Celtic Hides Against Hearts - April 30/2006As expected Hearts beat Celtic today and we all knew that they would not try very hard today as they are still bitter about when Rangers have won the league by beating other teams when they have slipped up like in 2003 and last year as well. So now we have Hibs to face at Easter Road on Wednesday while Hearts face Aberdeen at Tynecastle on the same night. If Aberdeen win or draw then it gives us a chance but I fear now that it is all over and a UEFA cup spot is all we will get. Mind you a few months ago thats all we could get and the team should be applauded for clawing back a huge deficit, but even still it still sucks today that we look set to lose out on a Champions League spot if Hearts beat Aberdeen on Wednesday, mind you we have to beat Hibs at Easter Road which will not be easy even though Hibs have been on a slump for the past month and even beyond that. They of course lost 4-0 to Aberdeen yesterday so I guess maybe there is some hope for us mind you this is the pessemist in me speaking here. They have a few key players out, mind you so do we and we have more strength in depth than Hibs do, but the match is being played at Easter Road and if starts to go awry then I really do fear the worst as Easter Road is not always an easy venue to go to but on the other hand our worst results against Hibs this season have been at Ibrox so ho knows we'll see on Wednesday.
Onto the transfer speculation then and todays player is El Hadji Diouf. I know that Le Guen gave this player his debut and is one of many players he nurtured but he is one player I would not touch with a barge pole due to his off field antics and his all round disruptive behaviour which his current boss, Sam Allardyce has spoken out against recently. Added to this he has not scored many goals in fact his return of 4 goals in 27 games with another 6 appearances from the bench does not convince me that he is a player worth siging for football reasons. Hoever maybe coming back under Le Guens guidance might be the thing to get his career back on track and after the 2002 world cup he was saying how he would become one of the top ten strikers in the world in the wake of his subsequent move to Liverpool. That prediction became as laughable as Joe Paquales claim to be a top comedian and if he was to come I would expect him to be a success otherwise the sometimes unforgiving Ibrox crowd will let him know in no uncertain terms how they feel about him. This story incidentally is in the News of the Screws so this story will no doubt be garbage, a bit like the paper and its sister paper.
Ok thats yer lot folks.
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#100 for Calgaryloyal! - April 29/2006This is the 100th blog today and thankfully to mark the occasion it was a good win today for the Gers and what a way to make a top team comeback for big Marv. To go a goal behind and then come back from it and go on to get the 3 points is a sign of character and while I didn't see the game it still has to be said that this team does have some reslience about it, its just a shame that there hasn't been more of it shown this season.
I don't know how well Hutton played or why he was subbed but if it was due to another sub standard performance then that is not a good thing as there has been too many of those lately. In any case his replacement did the biz for us and maybe reminded us all of how useful he can be. If the man upstairs had anything do with his goals then we should do all we can to keep him, the more divine intervention the better I say!
As for Boyd, well I was always confident he would score today so thumbs up to him for that.
So as I didn't see the game I'm not sure what to talk about now so before I leave things, the latest player to be linked with a move to Rangers had better be good, the latest name is Libor Sionko of Austria Vienna reports say he is quite a good player but I just hope that Le Guens arrival is not going to signal the arrival of a load of mercenaries. However he has said that he is keen to make an impact like Lubo Moravcik made at Celtic Park so if he comes lets hope he is as good as if not better than Lubo, who was a bloody good player.
Have a good Saturday night folks.
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Killie Time - April 28/2006Tomorrows game against Killie is not going to be an easy one and while I am confident that this weekends top 6 SPL results will be to Rangers favour I can't help but feel a bit cautious and worried about how things will go particularly at Tynecastle. Celtic now have no motivation to go out of their way to win matches until the end of the season and will certain players try their best? I hate to sound paranoid but I would not be surprised to see a below par performance from Celtic, not that I will be watching their game of course.
So onto Rangers then and this is a great chance to put 3 points on the board and keep the pressure on Hearts. There are no injury worries apart from the obvious ones and it will no doubt be the same team that did fairly well last Sunday. I would like to see the youngsters getting a run out at some point too. 10 seconds is all Moses Ashikodi got against Celtic which was ridiculous and if things are going well then they should be given a run out so they get some exposure to first team football and it will be good for the fans too as well as giving PLG some food for thought. Danny N'Guessan is another who should play before the end of the season and so should Derek Carcary.
This is the team that will no doubt be playing tomorrow.
-------------------------------------Wattereus-------------------------------------------------
Hutton------------------J Rod----------------------Soti-----------------------------Smith
--------------------------------------Hemdani----------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------Rae--------------------------------------------------
Burke------------------------------Buffel------------------------------------Prso
-------------------------------------Boyd----------------------------------------------
Subs:Klos, Murray, Malcolm, A Rae, N'Guessan, Ashikodi, Novo
The same level of performance as last week with better finishing and creativity and Rangers will be fine. I can see Boyd getting a couple of goals and this could be one performance that could blow Killie away. So if you're going to the game enjoy, I will be watching it live over here so heres hoping.
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Setanta - April 27/2006Setanta today signed a new deal to broadcast live SPL games in a 4 year deal worth 54 mil. This is a great boost for the SPL and will mean more money for clubs and will hopefully keep the wolves away from certain doors. This season although bad for Rangers domestically at least has been good for Scottish football as a whole as more and more people are taking an interest again and hopefully deals like this will be commonplace in the future and will lead to a resurgence in Scottish football. The presentation on Setanta is good and they put other broadcasters with a bigger name and profile to shame, there were teething problems when they first started broadcasting Scottish games but now they have it sorted out its a good well put together program. So heres to a new era for the SPL lets hope that the momentum carries on.
