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Hey folks! Here is the Gersnet match preview writing schedule for forthcoming games. As always, the match previews will be done by volunteers on a first come, first served basis, so shout out if you fancy writing a preview for a certain match and we'll put your name down for it !! _____________________________________________________________ Completed fixtures Aug 3 - Forfar v Rangers - League Cup Round one - Zappa (done) Aug 10 - Rangers v Brechin - League 1 - Frankie (done) Aug 17 - Stranraer v Rangers - League 1 - 26th of Foot (done) Aug 23 - Airdrieonians v Rangers - League 1 - amms (done) Aug 27 - Rangers v Berwick Rangers - Ramsdens Cup R2 - BrahimHemdani (done) Aug 31 - Rangers v East Fife - League 1 - Zappa (done) Sept 14 - Rangers v Arbroath - League 1 - 26th of foot (done) Sept 17 - Queen of the South v Rangers - Ramsdens Cup QF - stewarty (done) Sept 22 - Forfar Athletic v Rangers - League 1 - andy steel (done) Sept 28 - Rangers v Stenhousemuir - League 1 - Crawford01 (done) Oct 06 - Ayr United v Rangers - League 1 - amms (done) Oct 19 - Brechin City v Rangers - League 1 - Pete (done) Oct 26 - East Fife v Rangers - League 1 - 26th of foot (done) Oct 29 - Stenhousemuir v Rangers - Ramsdens Cup SF - the gunslinger (done) Nov 01 - Rangers v Airdrieonians - Scottish Cup R3 - Zappa (done) Nov 06 - Rangers v Dunfermline - League 1 - Frankie (done) Nov 09 - Rangers v Airdrieonians - League 1 - Juancornetto (done) Nov 25 - Arbroath v Rangers - League 1 - Pete (done) Nov 30 - Falkirk v Rangers - Scottish Cup R4 - Super_Ally (not done) Dec 03 - Rangers v Forfar Athletic - League 1 - amms (done) Dec 07 - Rangers v Ayr United - League 1 - Juancornetto (done) Dec 14 - Stenhousemuir v Rangers (postponed) - League 1 - andy steel (done) Dec 26 - Rangers v Stranraer - League 1 - Nobody (not done) Dec 30 - Dunfermline v Rangers - League 1 - calscot (done) Jan 02 - Airdrieonians v Rangers - League 1 - Pete (done) Jan 05 - Stenhousemuir v Rangers - League 1 - Nobody (done by Pete) Jan 11 - Rangers v East Fife - League 1 - 26th of foot (done) Jan 20 - Forfar Athletic v Rangers - League 1 - ranger_syntax (done) Jan 25 - Rangers v Arbroath - League 1 - Juancornetto (done) Feb 01 - Rangers v Brechin City - League 1 - Zappa (done) Feb 07 - Rangers v Dunfermline - Scottish Cup R5 - ian1964 (done) Feb 15 - Ayr United v Rangers - League 1 - Frankie (done) Feb 22 - Rangers v Stenhousemuir - League 1 - amms (done) Feb 25 - Stranraer v Rangers - League 1 - bluebear54 (done) Mar 01 - East Fife v Rangers - League 1 - Pete (done) Mar 09 - Rangers v Albion Rovers - Scottish Cup QF - Juancornetto (done) Mar 12 - Rangers v Airdrieonians - League 1 - Nobody (done by Andy Steel) Mar 15 - Rangers v Dunfermline - League 1 - 26th of foot (done) Mar 17 - Albion Rovers v Rangers - Scottish Cup QF replay - Juancornetto (done) Mar 23 - Brechin City v Rangers - League 1 - stewarty (done) Mar 29 - Arbroath v Rangers - League 1 - BrahimHemdani (done) Apr 06 - Rangers v Raith Rovers - Ramsdens Cup Final - the gunslinger (done) Apr 12 - Rangers v Dundee United - Scottish Cup SF - Juancornetto (done) _____________________________________________________________ Upcoming fixtures: Apr 15 - Rangers v Forfar Athletic - League 1 - Zappa Apr 19 - Stenhousemuir v Rangers - League 1 - ??? Apr 22 - Rangers v Ayr United - League 1 - pete Apr 26 - Rangers v Stranraer - League 1 - ??? May 03 - Dunfermline v Rangers - League 1 - ???

