Walter Smith

Waking up this morning, I put the kettle on and immediately grabbed my phone. As most of us do. When I opened Twitter, I saw the announcement. Walter Smith had passed.

It was a feeling of utter sadness that came over me as I looked at his picture looking resplendent in his Rangers suit and tie. I knew he had been poorly for some time, his recent photos at a golf day in Loch Lomond reaffirmed this. But I still was hopeful he would make a recovery. Maybe more in hope than anything else as we never knew what exactly was wrong. But the insight we had into to the man Walter Smith we all knew he wouldn’t give up the fight.

That he is no longer here is something I’ve struggled to take on board today. When the shock passed it coincided with seeing Ally McCoist talking about Walter and his family, along with his time at Rangers. The bravery Super showed speaking those words this morning speaks volumes for both himself but also volumes for how high a regard Walter Smith was and always will be held.

There were a lot of tears following the comments from Ally and then when the club released a short video tribute it completely saw me stop in my tracks and break my heart. I have seen many people today (of which mostly I don’t know personally) say that this has really hurt. It feels like we have lost a family member, yet in most cases we haven’t met Walter. And that is exactly what it feels like.

Through time there is an inevitability of loss, this is life sadly. Some are taken long before they should be, and it never hurts less. In recent times we have lost so many people on and off the field and it never gets easier. Fernando Ricksen, Ray Wilkins, Sandy Jardine but to name a few. Losses that have been felt all around the world for the Rangers family.

But Walter? It’s just too much.

I tweeted today that growing up the foundation of the love I built for Rangers was started by Smith, McCoist and Souness. Some of my earliest memories of Rangers were spent sat with my granny listening to the Teddy Bears on the wireless (not the broadband kind) and the names of Souness, Smith and Ally were always the starting point on and off the field. As I’ve grown up, I can associate some of my favourite memories to these pillars of our club. And this makes it him home all the more. When we lose someone, we remember the times they gave us and the memories they were part of. And growing up during 9IAR the joyous memories were endless. And I will always be eternally grateful for that.

When the Paul Le Guen experiment didn’t work Walter and Ally answered the call to come back to a club that off the field was in decline and not without its problems. Walter and Ally left a great job they were doing with Scotland and as Ally said recently, Walter would have only done that for one football club. Rangers.

Once again Walter took us back to where we belong. Winning trophies and unexpectedly getting the club to a European Cup Final. It was staggering. And again, all the time we as a support were on this journey with our greatest manager in charge.

It wasn’t just about the results on the field either, everything Walter did was with class and decorum befitting of a Ranger. When bad people darkened our doorways Walter (and Ally) did their absolute best to rid the club of them. The people running the club tried to wheel out Walter as a deflection tactic and it didn’t take long for the gaffer to see what was happening and walk away. Again, this was ultimately to our benefit as it further enlightened a confused support at the time.

I’ve sat and watched interview after interview today of some of my biggest heroes talking about the influence Walter Smith had on them not just as players but as men. Praise has come from all over the globe. Our own Manager Steven Gerrard saying Walter made him a better man, to have been in their private chats in the managers office at Ibrox must have been something. Sir Alex, arguably the best that ever managed singing Walters praises. Pep Guardiola, Trevor Steven, Nacho Novo, Super Ally. The list is endless, and the stories keep coming. Even the universal praise from Celtic and its fans is something that fills the heart. As everyone has said today. This isn’t about Walter Smith the Manager. This is about Walter Smith the Man, The Husband, The Grandfather. And the world has lost a Giant.

We’ve lived through some very difficult times in the last 2 years and instances like today don’t have make you think. Hold your close ones tight. Tell them that you love them. Life is short and you just never know what is around the corner.

We feel like we have lost a family member, because in all honesty as the Rangers family that is exactly what has happened.

Walter, I will raise a glass to you tonight. I wasn’t fortunate enough to meet you but believe me when I say you have impacted mine and so many others life. Not just as Rangers Manager. But as the man you are. You will be sorely missed. But never forgotten.

God Bless.

Rangers – An Utter Shambles

 

Okay. I’ve slept on it. I expected it. I thought by expecting it and giving myself 24 hrs the feeling would maybe subside. It hasn’t. I am embarrassed. I am ashamed. I am angry.

What happened at Ibrox yesterday was a very low point in a somewhat embarrassing season. At 35 years of age I was raised on success at Rangers. I was raised on trophies. I was raised on footballers of a calibre. I was spoiled without even knowing it. Those days are long since gone. And you know what? After everything that has happened to our once great club (we will be great again)  I can just about accept it. For now.

Where my issues lie are that in the here and now I am just a little bit lost as to what the future holds for my club, for our club.

Rangers. The Most Successful Club in the World.

2 years ago Dave King and Co. swept in to Ibrox and took the club away (for the most part) from a Mike Ashley regime that was just about ready to bleed our club dry of everything it had left. We were promised proper corporate governance, Transparency and above all else the truth. I like many other Bears always wanted Dave King back. As far as I could see King along with Park and crew were the only guys I could see fixing Rangers. They are bluenoses. They have money and they are successful businessmen each in their own right. I didn’t really see a better alternative.

I must admit. Fast forward 2 years and I am underwhelmed at best.

Whats the plan?

At this point I want to raise a few points. First investment. I was never about 10s of millions being invested. It wasn’t realistic and nor was it really required. However Dave King just can’t help himself. I like many other fans had enough bullshit to last a lifetime with the last regime. I don’t need anymore. This is why I just couldn’t get my head round Dave having Jim White over in South Africa on SSN to tell the world the children’s inheritance would help Rangers with the figures £30 million beamed all around the world as the figure that would be needed. It was lunacy. It was a stick for the press to beat with Dave King and that is exactly what has happened. Dave King speaks of current investment been made so far of £18 million. I’ll call ‘bullshit’ on that. If not feel free to show me where it’s been made. Let’s start with the playing squad. Yes the wage bill has been massively increased and we are by far the 2nd highest paid team in Scotland. But whats been spent on actual fees under new regime? £3,000,000 max? That would buy you half of Scott Sinclair. Ibrox Stadium improvements ? Don’t make me laugh. On a recent trip to hospitality at Ibrox it was clear once again that the stadium needs serious TLC all over the place. The fabric banners all round the stadium are like sticking plasters on an old wound. So again £18 million?

Dave King is clearly a man with a lot of ego. I was a fan but I must admit that the fandom is wearing. He likes the sound of his own voice and likes to blame everyone else for any wrong that is at Rangers. I get that. I get that Mark Warburton didn’t like criticism. I get that he signed 12 players last summer and somehow made the team worse. But who sanctioned all this? The board that he is chairman of.  Then comes Mike Ashley. The rather fat cockney elephant that still sits in the room.  Mike is clearly a huge issue for the Rangers board. And legalities stop King telling us what is happening. Again though stop with the ‘we’ll tell you in a couple of weeks’ or ‘maybe we’ll bring out our own strip’ all just nonsense with deadlines that don’t exist that then make King and the board look stupid. So the harsh reality is Rangers merchandise will remain off limits for the foreseeable future. Which is sad. I would usually spend upwards of £800 on Rangers merchandise each season. So it’s a shame that the money can’t go in to Rangers. I won’t hold the board fully culpable on this. They inherited the mess. Just don’t make remarks that can’t be backed up. I do wonder what effect the kit buying (or lack of) may have on future generations and losing potential fans. I still remember fondly my gran buying me each new kit and what an exciting time it was. To lose that due to the current mess is sad.

