bawsburst

For The Fallen; With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children, England mourns for her dead across the sea. Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit, Fallen in the cause of the free. Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres. There is music in the midst of desolation And a glory that shines upon our tears. They went with songs to the battle, they were young, Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. They mingle not with their laughing comrades again; They sit no more at familiar tables of home; They have no lot in our labour of the day-time; They sleep beyond England's foam. But where our desires are and our hopes profound, Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight, To the innermost heart of their own land they are known As the stars are known to the Night; As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust, Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain, As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness, To the end, to the end, they remain.

The Hatred Must End November 11, 2014 / 22 Comments It is heartening to see prominent Celtic supporters coming forward to condemn the disgusting antics of their fellow fans in besmirching the minute’s silence for Remembrance. It is also good to see that the media are no longer compliantly refusing to highlight this appalling behaviour. Sunday’s sickening scenes and sounds at Pittodrie highlight the very real problem Celtic FC has with a sizable section of their support. Despite the mantra being repeated in the media, it is way more than a tiny minority whose seething resentment for the commemoration of the war dead annually heaps shame upon the Parkhead club. Celtic took to the field on Sunday, their strip absent the poppy, and this was a blatant statement a watching world could be in no doubt of as to the intent. Any drivel about not wanting to upset a section of the support is unacceptable, particularly given the media and public response to the anti-poppy, anti-British culture in Celtic’s fan base. We keep hearing about the right to not wear a poppy and I accept this is down to individual choice. But, as one poster on here pointed out, what if some of the Celtic players at Pittodrie wanted to wear a poppy? Would their right to wear one be respected by those who witter on about the right to individual choice? To their credit, both Celtic manager Ronnie Deila and his assistant John Collins had their poppies on prominent display. My old man was JC’s agent back in the day and he is a decent guy. How Celtic must dread this time of year but the rod that now strikes them is entirely of their own making. The club should set out its policy in relation to Remembrance Sunday and stick by it. Its mealy-mouthed approach is now the object of public scorn and rightly so. There are many Celtic fans who are dismayed by the hatred of their fellow fans toward this event. Some of them have relatives who perished fighting for the freedoms we enjoy today and they want to commemorate the sacrifice like other decent citizens. Celtic can number former players among those who gave their all so it is even more disgusting that their memory is besmirched by those poisoned with vitriol and hate. Again the cancer of Irish terrorist glorification has let the club down in terms of image and reputation. Celtic is a club proud of its Irish roots and connections. It is also manifestly and unashamedly a Roman Catholic club. No reasonable person would have an issue with these things. It is the cancer of support for the IRA and other murder groups in the support that blights and tarnishes Celtic’s image home and abroad and that incites the animosity of rival team supporters. The inclusive culture the club self-promotes is but a mask for this boiling hatred of Britishness. Curiously, Celtic FC crave the recognition of being a big British club and have made no secret of their desire to play in England. Yet the behaviour of many of their fans and the club’s dithering appeasement of them have very likely put the kibosh to this. Nobody in their right mind would sanction a move to English football for a team whose support would foment racial and religious hatred wherever they went. Years ago the rivalry between Rangers and Celtic could be put down to Protestant-Catholic tensions. It certainly made for some fiery tussles and helped develop the clash as arguably the world’s fiercest derby. Nowadays the Billy v Dan encounter is not so much about religion as it is political and cultural. To many in the general populace, it is about one set of terrorist glorifiers against another. But that is not strictly accurate. Rangers fans’ chants in support of Ulster paramilitary groups have virtually ceased. Rangers fans have moved on. The staunch support of Ulster is still there but it can be done without glorifying paramilitary groups. The whole world has moved on. The old hatred for Britain in the Irish Republic has dissipated and a growing number of Irish people desire closer ties with Britain. Among the Nationalist community in Northern Ireland, polls show strong support for staying in the UK and one popularity poll had Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth come top over Martin McGuiness by some distance. Sadly, it seems that Scotland has become the new home of hardcore Irish terror-loving and anti-British vitriol – something amply demonstrated during the recent indy ref campaign. Much of this can be found among the Celtic support and its ultra factions, including ǝpɐbıɹq uǝǝɹb ǝɥʇ. The challenge for Peter Lawwell and his colleagues at Celtic Park is to eradicate this cancer of hatred from the club and the Celtic family. The consequences of not doing so are potentially calamitous in the long run. As Peter Lawwell knows only too well, the patience of the public will wear out. In Britain today you have the right to not wear a poppy. You even have the right to rail against those who commemorate the fallen. But honouring our war dead is so massively ingrained in our culture that to flaunt and openly defy this is suicidal. A taste of their inbred bile.