I watched a wonderful short film this week, on the effect the reintroduction of wolves has had on Yellowstone National Park in America. Wolves were wiped out in the area 70 years ago but several packs were brought back twenty years ago in the hope they would breed and reestablish them. A highly controversial move, the wolves were closely monitored and the effect they had on Yellowstone was studied during this period. As a large carnivore there was much apprehension about the wolves; would they decimate other species, clear large parts of the park of other mammals, indeed would they endanger man? The actual findings were mind blowing. The wolves mainly hunt deer and prior to the wolves return the deer had enjoyed decades with no natural predator except man. As such, they grazed where they wanted for as long as they wanted, they moved slowly through the landscape and their numbers grew and grew. The reemergence of the wolves changed this. The change wasn’t that large numbers of deer were killed (there aren’t that many wolves and there are tens of thousands of deer) it was that the return of the deer’s natural hunter led to a dramatic change in deer behaviour. Previously the deer grazed where they liked but now they were much more cautious and this was particularly noticeable near rivers. The grazing is good there, but it is open, and the deer were easily hunted. As the deer modified their behaviour and avoided grazing on the lower ground the vegetation changed, grass grew longer, bushes and trees reached maturity instead of being stripped back by hungry deer when small. This led to insects returning which in turn brought birds. The longer grass brought rabbits and the eagles who hunt them. Bears returned to eat the berries that now ripened on the bushes, beavers returned and used the mature trees to make dams. Most astonishingly of all the course of the river changed. Previously it meandered, it flooded regularly and the rain ran off the surrounding land quickly eroding the area. Now the increased vegetation soaked up much of the rainfall and its roots held the soil together. So the river ran deeper and faster, it no longer meanders it flows true. The wolves had indirectly been responsible for changing the course and flow of a river. What must be remembered is that wolves weren’t artificially introduced to the area; rather their absence in the first place was artificial. The ecology of Yellowstone evolved over thousands of years and at the top of the food chain was wolves. This large carnivore was meant to be there, nature had decided that a long time ago, the rest of the park actually depended on it. Its removal caused the damage, not its reintroduction. Every aspect of the park relied on the wolf directly or indirectly. Rangers play Stenhousemuir for the fourth time this season on Saturday. We’ve won our two previous league meetings and our meeting in the cup. Our last match at Ibrox saw us triumph by eight goals, our subsequent meetings have been much closer affairs. This match is being played against the backdrop of continued problems in Scottish football. The removal of Rangers from the top flight has upset the trophic cascade, the natural order of things evolved over more than 100 years is seriously out of kilter. Celtic have no serious rival as such and they are now meandering, their club is selling its best players, their manager speaks openly about being unsettled and their support, as well as showing apathy towards attending matches now fill their time by promoting songs about Irish murder gangs, making ill-thought-out political statements or indulging in good old fashioned hooliganism. The game’s governing bodies now no longer even hold the pretence of parity. They award cup finals and semi finals to grounds months in advance rather than wait to see who’ll contest them. Their decisions regarding cup matches and Inverness have bordered on the corrupt, the ticket allocation for the League Cup final being only the latest example. The side who finished second in the country last season, Motherwell, still managed to make a loss of nearly £200,000. The prize money they should have received was drastically cut half way through the season you see, no surprise there. This happened despite them cutting their player budget the previous close season. Still the league has no sponsor, in the top flight the champions and the side relegated was decided before a ball was kicked and the standard of play and player continues to drop. Without its largest animal the competition is reduced, the drive is lost and the revenue that follows it dries up. All of these things are interconnected, remove something from the natural order of things and it takes a long time to recover, if it ever does. Stenhousemuir go into this match with a new manager, former Scottish international and feted wunderkind Scott Booth. Although the current Scotland under 17 coach doesn’t take up his post for a few more weeks we can expect his new players to be eager to prove their worth to him. So motivation shouldn’t be an issue for stand-in coach Brown Ferguson’s side. Stenhousemuir are in a bad run of form with no victories this year, only their early season good results afford them the relative safety of sixth place. Rangers go into the match without Moshni who remains suspended. Cribari did well against Ayr and should retain his place although I expect McCulloch to return to the defence and Foster to drop out. Beyond that the side should pick itself, MacLeod should come into contention if fit again but I expect Bell, Law, Wallace, Black, Daly, Faure, Templeton and Aird to start. I don’t expect a repeat of the early season 8-0 but half that wouldn’t raise an eyebrow particularly if we score early. Stenhousemuir have both suffered and benefited from being in the same league as Rangers. Having the largest carnivore in the country close by drastically reduces the likelihood of promotion for every other club in our division, but it does offer them other tangible benefits. Our presence is artificial though, man made and it is upsetting the natural order of things. The trophic cascade refers to interconnectivity, how removing something from the top of the food chain has consequences all the way down that chain, how these changes can’t all be foreseen or managed and it is vital that chain isn’t allowed to be tampered with artificially. Recent meetings aimed at securing a voice for Rangers supporters in our boardroom should be welcomed, not only by all Rangers fans but also by all football fans. Whatever your feelings towards our club, we are all connected and interdependent, it’s in everyone’s interests that we’re back where we belong believe it or not. The only thing that should prevent that happening is our side not being good enough. Financial stability and accountability are vital, not just for our sake but for every club in the country. Nobody should fear the return of the wolf, its return should be welcomed by all.