A big thumbs up is due to Burkey and Boydy for their Kirin cup call ups, its a good opportunity for both players to get into the team for the Euro 2008 qualifiers and we could do a lot worse than have trhose guys in the squad and hopefully they will do themselves justice. I have every confidence that they will.
Arthur Numan has said he hopes that Le guen doesn't fill the squad with French players and must find a balance between French players and Scottish players. As he says when things are going well its all hunky dory but when it goes wrong it brings out the rumours of a clique culture in the dressing room as there wsas when things started to go wrong under Advocaat. Although he said these were unsubstantiated rumours at the time and were false it doesn't stop the papers speculating and writing crap about what is going on behind the scenes. Weall know what papers will do that stuff whether true or not.
So there we go the til tomorrow
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Fergie Op - April 25/2006So Barry Ferguson has finally had his operation on his ankle so he will now be out for 12-15 weeks and may miss the start of next season and that will include a possible Champions League qualifier. Its high time he had the operation and no its over and done with its a case of waiting for his return. The primary objective he will face is getting back into the team after Le Guens arrival and subsequent shopping spree. Le Guen although he will be aware of his ability will no doubt have everyone starting with a clean slate and I am sure that reputations will count for not a lot. Hopefully though he will come back sooner and be sable to play his usual pivotal part at the start of the season because we will need guys like Ferguson on the park to instill the Rangers spirit on the pitch.
On that I'll leave it there as I have a very busy morning,
til tomorrow
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Part Two - April 24/2006Part two:
Well that was better wasn't it? Ok Rangers didn't win but at least the team played well as a unit and there were some good performances too especially in the midfield engine room here Hemdani really shoed his class and Gavin Rae was back to doing what he does best and thats making tackles running with the ball and creating opportunities. The defence as well was superb and a big thumbs up goes to J Rod for his performance yesterday. He was cool, composed, didn't shirk a tackle and kept Hartson and Zurawski quiet for much of the game and as for the mullet well what can you say? The big man was immense and some of the saves he made were incerdible especially the one from Maloneys free kick. It truly was a world class save and if any teams were watching him they will be thinking that he will be a good signing for them whatever team he goes to next season.
Stevie Smith once again underlined his credentials at left back and he will have done his chances under PLG no harm whatsoever for next season and beyond. Left back is one position we can be happy with at the moment and is not where we need to bring an expensive import. Further down the left touchline, Dado Prso workrate and ability shone and while he was closely marked by Paul Telfer he certainly gave him a torrid time and the chance that he set up for Burke really should have been put away.
Speaking of Burke he was another who had a good game but was quilty of dithering on numerous occasions when he could have whipped in an early ball he and Hutton were both guilty of this when they combined on the right and the dithering that went on was unnecessary and who knos if they had got an early ball into the box who knows what could have happened.
As for Buffel and Boyd , well Buffel was snuffed out by Lennon and Keane and didn't have many opportunities to do something and as he does all too often, hid and its time he stopped that and started being a player who relishes the challenges that he is up against. Boyd should have done better but then he didn't get a lot of service and when he did get chances they just didn't fall for him nicely enough. Perhaps he needs to work on his adaptability as I'm sure he could have improvised and done something out of the ordinary.
Finally, the atmosphere was somewhat muted and perhaps now the fans, on both sides are beginning to see the folly in bigoted chanting, while yesterday there were some songs sung that might be deemed sectarian the add on lines were cut out so its a small step but there is still a long way to go to eradicate this cancer.
So 0-0 isn't the worst result and if I had been asked on Friday if I would take a Hibs win and a 0-0 I would have said yes to that so the chase is still on, it just looks like the final game is going to be the one that decides our and Hearts' fate.
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Part One - April 23/2006Part one:
So todays the day then and with 8 hours until kick off its a question now of who is going to be in the team and how McLeish should set his stall out. I think he should start with an up at em approach keeping the long hopeful punts up the park to a minimum. By going for the jugular from the word go that should hopefully unsettle Celtic and put them on the back foot. If a one or to goal lead can be attained early then Rangers should just sit back and hit them on the break using Burkes pace, Prso's skill and brawn and Boyds poaching instincts. However if I think thats all we have to do then I would be mistaken. Petrov will be well up for this one as he wants to put himself in the shop window whether Celtic want him to leave or not. I would give the job of shackling him to Bob Malcolm as the two centre backs will have a lot to contend to as it is with Hartson and Zurawski. Burke as well has a lot to do with not only looking to net down the line and being a creative influence but will also have Maloney out there to keep an eye on. If he can get the service into Boyd then I am sure he can put some of the chances away but we have to be more inventive to create chances. In previous old firm games Rangers have had precious few shots let alone shots on goal and that must improve and Boyd will endear himself to the fans even more if he sticks a goal or two away as long we keep them out at the other end. Soti must keep his cool and cut out the stupid stuff . As he is out of contract in the summer he is another who will no doubt be looking for a new employer this summer and a good performance will help his chances of getting a decent club. J Rod I have faith in him he will do asterling job for us and so will Stevie Smith. Alan Hutton must show the strength of character to bounce back from last weeks nightmare performance, If he comes through this game and has had a good game he will prove that he has the character required to be a Rangers player and will enhance his reputation. Wattereus has been in good form too lately lets hope it continues.
Enjoy the game and part two of todays blog will appear later.
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Old Frim - April 22/2006Todays result at Easter Road has really put the cat among the pigeons now and under the new caretaker manager Tynecastle their top players such as Webster and Skacel are being left out of the side and losing at the home of their biggest rivals, one has to wonder whether they will hold their nerve or bottle it and the last game of the season is looking increasingly important. The atmosphere amongst the Hearts squad must surely be strange and with more than just a couple of disgruntled players and it is up to Rangers to do what we can to catch them, starting tomorrow. There is no use on the team relying on other results as all the other teams have something to play for and will be out to claim a UEFA cup place for themselves and will have no interest whatsoever in helping Rangers achieve second place. So in short Hibs have done some of the work for us this time, but we must do the job not just tomorrow at the Girodome but for all the upcoming games.