Stokes should be deported.

http://www.<No links to this website>/opinion/sport/record-fc-rangers-lets-quit-4608776 Opinion by Jonathan​McFarlane​ Let’s look at our own behaviour before we slaughter Celtic fans over Remembrance Sunday. The teams observed a perfect minute's silence unlike some fans AS the booing and shouts rang out across a sea of otherwise respectful silence at Pittodrie, it was clear that a small section of Celtic fans had once again tarnished the name of their club on a Remembrance Sunday. The club’s decision to abstain from wearing the poppy is one thing, many intelligent and reasonable people chose not to do so for their own reasons, but for fans to cat-call during such an emotive minute was crassness incarnate and deeply undignified. To boo a silence for the fallen makes no political statement but it does highlight the individual as a classless moron of the highest order , with absolutely no respect for the feelings of others. It’s clear that Celtic have a problem with such individuals who dimly conflate support of the club with their underdeveloped political beliefs. Sound familiar? Twitter was soon ablaze with reactionary fellow bears, filled with righteous indignation about those from across the city and their collective lack of moral integrity. It got me wondering if we have the right to be judgmental in context of our own issues surrounding inappropriate behaviour. We can’t have it both ways, claiming that whenever our fans stray it’s a minority but when those across the city do something wrong it’s the sign of a profound moral disorder at Parkhead. My feeling is that the vast majority of Celtic fans feel exactly the same way about Sunday's incident as most of us do about, for example, Manchester; acute embarrassment. Most of us that love football got into it because we loved the sensation of watching the ball fly past a despairing keeper, the smell of freshly cut grass and the flavour of a hot greasy pie and Bovril stomping over our taste buds at half time. We certainly didn’t decide to support our club because of a moral or political position and perhaps some of us could do with recalling the innocence with which we fell in love with this mad game in the first place. Celtic have their issues but rather than lazily chastise them without ever looking inwards, let’s concentrate our energy on ensuring that our own club is unimpeachably supported, that politics are left at the stadium door, that sectarian singing is never heard on away trips and that we have a board that reflects the values and passions of the supporters.

If the board cannot accept the managers views on footballing matters they should take the hard decision, if they cannot take the hard decision they should allow the manager to manage as he sees any given footballing situation. All they are doing is creating a lame duck managerial position.