From BBC website. Couple of statement in bold that gives his detractors more ammo. Rangers: Ally McCoist defends squad's four-star hotel stay Rangers manager Ally McCoist has defended the club's decision to book his squad into a four-star hotel before their win at Forfar. The players stayed at the Carnoustie Hotel before Monday's League One game at Station Park. "I can understand people questioning it," said the Rangers boss, whose club reported losses of £14.4m for the 13 months to July. "But it's my job to give our players the best opportunity to perform." “ It's my job as Rangers manager to give our players the best opportunity we can to perform ” Rangers manager Ally McCoist Chief executive Graham Wallace is aiming to reduce costs at the cash-strapped club and last week proposed a 15% wage cut for the playing staff, which they rejected. McCoist, who recently accepted a 50% cut to his £825,000 salary with the League One leaders, backed his players' decision to reject the wage cut. And he said the decision to stay at the hotel was simply a question of "preparing professionally". "We are still Rangers Football Club and have always attempted to be as professional as we can," he said. "That will never change as long as I'm manager. "To give the players the opportunity to play as well as they can you have to prepare as well as you can. We will continue to do that until I'm told otherwise."

I love God's own county, Lanarkshire. Born'n'bred, it's home but it has a flaw. The deepest, darkest county does not have a decent curry house. This necessitates an occasional 40 mile round trip to the west end of Glasgow. Attending University thirty-five plus years past, introduced me to the culinary triumph that is Gibson Street. A thoroughfare that was the perfect sub-continent sandwich. The oldest puryeyor of curry in the country, the Shish Mahal at the top end, the then best, the Koh-i-Noor at the bottom. Neither are still located in Gibson Street, the Shish resides in Park Road and the Koh-i' fell into the River Kelvin a couple of decades ago and moved to Charing Cross. At seven bells last evening, we alighted from the Park Road establisment, entered our vehicle and heard BBC Radio Scoland tell us the good news. Atletico were one up at ra Stade de Gadd. It was half time and the match analysis could wait as Rangers financial results could be discussed. BBC Scotland's Financial Correspondent, Douglas Fraser was brought on to provide a sypnopsis. Then, Richard Gordon turned to Chic Young, yep that Chic Young to interpret the results. I felt a reflux of my bangan pakora as Chico insisted Rangers supporters were anxiously confiding in him and demanding he act as our conduit. Fearlessly, Chico wanted answers(on our behalf) on the date of the club AGM, "it's always at this time of year". Here's me thinking it's usually early Autumn. Anyways, Chico was now unstopable, "I want answers(remember, on our behalf) from Craig Whyte". Such insight from Chico's location ie trackside at the Brendanbowl. Seamlessly, Chico moves on to more comfortable ground, "Celtic don't deserve to be behind". BBC Radio Scotland's other two employees at the ground take their cue, Murdo McLeod tells the listenership, "before the goal, I saw US controlling the game". Wullie McStay chips in with, "WE were providing a high platform". It all concluded with Richard Gordon summarising the half time positions in the group, "OUR group looks like, eh sorry, of course I mean Celtic's group". There you go, in the space of a couple of minutes it was "US", "WE", and "OUR". How far do I need to travel from God's own county to receive accurate and objective broadcasting?

In the wake of last evening's wonderful victory for the mighty Rangers, I tuned into BBC Radio Scotland to hear the post match analysis. Richard Gordon was in conversation with former Bears, Derek Ferguson and Craig Paterson; expressing a modicum surprise at the result achieved by Man U in the Mestella. Paterson stated no one knew how to achieve away results in the CL like Sir Awex, and there is consensual acceptance of this view. Richard Gordon then wonders aloud about a grouping of broadsheet journos that James Traynor had earlier mentioned? ie A grouping of journos boasting about the money they were about to take off a Bookie(s) on the proposed double of a Valencia victory/Rangers defeat. I take it, this was pre-mastch on the Ibrox media gantry? Anyone hear it? Both Derek and Craig giggled aloud at the thought of said grouping's hard earned pouring down an open drain. Any Gersnetters care to guess at those involved? I suspect Michael Grant, Glenn Gibbons, Hugh MacDonald, Phil Gordon, Tom English, Martin Hannan, ................. etc. Oh, and I hope mug punter, the man who openly boasts of five seperate accounts at each of the high street Bookmakers, Objective Host of ra Show, Jim Delahunt weighed in BIG TIME. Get it right up the fcuking lot of you. Ah mean, imagine NOT supporting the Scottish club?