I just wonder overall if the board of Rangers are the right people to get us back to the top? The soft loans are keeping us going just now and again for that I am grateful. But what is the plan? What is the 5 year/10 year plan ? And how will it be implemented?

Stewart Robertson? Is he fit to be the Chief Executive of one of Scotland’s biggest institutions? He seems good in front of the camera but again where is the substance to his ramblings? The fans were asked what name we wanted given to Murray Park….Then nothing…. The Director of Football was going to happen, then it wasn’t important…Then nothing? What about the scouting? ……… The more unfulfilled promises the more I wonder about the people running our club.

Why do I see Jim Traynor hanging around Ibrox? Who is he pals with on the Rangers board to get this gig? What is he doing to the benefit of Rangers? Our PR is absolutely brutal and we appear a sitting duck for the ‘journos’ in Scotland who appear to be taking great pleasure in mocking our new manager?

Something else I wonder about. What do the other board members make of Dave King and his comments ? I’d like to know if King, Park, Letham, Taylor, Gilligan, Murray etc. are all on the same page? The mixed signals from the board members I do see interviewed do make me wonder.

Then we come to players and management.

We’ll go with the players first. Well where to begin? The reality is this. The squad assembled at Rangers is awful. Void of talent, fight and above all else ability. At the player of the year awards we had a 37 year old striker with 9 league goals as the player of the year. Kenny Miller is a guy I have slated numerous times and each time he has rammed my words down my throat. Fair play to him for that. As for the rest? They can go. All of them, the club has reverted back to players who do their talking off the pitch as opposed to on it. I feel no connect to any of the current lot whom the Rangers jersey is clearly to heavy for. If we can find anyone daft enough to take them please do so. Hopefully Nottingham Forrest can take a few in the summer.

That brings me to the new manager. Pedro Caixinha.

You know what the appointment is odd. Had I heard of him before he got the job? No. Is his CV great? No. However he went through a process with our board and he was seen to be the best candidate. So he is our man. Until he gets a full preseason and his own players I will reserve judgement. Will he work out? As I write this I’d say probably not. I fear the board will give peanuts to spend this summer, Celtic will be out of sight by Christmas and the board will pass the blame on again. I hope I’m wrong, I hope he is backed fully and manages to improve us as we need to be. Will that happen? I am sceptical. I’ll be honest as well. I do not see a single candidate for the Rangers job when it came up that I thought was outstanding. I guess the next move would be Derek McInnes but he appears to want to distance himself from Rangers as much as he can these days. I remember his Bristol City days so he should maybe calm down a wee bit as should the hacks who see him as the 2nd coming of Ferguson or something.

So in conclusion? Well all I can say I literally have no idea what the future holds and I am very disheartened just now. But I think the board of Rangers have to start delivering and telling us what the actual plan is past the loans. What is the future of Rangers Football Club? Don’t keep telling me about how bad Mike Ashley is. Tell me what the plan is and how it is to be carried out. Tell me what me as a fan can do to help? I can’t be reliant on fans groups independent of the club as they have more nominations and removals than X Factor. I just don’t trust them.

But please. This needs fixed. Rangers need to be Great again.

 

 

Rangers Transfer Business. Some Perspective.

So as the window is about to close in Scotland after what has been a very busy summer transfer window I thought I’d write a few thoughts on the window that was.

Before we start for those who don’t know me I am a huge fan of Mark Warburton and what he has brought to Rangers in a very short period of time. Sometimes it’s worth looking back to fully appreciate what you actually have right now. The gaffer has built expectation and hope in a very short period of time. It’s easy to forget the utter mess of a team he inherited from Mr McCoist and co. The sub standard players we had being paid a handsome wage for a lot of badge thumping, soundbites and not much else.

In 12 months the gaffer changed Rangers to a free flowing fast thinking football team. We won the Championship at a canter and should really have won the Scottish Cup (before the Royal Rumble happened) We maybe take it for granted that a team that spent peanuts (albeit on the 2nd highest wages in Scotland) completely transformed what was served up at Ibrox every other Saturday.

This summer saw the majority of the McCoist fiasco cleansed from the club. Templeton, Law, Shiels, Clark, Bell etc. were thanked for their services and sent on their way. Shaving a pretty penny from the wage bill in the course of doing so.

This summer has seen 11 new arrivals. Frank McParland and his team have worked to bring in the players that the gaffers wanted to move Rangers to the next level. What was I expecting this summer? Honestly? I have no idea. my expectations have been tempered in recent years mainly with what we have had to endure. But I still wanted Rangers to be competitive in the top flight. I watched though as McParland did deals like £440,000 for James Tavernier & Martyn Waghorn and started to get excited about this summer and what was possible.

I must add at this point that I think Dave King has not really helped the expectation of this process this summer at all. I am a fan of Dave King and wanted him at the club for a long time. But I have had enough of  the soundbites to last me a lifetime. The comments regarding his ‘Children’s inheritance’ and figures of ‘£30 million’ and spending ‘whatever it takes’ were neither needed or helpful. It has created a stick for the press of Scotland and beyond to beat him with. Did I expect millions? No. I didn’t. But King’s remarks made me think again about what I expected. As an aside I’d prefer King just to be like the rest of the board and say nothing. Just go about the job of getting Rangers back where we belong. The top of the game in Scotland.

Anyway as the business this summer started I was happy early doors with the recruitment of Matt Crooks and Josh Windass. Prudent signings and in the case of Windass a player that was coveted elsewhere. I love the chat from Warburton of giving these young boys the platform to play in front of worldwide audiences in front of 51,000 every other week and grow as players. Eventually being sold on at a profit to the club. I like that. On a smaller scale it’s what we did with the likes of Gio back in the day. I have friends who were team mates of Crooks. When they played with him he was a centre half. They said he was rotten. Then when he moved to Accrington and played centre midfield the same team mate said they could not believe how good he was. So I look forward to him coming in.

The signing of Joey Barton was a statement for me. And I was initially delighted. He has grown as a player and as a human being. He has played deeper as his legs have started to go but last season in the Championship was standout. I have to admit my early views have been less than favourable. He clearly has a target on him and already there have been 2 straight red cards for some no marks at wee clubs trying to ‘do him’. But I haven’t seen him bossing a game the way I thought he would. He appears to have players walk past him in most games and I’ve been surprised how poor he has looked truth be told. He will be given time but I expect more.

Niko Kranjcar got the juices flowing I must admit. In his day in the EPL he was one of my favourite players. I was astounded he was only 31 years old. I can see his ability. Technically you could argue he is the best player in Scotland. Sadly right now he is maybe 60% fit? Defensively he offers nothing and he is looking very slow just now. His pass and touch are exquisite. His vision and shooting are also impressive. But can we afford the luxury that he is? Maybe if we get the right 2 players next to him maybe he can be. I really hope he is.

Clint Hill I really can’t get my head around. at 38 years of age and well thought of by the QPR fans he just seems done. I was at the first game of the season and saw first hand Clint Hill looked stunned at just what was happening around him. I think you can either play for Rangers or you can’t. Maybe we are just too far out of his comfort zone he has been used to it.

Lee Hodson has come in from MK Dons with pretty much no fanfare but being honest I have really liked him. A member of the Euro 2016 Northern Ireland squad he looks a capable defend first defender. 

Jordan Rossiter I love. The England U19 Captain to me has stood out a mile. Strong in the tackle. Always showing for the ball and quick moving it. Frank McParland clearly worked his magic on this one and I love everything about his signing. Let him continue his education and let us sell him at a profit in 3/4 years. For me he would be the first midfielder on the team sheet.