Ally must action cap call-offs at Rangers ALLY McCoist has been heavily criticised and, at times, even derided for having Rangers games postponed during the last year or so. Matthew Lindsay Sports Journalist Monday 10/11/2014 Ally McCoist urges his men on from the sidelines in the 4-0 win over Falkirk Fans of all football clubs like to go and see their side in action at three o'clock on a Saturday afternoon - at home especially. So when a match is switched to a midweek slot, for whatever reason, it tends to annoy supporters. The logic behind McCoist asking for fixtures to be called off - that three or more of his players are away on international duty - has not been widely accepted. When the Gers manager last invoked SPFL rule G7 and had last month's scheduled Petrofac Training Cup quarter-final against East Fife put back it upset many. Centre-backs Bilel Mohsni and Marius Zaliukas were called up by Tunisia and Lithuania respectively. Northern Ireland, meanwhile, placed Dean Shiels on stand-by. All three men had featured in the first team in the 2014/15 campaign. But not all of them were likely to kick off the last eight tie at New Bayview. In fact, it was not inconceivable that none of them would play. Surely, a lot of disgruntled fans asked, the Ibrox club has a strong enough squad to be able to cope with a meeting with part-time opposition from the bottom division without Mohsni, Shiels and Zaliukas? For followers of other clubs, meanwhile, it was nothing short of laughable that the once-mighty Glasgow giants appeared to be running scared of minnows from Methil. McCoist will argue that it is his responsibility as manager to put out his strongest possible side on the park irrespective of how lowly the opposition team are. He will also point to the fact his side has won all four of the games he has had postponed - against Dunfermline, Forfar, Cowdenbeath and East Fife - this season and last. Yet, whether you approve of his stance in these situations or not is neither here nor there in the case of the Championship match with Alloa at Ibrox this Saturday. For the club board to decree the match goes ahead without consulting with their manager on the matter is alarming and suggests all is not well in the relationship between the two parties. Yes, the future of the troubled League One champions remains, despite Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley agreeing to loan them £2million last month, shrouded in uncertainty. And, yes, playing the game against Alloa this weekend as scheduled will certainly ensure that much-needed revenue comes in to the stricken club as normal. It should also prevent Championship leaders Hearts pulling further ahead of Rangers at the top of the second tier table ahead of a massive meeting between the two sides at Tynecastle seven days later. But the decision on the Alloa match going ahead was a football one and should have been taken by Ally McCoist and Ally McCoist alone. That it was not was a disturbing development and has set a worrying precedent. What's next? Derek Llambias ruling that Jon Daly deserves a start up front ahead of Kris Boyd? David Somers insisting the side should set up in a 4-5-1 formation instead of a 4-4-2? The absence of Mohsni and Arnold Peralta will not impact on Rangers as neither man has featured for the first team in weeks. The loss of Lewis Macleod, however, most certainly will. It is no surprise McCoist is considering asking Scotland boss Gordon Strachan to release the midfielder for the game if he is not set to be involved in the Euro 2016 qualifier with the Republic of Ireland on Friday night. Macleod scored one goal - his eighth of the campaign -and set up Kenny Miller for another in an emphatic 4-0 triumph over Falkirk in a league game at Ibrox at the weekend. He was also the deserved recipient of the man of the match award. The 20-year-old, then, will be conspicuous by his absence if he is not in the Rangers team against Alloa. He certainly has been whenever he has been sidelined previously this term. It was no coincidence the Light Blues drew 1-1 with Alloa away and lost 3-1 to Hibs at home when the talented youngster was injured. Five of the eight points they have dropped in the league this season have been leaked without him. Stevie Smith will probably get the nod to stand in for Macleod and will no doubt acquit himself with all of his usual professionalism. But he is a specialist left- back and is not a like-for-like replacement. Having said all that, if McCoist's men, who have now kept six consecutive clean sheets in all competitions, continue to play as well as they have done in recent weeks against Barry Smith's charges they should collect all three points. Their performance against a decent Falkirk side was assured. A Nicky Law strike early on gave them the lead and subsequent efforts from Macleod, Miller and Nicky Clark secured another victory. The backline of Richard Foster, Darren McGregor, Lee McCulloch and Lee Wallace was once again rock solid. Steve Simonsen in goals was rarely troubled by the visitors. Hearts edged out Raith Rovers - a side that Rangers had thrashed 6-1 a few weeks ago - by 1-0 through in the capital on Saturday and maintained their four-point advantage at the top of the table. But the fact that Rangers have won eight games on the spin, letting in just one goal in the process, is rightly giving them confidence they can catch and overtake their main rivals for promotion back to the top flight. You would think Ally McCoist, the man responsible for orchestrating that run of form and for overseeing Rangers rise through the bottom two divisions, would be deferred to on football matters. You would be wrong.

