amms 0 Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Victory in Stirling has always been vital. Itâ??s one of those towns thatâ??s more important than its size suggests. Against the odds in 1297 a William Wallace inspired Scottish army won the battle of Stirling Bridge, some 17 years later Robert The Bruce did likewise close by in Bannockburn. As history has demonstrated it's a town where being favourite is no guarantee of success. Back in October we visited Forthbank for the first time on league duty and discovered for ourselves the perils of over confidence and not knowing your surroundings. We looked uncomfortable from the start and our 1-0 defeat was a result that felt like it had been coming for weeks. Itâ??s apt that in a town as historically important as Stirling we recorded arguably our worst ever defeat. When we look back on the club in years to come Stirling will be seen as our footballing nadir. Since that day we havenâ??t lost in the league, dropping only 4 points whilst Stirling Albion have won only 5 games and sit second bottom of the league with only goal difference separating them from last place, weâ??re clear favourites, and so we should be. However statistics tell only half the story, Albion have had six matches postponed through weather since we last met and are currently on a 5 match unbeaten run, a run that contains three home wins. They are in-form just now and will relish the opportunity to do the double over us at home. Team wise Rangers defence continues to give concern. Cribari missed Saturday with illness and his replacement, Perry, only lasted 50 minutes before being replaced by Faure. I donâ??t expect weâ??ll know until near kick-off just who is fit to play in the centre of defence. Frankly, even fit, none of them inspire much confidence. Hegarty will likely start with maybe Wallace or Faure deputising in central defence, a position neither is comfortable in. Hutton and Black should hold midfield with Templeton alongside. MacKay disappointed against Berwick and might find his place on the bench on Tuesday. That might see in-form striker Little, switched to wide right with Sandaza returning to partner Shiels up front. I think whatever the starting line-up the team will have a patched-up feel to it with a few square pegs forced in. Despite the obvious disparity between our two clubs we have much we can learn from our hosts. They are owned and run by their fans, their supporterâ??s trust playing the lead role. Indeed it is a sad indictment on Scottish football that the two sides controlled by their supporters, Albion and Clyde, find themselves occupying the bottom two spots in the league. There is no need for Stirling Albion fans to display provocative banners at their home games, their supporters voice is heard at the boardroom table. Speaking of supporters being heard ours can expect a particularly bright spotlight shone on them after Saturdayâ??s medley of 1970s favourites. It should never be forgotten that for thousands of Rangers supporters the need to sing about the Pope, his congregation or Irish republicans baffles us. The persistence some have with this obsession embarrasses the club and most of its supporters, hopefully the penny will drop on this sometime soon. Stirling Albion were born from the ashes of Kings Park FC, the original Stirling side, and in truth they havenâ??t achieved a great deal since their formation in the 1940s. Yet history tells us if you want to conquer Scotland you need to win in Stirling, defeat to Albion for a second time is unlikely to affect the outcome of the league, but it could prove fatal for the careers of some of our players and indeed management team. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott7 6,002 Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 The worst ever Rangers defeat was inflicted by Chesterfield! Chesterfield! We've also had whacks from Arbroath and if I remember rightly Stenhousemuir. So the Bino banging was bad but not the worst. But I see what you're getting at. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Rangers tickets Posted on February 24th, 2013 at 17:47 A limited number of remaining home stand tickets for Tuesday’s game against Rangers will be on sale at the club office from 10am on Monday, priced £13 for adults, £10 for seniors and £7 for U17s. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
amms 0 Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 The worst ever Rangers defeat was inflicted by Chesterfield! Chesterfield! We've also had whacks from Arbroath and if I remember rightly Stenhousemuir. So the Bino banging was bad but not the worst. But I see what you're getting at. Oh there are a few results from our past that are contenders. For me Division 4 of England is of a higher standard than Div 3 of Scotland but it's very subjective. From my less than scientific analysis Stirling Albion were the lowest placed club to beat us in a competitive match in living memory, they only had 3 points after 6 games when we played them. Edit - Though I accept we ourselves are at a far lower level than when we played any of those previous sides. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuznetsov 0 Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 our last visit there was the worst and most humiliating result in our history bar none. it was shameful. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovanAllan 0 Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 This games on RTV imagine all the money we will make with Timmy tuning in to see if we sing any bad words. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumshie RFC 0 Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Really don't want to see Andy Little stuck back out on the right. He's a striker in form and should be played through the middle with three pacy players behind him. If McCoist is going to drop McKay I wouldn't mind seeing Robbie Crawford getting a chance. The lad seems a cracking prospect and definitely knows where the goal is. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuznetsov 0 Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Really don't want to see Andy Little stuck back out on the right. He's a striker in form and should be played through the middle with three pacy players behind him. If McCoist is going to drop McKay I wouldn't mind seeing Robbie Crawford getting a chance. The lad seems a cracking prospect and definitely knows where the goal is. but he cant play right midfield. he was lost out there last time out. he is a central player, and a decent one too. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumshie RFC 0 Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 but he cant play right midfield. he was lost out there last time out. he is a central player, and a decent one too. Play him in the middle then. He can't do any worse than some of Shiels' performances this season. The lad deserves his chance. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
foggy dewhurst 0 Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 a no score drawfor me 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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