After a bit of prompting from Miss Bluedell, I'm delighted to announce that our player 'smilies' for season 2010/11 are now ready. As always you simply put the initials of the player between the : : tags to insert your team. You can also use the tags to ensure your formatting is suitable. Single player example: :xx: Where xx are the initials of the player. Team example: :sw: :mb: :sp: :sn: :sd: :lm: :me: :kl: Have fun!

Today Rangers required just nine men to win a cup final. An unbelievable achievement; to secure victory whilst at a two man disadvantage. This current Rangers team are jam packed of that most inspiring of qualities; character. Walter Smithââ?¬â?¢s team epitomise this attribute with a never say die attitude. Our foes from the East End have attempted to tarnish our achievements this season as they see us marching to another league title to keep the League Cup company in the trophy room this summer. Tony Mowbrayââ?¬â?¢s side have not been good enough to keep up with our relentless accumulation of points and in their desperation have sought to stain our success with their accusations against the impartiality or quality of the officials in this country. All teams get decisions that do not go their way. It happens in all competitions, in all countries. But as Rangers demonstrated today, if youââ?¬â?¢re good enough you will still have the ability to overcome adversity and the occasional poor decisions. What our nine men achieved today was simply awesome. To defeat another side from the top division in the country with an incomplete complement of players on the field shows the winning mentality Smith has instilled in his squad. Never were the words of the fansââ?¬â?¢ chants more relevant; ââ?¬Å?We are Rangers, Super Rangersââ?¬Â. Thereââ?¬â?¢s is something super, something extraordinary about this Rangers squad. No other team in the country or perhaps even some earlier Rangers squads would manage to have secured victory under such circumstances. Both red cards could perhaps be described as harsh, but by the letter of the law both were also merited. The frustration comes with the lack of consistency from officials. Kevin Thomsonââ?¬â?¢s challenge was reckless, even foolhardy. But had the referee punished two earlier incidents in that passage of play for fouls on Rangers players; one on Thomson himself, the game would have unfolded differently and Thomson would not have gone seeking retribution as the referee temporarily lost charge of the match with his indecision. It does not excuse Thomsonââ?¬â?¢s subsequent behaviour but by the same token the refereeââ?¬â?¢s inaction should not be ignored. For me the Wilson red card is even harder to take. A slight tug of the arm outside the box. It was a free kick, maybe even a yellow card. But with Davie Weir also covering across it was perhaps not a clear goal-scoring opportunity. And to make matters worse, that issue of consistency of officials decisions again crops up. On numerous occasions this season we have won penalties or free kicks with players bearing down on goal only for the opposition player to be given a stay of execution with only a caution given or no card at all. To me, it was no surprise that the officials were not given a warm reception when collecting their medals. Down to just nine players then, with 20 minutes of the game to be played. As the commentators constantly reminded us, Rangers were playing for penalties. Not his Rangers side though. Not Walter Smithââ?¬â?¢s Rangers. We were playing for prizes. Playing for victory and playing for another trophy. Weir won the ball inside our own half and set substitute Steven Naismith on his way on the right hand side. The young forward looked up and picked out Kenny Miller with a pin point cross. The dynamic forward, who had been struggling all game with his finishing, guided a pinpoint header into the far corner with the keeper toiling to get across. All that was required now was to see out the final 6-minutes plus injury time. However, even in spite of their first half dominance, an off form Rangers and a numerical disadvantage, St Mirren did not seriously threaten our goal again. No team could realistically harbour dreams of winning a match against such odds. But Cup Final hero Kenny Miller stated after the match that he always kept believing. That the team still felt they could do it. And with Walter Smith in the dugout and the team of battlers we have out on the field, so did this bear. Winning in sport is a habit and it is a healthy one into which we have gotten into. Prior to the match, Smith said his favourite cup final victory was the 4-3 win over Hearts. League Cup triumph number 26 surely ranks up there with the best of them. Smithââ?¬â?¢s post match comments struck a chord with me: ââ?¬Å?As I said to the boys, it doesn't matter how many times you win trophies you can never win enough of them and that's where I'm fromââ?¬Â. It is a footballing philosophy that I can relate to and Iââ?¬â?¢m happy we still have Walter Smith leading us into each competition. In the post match analysis new Scotland manager Craig Levein uttered the words ââ?¬Å?arise Sir Walterââ?¬Â and surely that is another accolade that could come his way when he finally hangs up his club tie. Whilst the fans and players must enjoy the moment and soak up yet another trophy success on Wednesday it is up to Tannadice as we seek to progress to a Scottish Cup Semi Final with Raith Rovers. We also need to ensure we claim the 6 victories that will guarantee SPL success. The likelihood is that the league title will also rest at Ibrox again this season. If the players could secure the clubs eight treble they would firmly establish themselves in Rangers history books and confirm themselves as Super Rangers!