Craig Gordon says he's done with Ally McCoist after bust-up with Rangers boss Nov 09, 2014 08:13 By Scott McDermott GORDON claimed he wasn’t offered a contract by Gers in the summer – only for McCoist to insist he was given the option of signing. Celtic star Gordon is staying calm over row with Ally CELTIC keeper Craig Gordon has told Ally McCoist there will be no clear-the-air talks after his bust-up with the Rangers boss. Gordon claimed he wasn’t offered a contract by Gers in the summer – only for McCoist to insist he was given the option of signing. He also claimed Gordon hadn’t bothered calling him back but the Hoops No.1 said: “There’s plenty of things that could come out but won’t. “If he wants to say anything more it’s up to him. But I’m done with it.” Spending two years on the sidelines fearing for his career has given Gordon a great sense of perspective. So it’s not too surprising that a spat with McCoist has left the Celtic keeper unruffled. The 31-year-old spent a long time in the wilderness following his release by Sunderland in 2012, fighting for fitness as a knee injury continued to plague him. Old Firm rivals Rangers before pitching up at Parkhead, although Gordon claims he wasn’t offered a contract by the Ibrox club. That was disputed last week by Gers gaffer McCoist. The fact Celtic then landed Rangers in the draw for the League Cup semi-final added even more spice to the row. But Gordon has already drawn a line under the matter and won’t give McCoist a call to clear the air before that cup clash early next year. He said: “I don’t want to get into a war of words. It’s his prerogative to say what he wants. “Those things should have stayed between us. If he wants to make those make comments that’s entirely up to him. “I know exactly what happened and I’m comfortable with everything that has gone on. “It’s up to him, it makes no difference to me. “I haven’t spoken to him. I don’t know if he wants a phone call or not but now we’ve been paired together in the League Cup, it’s probably unlikely. If he wants to say anything more, it’s up to him. “But it won’t be coming from me. I’m done with it.” Gordon has more important things to worry about and hopes his injury problems are now over after becoming a Hoops regular. But he will accept being left out of the team if it’s for the long-term protection of his knee. Lukasz Zaluska was handed a start for last week’s win over Inverness as boss Ronny Deila didn’t want to take any chances ahead of the crunch Europa League clash with Astra. Gordon has now played 16 games in the space of three months. But as much as he’s delighted with his progress, the goalie admits he has to look after his body.

A touching day and a wonderful result.

Rangers may ask for Macleod to leave Scotland duty Rangers' Lewis Macleod was last week named in the Scotland squad for matches against Republic of Ireland and England. Picture: SNS by MOIRA GORDON Published 09/11/2014 00:00 Ally McCoist will consider asking Scotland coach Gordon Strachan to release Lewis Macleod from international duties so he is available to play for Rangers on Saturday. The young midfielder was last week named in the Scotland squad for matches against Republic of Ireland and England. But if Macleod is merely to be an observer for the Euro 2016 qualifier against the Irish on Friday, Rangers manager McCoist says he may ask permission to have him back briefly for the game against Alloa Athletic on Saturday. “I wouldn’t rule that out,” McCoist said. “From our point of view it would make sense but I do appreciate that he is Gordon’s player for these five or six days. But that’s something we would possibly have a look at. Hearts are trying to do that with two of their under-21 players so I will certainly have a chat with Gordon.” Hearts asked – and were granted – permission to have Sam Nicholson and Jordan McGhee released so they can play against Falkirk on Saturday. Scotland U21s have a game against Switzerland three days later, the same day the senior national side face England at Celtic Park.

It's a new dawn of who runs the club and those who implements the decisions of those who run the club. Sweeping changes are coming. ..and no opposition to them will be countenanced.

