistian sincerity, that is hard to miss. "To be honest with you..." "To be perfectly honest..." "I'm going to be honest here..." "The honest truth is..." Such a lot of honesty, so let's continue the theme. Rangers had every right to hope for the best in Malmo last Wednesday evening, but the sensible ones among their support, the ones, if you like, who knew their history, would have been totally prepared for the worst. In the analysis of their demise in Sweden there has been talk of McCoist's inexperience as a manager and, of course, the frenzied knee-jerk that paints the job as just being too big for him. There is a time to make that assessment but it sure as hell isn't after four games. In any event, what happened to Rangers on Wednesday has been the kind of thing that has been happening for some years now. Even the old maestro, Walter Smith, suffered the same fate repeatedly in recent times. Before Sweden, Rangers had won just one of their previous 20 games in European competition. The last time they secured the kind of away result that would have been deemed good enough in Sweden - a victory - was over three years ago. To illustrate how long ago it was, Christian Dailly played in the match, a 2-0 victory at Sporting Lisbon. So did Carlos Cuellar. And Jean-Claude Darcheville. There is a strange dynamic that takes hold in Scottish football sometimes. We decry the quality of the product here and bemoan the falling standards of the elite teams at the top. And yet a form of arrogance - in the media and among the support - takes hold at times when they enter Europe, an assumption that bad and all as the Scottish teams are, they're surely not that bad that they can't beat an "average lot" like Malmo, or "pub teams" like Kaunas and Artmedia Bratislava. McCoist wasn't the only one who fell at such hurdles. Far, far more experienced managers - Smith and Gordon Strachan - have been undone before him. Malmo was a missed opportunity, though. Rangers actually played reasonably well, better than they have done away from home in Europe for a little while. They lost because of indiscipline, not because they were outplayed or outclassed. They looked comfortable. There is a modicum of consolation in that for McCoist. Something to hold on to as he watched the Champions League millions floating away on the breeze. They were hampered, too, by a terrible false economy at work in the Rangers transfer strategy. Craig Whyte has money to spend, and he will spend it. Wesley Verhoek, the Den Haag winger, and Roland Juhasz , the Anderlecht defender, have been the subject of bids and may soon join Rangers. But Whyte should have had more players in the door by now, should have had more new talent in the starting line-up already. It's a failure of philosophy and this cringe-making 'low-bidding' process that they have been engaged in. Low-bidding has cost them dear. "I wouldn't say deep frustration," said McCoist when asked about the transfer strategy. "The problem with transfers is that in an ideal world you go in and get the job done and get out and everybody's happy. In the current climate that's very seldom the case. What's been a little unfortunate for us is that every deal has been scrutinised to the maximum. "I can understand totally the frustration and some of the criticism that's coming our way because players are not coming in as quickly as we all hope. You want to get the deal done and get out. It's the job of you guys (reporters] to find out (what's happening] and the next minute it's leaked and when it's leaked, prices go up, values go up, wages go up. I'm not complaining about it, but that's the way it is. If you're asking me if I'd rather go in, grab somebody, sit them down and say, 'Right let's do it right now, get the papers signed' then yeah, great." So why doesn't he? Who's been talking to these players? Whyte? Ali Russell? Gordon Smith? "I've been in constant dialogue with Kyle Bartley, for example," said McCoist. "Constant dialogue with Lee Wallace's agent. Maybe I need to use my phone more. Believe me if I get an opportunity to speak to any player I speak to them and that's the case." Is there a coded message in there? McCoist is a deal-closer whereas some of the others at the club are not? On Verhoek and Juhasz he comes across as a man who is expecting them to walk through the door at any minute. "The bids went in on Wednesday. I just want them done. We are very, very hopeful." If nothing else, the Malmo game offered up a test of McCoist's attitude when dealing with players who had clearly let him down. Namely, Steven Whittaker and Madjid Bougherra. The Algerian doesn't matter so much now that he has left the club, but Whittaker remains and he has had a rough week. Did McCoist give him a verbal blast or was his treatment more subtle? What exactly is the McCoist way of doing things in these situations? "I'll be really honest with you, I haven't spoken to them. A couple of reasons and the most important reason is, well, they know. They know. I'd be really disappointed if Steven did that again. Really disappointed, because he's an intelligent boy and looking at Steven at the end of the game I don't think I needed to say anything to him. Sometimes you judge a situation and the decision is made for you. "You know, the indiscipline has definitely cost us but the indiscipline, dare I say it, was more stupidity than malicious. It doesn't help because we're out of the tournament, but sometimes you can forgive a little stupidity as long as you don't make the same mistake twice. Everybody makes a mistake but the crime is making the same mistake twice. Steven is the only one who can help himself. Effectively, there's nothing that anybody can say or do. I'm disappointed. I don't want to sound flippant here but I'm not overly worried." Keeping your head when others are looking for it is a big part of managing the Old Firm. Keeping your head and freshening your team. He can do the first part. The second he would want to get on with pretty damn quickly. http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/sport/Tom-English-The-woes-of.6814359.jp