PRESS INFORMATION on behalf of RANGERS FOOTBALL CLUB RANGERS LAUNCH PIONEERING ONLINE TV STATION Rangers Football Club today (Friday, 30 October 2009) launched a pioneering internet TV station - RangersTV.tv ââ?¬â?? which goes live at 5pm! RangersTV.tv is the first dedicated online TV station created by a UK football club and will offer fans in the UK and overseas the most comprehensive range of programming produced by any club to date. The online TV station will feature up to nine separate channels and will offer supporters the ultimate digital cross-platform facility. UK supporters can access full games on-demand as well as a library of Rangers most recent matches Fans outside the UK can subscribe to our live match service and enjoy the Clubââ?¬â?¢s own pre match build-up, half time and post-match analysis ââ?¬â?? hosted by the stationââ?¬â?¢s new matchday presenter Emma Dodds First-team players will participate in studio interviews and analysis Access will be available to an extensive archive library of classic SPL, European and Old Firm action Rangers Review & Preview news magazine style programmes will be screened on Mondays and Fridays featuring exclusive match action and reaction from the players and management team Rangers home and away European fixtures will be broadcast in full from midnight In-depth feature-led programming will be produced on all aspects of the Club Fan forums and panel shows with Rangers stars of the past and present will be broadcast Supporters have been unable to watch Rangers TV since Setanta ceased broadcasting in the summer but Rangers can now offer fans a new, improved and unique internet TV station which can be enjoyed FREE for a two-week period now. A dedicated TV studio at Ibrox Stadium will provide on-site production, editing and encoding facilities to supply a bank of content for distribution on all media platforms and the service complements our existing online offering ââ?¬â?? Rangers World ââ?¬â?? which features short-form video interviews and news. Phase 1 of RangersTV.tv commenced at the start of the season with the high quality streaming of live domestic matches and on-demand services to overseas fans and there are now three packages available for supporters to enjoy. The packages available are: Per month Per year Rangers TV.tv Ã?£5.00 Ã?£49.00 Rangers TV.tv Plus Ã?£12.00 Ã?£96.00 Rangers TV.tv Unlimited ââ?¬â?? includes live and on demand games $28.50 $299.00 (overseas fans only) Rangers striker Kenny Miller, who joined RangersTV.tv presenter Emma Dodds at todayââ?¬â?¢s launch, commented: ââ?¬Å?This is a fantastic service for Rangers fans around the world. Supporters will be able to watch exclusive news magazine programmes, on demand and live matches and dip in to the Clubââ?¬â?¢s extensive archive of classic SPL, Old Firm and European action. The relaunch of http://www.rangers.co.uk has already been a huge success this season and I am sure fans will be keen to take advantage of our unique online TV station.ââ?¬Â Rangers Chief Executive Martin Bain commented: ââ?¬Å?We are delighted to launch our new internet TV station which we believe will be unique in world football. Most importantly, it will offer our fans a comprehensive and excellent service. ââ?¬Å?We are extremely excited about the opportunities that internet TV will bring and we have used feedback from the fans at every stage of the development process. The new online station has been developed cost-effectively and efficiently incorporating our existing digital media resources and we have already received positive feedback from the fans worldwide. The service will evolve throughout the current campaign and beyond and is another welcome addition to the Clubââ?¬â?¢s media platforms which include http://www.rangers.co.uk, Rangers News and Rangers Matchday Programme.ââ?¬Â Fans can sign up or find out more information on the range of packages by visiting http://www.rangerstv.tv.