The SFA Chief Executive has said in an interview with The Herald that UEFA should not make any hasty decisions in terms of punishments for "Discriminatory chanting". What he is saying is that they will not take measures just to be seen to be doing something about it and that any knee jerk reaction may actually exacerbate the situation instead of resolving it. He also says that the problem is more than just Rangers faulkt and that it is part of a wider problem in society as a whole, and he is dead right about that as in Scotland there are many rivalries between Cities, regions, suburbs etc and while a friendly rivalry is great there is no need for the hatred and mistrust that there is whether its Rangers and Celtic, Glasgow and Edinburgh or Aberdeen and erm, everywhere else. The problem is not just with Rangers but if Rangers have to take measures then surely the government should as well.
Back to football now and McLeish is banking on Kris Boyd to break his duck against Celtic.
"We bought Kris Boyd in January and we've had a great return," he said.
"Hopefully we can add to Boydy's tally. He has come here and hit the ground running. What more can you ask from him?
"He has scored plenty of goals even though we know how long it takes sometimes for players to settle into a club like Rangers."
"We've lost Dado Prso, Nacho Novo and Thomas Buffel at times for long periods but we've not really had as many goals spread across the team as we normally would have, certainly in our championship-winning years.
"Boydy has scored plenty since he came from Kilmarnock and it would be nice to think we could get a bit of inspiration from guys like Dado and Thomas and even Chris Burke."
I have full faith that Boyd will do the business tomorrow he has done very well since joining Rangers and with any luck he will get the right sort of service that will hopefully mean he gets a goal or two. One worry is that we will have 4 players out 3 of whom are senior players but this is a chance for others to step up and show what they can do. I would make big Dado the captain should Fergie not make it nor would I play Fergie if he is less than 80% fit as there is too much at stake for him and the club. When he was handed the captains armband when Ferguson went off during the win at Dundee Utd you could see how much it meant to Prso and he is the ideal choice to be captain due to his work ethic, commitment and all round play added to the fact that he loves the club and is happy at Ibrox.
On that note I'll leave it there so enjoy the game its a 5.30am kick off here and I have work at 8 so its going to be a long day tomorrow lets hope a Rangers win makes it bearable.
WATP
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Old Frim - April 21/2006And its the end of the week thank god and the anticipation is mounting for Sundays game. There is still no word on whether Fergie will play but Lovenkrands, Namouchi and Ricksen are all out for defenite. I've been thinking how Rangers should approach this game and what system to use and I think that Rangers should go for the frustrating tactics that worked so well against Porto and while its not something I would normally advocate it is a necessity for Rangers to be defensive for at least two thirds of the game. However in saying that the plans can go right out of the window during an old firm games which is one of the things that make it the worlds most intense derby match.
So without further ado here is the line up I would go with.
Wattereus
Hutton Soti J Rod Andrews Smith
Hemdani
Burke Prso
G Rae
Boyd
Subs-Klos, Murray, Malcolm, A Rae, Novo, Buffel, N'Guessan
A controversial choice in defence I know having 5 at the back but one option would be to put Buffel on at some point for one of the centre backs to provide more of a link between midfield and attack than Gavin Rae can offer it also means that he will have more of an opportunity to make the kind of box to box runs that are one of his hallmarks.
The defence being so packed willo surely frustrate Celtic and with the news that Petrov wants away it may just be playing on their players minds and who knows maybe we can sneak a result there. Its about bloody time we did.
So more on the game tomorrow, have a good Friday night.
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No Fergie? - April 20/2006Barry Ferguson looks like he is going to miss the big game this weekend due to injury and I would think that his season is now over. Thankfully we have adequate replacements and I am referring to Gavin Rae who will be raring to go and make a positive contribution after his injury hell.
Chris Burke has joined the "UEFA cup is not so bad after all" brigade and I hope that this is not what the players are going to settle for. They should do the talking on the pitch and keep fighting for 2nd. 3rd place is not good enough with the squad and resources that Rangers have we should have won the league but then I am happy with the progress we made in Europe and am prepared to have a not so good domestic season as long as we have a sustained European run whether its in the CL or UEFA cup.
Finally, Calgary is in with a great shout for the North American Rangers Supporters Association convention in 2008. The Calgary tourist board are going to help and do a presentation on why it should be held here so heres hoping.
til tomorrow.
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What If? - April 19/2006Its the old "What if?" question that springs to mind as Arsenal prepare to take on Rangers conquerers Villareal tonight. As we all know they were lucky to get past Rangers let alone Inter and if only it was us still in there plugging away. But it ain't.
Speaking of Europe Thomas Buffel has said that it would not be all bad news if we didn't make it into the Champions League next season. He is right to an extent as we can take inspiration from the two Bucharest clubs that have done so well as well as the likes of Middlesbrough who have reached the latter stages, but come on who would he rather be playing potentially? Someone like Gornik Zabarze or the Ac Milan's and Man Utd's. His words are sounding like he is raising the white flag of surrender and what we want to hear him saying is " We will fight till the last, nothing less than Champions League qualification will do and the squad will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal."
McLeish and Stevie Smith have come and said they are determined that Rangers will win the final Old firm of the season and indeed McLeish's reign and Gordon Strachan has paid Rangers the compliment of saying that he will field his strongest side. It is going to be a tough one but McLeish should have a surprise up his sleeve as he has on old firm games previously.
Lets hope he has.