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IN APPORTIONING blame for Rangers' damaging exit from the Champions League, it is perhaps too easy to adopt a scattergun approach. From the pitch, to the technical area and all the way up to the directors' box, there would have been no shortage of targets for the ire of Rangers fans had they been at the Swedbank Stadium on Wednesday night. Uefa's one-match ban on their travelling support meant Rangers were spared an initial close-quarters inquisition for their implosive performance in drawing 1-1 against Malmo and slumping out of the elite club tournament 2-1 on aggregate in the third qualifying round. The debate will rage on as to whether Rangers would have avoided such a costly fate had new owner Craig Whyte achieved greater success in the transfer market or whether new manager Ally McCoist could have prepared his team more effectively for the tie against the unseeded and unremarkable Swedish title holders. But while Whyte and McCoist unquestionably still have it all to prove in their fledgling roles, it is harsh in the extreme to hold them accountable for the folly perpetrated by two others on Wednesday. No-one could begin to legislate for the inane actions of Steven Whittaker and Madjid Bougherra in getting themselves sent off and leaving their team-mates with just too much to do to turn the tie around. Irrespective of how many new players the Whyte regime has so far managed to recruit, it is clear that the existing group available to McCoist should have been more than capable of comfortably defeating Malmo. It was equally apparent on Wednesday that the damage done in the 1-0 first leg defeat at Ibrox was far from irreparable, leaving the ludicrous indiscipline of Whittaker and Bougherra all the more galling for McCoist. Remarkably, Bougherra left the stadium protesting his innocence, despite a forearm smash on Malmo substitute Dardan Rexhepi which saw the home player carried off on a stretcher and left Rangers reduced to nine men for the final 24 minutes. While Bougherra was in denial, however, Whittaker at least earned some credit yesterday by accepting responsibility for his petulant show of dissent in the 18th minute when he threw the ball at Malmo winger Jimmy Durmaz. "I'm gutted with what happened," said Whittaker. "I don't usually react to things like that, but for some reason I did this time. I just got caught up in the game, caught up in the moment. "We were all determined to get the right result. But I let everyone down. Their guy kicked me off the ball and I threw it at him, which I shouldn't have done. The referee obviously saw what happened and took the decision to send me off which was disappointing. "I felt he could have booked me and got on with it, but he clearly saw it differently and thought I deserved to go. To be fair, straight after I'd done it I knew I shouldn't have done it. "Right from that exact moment I was filled with regret, wishing I could turn the clock back ten seconds. But you can't do that, can you, so I just had to deal with it. The guy played it inside and went to challenge for the ball. When the boy came close to me I managed to brush him aside and we ended up in the ground. "As he fell, he kicked out at me, but I reacted in the wrong way - that's the bottom line. As I walked off I was pretty devastated and gutted for the boys. I was leaving them on the pitch with so much to do. "They did brilliantly to get the lead with ten men after that and I thought for a while they were going to win it. I watched the rest of the first half from the dressing room, got myself changed and saw the second half from the stand. But it just wasn't to be. It wasn't nice sitting there. "The other boys just told me to keep my head up after the game. There are plenty of other games this season and we'll try to put things right. "I'll bounce back from this, we all will, even though going out of the Champions League is far from ideal. We responded and won the league after we went out to Kaunas three years ago so hopefully we can do the same again." Rangers will pay a heavy price for the red mist which engulfed them on Wednesday. Whittaker and Bougherra incur automatic one-match suspensions and possibly further bans if Uefa deem their offences as serious misconduct. In Bougherra's case, that may prove irrelevant if he completes his proposed �£1.7?million transfer to Qatari side Lekhwiya. Sasa Papac will also miss the first leg of Rangers' Europa League play-off tie later this month as a result of being booked in both legs against Malmo. With captain David Weir and recent signing Dorin Goian both recovering from hamstring injuries, it leaves McCoist with major defensive problems for the tie. The Uefa signing deadline for the play-off tie is next Monday, although clubs can again add one 'wild card' by 11pm on the eve of the first leg which is scheduled for 18 August. Rangers could also be in line for a fine from Uefa for having more than five players booked in one match. They incurred six yellow cards from Russian referee Vladislav Bezborodov on Wednesday, in addition to the straight reds shown to Whittaker and Bougherra. For the moment, those two players are the men who must carry the can for the calamity visited upon Rangers in Malmo. But if the club's fortunes in the transfer market and on the pitch do not show a rapid upturn, then there will be scant mitigation available for Whyte and McCoist. http://sport.scotsman.com/theoldfirm/Steven-Whittaker-39filled-with-regret39.6813227.jp?articlepage=1