Mar 21 2009 By Hugh Keevins RANGERS face an injury crisis as Walter Smith's personnel problems mount. Madjid Bougherra is definitely out of the crucial clash with Hearts at Ibrox today. Kirk Broadfoot is highly unlikely to play against the Edinburgh side and Smith is not confident the defender will be fit to face Holland in Amsterdam next weekend. That leaves Scotland boss George Burley with a major problem as Spurs' Allan Hutton fights to be fit for the vital World Cup qualifier. Smith is running out of players and will have to field Lee McCulloch and Christian Dailly as his central-defensive partnership against Hearts. Davie Weir is suspended after his red card against Inverness while Bougherra has failed to respond to treatment on his calf injury. And Rangers' forgotten man Andy Webster won't be facing his former club as his chronic injury problems go on. Losing a second league game in arow at Ibrox simply isn't an option for Rangers or Smith. The fans will demand victory today in the wake of the Co-operative Insurance Cup defeat by Celtic last weekend. But Smith last night defended his team against claims of a lack of character in the match with their oldest rivals at Hampden. He said: "If you win these games you're great. If you lose them then you're the worst team in the world. The whole team gets torn apart in the post-match analysis. "I have to tread the middle line and keep the players focused. "We have shown lots of character this season. But Hearts will be tough to break down. "Csaba Laszlo has assessed what he's got and shown no fear while making Hearts steadier." http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/2009/03/21/rangers-left-with-injury-crisis-in-defence-86908-21215492/

The State Of Play So much has happened recently and its worth taking a few minutes to take stock of the season so far, and look forward to what lies ahead for The Rangers of the coming days and weeks. After a gruelling schedule that has saw us win our first trophy in 3 seasons, we are entering an even more demanding period as the season hurtles towards a its climax. Reflecting on where we are, we are in a very decent position and would have settled for this at the start of the season. Currently, and through this demanding schedules, we have secured a spot in the UEFA Cup Semi-final (no mean feat), have booked our spot at Hampden for the season finale against Queen Of The South but it is the SPL that we all crave and whilst we sit in a more than decent position, we have to hammer home our advantage and secure the title. So far this season we have shown an unquestionable desire to succeed and an unquenchable spirit that has, to date, shown that this squad of players doesn’t know when it is beaten. At times, the football has been ‘top notch’, at others, it has been ‘rock-bottom’ but the bottom line is these players could establish themselves in the annals of our proudest of proud history. However, to ensure that this dream season doesn’t end as a nightmare, the players will not only have to continue to display this ‘unquestionable desire to succeed and unquenchable spirit’ but they will be required to dig even deeper. Recent results have been favourable, but it goes without saying that if we had avoided defeat at Torbett Towers, the SPL title would have been in touching distance. It is still in our own hands, and will still be, no matter what happens at Torbett Towers this weekend (no matter what The Traitor McGeady claims – I blame the schools myself) but again, avoiding defeat is a MUST. A victory would see us regain top spot with games in hand – that would be the ideal scenario. In Europe, we have surpassed all expectations, but like the SPL, we are tantalizingly close to winning the UEFA Cup. Let’s face it, we are only 2 games away from the final in Manchester and who would rule is out getting the necessary result on Thursday (and Sunday)? Personally, I would sacrifice the UEFA Cup for the SPL title - don’t get me wrong, I want all 4, but I demand the SPL title – we have done too much hard work to let it split now. We have also made a pretty penny in the CL / UEFA Cup and have amassed coefficient points like no other season. So in summary, whilst being handily placed to secure a historic ‘quadruple’ we still have a huge amount of work ahead and if I can borrow a quote from Helicopter Sunday season – keep believing Bears…. Tainted By Stench Of Cheating Having mentioned the amazing events of Helicopter Sunday, can anyone remember in the title run in, we played Hearts at Tynecastle one midweek and won the game with a ‘disputed’ penalty. Andy Davis gave this decision (that was later proved correct by TV evidence) and his life was thrown into turmoil as his personal details were posted on an internet site and he and his family were treated to a period of intimidation. If that wasn’t bad enough, he was hounded by the impartial and unbiased Scottish Media. In fact, one pundit claimed that the SPL title race had been ‘tainted by the stench of cheating’. So riled with Davis’ decision, the pundit was moved to make this astonishing outburst on national radio in the post-match analysis. I wonder what the same pundits view on Ian Brines controversial decision to chalk of a perfectly legitimate Aberdeen goal at Parkhead on Saturday? Well, the so called pundit claims that it was nothing more than a ‘human error’. Pity he wasn’t so lenient with his words 3 years ago. Wonder if any Rangers sites will carry Brines personal details and I wonder if we’ll attack his kids at school and abuse him and his family in the street – yeah, I know we all know the answer to that question. Dignity – something your average Tim knows nothing about. Our Part In Helping Making History So what can your average ‘joe-punter’ do to help The Rangers make history? Well, we can get off certain players backs for a start. We can also stop taking winning for granted. Sitting at Hampden on Sunday, I couldn’t believe I was watching The Rangers in a Scottish Cup semi-final. I agree that the game was far from riveting, but that was no excuse for the fans to sit back and expect The Rangers to steamroller over St Johnstone (it was just over 12 short months ago that St Johnstone steamrollered Rangers at Ibrox). To say Sunday was ‘low key’ is an understatement. As I said above, the game was dire, the performance was dire, but surely the team deserves nothing less than our continued vocal support, no matter the competition or opposition? Looking back, the support at the recent Sporting game at Ibrox was ‘low-key’ given our recent high standards in Europe. So troops, if we want The Rangers to have a historic season, lets HELP not hinder them in their quest. Lets get behind them from start to finish in all our remaining games – no matter the performance, not matter the result, they need us, we can do no less than give them OUR best. Cammy F – Support The Dublin Loyal - We Are The People….