Joe Dodoo has come in and is clearly a project. Very fast but very raw. Not sure whether he will end up a striker or a winger but again at a relatively small investment is probably a risk worth taking. He makes intelligent runs but his touch and decision making will need work. As I say an impact player from the bench is probably his place just now.

Matt Gilks is an experienced safe pair of hands who will deputise for the much improved Wes Foderingham.

Joe Garner has been Rangers biggest outlay at £1.5 million. I only really know what the Preston fans have said about him but I saw enough in his debut to see he will be an asset. He will work hard and do the dirty work as a striker. I hope he goes on to impress. He will have to for the outlay we have made.

So with the recruitment covered I still have some reservations.

The last season showed us that whilst we are an expansive football team our defence is the stuff of nightmares. So many times in the Championship teams made chances and didn’t take them. But each time Twitter and the stands would be shouting ‘we won’t get away with that at a higher level’ and it appears to have fallen on deaf ears. The Scottish Cup Final alone highlighted just how poor we are defensively. As Anthony Stokes walked through the middle of Hampden it laid bare the problems we have. I don’t feel personally that we have addressed that. I’d go as far to say that the defensive frailties we have will be the main catalyst in us not being able to win the premier league this season. For me as soon as the season ended we should have looked at the spine of the team and where we needed to strengthen. I was hopeful with Davie Weir as assistant this would have been looked at. Instead we gave Rob Kiernan a new deal and signed 38 year old Clint Hil. That’s it? It isn’t enough. Signing Senderos today at the 11th hour won’t change that. I hope I’m proven wrong but we are just too vulnerable at the back.

In addition to this the main dynamic of our play last season was the tempo we played at. With the likes of Holt & Halliday pressing play and winning the ball back repeatedly. The arrival of Barton ( and Kranjcar ) has seen the midfield set up deeper and lose that dynamic. The midfield 3 is something that needs fixed as a matter of urgency. I also feel we miss Jason Holt in the hole behind the strikers. Kenny Miller has already chipped in with vital goals but if Garner is to be our main man up top Miller must only be used as a substitute. He doesn’t have the pace or touch of someone who can play on the wing.

Finally we create so many chances yet our conversion rate seems so poor. Again as the team settles hopefully that will change. But if you look at our shooting outside the box and when in on goal we are not definitive enough in our finishing. This needs fixed. This will take composure from the players.

We have a squad now that is better than what we had 12 months ago. And I believe we have a more than capable first 11 when everyone is fit. My main fear is the defence and the signing of Senderos has not changed that. I feel the management team have been neglectful in this facet of the transfer window. But at the same time if I take a step back and breath I realise Rangers have come so far in such a short time. Mistakes will be made but we are on the right track. Do I think we can win the league this season? Unlikely. But if we can establish ourselves in 2nd place and do well in the cups it will be more than enough for me. We have signed a new team. Lets give them the time they need. The board have done well by us, all the while why we make about 50p from retail operations and the money continues to come out the boards pockets directly. The battles continue off the field as they do on it. The Cup Final ruling is for another day as I have utter contempt for the people running our game, It appears Rangers players are less important to the powers that be than the advertising hoardings…. As I say for another day.

In conclusion. Rangers are going in the right direction. There is a lot to improve. But I believe we’ll get there.

Patience Bears.

 

Thanks for Reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ally McCoist – Time To Go

 

“This club has standards. I look around my office and see Mr Struth, the gaffer, Souness, Wallace, Waddell and Symon. These men set the standards for our club.

“Those standards are as important, if not more so, than winning games of football. We’ve always had fantastic standards and we’ve prided ourselves on that. Hopefully that will never change.

“But in the last 18 months those standards have dipped a little bit. And we all must get them back up to the level our supporters and club deserve.

If you are wondering who said these words. I will answer. It was Ally McCoist.

Standards is a word I use a lot these days about Glasgow Rangers. My Club. Your Club and Thousands of others around the worlds Club. The sad thing is at Rangers these days there is no resemblance of standards on or off the pitch.

In the boardroom we have The Easdale’s, David Somers, Graham Wallace (and his 120 day review), some other faceless folk who hide behind names who we will probably never meet. They do nothing but makes statements and ask for our money. That’s about it. The sum total of their contribution. Oh I almost forgot. The Easdale’s nearly attempted to sue a fan. Which was nice. I see these guys in club ties and it literally turns my stomach. They bring nothing to the table of Glasgow Rangers. This much we all know in reality. Standards?

Then we have our players. Well where do I start? Here is a wee fact for you. There are teams in the English Championship who currently have a lower wage bill than Rangers. Think about that for a wee while. Our Wagebill is currently £6 million. It is a lot lower than what we are used to. But in the real world it’s still a hell of a lot of money for the level we are playing at. Do we get value for money? Not even close. If like me you watched the game yesterday you probably weren’t surprised with what unfolded. Slack play, Poor attitude, Constant long diagonal balls following pointless tippy tappy passes at the back then the ball hoisted as far into the air as possible to a static lone striker in a 451 formation. But you see this is what we do. That is the sum total of this £6 million a year squad. 

Now we come to the crux of the matter for me. The only problem? No. Far from it. But there is a common denominator in a lot of our problems. Off the field? No. That’s a different story sadly that shows no sign of ending any time soon. The problem I speak of is the Club Legend and Manager Ally McCoist.

What I now write is not knee jerk. Anyone who follows me on Twitter or reads my Blog knows that I have never been a fan of Ally McCoist the Manager. The man? Yes. I love him. The Manager? Just no. The day he was announced as the successor to Walter Smith I kind of shrugged and thought. This isn’t going to work. And you know what? It really hasn’t.

Pre Administration embarrassing results to Malmo and Maribor didn’t bode well for future cup competitions. For a while in the league with some decent players we looked liked a possible team. Then the day Naismith crumpled to the floor with a knee injury it was as if that was the beginning of the end. Quite frightening when you think how far back that was.

Once the company that owns the club was liquidated many thought ‘Okay this gives Ally a chance to start from the bottom and learn the job.’ Perhaps even a blessing in disguise for this manager with no actual previous managerial experience. Some even dared to dream of a football blueprint. An ethos of how the club would play moving forward. The integration of youth from Murray Park into the side and an adventure back to the top with new faces and a bright future. How wrong could we be? You see the highlight for me in SFL 3 was the emergence of youth. Would I have seen Barrie McKay ? Robbie Crawford ? Danny Stoney ? Fraser Aird ? Even Lewis Macleod in the previous regime at Rangers? You know what? Probably not. Following a SFL 3 win somehow Ally decided this was not the way to go. ‘Experience’ was the buzz word.  Ally embarked on another signing spree last summer. 9 players were brought in. Players Ally wanted. Nicky Law made sense. Cammy Bell made sense. Richard Foster? Stevie Smith? Arnold Peralta? Not so much. All these signings without a scouting network made a few of us scratch our heads.

But when the season started I thought right here we go. Ally has his players. We must see a better product. 11 players in their actual positions. In a 442 at least. The 3rd tier of scottish football? Thats a gimme right? How wrong could I have been?

The football Rangers play is Dire. Take away the wins this season and be honest. Have you enjoyed watching Rangers play? I’ll be honest I haven’t enjoyed watching a Rangers game since we beat Motherwell at Ibrox when Kyle Hutton (No laughing at the back) was man of the match. 

Ally McCoist has this trait which was laid bare for all to see yesterday. You see we can’t play 11 players in their actual position. Why? I have literally no idea. We have in excess of 30 senior professionals but we still must play centre halves at right back. left backs in midfield. Strikers on the wing. It is literally never ending.