Mike Ashley makes his presence felt at Rangers as Ally McCoist is told Alloa game will not be postponed Manager says decision to go ahead with game against Alloa next week was made by the board without his knowledge, despite his side being without three players On form: Ally McCoist has seen his side win their last seven games Photo: PA 10:30PM GMT 07 Nov 2014 The Scottish Football Association has yet to receive a reply from either Mike Ashley or Rangers in response to a request for clarification of the Newcastle United owner’s role at Ibrox, but already the new regime has made its presence felt. The issue was next week’s Championship fixture against Alloa, which will go ahead although Rangers will be without three players due to international call-ups. In the grander scheme, that might seem relatively inconsequential, but it is a reversal of previous practice, as in the instance of the Rangers v Cowdenbeath fixture originally scheduled for Oct 11 and played this week. When Rangers requested that match be rescheduled, manager Ally McCoist justified the action on the basis of treating all opponents equally in similar situations. “Having called some games off now, I think it would grossly unfair on the other teams if we didn’t,” he said. McCoist had not been privy to the decision to change policy before the former plc chairman, David Somers – now acting executive chairman – called to say that the Alloa match would go ahead as scheduled. “Board decision, to be honest,” said McCoist. “I spoke to the chairman and the board have decided that they want the game to go ahead. And that’s fine and it’s something I respect so we will just need to get on with that. “The chairman was good enough to phone me to tell me they had taken the decision that the game was going to be played and that’s it, so great.” Asked if he had put across his own preference for a postponement, McCoist said: “I think they know – I don’t think I had to – but the decision has been made and I respect that totally. “We feel that no matter what team we put out, with the squad we have we are certainly capable of giving them a game and hopefully taking the three points. It’s absolutely vital that we do that tomorrow against Falkirk and next week. “We’re not looking at next week until tomorrow is finished. We’re on a good roll at the moment, we have won our last seven games and we are certainly enjoying playing. There is an awareness of how important it is to continue the run we are on.” The departure two weeks ago of chief executive Graham Wallace and finance director Philip Nash meant the end of the series of conversations McCoist had with the pair about team matters, including the possibility of trading during the January transfer window. “That was ongoing but no specifics – part of our normal chat – and that’s not yet happened with the newer regime,” McCoist said. “I’ve been dealing with the chairman for the last couple of weeks now. He’s been up on a far more regular basis and up for three or four days. I saw him at the game on Tuesday then spoke to him on Wednesday. He is actively pursuing a chief executive and that hasn’t changed. “I’m the same as every other manager and coach – we’d all love to strengthen our squads if we could. I’ve been in dialogue with the chairman but football matters like that haven’t been discussed yet.” One habitual McCoist theme since Rangers began life in the lower leagues has been the difficulty in establishing the club’s true strength. This season, though, they have beaten Inverness and St Johnstone in the Scottish League Cup – with Celtic next in the semi-finals – and will also meet top league opposition in the Scottish Cup when they play Kilmarnock. However, even victories in those ties would not establish Rangers’ status, according to the Ibrox manager, although he deftly switched the emphasis to the question of whether the squad could compete with Celtic over the long haul when asked if he would accept the cup fixtures as a barometer of likely form in a return to the Scottish Premiership. “No I wouldn’t because no matter if we win the two games and beat Kilmarnock and Celtic, there’s no way in my opinion we are ready to win the top flight,” McCoist said. “Inverness beat Celtic this season and how many people now think they will win the league? “And it’s the same with Hamilton – they’re going great but I don’t think they will win the league. In a one-off game there are a lot of teams capable of giving Celtic a game, and occasionally beating them, but over a Grand National course I don’t think there’s any that would give them a run for their money.” Meanwhile, Jon Daly said that although the Old Firm League Cup semi-final was still three months away, he had been importuned to get tickets for mates back home in Dublin. “I’ve had a few friends on to me for tickets already – for my end – because they will be supporting me,” the striker said. “I am sure it’s been the same for the rest of the lads.” First, though, there is the small matter of Scotland’s meeting with the Republic of Ireland in next Friday’s Euro 2016 qualifier at Celtic Park, with Daly’s Rangers colleague, Lewis Macleod, called into the Scottish squad for the first time. “There’s only going to be one winner,” the Irishman said. “I have told Lewis not to get too upset when Scotland get beaten.”

You are of course correct, I saw Graham Souness attend the Royal Opera House in London on several occasions whilst I also was attending, on the other hand you could just be a Philistine.

Chocolate soldier has nothing to do with sexual innuendo, it is a famous opera where the soldier carries chocolate in his ammunition pouch, rather than bullets..

You presuppose that the coaching staff are competent in any field.

Back in the day Temps would have been known as a chocolate soldier.