Celtc And The Art Of Losing Us Rangers fans are no strangers to the petulant and sometimes, bam right frightening way a Celtc player, manager (and most scarily) fans mind works after a defeat and especially an Old Firm defeat. No one can forget Chris Muttons scandalous comments after we defeated DAFC 6-1 to secure our glorious 50th League Title. For a fellow professional to come out on live TV and claim that his fellow professionals had cheated not only Celtc, but the rest of the league, DAFC fans etc left most people with a bitter taste in their mouths. To us Rangers fans who have witnessed such gracious comments in defeat, we just laughed and commented that it was the ‘Celtc Way’. In my lifetime of watching Rangers, I don’t think I have ever, in the aftermath of a title celebration, or an OF victory, picked up a post-match paper and read that Rangers won fair and square and that the game was ‘controversy free’. Today, after such a drubbing, the TWATS are keen to portray a well deserved victory, but you have the undercurrent and undertones that the referee was somehow ‘corrupt’. McCurry booked 9 Celtc players (didn’t send any off) and from my perspective, he got MOST (not all) of those bookings correct. In fact, you could criticise McCurry for not red-carding McDonald for his petulant kick at Alan McGregor and Scott Brown dished out some meaty challenges whilst on a yellow card. I came away from the game thinking that the worst decisions from the officials actually benefited Celtc – we had a very decent shout for 2 penalties that weren’t given and Lee McCulloch’s goal in the final minute WASN’T offside. Yet, listen to post match analysis and all the talk is of Celtc amassing 9 bookings. Now, we can not move on without a word regarding the Holy Goalie. Borat has previous, and not only in OF games. He has gestured to fans at Easter Road, Tynecastle and The Pits (to name a few), and yesterday seemed more interested in stirring up some passion from the gather MOPES than shaking hands with fellow professionals. Even his manager mentioned this in post-match interviews, but GS should take a look in the mirror before slating Borat. During his interview, GS refused to refer to Rangers, by name, once. It was ‘them’ and ‘they’. Compare and contrast this to Barry Ferguson and Walter Smiths post-match interviews. But hey, we are used to this, it’s the ‘Celtc Way’. The game itself developed into a very one-way encounter. We didn’t start the game that well but managed to impose ourselves and won ALL the personal battles. This allowed us to build momentum and establish our game plan. Barry Ferguson once again showed that on his game, he is one of the best midfield players in Britain. He has shown in 4 huge games this season (Stuttgart, Ukraine, Lyon and now the OF game) that he is everything that Scott Brown isn’t (as yet). His maturity shines through and he is a great leader on the pitch – he simply lifts those around him onto his level. We could had should have won by a more emphatic margin but we can be delighted in the 3-0 victory, or third OF victory on the bounce. This should be a platform for us and up next is the small matter of a visit from some team called Barcelona…. Big Jock Knew No matter your feelings on this chant, expression, topic, there is no doubt that Jock Stein was aware of child abuse at Celtc Park and did little / nothing to stop the abuse of children under the care of Celtc Football Club. There has been a subsequent court case concerning the perpetrators and during this case, evidence was given that Jock Stein and the Celtc board ignored warnings and refused to hand over these paedophiles to the Police. They were more interested in the clubs image. Now, at the game yesterday Police were confiscating scarves with the legend ‘Big Jock Knew’ on them. They weren’t giving any reason for this, they were just telling fans to bin the scarves or run the risk of not getting into the game, having their season tickets removed or facing a night in the cells. Surely you cannot be refused access to a football ground for carrying a scarf that is states a factually correct statement that has been proven in a court of law? Well, in Scotland you can. A Rangers fan in the Govan Stand was told to remove his top that had BJK on it. When he refused, he was arrested and was told that his details were being sent to Rangers and to expect a ban from Ibrox. The Police were asking Rangers fans entering the stadium to show them their scarves and Police were examining them. One fan with a ‘We Are The People’ scarf was told that this was offensive and sectarian and the Police confiscated the scarf. I wonder if the travelling