Another trait of McCoist. The 451 formation. That’s exactly what it is. Why?  A lone striker in Jon Daly who despite his goal record this season is about as mobile as a subbeteo player. If you play a lone striker surely they must be mobile enough to stretch teams? No? Well I thought so. Why not play a 442 in which Nicky Clark, Andy Little or someone else with pace can actually score goals. That is a strikers job, that is where they want to be. McCoist was one of the best in the business. Yet he can’t see that? Why do we play Lewis Macleod who is a fine young Scottish talent anywhere other than his actual position? 

Then we talk tactics? What are they? As far as I can see and listening to the players it is this. Get the ball from back to front as quickly as possible and try and feed off Daly. That is it? It is reminiscent of a pub team manager. Bear in mind up until earlier this year this manager was being paid £845,000. It literally defies belief. What is Plan B? There isn’t one. We play one way and one way only. Set pieces? They aren’t actually even funny anymore. Corners literally drain the life out of me. Over and over again. Then we have free kicks. Jig pulls rank and get the ball rolled to him. By the time his knackered £10,000 a week legs get to the ball it is usually blocked by the other team.

Under McCoist when did anyone see a player become better? I can’t say I have seen it myself. Plenty of regression. Templeton? Shiels? Law? What did we do to these players at Murray Park? Was there a re-enactment of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers? They are pale in comparison to what they were when they arrived. This is all just matter of fact. And if McCoist and his management team isn’t to blame then I am not quite sure who is? This is Ally’s team and it is quite simply nowhere near good enough. 

Do the players respect McCoist? I’m not so sure. They probably appreciate the easy ride they have under him. They laugh along with him at training. But when you see the attitude of players like Ian Black and Bilel Mohsni I can’t help but think they really couldn’t care a less. Would that have happened under Smith or Souness? I’m not so sure.

Right now Rangers are a shambles on and off the field. Past the blue kits, Ibrox and the best fans in the world it’s just not right. From top to bottom the club needs ‘cleansed’ as Ally McCoist himself said. But for the future of Rangers Ally must now realise it is best for all concerned that he leaves his role as manager. He can leave with his head held high. He has put up with a lot. But as I said long ago when Ally is judged for his ability as a football manager and football manager alone he will come up short. This is proven week in week out with the same issues over and over. I wish him well. I Love the guy and always will. But Ally McCoist it is time to go.

 

 

 

 

 

Failure To Prepare Was Preparing To Fail

I haven’t written a blog in a while. Some would probably be pleased at that. Others maybe not so much.

As each week passes I have thought what could I say about this? what could I say about that? Following events of recent days I thought it was best to try and summarise my thoughts. So here goes.

February 14th 2012. A day etched in the heads and hearts of 100s of thousands of Rangers fans across the world. I still remember it quite vividly. The rumours circulated on Twitter and then before I knew it was on my television on Sky Sports News Breaking News bar. I shook my head and had a deep intake of breath. We kind of knew it was coming, but some said “No this can’t happen to Rangers.” It did. And the rest of that sorry affair has been covered by myself and many others numerous times previous.

The following season was our ‘fresh start’ as it was explained. Charles Green and his regime came in and stuck 2 fingers up to everyone. The fans rallied. The Charles Green roadshow happened. The ‘No Surrender’ Charles Green routine began. Myself and many others seen this as a chance to create a new football ethos at our club. We needed to look at everything from top to bottom. Address scouting, coaching, player development, developing youth. You could look at Swansea who had similar misfortune but drew up a blueprint for how they wanted the game to be played and how they would achieve it at a sustainable financial level. Why could Rangers not do it?

The illegal transfer embargo was thrown at us. We had to get who we could as quick as we could. Cribari. Black, Sandaza, Stella, Argyriou, Shiels, Kyle & Faure arrived. That was us. That was us for the 4th tier of Scottish football A league mainly made up of part times playing football. We had boys on thousands plying their trade against gardeners, postmen, window cleaners. Was it pretty? No it was by enlarge awful. The style of football deployed by our manager represented that of a Sunday league team, whoever the tall player up top is just lump it at him and feed off the scraps. People can agree/disagree all they like. That has been Rangers brand of football for some time now. For tall player see McCulloch, Kyle, Sandaza up until present day Daly. No one raised an eyebrow at the wage bill. A few journalists that Rangers fans love to hate dared question the money we were paying out but the response was

‘We get nigh on 50,000 every other week, we are Rangers so we are different.’

As we plodded our way through the 4th tier in Scotland with a astronomical wage bill the Charles Green Bullshit continued to be delivered at every turn. Chuck knew what the customer wanted to hear, so he told them that was exactly what he was going to do. The IPO happened and being honest I was very pleasantly surprised that we raised £22.5 mil in a very short period of time just before christmas. The christmas message was delivered from Charles Green and at the time the fans again lapped it up.

It was around this time I started to question Charles Green and his regime. I had queried it previously but began to start tracing back. I continually asked for substance and was continually much maligned by the fans that knew best. Charles was going to do this, he was going to do that. But how was Charles going to do it? I always remember when we were told what was happening with the IPO money I said to myself ‘that’s being used for operating costs.’ I take no pleasure in seeing I was right. Chuck bought the club with a loan, that has since been paid back with interest. He and many other people have made a lot of money out of Rangers whilst contributing very little. By the time Chuck left it had become abundantly clear the man was a liar and an absolute bullshitter. We were warned. Sheffield United fans and former staff told us exactly what he would do, and thats exactly what he did.

Green left and Mather came. Again the response was “Give him a chance”. He was clearly out of his depth and moved on quickly. Again with a lovely little pay out. Again we didn’t learn. The Easdale brothers have arrived and are the current ‘give them a chance’ candidates, but finally it appears the rank and file are actually wisening up, but is it too late? Honestly? I don’t know.

Somehow along the way we have managed to squander £22.5 mil IPO money and 2 seasons worth of season ticket money. We are now down to the bottom of the piggy bank again. Less than 2 years after entering administration? It is literally frightening. As I said at the time. The IPO money should of been used to lay the foundations of our very future. But that opportunity has long since gone. We are flying in the SFL 1 17 points clear with a plus 61 goal difference, great. But at what cost? Again we went signings crazy in the summer bringing in no fewer than 9 players. Law, Clark, Mohnsi, Daly, Peralta, Foster, Smith, Bell and Simsonsen. This was to win the 3rd tier of scottish football (no laughing at the back). One of the few positives from the journey starting in 2012 was the emergence of the young talent we weren’t used to seeing at Ibrox. McKay, Crawford, Stoney, Aird, Macleod, Gasparotto etc. However again our manager decided we needed more ‘experience’ and has subsequently loaned out most of this talent when really they should of been continuing their development with the club so when we get back to the top they would of been established first team regulars. But alas that wasn’t Ally’s idea.

People have said, and rightly so that Ally McCoist tenure as manager has been an unfair one. Upheaval after upheaval with transfer embargo’s etc. This is all true. But you know what? Past all that our manager who has been paid £835,000 up until recently has not assisted the future and development of our great club. That’s just my opinion of which quite a few share. Our manager’s solution and answer to most questions is to sign players and bring in experience. People can argue that not to be the case but they’d be wrong. Numerous interviews both in print and on television confirm it. Whilst in a club interview Ally said he wanted to replicate the “Ajax and Porto model” there has not been a single thing to intimate that actually happening. This isn’t all Ally’s fault. Again I’ve stressed this numerous times. Ally didn’t say he wanted a £835,000 salary. Ally didn’t force the club to let him sign 9 players in the summer. That’s not on him. But he is not without fault either. Some refuse to accept that at any cost.