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UEFA APPEAL - April 18/2006UEFA today have received an appeal on their decision last week to exonerate their charges against Rangers last week. Gerhard Kapl, who compiled the evidence for the governing body, has challenged last week's ruling and the appeal is expected to be heard before the end of the season. I think that a lot of fans got carried away last week, particularly among our less savoury "Supporters" whose idea of cheering on a team is to shout sectarian slogans and now we are back to square one on this issue, wondering what is going to happen to us. One thing, however, is that UEFA are not big on appeals and it may get thrown out but at the same time I ould not be surprised if UEFA did overturn their ruling and give us a stiffer punishment than $20000 for one fan smashing a window. Incidentally have UEFA decided what to do with Villareal after their ticket fiasco and the fact that all fans were shepherded down a narrow street before and after our game there? I have yet to hear anything about this and would love to know how they are being punished, if at all.
And more on the chanting front and there are reports that Rangers are going to be cited by the SPL for sectarian chanting on Saturday. Apart from the Sash and The cry was no surrender neither of which, I have been reliably informed, have lyrics that call for the slaughter of Catholics or have bigoted lyrics. I watched the game live and actually commented at half time to a couple of guys at the RSC here that I hadn't heard any offensive chanting. In fact what I did find offensive was Aberdeen fans singing about Neil Simpsons "tackle" or more accurately assault on Ian Durrant and from what I heard their usual Ibrox disaster ditty was sung too.
And finally young Brian McLean is looking to make his move to Motherwell permanent and good luck to him its a shame it didn't work out but at least he will be working under a fine manager in Terry Butcher.
T'ra then.
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A Slow Day - April 17/2006And its Monday and not much happening on Planet Rangers nor in Planet Calgaryloyal and as its Easter Monday I am taking aday off from doing this. Back in style tomorrow.
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Happy Easter - April 16/2006And a happy Easter to y'all my Easter message to you is going to be different from my usual daily words of wisdom on a Sunday as I may actually talk sense for once. And in the absence of any news worth talking about I am going to discuss McLeish's legacy to Rangers.
Financial:
With the lack of signings he made involving transfer fees he has saved the club an absolute fortune and with this seasons CL revenue it surely means a few more mil for PLG on top of the JJB deal and the season ticket revenue. Ok I realise that it wasn't a case of McLeish going up to Murray and Bain saying " Don't give me money, its all cool I want to bring in the likes of Ostenstad." But if he had been more firm with the club he may have had to leave earlier and leaving us in a situation with no manager and maybe if that had happened we may have been left with a worse manager and we wouldn't have the resources to bring in PLG.
Personnel:
Some good youngsters have emerged at Ibrox since he took over but while I feel that some of the guys that are gone now, whether on loan or permanent should have been given more of a chance and I am referring to the likes of Fetai, McLean, Adam and McCormack here. Arsene Wenger recently said about playing youngsters that it is best to play them sooner than later as you may lose them later. In that he means they may not have their confidence and that can be detrimental to a lot of players as thyey will feel that no matter what they do they will get binned after a couple of games. Sound familiar? And as for the more senior players well we have an ok group but they should have gelled and with rumours abound of a players revolt with Ricksen seemingly at the centre of it(allegedly) It does not bode well but at least PLG will be aware of all these factors and will no doubt take them into due consideration. So there is a good nucleus there all that needs to be done is get them playing good football and also winning and winning in style. Who knows maybe some of the players that have disapointed will find a new lease of life under PLG. To get a comparitive example we need only to look at Petrov- rubbish under Barnes but immense under O'Neil.
Fans:
Due to the fact that a number of bears were never happy with him joining us in the first place and have looked for excuses to get him out there is an almost unanimous feeling of relief that PLG is coming. I think that the time is right for Eck to go as he has achieved a lot with the club albeit with a few disapointments along the way. Viktoria Zizkow is a prime example but then Walter Smith had some embaressing exits to endure as well during his tenure. But the fans stuck by the team all the ay and will continue to do so.
So to sum up then McLeish has left a good legacy and we should be thankful he stuck by the club when he could have left citing financial constraints. He was not the best manger we have ever had but at least he has acted with the best interests of the club in mind and has kept his dignity when he didn't have to considering the manouvering the club did in the run up to the Le Guen appointment.
Well thats all only a week till the OF game heres hoping.
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Woeful! - April 15/2006Inept, woeful,unimaginative, lacksadaisical and thats just a few adjectives on how Rangers played today. The only players who deserved pass marks were Wattereus, Rodriguez and Prso. The rest of them did precious little and had a tendency to drift out of the game especially Burke and Buffel. This was Burke's first game back from injury so he can be forgiven for looking rusty there were one or two times when he beat his man and got in a decent cross but on the whole there was little end product from him and as for Hutton well he had an absolute stinker and should have gone off sooner his fellow full back Smith fared a little better but he really needs to work on his crossing as some of his crosses are either overhit or too soft and thats not just in todays game but in almost every game in which I have seen him play in. But even still I'd have him in the team ahead of Ian Murray and Bernard. Hemdani did little and it was no surprise to see him come off and perhaps its time to bring in Bob Malcolm again to fill the sitting midfielder role. He did nothing to deserve getting dropped and has done well this season when given the chance and with Ferguson still toiling and in dire need of his operation I'd give Gavin Rae a run in the team a sit is clear now that 2nd place is almost impossible given Hearts 5 point lead.
I must though give credit where its due and Wattereus made a couple of great saves and kept us in it and the reception he got from the fans was good too as were the lack of FTP chants.
So I'll leave it there and I'll be back tomorrow.
* * * * *
Good Friday then and its tomorrow that we play Aberdeen and usually on a Friday I predict the line and speculate on what tactics would be the best to use. Due to me getting my days mixed up that stuff is on yesterdays blog so check it out if you haven't already.