supports scarves were under the same scrutiny? I doubt it as I saw a few with ‘FCUK Rangers’, God Bless The Pope (so much for keeping religion and football apart) and Bobby Sands scarves (there is a joke there, but we’ll not go there just now). MOPES Next Campaign I hear that the MOPES are going to lobby UEFA in an attempt to remove the five stars from our badge. According to Timmy (the oracle of world football) you can only display stars on your badge once you have won a European trophy, so we, like them should have only one star. Unknown to Timmy, issuing a star for 10 league titles started in the early 50's when Juventus won their 10th league title and added a star to their badge. This honour was then used in other countries like Germany and Turkey and once we won our 50th title, in started in Scotland. Little do Timmy know is that Rangers actually received permission and 'blessing' (sic) from UEFA to use the five stars as recognition of our world record of 51 titles. Nice try MOPES. Talking of MOPES, anyone hear the idiot on the phone-in last night? Complained that Rangers fans sang sectarian songs yesterday and that he was offended. The panel asked him what sectarian songs were sung. He then stated that he didn't know the titles of said songs. So then panel then asked him what the offending lyrics / lines were. He then said this, and I quote 'Look, I don't know what the songs are called and I don't know the lyrics to them but I do know that they offend me'....... Cammy F – We Are The People….

Not to piss on Gribz parade, i'm sure he'll produce his usual pre-match analysis (good reads), but what team and formation does everyone fancy for St Mirren. 4-4-2 for me. 4-5-1 worked well for an away game in Europe but back to Ibrox and an SPL game we should be winning comfortably, no need for two holding midfielders against a team who will sit in and defend. GK - No reason to drop Alan McGregor, comfortably retaining his No. 1 status atm. LB - Papac was some fans' motm midweek, second best player on the park for me. Unfortunately no challenge for his place from Smith atm. CB's - Weir and Cuellar, no justification needed. RB - Broadfoot was an able deputy midweek. A solid performance. However not a natural RB and did not provide the attacking threat Hutton does, so Hutton for me. LM - Beasley should be given a chance again I think. Scored midweek despite an indifferent performance. With his pace and a few games under his belt he should have the confidence to beat his man which will prove useful in unlocking a packed defence. CM - Fergie is performing quite well atm. Motm versus Caley and a decent outing midweek if less spectacular. Needs to dictate paly more in this one and I think St Mirren will allow him to do so. CM - Thomson will sit deeper and do the dirty work to allow Fergie to get forward and hurt the opposition. Will also provide some creativity and attacking threat of his own that Hemdani will not. The only other option would be Brahim but with him off form Thomson gets the nod. RM - Novo earned the right to start last week after coming off the bench to great effect against Caley. Unfortunately he had to come off the bench midweek again, but it was whilst he was on we killed the tie off with the goal. I don't beleive Whittaker is match fit and don't see any other competition for the position with McCulloch taking one of the forward roles. Forward - McCulloch has been one of our best summer signings. His work rate and physical presence will prove a useful foil for his partner and also a decent outlet for the defence and midfield. Forward - Boyd if he is fit. Exactly the kind of game where he can bag a goal or two and get his season off and running. The Gers biggest goal threat should start every league game. The above would be my team for this weekend. However with Thomson fit, WS likes his middle 3 and may go with the 4-5-1/4-3-3. I hope not. I am also unsure as to Boyd's fitness, however with JCD almost certainly out we wont have many other options. Cousin signed today but I don't think he can go straight into the starting line up with only a few potential training sessions with his new team mates. Edit: Cousin signed as I typed this up.

Scored what everyone thought was a brilliant header. It wasn't until the post match analysis that someone noticed it was scored with his hand. When asked about it he did admit the truth though, that it was his hand. Another talking point about him was that the usually quiet Mols stood for about a minute and a half shouting aggressivly at one of his own team mates telling him what he thought about him. Totally out of character or is he also becoming a grumpy old man.