Personally my view of Ally is this. I love Ally McCoist the man. Growing up he was my hero. He always will be. He is a tremendous ambassador of our club. As a football manager? No. His tactics, formation and style of play he repeatedly deploys at such a low level is actually deplorable. He uses the tactics Walter Smith did in the champions league against part time teams. It’s actually a wee bit of a running joke now. As is the continued persistence with playing folk out of position. As is the going with ‘experience’ route at every corner, to the detriment of young players who have shown up well. All these repeated faults are nothing to do with the regime running the club but instead the man in the dugout. People can dispute that if they like, we can agree to disagree. With regard to Ally’s view of the various boardroom line ups. Ally has said in recent times that he does not know anything about the financial side of the club. In which case that kind of clears up why at various times he has backed Whyte, Green, Mather, Wallace etc. If this is the case I’d suggest in all future correspondence Ally speak only of football management decisions. That was there can be misunderstanding from the fans.

In the boardroom? Where do we even start?

As the club hurtles towards its last £1 million we now have Mr Graham Wallace, former COO of Manchester City as the man at the helm. “He is from Man City so must be great” was the chat I was given. You’ll excuse me for remaining sceptical. Past the ‘stitch up’ AGM that some actually thought the requisitioners had a chance of winning we were again stuck with the faceless regime plus the Easdale brother’s and a few other pieces of pond life. Jack Irvine the man who ‘cleaned up’ Craig Whyte’s past arrived. Sandy and James told us they were trusted by the Institutional investors and that they could bring investment, £50 mil according to Jack Irvine. The fans quite rightly called ‘bullshit’ and unsurprisingly no investment has come in. Instead our share price has dropped through the floor whilst Graham Wallace and his band of merry financial consultants have carried out a 120 day business review. The best we can come up with? Ask the boys on the park to take a 15% pay cut. I shook my head as my friend broke the news. Was I surprised ? Not in the slightest. Are some of our players overpaid? Grossly. Is that their fault? Most certainly not. Were they right to reject the proposal? As long as the current incumbents in the Ibrox boardroom are still being paid their full wage then damn right they were.

Brian Stockbridge, Rangers Finance Director is still in place. The man that has somehow overseen 10s of millions of pounds walk out  the door in 1 and a half years in the bottom tiers of scottish football is still wearing his Rangers tie and blazer. It actually sickens me. The man that told us we were “On track” and that our balance sheet would be the “envy of any team in Scotland” as recently as October. Turns your stomach doesn’t it? Somehow, Some way he and Jack Irvine are still employed by Glasgow Rangers Football Club. And for the life of me I just cannot answer why. Graham Wallace would do well to tell us.

Tonight Andy Mitchell was the first casualty of the impending clear out at our once great club. The youngster was given a 1 year deal last season and was subsequently loaned out as our manager looked to bring in more experience. Is that a surprise? No almost expected. That’s what Rangers do these days. The young boys are on the least so will be the easiest to move on. Porto and Ajax model remember? Expect more to follow.

The harsh reality is this. For at least the last 10 years Rangers have been a lazy lazy club. The answer to everything has been to sign players. Scouting has been awful. Development from within the club has been minimal. We have went down the jobs for the boys route when recruiting instead of looking for actual ability. As a result things have only improved when we’ve spent money on players from elsewhere. It’s just how it has been. Off the field we have been passed from pillar to post to people who do not have a single care for one of Scotland’s greatest Institutions. Our future has not mattered as long as these people have made money and continue to do so. The so called ‘Rangers men’ have come out with all kinds, except one thing which is rather important when shouting the odds. It’s called money. I myself have long believed Dave King would eventually be the saviour, but honestly right now I ask “Where are you Dave King? How can you let this happen to the club you love?”

People continually shout me down, I am negative apparently. I’d ask those reading this to tell me where I am wrong? Sometimes the truth hurts.

Positives? The Rangers Family. That simple. The best fans in the world. If the right person/people stepped forward the fans would again dig deep. The biggest investor in Rangers is the fans. Always has been, always will be. Graham Wallace and his cronies would do well to remember that. Without us their cash cow does not exist.

If Dave King or an other was to step forward and take this club out of the hands of these faceless individuals we could turn this all around. A share issue with someone we trust would be well received. Especially if we actually knew the money was going to Rangers. I still believe this can happen. We could easily be a sustainable business. There is still opportunity. But right now it seems far away.

Right here, Right now I see the whole thing as a mess on so many different levels. But they always say the first part of solving a problem is admitting you have one. We have many sadly. But it can be fixed.

Sadly right back in 2012 on and off the field ‘Failure To Prepare Was Preparing To Fail’.

Dave King – It Isn’t Just About The Money

On May 16th 2013 I wrote on my Blog

‘It’s no longer a Knight I want to fix this. It is a King………….’

I wrote that back then because I could see where we were heading. Long before that I had predicted that the promises being made by Charles Green and others were just not happening. It became clearer as each week passed that the amount of the IPO money that was to be used for the day to day ‘Running Costs’ at the club were going to be far higher than initially suggested. The accounts have all but reaffirmed that. Was I surprised? No not in the slightest.

It appears the majority of the fans are now looking for change. By enlarge the Rangers family want rid of the current incumbents and replaced appropriately. When Charles Green took the club previous he promised it would be all about ‘Transparency and full corporate governance’ we the fans would see clearly where every penny was spent and any monies raised would be spent on Rangers. Well unfortunately that isn’t how it has transpired, and we find ourselves running low on monies once again.

People often ask me what it is I am looking for from a Board running Rangers and the answer is actually quite funny. All I want is what Charles Green promised. I want to know that money invested in Rangers by Fans, Institutional Investors, Investors etc. is used for the benefit of Rangers Football Club. I want full transparency and I want the club to be ran using a viable business model.

For far to long Rangers have lined pockets of others whilst the club has been allowed to decay from within. This isn’t exclusive to following the Craig Whyte debacle either. We have squandered millions upon millions for years at Rangers making a lot of people rich. Board members, management, players, staff etc. and it needs to stop.

Walter Smith who is one of very few good guys in this sorry affair said the other day that the financials at Rangers sometimes had to be disregarded because it was Rangers and the size of the club dictated that we needed as strong a team as possible on the field of play. I don’t blame Walter Smith for saying that, that is what he is accustomed to and he is a football manager, not a businessman. But you see that is where Rangers are massively flawed. You see ‘the financials’ as it were are of the upmost importance at any football club, and Rangers quite simply cannot be any different. So soon after administration and liquidation of the company that ran Rangers one would think that would of now became abundantly clear. But alas I’m not sure it actually hits home with some.

This last week there was great debate about the salary Ally McCoist received for managing in the 4th tier of scottish football. He received £835,000. Yes that’s right you read that correctly. He received £135,000 more than Michael Laudrup was paid for winning a trophy and getting Swansea into Europe. Many were up in arms that this was made public and was used in a way to deflect criticism away from the board and their ludicrous salaries. But you know what? I am glad I know. Regardless of how good or bad a manager Ally McCoist is the fact he was on a salary of anywhere near that amount is quite simply financial suicide. Regardless of who the man is and what he has been through whilst Rangers manager it is still financial suicide. It should never have been paid regardless of our predicament. But so soon after what happened at our club for the gaffer to think £835,000 a year was okay as we were in a better place (we really weren’t) is just utter utter nonsense. Ally has since agreed to a 50% pay cut but was at pains to inform all that once we return to the SPFL the salary will revert to what was originally agreed. That quote is wrong on so many levels I don’t even know where to start. But as it’s Ally McCoist I guess I’ll need to keep my lips sealed.