According to the Herald and the Sun UEFA could appeal there own decision regarding the offensive chants issue but I cannot see that happening as it exactly what you'd expect from the Sun as it is rare for them to publish a positive story about Rangers and if they can think of an anti Rangers story or article they will. Look at the Wattereus situation last week for example they published a story that was wrong and got "Lost in translation" when they could have taken an extra 10 minutes to check the translation and it would have meant that Wattereus would not have been booed. I know I am sounding paranoid here but these are facts and I could go on for hours about anti Rangers stuff in the Sun and the Herald to an extent too but at least the Herald is a decent paper. I would be surprised if UEFA were to appeal their decision as they are not big on appeals and would like Rangers to get on with it and do whatever it takes to stop offensive chanting and as Rangers have been given a real scare on this issue I have faith that the club will deal with it. If only some of the "fans" who act in a bigoted manner realised that they are harming the club they claim to love and did something about it then we will have made progress but we should be very aware that UEFA have their eye on Rangers and Celtic too so we really have to watch ourselves. Mcleish's contribution to this debate was that it could open a can of worms if clubs were deducted points for offensive chanting.
"There are other countries with problems - where does it start and where does it end? But we have to look after our own domestic scene and maybe set an example."
He is right too, his second sentence is basically saying "Lets put our own house in order and set an example and if others follow then good, if not well tough.
On a brighter note congratulations to big Marv for making into the provisional T&T World Cup squad. Good luck to him and indeed all other Rangers players who may make it into their countries world cup squads.
So folks enjoy the game tomorrow whether at Ibrox, on the radio or at Your supporters club abroad.
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Gers v. Aberdeen April 13/2006So its the first post split game for Rangers against another of our major foes, Aberdeen and I can see this being a very tight game and Rangers will have a hell of a lot to do to get 3 points tomorrow as Aberdeen are in a good run of form at the moment and they are an outside bet of getting 4th spot and therefore a UEFA cup berth should Hearts win the Scottish Cup and finish 3rd. Added to that the hostilities between the clubs and the fact that Aberdeen only ever play to their full potential when playing Rangers and it is clear that it will be a tight, nervy, niggly and close game. Rangers I can see winning this 2-0 but we must get an early goal so that Aberdeen are forced to attack more and the we can hit them on the break and maybe get a few more. The counter attacking style suits Rangers and should work tomorrow. So without further ado here is my prediction for the line up:
Mullet
Hutton Soti J Rod Smith
Burke Ferguson Hemdani
Buffel
Boyd Prso
subs: Klos, Andrews, Rae, Murray, Novo, Namouchi, N Guessan
Buffel has not been on form these past few games and with the way Aberdeen play his presence will be limited as he will always have someone sticking tight to him, and in any case with the ammunition being supplied in abundance from the wings we should be ok but a good plan B would be to take Ferguson off if if he is toiling and go with gavin rae and pulling prso back out wide leaving boyd on his own with buffel supporting him.
So I for one cannot wait to see this tomorrow even though I will have to be up early to see it as its an 8am kick off here so heres hoping for a fine win.
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UEFA Judgement - April 12/2006So UEFA today cleared Rangers of any wrongdoing regarding bigoted chanting but we were lucky to get away with this. William Gaillard, head of communications with European football's governing body, said: "We had individual reports of such chanting.
"But, having looked at the evidence, Rangers fans were found not guilty of racist or discriminatory chanting.
"Uefa might have a more elaborate explanation when they reveal explanations on both counts on Thursday."
I for one cannot wait to find out and am mightily relieved that no action is going to be taken. Many fans myself included were worried that they would make an example of us but UEFA have shown strength and common sense and hats off to them for that.
David Murray recognises that this is not the end of it and this statement he says:
"We were confident throughout that the tremendous efforts made by the club to tackle sectarianism, racism and all other forms fo inappropriate behaviour over a protracted period would be recognised and acknowledged by Uefa," he said.
"Few clubs in Europe can match the sustained effort we've made in this respect over the past five years and even less would have been able within the tight deadlines imposed by Uefa to produce such comprehensive material to support this.
"We are grateful too for the many testimonials and expressions of support received from a wide range of individuals and organisations.
"None of this, however, should mask the face that sectarianism remains a very serious problem within Scottish society and it now has to stop.
"Nothing in our submission to Uefa denied this fact.
"A minority of our supporters are going to have to realise, and realise very quickly, that the controlling authorities in football, whether Fifa, Uefa, the SFA, the SPL or SFL, are going to be obliged almost immediately to impose the heaviest possible sanctions for discriminatory behaviour.
"It's time for the 90-minute bigots to remain silent, for others to speak out, exerting a peer pressure on those that disgrace their clubs and for the promotion of decent football songs and chants, of which there are many."
And he is dead right while we are going to make a hell of a lot of progress on the pitch and training with PLG the club and fans must make progress in the stands and if we lose a few season ticket holders over then so be it, I bet there are loads of people who would like to go to Ibrox more often but don't because they find some of the chanting offensive.
And on that note I'll leave it there 4 hours sleep last night due to a shift swap and I need to get back and do some work now.
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24 Hours - April 11/200624 hours to go until the report and consequences of UEFA's investigation into Rangers is revealed. Peter McCloy the goalkeeping legend is like the vast majority of us wishing for a sensible outcome to proceedings. William Gailard UEFA's director of communications is saying that they are not specifically targetting the Old Firm but looking at the issue throughout Europe (Unless it seems you play in a lucrative league). The best we can hope for is a fine but if we get all or part of the ground closed for European matches then the matchgoers whose chanting and singing could be described as bigoted must stop it. While the fans make the atmosphere what it is at Ibrox particularly on European nights there is the added resposibility to ensure that these nights continue and that the clubs reputation is not tarnished in any ay. e ould be the laughing stock of European football if on a Champions League night there are no fans because of offensive singing. The club must come first, not the political or religious beliefs of a few.
And onto on the pitch matters now and Kris Boyd is being tipped by last years winner of the Players Young player of the year award, Derek Riordan. And quite right too. He has banged in 31 goals this season and is quite possible the most deadly striker to play for Rangers since Ally McCoist. There are other contenders too, such as Chris Burke and across the city with Shaun Maloney. But for me Boyd has to be the winner based on his goals and if he wins it will be well deserved. Dado Prso's support for him too saying that he is well good enough for Rangers reiterates my belief in him as when a top player like Dado endorses you then you are doing something right. Now while we want to see more goals from Prso and Boyd in the run in, the priority must be to win all the games and it should not matter who scores as long as we score loads and keep the defence as stingy as an unemployed Aberdonian.
And speaking of the defence it looks like Le Guen is saying 'non' to Fanfan and we could be looking at a pay off just to get rid of him as we did with Dragan "the dud" Mladenovic. What has been going on with him as McLeish must have known that he is not a right back and in playing him out of position and then banishing him when it doesn't work out there he has once again cost the club a lot of money that could have gone to better use. Fanfan is on about 17k per week which in his 8 months or so has cost the club around 600k and just think what we could've done with that sort of money.
So til tomorrow and the outcome from UEFA then.
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Zurab Sold - April 10/2006And its a fond farewell to Zurab whose gone to Balckburn for an undisclosed fee and good luck to him I say. The way he was treated by McLeish was a bit of a disgrace especially as it seemed he was pilloried for his inept displays in Europe last season when, if my memory serves me right, he was played out of position. While I think at times last season he put in a good shift for Rangers there were times he didn't and he also looked like someone who was a wee bit overawed at playing for such a big club and in front of 50000 fans. It was at times akin to watching a rabbit in headlights. So good luck then Zurab and I hope it works out for you.
Peter Lovenkrands may be out for the rest of the season and therefore Saturdays game may have been his last for the club. I would love it if he sayed as he is a big game player and has scored some very important goals for us but his lack of consistency is so frustrating as his propensity to hide during games. His wage demands though are one of the stumbling blocks and I find it hard to fathom that he wants his basic wage to go up when he not only earns a substantial sum each week but at times does little to justify his wage being as high as it is. As I have said before I would offer a lower basic but with high bonuses based on performances. That kind of deal would be a major incentive for most players and the chances are if he did well and got goals when and where it matters then the chances are he'd earn more than he does now.
Finally Roman Bednar of Hearts has stuck his head above the parapets of Tynecastle to proclaim that Rangers have no chance of catching Hearts. Yeah, whatever mate 3 points ahead and you think you can't be caught? Get a grip! The chase is on and by winning games as we did on Saturday and as McLeish would have said last season, winning ugly then we are hot on their heels. The question is: Who will blink first?
Le Guen the Answer - April 9/2006Rangers director Alistair Johnston has said that Le Guen could well be the man to take us to the Champions League final: "We weren't beaten by Villarreal in the last 16, only losing on away goals, and they are in the semi-finals already.
"To be eliminated without being defeated by a team of their calibre shows we are not far away."
And he is dead right to be saying that but as for our chances, well never say never. I mean look some of the recent finalists Porto, Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen for example, clubs with a limited fan base and smaller attendes than us. There is potential in Rangers to get to a final and emulate some of the other victors achievments in winning the greatest club tournament on the planet or at least getting there.
The split has thrown up an intruiging opening two fixtures against our two biggest enemies Aberdeen at home followed by Celtic away and what a way to start the split off it is with Hearts playing Kilmarnock at home first followed by Hibs away too it is imperative to get off to a good start, stating the bleedin' obvious there I know but if we can get 6 points out of those games, which is going to be a tall order, as we have to go to Tim Towers and that is not the easiest venue to go to and while we will be lucky to get anything out of that game, then that will set up us nicely for 2nd spot. What I do hope is that its a cracker and I'm sure the boys will be well and truly fired up for it as it is Alex McLeish's last old firm game and that in itself is a massive motivating factor added to obviously the chase for 2nd which we could get that day should Hibs beat Hearts at Easter Road. It is going to be a battle of nerve and bottle and I wonder how many of the Rangers guys have enough bottle for. I for one have my doubts as to whether the likes of Hemdani and Buffel have the stomach for this. Hopefully they will and perhaps I may be out of order in saying that but its going to be a nerve shredding 6 weeks or so for us either way unless Hearts really do fall apart in style but that is something not be taken for granted and we simply cannot allow events to take place that takes our destiny out of our own hands.
And on to the daily speculation on who may or may not be Rangers this summer and today its the Senegalese right back Omar Daf who plays for the French side Sochaux, and Jeremy Clement who is currently out of favour at Lyon. Now I have never seen these players or if I have I don't remember. What worries me about all this press speculation other than raising fans hopes in most cases wrongly is the effect its going to have on players they will be replacing and I am referring to the young guys who have played so well this season and what its going to do to their confidence. I am sure that their attitude is just to get on with and do their best and rightly so but we all know that Rangers are a club who are always being linked with this player and that player and they shouldn't read into things too much. But it will be harsh on them if they're ditched as they have done so well and are home grown products one of the things that Murray Park was built for and it would be a massive failure if Rangers did not take full advantage of a world class facility that is ours.