At the running rate we are currently at we stand to have about £6 million in the bank. With each month passing that will obviously get lower so at some point we will need external investment. Lets all be completely honest and admit it isn’t coming from anyone currently at the club. I see diddly squat coming from the likes of the Easdale’s no matter what Mr Irvine tells us,  so it was of no surprise to hear that Brian Stockbridge and Craig Mather had flown to South Africa to see one Dave King. Initially I was fearful as being honest I would prefer for the current board to be gone before Dave King becomes involved. I would like for Dave King’s money to go to Rangers, not some blazer wearers pockets. Over the last few days though it has become abundantly clear that there is indeed some truth to this story. It is now being suggested Dave King will be made club chairman and will be looking to invest substantial sums. This news coming on the day Ian Hart has resigned from the board of the club.

If Dave King has agreed in principle to being club chairman this can only be a good thing. First it will be on his terms. He has requested full financial transparency. He wants under the bonnet of our financials and if he doesn’t get that then the deal could be off. Craig Mather has no position of power here. He knows the heat is on him and his cronies and he needs a Dave King to try and steady his ship. Not just for the investment but for the link to fans. In the same way Charles Green went after Walter Smith. But the difference here is Dave King is a very different beast, you see he does know how business works unlike Walter who admitted numerous times it was not a world he lived in. Dave King could buy and sell any of our board in a day. He has more money than them and is far more business minded. He was associated with the old board some have said. Yes he was. He invested £20 million of his own money and requested no return on it. Who else did that? Ever? He disagreed with the way David Murray ran the club and in later years it effected his relationship with him. He along with Paul Murray and others tried to stop Craig Whyte ‘duping’ David Murray but alas that failed. Being honest I don’t think anyone was ever stopping David Murray selling to Whyte.

My own thoughts are that Dave King will become chairman if his requests are met and what will follow will be the offloading of the current regime. Through highlighting of incompetence from within or otherwise. I don’t think Dave King after all this time and 12 years of battles with SARS away from Rangers is willing to take this battle on unless he knows he will win his beloved club. Thats just my take on it.

For me though this isn’t just about Dave King coming in and throwing millions of pounds at it and Rangers living happily ever after. There has to be far more to it. We need a new business model where we become self sustaining and only spend what we make. Dave King has stated numerous times we will need external investment to help us get back to the top and to assist us when we get there. He can do that. But we need to look past that. We need to spend our money far more wisely. Invest in match day experience. Invest in scouting, coaching and player development. These are all investments that will make money for the club. Lets not get back to the days where it is all about spending to solve every problem. Football is about more than that these days. Our club is lazy on and off the field and that needs to change. If management on and off the field aren’t ready to embrace that then they need to be replaced by people who are.

Dave King is one of us. He is one of us with a lot of money. There are not many of those around. He wants what is best for Rangers and that can never really be called into question. For us to have someone that understands the business mechanism of the club who can tell us the truth is something we have not had for a long long time. And if it happens I will welcome it with open arms. If King provides a share issue where it is explained to us exactly where our money is going I’m sure the fans would invest again.

But we will remain on guard. We quite simply have to. So many were duped by the ‘No Surrender Charles Green’ nonsense and took him far to much at his word. Following the Craig Whyte debacle I promised I would question everything surrounding our club. We should never stop asking questions of the people that run the club we love. If there is nothing to hide people should never have problems giving the answers, Don’t you think?

So yes I want Dave King. He is the guy I have wanted all along. But this isn’t just about throwing money at something and going back to the way we were. This is about us getting better. This is about building the best Rangers we can be. I am hopeful Dave King can help us achieve that. It isn’t just about the money.

You Asked, Now You Know

 

“I’ll wait till the accounts come out” 

This is the line I have had repeatedly thrown at me during my various rants on the folks running our club.

Well today they are out for all to see, And as expected it doesn’t look good.

Basically the club has lost in excess of £1 million a month (as I and others stated would be the case) and the IPO money is all but gone. We had a player wage bill of £7.8 million and Non playing staff wage bill of £10 million. All this whilst in the bottom tier of Scottish football. Most teams we took on were filled with gardeners, window cleaners and teachers some of which actually beat us deservedly. But still Rangers have managed to have just about blown the lot. 

Charles ‘Rangersitis’ Green has been paid nigh on £1 million for his 13 months ‘work’. Not bad work if you can get it. Come through the door, promise much and deliver very little. Embarrass an Institution and sale off with £ 1 million. Good work Chuck.

Ally McCoist wage is £835,000. Again absolutely ludicrous. Regardless of his name to pay a manager with no actual managerial experience anything like this wage whilst in the bottom tier of Scottish football is absolutely insane (there is a pattern developing here) 

Clearly the club motto has been ‘SPEND SPEND SPEND’

When Rangers won SFL 3 we won it by 24 points. At the time I alluded to the fact that QOTS had won promotion from the league above in a quicker time and some would say with better football. Their total costs were £300,000. Rangers wage bill alone was £7.8 million for playing staff. Again just look at the numbers. Of course I am not suggesting we could of ran Rangers with £300,000, But did we really need to spend what we have?

When the IPO money was raised we were given a list of what the £22.5 million would do. Myself and others wanted the money to be used for the clubs foundations for the future. Scouting, Coaching, Match day experience were all things we looked forward to seeing the money spent on. As each month passed I asked and asked again ‘what was happening with the IPO money?’ check my previous blogs if you don’t believe me. I repeatedly stated my concern that this IPO money was being used for operating costs day to day and not much else. Well past the acquisition of Edmiston House and a couple of jumbo screens I think again sadly I have been proven right. 

Looking through the accounts released today I see little or no investment from Chuck Green and his gang. But then am I surprised? Not really.

As of June there was meant to be in excess of £10 million sat in the bank. Well we have operated at a loss of in excess of £1 million a month since Green and his gang took over so I’m not sure there will be more than say £7 million left? Remember the losing £1 million a month was another thing folk made up who wanted change? No that was true as well.

So what now?

Well I will make it as clear and precise as I can.

CRAIG MATHER – OUT

BRIAN STOCKBRIDGE – OUT

IAN HART – OUT

SANDY EASDALE – OUT

JAMES EASDALE – OUT 

BRYAN SMART – OUT 

This simply cannot be allowed to go on. In their tenure this mob have literally spent just about every penny of the clubs and fans money whilst doing nothing more than wearing a club tie and lining their own pockets. It’s really that simple. Mather today speaks about lucrative sponsorship deals with Puma, Sports Direct, Ladbrokes etc. They aren’t ‘lucrative’ at all and certainly do nothing to assist in the ludicrous running costs of our club. In one year in SFL 3 these guys have spent just about 2 seasons worth of season ticket money and £22.5 million of IPO money and they claim to be doing a ‘good job’? In business I have been part of these guys would of been escorted off the premises for gross negligence. There is no investment from these guys coming. Their spin doctors can say what they like. £50 million cheques? Aye okay, signed by who? Mickey Mouse?

IT NEEDS TO STOP.

Jim McColl and others are trying to stop them. They have tried to get people in to have a look under the bonnet of the operation. But clearly this current regime know that Frank Blin would of found in car terms what you would call a ‘write off’. Now people can argue all day and night whether they want Paul Murray and others brought in but the facts are we need change. I don’t see anyone throwing money at this until the current regime are removed and some find that tough to understand, which is fair enough. I imagine Dave King has money to invest but in Rangers, Not in these clowns pockets. The club business model (I doubt there is one) has to be ripped up and we need to be far more financially prudent. We overspent when in the SPL and it appears we still haven’t learned following what happened nearly 2 years ago. This is not about Ally McCoist, the players, the board or anyone else ultimately. This is about the future of Rangers Football Club. Costs need cut and we need a proper plan. Investment will be required again but we need the right Captain steering the ship. We need our money going to Rangers, not elsewhere.

It is great to see a mobilisation of fans in the form of the ‘Sons Of Struth’ group and I wish them well in their quest and I hope more fans join them in trying to cleanse our club. The time for change is now. We need our club back before it is too late.

 

‘FOOL ME ONCE, SHAME ON YOU; FOOL ME TWICE, SHAME ON ME’

 

Rangers Family – United We Stand, Divided We Fall

 

Now really isn’t the time for ‘I told you so’, So I won’t attempt it as right now its not really the priority. The priority is the future of Rangers Football Club. You know the thing you, I and most others reading this blog proclaim is the love of their life.

Anyone who reads my blog regularly or follows my ‘rants’ on Twitter will know I did not trust Charles Green and his group 1 iota. You see I have worked in sales, I’m sure many have. Charles Green said what people wanted to hear, along with some ‘astronomical bullshit’ Now in sales as in life that will work for so long but at some point the lies and unfulfilled promise will catch up with you. And thats exactly what happened with Charles ‘Rangersitis’ Green and his pals. Along with some spectacular own goals from a man who just could not keep his mouth shut. I was told by a friend in finance circles back when the IPO was in full flow that the City Investors were already growing tired of Charles bumping his gums. Apparently when he appeared on Scotland tonight and declared the figures of shares that had been bought he caused a lot of displeasure as it was said to have then slowed up sales as people started to think we had plenty sold. At the time Green was successful in his bid to acquire Rangers I remember having many private conversations with Bears I respected who were adamant that Charles Green would be bad for Rangers. Now somewhere along the line these same folks opinions appeared to change. It appeared Chuck worked his magic and I for one was massively surprised at the turn around of some. All along I said I would never fully trust an owner of Rangers and why should I after what we had witness when Craig Whyte came to town? Yet some were happy to take Charles Green at his word. It baffled me being honest. What was said in these meetings with the ‘select few’ that made fans, fans groups and forums etc. change their tune and start backing Green to the hilt? Charles did his road shows which looking back people should really be embarrassed at the way they took all his bullshit in hook, like and sinker. The man was hero worshipped as the man who saved Rangers. This was something I never bought into. I still believe as it always is it was the fans who saved our great club. On Twitter and on my blog I repeatedly asked for substance. What have we spent of the IPO? What have we spent it on? What do we have left? Where is Charles up to on his ‘To Do’ list? I was repeatedly told I was worrying about nothing by most. Charles was the man who saved Rangers after all.

Well now we are where we are. Over a year in the bottom tier of Scottish professional football we have somehow spent in excess of £46 million and are set to be running out of money by Christmas depending on who you speak to. It is absolutely disgusting that this has been allowed to happen so soon after what we went through when Murray sold to Craig Whyte. Change has to happen and it has to happen NOW. 

An EGM has been requested and at current is being delayed because our current board do not want to waste club money of approximately £80,000 when we have our AGM so soon. YES YOU DID READ THAT CORRECTLY. These idiots who have overseen £46 million out the door want to save £80,000 whilst preserving their jobs with the Rangers cash cow a little longer. It disgusts me, I sincerely hope it also disgusts you.

My stance is this. I want them all gone. Every single one of them

Mather- If he didn’t invest £1 mil he wouldn’t be chief executive, out of his depth.

Ian Hart- If nothing else voted against Walter Smith when vote took place to reinstate Green. For that alone go and go now. 

Brian Stockbridge- The Financial Director who is better recording videos on his phone than having an actual idea of what money the club has left.

James Easdale- Him and his brother should have no involvement with Rangers, Period. Seeing him in a club tie literally makes me feel sick.

We are repeatedly told we need ‘cleansed’ and we do. Every one of this Board should be removed and hopefully via the EGM or AGM  that will indeed be the case.

Then we have the Rangers Family.

What you see right now across most social media is honestly quite embarrassing, I’m sorry but there is no other way to put it. On the day it was announced that Charles Green was leaving Rangers RangersMedia had a thread regarding this positive move for the club, By early evening it had reached 28 pages. However much to my amazement the article above titled ‘Chris Graham- Why The Hatred’ had actually reached 30 pages. I was literally speechless.

You see at a time where the Rangers Family should be stood together as one it appears we just cannot get past our own differences. This isn’t an isolated thing. Look on Twitter, there are fans arguing amongst each other regularly. There are fans forums who continually have a pop at each other and the people who write on their forums. There are fans groups who probably couldn’t agree that tomorrow is Thursday. I’ll be honest I find it incredible. At a time when Rangers existence is once again at risk it appears it is more important to say “you don’t speak for me” as opposed to actually saying “what can we do to help the club we love?”.

People who read my blog will know I don’t think Fan ownership is viable and I stand by that partially due to the reasons I have given above. There is such a divide that I just don’t see changing. However regardless of that I recently joined the Rangers Supporters Trust. I joined it not because of the desire to have fan ownership, not because of the admiration for its spokespersons. I joined it because I want the fans to have a voice. What is the point of me tweeting daily and writing a blog if I am not willing to try and do anything else? So I joined and I hope to see first hand some of the initiatives that the RST are trying. Because I want things to be better for Rangers. Will me joining the RST make any great difference in the grand scheme of things? Probably not. But can it do any harm to the club I love? Most certainly not. 

I don’t know Chris Graham, I don’t know a lot of people whose opinions are regularly put out in the public domain. But you know what? They don’t claim to speak for all Rangers fans. They give their opinion and it is up to you whether you take it on or board or not. No one forces anyone to follow a twitter account, listen to a podcast, read a blog, It is your own choice. It is always easier to criticise than put your head above the parapet and give your own opinion whether it be right or wrong. But all these guys want what is best for Rangers, should they really be chastised for it?

Hopefully one day in the near future Rangers will be back where we belong on a sound financial footing with a great future ahead of us as the most successful club in the world, being ran by the right people with Rangers interests at heart first and foremost. But if looking back all you did during this period was criticise anyone who dared voice their opinion on the situation at Rangers? Well you didn’t really do much to help, Did you?

United We Stand, Divided We Fall.

Never Mind McCoist Or Green. How About Both?

Well it’s Sunday. Rangers have had another embarrassing early exit from a cup competition to a part time football team made up of window cleaners, janitors and the like. The line up as we take as a gimme was a bunch of players played out of position in a formation we don’t agree with. On Friday the official Rangers website told us we were down to the ‘bare bones’, we only had in excess of 20 senior professionals to take on the mighty Forfar Athletic. Again let’s not be surprised as we are fed this nonsense time and time again, it doesn’t make it any less ridiculous. Ally went with a 451 with the lone striker being Andy Little who Ally says is not actually a striker, go figure. Jig was shoehorned in at centre half and an actual centre half returning from injury Chris Hegarty was shunted out to right back, a position Chris played last season but didn’t really shine in. In the meantime a player whose main position in his career has been right back and has impressed there this season Kyle McAusland was placed on the bench. Again no one will be surprised with this because Ally regular picks formations and player line ups that leave the fans scratching their heads more often than not. Awful football, awful effort levels and all the usual trimmings were there. Jig pulling rank on free kicks, you know the one where someone rolls the ball to him and by the time he reaches the ball the wall has broke and is centimetres away from it so it is effortlessly blocked. So as the game finished following extra time (may I remind you this was against Forfar Athletic) and Forfar were the deserved victors we were given this in our post match interview by our manager –

“I’m very disappointed. The team shooting with the wind obviously had a very strong advantage and conditions weren’t ideal. Forfar adapted better than us.