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A Busy Day on the Rangers Front - April 8/2006A busy day on the Rangers front then and plenty to talk about, first of all it sounds like it was a laboured victory for Rangers today but 3 points is 3 points and the pressure must be kept on Hearts. As we didn't get the game beamed over to us here in Canada I cannot comment on how well the team played and who did well and who didn't unfortunately but I think the line up was spot on other than the Mullet being in the team after what he has said in the past few days. Speaking of which I am not reading too much into it as it has come out in the sun which is hardly a reliable source of information and also the most anti Rangers paper there is. Any paper that gives a platform to the likes of Bill Leckie, Rikki Brown and Richard Littlejohn is not to be taken seriously at all. I am not surprised that he was booed today though but I think he let his goalkeeping do the talking today by all accounts so fair play to the guy but maybe Klos should come back in if Wattereus carries on speaking out like he supposedly has.
Onto the Scweinsteiger story and this was one that was unexpected as from what I have seen of him he is really good and defenitely one of Europes hottest properties if we get him it will be a major coup and as he has been rated at 5mil it will be a bargain. Yes he is that good.
Enough from me then enjoy your Saturday night and keep believing.
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A Win This Week - April 7/2006Apologies for the lack of blog yesterday, computer problems were the cause but moving on now the weekend is upon us and its Motherwell who are next in the firing line and there are no major injury problems apart from Barry Ferguson who I cannot see playing the whole match. The team pretty much picks itself after last Sundays performance and while Motherwell are a difficult proposition at Fir Park, more often than not they are not usually much of a problem at Ibrox and so therefore I can see us winning fairly easily (Well I won't be seeing it as its not being beamed over here). I think that Rangers should go with the same team and line up from last Sunday as it sure as hell worked with some style. Hearts are now only 3 points ahead but with them playing Dunfermline at Tynecastle 2nd place will not be possible as they have a goal difference of +33 compared to +24 for the Gers. However give it a few weeks and we will be there.
McLeish's dignity in the wake of C*****'s title victory is refreshing and it goes to show that you can lose gracefully and not resort to petty comments and accusations. It sure hurts that we have not mounted a serious enough challenge to a team that is really not that great, hoever next season we will be back and back in style and the teams in the SPL and whoever we get in Europe had better watch out as we will be keen to make ammends and under the guidance of Le Guen we may just become a team to be feared again.
Finally Pistol Pete has been to scope Osasuna out and if he goes there he will be joining a team with a good chance of reaching the Champions League and that is the type of club he should be joining should he depart this summer and not a struggling English Premiership club like Birmingham.
If your going to the game, enjoy if not have a good weekend anyway. Mon the Gers!
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Best Wishes King Kai - April 5/2006First of all its a best wishes message to Kai Johansen the 60's legend who scored the winner in the 1966 cup final and starred in the team that reached the 1967 Cup winners cup final in Nurenburg against Bayern Munich. He was one of a number of Danish imports in the 1960's that Morton of all clubs signed and he quickly became a fans favourite at Ibrox. How good it would have been playing in the same side as Greig, Baxter, Henderson and co. Reports on his condition vary one says he has terminal cancer and another syas he will get better after an operation but either way he deserves our best wishes.
So onto Barry Ferguson now and what is he all about? He needs this operation and by playing on he will be doing his career no good as it will catch up with him sooner or later. Maybe he wants to be like Paul McStay who had to retire at 32 through injury or doesn't want to be able to walk properly when he is older or at the very least wants to have more aches and pains than is necessary. Still thats up to him, by doing this he will miss the start of the season and 2 likely Champions League qualifying rounds and perhaps when he returns after Le Guen has signed a few players he may find it hard to get back in the team. If though he is used sparingly like he as on Sunday and maybe only playes half or two thirds of a game then it might be ok but if his performances are not up to scratch then McLeish should tell him to go get his operation without delay.
Peter Lovenkrands has held talks with a La Liga club about a possible move there and while it is unclear who it is he should be looking for a club who are going to be in Europe next season. Portsmouth and Birmingham City are said to be interested too and he went to either of those teams he will be ,making a backwards step in his career. Ok he would be playing Premiership football but thats all. Rangers are a difficult club to leave and he must weigh up chasing the big bucks and the big leagues against regular European football and the chance to play under one of world footballs best up and coming coaches. As the voiceover guy on Blind Date would say "Peter, the decision is yours!"
And on that note, I'll leave it there. Oh yeah and good luck to Arsenal tonight too.
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"...We will do it." - April 4/2006"Don't forget that we play for Rangers. We will do it."
Says Dado Prso and that is exactly the attitude that should be throughout the squad right now. The keep believing mantra that was personified by Marvin Andrews last year is back and I have no doubt in my mind that we will get 2nd place as there is a real desire throughout the team to achieve it. Maybe the bad form earlier in the season was down to the Champions League and also the injury situation but the fact remains that we are still in the hunt for 2nd place. With all the flak that Alex McLeish has taken throughout his tenure as Rangers manager the thing that has summed up his time at Ibrox is perseverance, resilience and sheer doggedness as has been shown on the last day of season championship wins and this season in the champions league especially against Porto away and the fightback at Ibrox against Villareal. If we get to 2nd place comfortably then McLeish can walk away knowing that he achieved what many though impossible 5 months ago and the fans who have called for his head time and time again should hold their hands up and admit that he wasn't so bad after all and be grateful for what he achieved with little money to spend and the downsizing of the quality of players at the club.
Other news today is that Rangers have made "Initial Submissions" to UEFA in regards to the disciplinary hearing that is going to take place next Tuesday in Nyon, Switzerland. I think Rangers have been undertaking work to solve the bigotry problem but it is not going to happen over night as the cliche goes "Rome wasn't built in a day" so while there is still work to be done. I hope as well that if UEFA take major action against Rangers they will be equally harsh against certain teams around Europe where there have been problems with hooliganism. Take Middlesbrough for example the other week. When they went 2 goals down in Basel the fans started fighting with Basel fans and I have yet to hear any condemnation from UEFA over this and as for the Turks well they've been attacking team buses for years and nothing ever seems to be done about it. Lets see some consistency please UEFA or you will show yourselves for what many think you are. A dim witted bunch whose only concern is making money and having power and making sure that the richest teams get richer and not having the balls to take on a club from a lucrative country.