“With that said, once we did get the equaliser I thought we had chances to win the game and we should have done. It was a moment of slackness that cost us and we just switched off.

“Let’s put things into perspective though. It was last year’s team playing – which did well for us last year – and we had eight lads in the stand who couldn’t play but who’ll feature.”

Oh so the wind didn’t help us, it was last years team playing (Ally’s team) and Forfar adapted better than us? Oh well thats alright then is it? As I write this I still can’t actually believe this is expected to come across an actual explanation as to what happened. Following the game the Charles Green outburst also happened where Ally declared Charles Green “An Embarrassment”. Well Ally that may all be well and good, I myself have never been a fan of Chuck and his ‘Rangersitis’ but I could also counter that by saying have a look at the wage bill and players you have at your disposal, the facilities you have and just have a look at your managerial record. I could also say that is ’embarrassing’. What happened on the pitch yesterday was nothing to do with Charles Green. What has happened in just about every competition since Ally McCoist has been manager of Rangers have been down to a manager who is out of his depth. A manager who shows part time teams the respect Walter Smith used to show the likes of Barcelona, Manchester United, Fiorentina etc.

Add Forfar Athletic to Stirling Albion, Annan Athletic, Peterhead to the teams that have beaten Rangers and yesterday really isn’t much of a surprise. Nor is the manner in which we lost.  Sad as it is. That is the reality.

Ally McCoist the man? Without equal. Ally McCoist the player? One of the Best. Ally McCoist as a Manager? Just no.

Formations, Tactics, Team selections. It is the same week in, week out and the same various excuses are wheeled out. I’m sorry they are just not acceptable. This is Ally’s 3rd campaign in charge of Rangers and of course there has been a lot to deal with but he is just not made out to be a football manager. I spoke with a senior Scotland international recently about Ally as a manager and he himself said it would not work in the long run.

“Ally is a great guy on the training ground, Always ready for a laugh and a joke. But I can’t see how that would translate to being a manager”

Under Walter Smith you always knew there was a fear factor when needed, how many times would the players be going through the motions first half then come out after half time like a different team? I read countless interviews where players said if Walter walked into a room and he wasn’t happy you would just know, you knew it was time to get your finger out. I just don’t see that in Ally and I certainly don’t see it translating on the pitch. I recall an interview on one of my old Rangers videos where Graeme Souness used to say to the players that before an Old Firm game there was a mirror on the back of the door of the changing room, if when the game was finished they couldn’t look themselves in that mirror then they had no place at Rangers. My God can you imagine that now? You’d have the likes of Naismith and Hutton making sure their hair looked alright. The standards are just not there.

This isn’t just down to Ally, far from it it. Unfortunately though as Manager it his responsibility ultimately. Yet in post match there is always an excuse, and let’s be honest by enlarge the excuses are just awful.

Rangers are the most successful club in the world because we have always been winners with a winning mentality, to just accept continued decline in attitude is a very dangerous game to play and we cannot let it go on.

Now to off the field. That brings us to Charles ‘Rangersitis’ Green and his big money taking hands from Yorkshire.

My feelings have been very clear on Chuck for a long time. The man is a proven liar and during his tenure was an embarrassment to Rangers football club. The man contributed to the IPO success (however much of it is left) and past that went on what I would call a ‘bullshit rodeo’ to various supporters clubs all over the world and went on to tell each crowd what they wanted to hear. Some well renowned fans lapped it up when they really should of known better, some still are. The investigation into his links with Craig Whyte found there was no wrongdoing but it was still proven he lied about his relationship with old Googley Eyes. Then came his declaration about ‘Darkie Johnson and his paki pal Imran Ahmed’. The man has no place at Rangers and the sooner he and his faceless Zeus Capital pals are away from our club the better.

Yesterday following another day of lunacy at Rangers the battle lines appeared to be drawn along the lines of ‘Green out’ or ‘McCoist out’ . For this Bear my shout would be

‘How about both?’

Virtual Gers App by appeartome – Fun With Substance

If like me you take your smartphone everywhere with you, you were probably intrigued like I was when the Virtual Gers App by appeartome was released a couple of weeks ago. Being able to keep up to date with all things Rangers when I am out and about is very important to me. Alongside the Official Rangers application this a welcome addition to the smartphone app world and is packed with features and content.

On downloading the app for free I immediately updated the app to get full functionality which cost an additional £2.99 which I think is completely reasonable. On opening the app for the first time I found the user interface to be very user friendly and intuitive.

The headline feature with the app is the revolutionary 3d holograms of Rangers players past and present that you can add to photos of your own liking. I must admit it has had me entertained adding legends like Ally McCoist or Jorg Albertz on top of my coffee table etc. The results are simple but effective. Rangers have fans all over the world so its a great utility to get your picture taken with your Rangers hero no matter where you are in the world, Or like me you may just want Ally McCoist stood on top of your television.

Hopefully as time passes more Rangers heroes past and present will be added to the user interface to further enhance the user experience.

Once the novelty of the photo app wears off I was a bit concerned the app wouldn’t offer much in the way of extra content. On inspecting further I found that not to be the case. One swipe to another screen and you find Club Legend Andy Goram the man us Rangers fans simply know as ‘The Goalie’ interviewing Rangers players past and present on their various favourite moments at Rangers and in their careers. I’ll be honest and say I favour the Legends interviews as it took me back to the times I seen them in our 9IAR days. A lot of what the players say brings a smile to this Rangers fans face.

I must make special mention to the clothes Fraser Aird and Bert Konterman are wearing in their interviews. Hopefully the fashion police won’t take notice. Again hopefully in future further updates will see additional players added to the list of players Andy Goram gets to interview. One other possibility could be highlights of players questioned when discussing their memories, maybe show them on the app.

Once I watched each of the interviews I jumped to the next screen which took me to audio of various club interviews which varied from chats with Ally McCoist pre game, Andy Mitchell talking about extending his stay at the club, Henning Berg talking about his time at Rangers and much more. Again the user experience was very smooth and problem free.

In addition to this fixtures, results, match reports etc. are all easily accessible again with just one swipe.

Another interesting feature is the club Twitter feed which again is available at one swipe, which is kept up to date 24 hrs a day 7 days a week, personally I find it a vital source of official Rangers news.

Finally there is the Rangers News feed. This has brilliant content from all aspects of the club and again is very easy to use.

In conclusion I think the Virtual Rangers app is a brilliant way of keeping up to date on all things Rangers. The user experience is great and very smooth running. Having interview content from club Legends like Andy Goram is a bonus as you can see first hand the camaraderie there is at Rangers from generations past and present. I found the operating system very smooth and very rarely did the app crash which is always a great sign with a new app. My only small gripe would be the background music during Andy Goram’s interviews as it was maybe a wee bit to much ’70s disco’ for me but that is a very minor issue in an otherwise great user experience. Maybe in future the app could add push notifications for up to date club news which would be great to have.

If your a Rangers fan may I suggest you would struggle to find a better way of spending £2.99 on this app. Great fun with substance.