Thats all from me today.
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Wednesday... - April 3/2006And now the attention turns to Parkhead on Wednesday as Celtic face Hearts in what will be their chance to win the title. As much as I find this galling I am thinking that a Celtic victory would do us just fine only in that it enhances our chances of finishing 2nd and getting the all important Champions League qualifying berth. Ideally I want a really bad, dirty game with a couple of sendings off in each team and followed by a riot in the stands that will lead to both teams getting points deducted and their stadiums closed for a few games plus the obligitory big fine. Yes we can dream but the players also have to realise that the damage was done between September and November and also February when we lost form. Sadly though, the way we have played these past few weeks has shown that when we do play we play some good football. Albeit that was hindered yesterday by a horrendous pitch at Tannadice the fact that we had the "Show must go on" mentality as a positive sign and as McLeish is saying today we can show no mercy to the rest of the teams we play this season. So lets hope for sweet revenge against certain teams.
Thats all for today.
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Gers Pound Dundee Utd. - April 2/2006Well that was alright eh? It was a good team performance and while the game took a while to settle down it was good to see that we can cope without key personnel and while I have been a bit critical of Boyd he has well and truly shut me up! His hat trick was sensational and its always good to see a striker scoring a hat trick and doing it with relative ease. You could see that after the first goal there was a real hunger there to get more goals and was always chasing more and what really surprised me was that he smiled too!
Wattereus fully vindicated McLeish's decision to put him back in with a string of fine saves and while I though he could have done better with the goal Utd scored he wasn't given enough help from the 2 centre backs but the flip side is that Collin Samuel is a very pacy player and that can be a nightmare for defences. The btwo full backs once again were on good form a couple of bad crosses were the only blemish today but I think we can live with that.
I wasn't surprised to see Fergie leave the pitch early as he was not looking comfortable and judging by the way he left the pitch it is safe to say that this was his last appearance for Rangers under McLeish. Hopefully the operation he is going to have will be a success and the sooner he is back on the park for Rangers the better. Hemdani showed some nice touches too and he is really starting to settle into the team now and I feel he will be an integral part of the team next season. I was surprised to see Lovenkrands on the righ and Prso on the left and while Prso had a good game, Lovenkrands didn't. Far too many times he tried to go past players and ran into them and got nowhere and admittedly his role in Boyds first goal was good but other than that he didn't really do a lot to impress and I wonder if he will be a Rangers player next season. Prso on the other hand was a real threat he held the ball up well, worked his socks off and his goal was an absolout peach and his persistence in setting up Boyds second which was a tremendous ball across the face of goal was pleasing too as it was exactly the right kind of ball to play, low and hard.
Buffel though he did ok was guilty of unnecesarily holding the ball up and that wasted at least one potential clear cut chance.
So there we go then only 3 points behind Hearts now and while they have a game in hand it sure puts pressure on them now and I am hoping for a nil nil draw on Wednesday with a couple of sendings off from both teams.
Til tomorrow then.
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An Exciting Weekend - April 1/2006With the all Edinburgh Scottish cup semi final being played tomorrow, it is a tremendous opportunity for Rangers to close the gap to 3 points especially as Hearts' game in hand is against celtic. The pressure is undoubtably on Hearts to keep 2nd spot and with Mad Vlad's antics anything they achieve will be in spite of him as well as because of him.
Enough about Hearts and as for tomorrows game, well it will be tough as Tannadice is not always a happy hunting ground for Rangers, and over the past 2 seasons they have become something of a bogey team for us. But the way that Rangers have been playing and the determination that has been shown in the team of late will surely lead to a win maybe not by much but at least it will be a win but hopefully a good win and performance to end Barry Fergusons season in style. If as expected he goes under the knife this coming week this will be his last game for probably 4 months minimum and while he will be missed it will benefit him and the team in the long run to get it over and done with now. We have ample cover in midfield so we should manage but it is up to the senior players to stand up and be counted and show the leadership on the park that we need. Say what you like about Ferguson and his methods of on field leadership but he is good at pushing the players in the team and squeezing an extra 20% out of them.
As for injuries well we still have Fan Fan and Namouchi out. Nuff said. But the big question is over who will play in goal and I think that the Mullet will probably return despite Klos's good performance last weekend. Other than that I don't foresee any other changes in the line up but if I was Eck I would be tempted to change things in attack and this is how I think the team will be tomorrow:
Mullet
Hutton Soti J Rod Smith
Burke Ferguson Buffel
Buffel
Prso Lovenkrands
Subs:Klos, Andrews, Ricksen, Murray, N'Guessan, Novo, Boyd
While Boyd has done well since joining the Gers he for me does not offer enough and that is why I would have him on the bench and then bring him on after maybe an hour. His finishing is good but its his all round game that he needs to work on like his link up play for example and he gives away too many free kicks as a result of him having his arms all over the place. Lovenkrands when he came off the bench last week as one player who had a bit of spark about him and had some creative nous and it was a great delivery to set up the goal, so for that he should be in the starting 11 tomorrow.
What could be worrying is that Dundee Utd could do what Dunfermline did last week and pack their penalty box. I do not think that that would be Craig Brewsters style and I think that they will come at us early and try to catch us out as so many teams have done this season to us. Hopefully the players will be alert right from the whistle and maybe it will be us that gets the early goal and then plenty more.
Enjoy the game and have a good Saturday.