McCoist challenge to Rangers wing ace Templeton ALLY McCOIST has challenged David Templeton to prove he is worthy of a regular Rangers starting berth. The winger came off the bench to net the final goal in the Light Blues' 3-0 win over Cowdenbeath on Tuesday night. McCoist elected to go with Lewis Macleod and Steven Smith on the flanks as Templeton had to settle for a spot on the sidelines. But the Gers boss knows the 25-year-old has what it takes to be regular feature. McCoist said: "Temps has absolutely made a claim for a place. How he played against Cowdenbeath is what we're looking for from David. "He gets up the park and takes people on and he's always got a goal in him - he's got two very good feet, two very quick feet and he's always very well placed. "It was really pleasing to see him coming on and scoring. He was great and we know he's capable of that. "All that we can ask of him is to put pressure on myself and the staff to give him a starting position." Templeton was not the only midfielder to find the net at Central Park, with playmaker Nicky Law scoring just three minutes in. And the Ibrox gaffer is pleased with the options he has available middle to front after another Championship success. "I just felt the boys [Macleod and Smith] deserved another crack at it after putting in a solid performance against Dumbarton on Saturday," McCoist told rangers.co.uk. "We have Temps who can come in on the left-hand side and now that young Airdy is out for a couple of weeks we need options - so at this moment in time we're very pleased that we've got one or two. "Big Jon Daly came off the bench and was a real handful and had a couple of good headers and probably should have scored, so we've got one or two options up front too."

7-0.

I am sure Jack would agree, it is the easiest thing in the world to moisten the lips of little fannies like you and your chum. ...lol. .

Alistair will be denied transfer funds, but will be "given" N'castle loans that he may find suitable or not.

Only when you are sucking on the appendage.

“He who dares not offend cannot be honest.”

Ally McCoist shoots down claims by Donald Findlay that he's not boss of the real Rangers 04 November 2014 03:00 AM Gary Ralston THE Cowdenbeath chairman believes the Ibrox club are a new entity who must forge their own identity and traditions following the old holding company's liquidation in 2012. ALLY McCoist last night shot down claims by Donald Findlay that he’s not boss of the real Rangers. Cowdenbeath chairman Findlay believes the Ibrox club are a new entity who must forge their own identity and traditions following the old holding company’s liquidation in 2012. But McCoist says he’s going with the word of Lord Nimmo Smith, who led a commission into the use of EBTs at Ibrox under the reign of Sir David Murray. Nimmo Smith stated a football club is a recognisable entity, capable of being owned and operated, and many Rangers fans use his assessment as proof of unbroken history since 1872. Findlay, a former vice-chairman of Rangers, angered them with his assessment ahead of Gers’ trip to Central Park tonight. And McCoist said: “I absolutely and totally respect Donald. “Ian Durrant and I are the only two faces he can recognise at Rangers, which is entirely understandable. Like a lot of Rangers fans he will be very disappointed at what has happened, particularly in the last 24 months. “There are lots of supporters who feel the same way, that they have lost a little bit of the identity, their own personal bond or relationship with the club. “Like everybody else, Donald’s entitled to his opinion but his great friend Lord Nimmo Smith thought the opposite. “It is safe to say my opinion would lean towards Lord Nimmo Smith’s but I’m not getting involved in a war of words with Donald. I am looking forward to seeing him at Cowdenbeath.” Rangers can close the gap on Hearts at the top to four points in a game postponed at their request from October 11 due to international commitments. And McCoist will decide within the next 48 hours if he will make a call for the postponement of the home match against Alloa on November 15 on the back of that week’s international fixture list. The club is set to lose tens of thousands of pounds if it’s moved to a midweek while international players such as Bilel Mohsni, Marius Zaliukas and Dean Shiels have not featured recently. But McCoist said: “I will assess the situation and do what is best for the club and the players. “I understand the financial side but there will be more money if we are promoted. I’m under no pressure from the boardroom.”

Geoffrey is not amused.

One of Alistair's better interviews, we do not know that the word reborn was put to Alistair although the hack uses it, and the bookies are more often right than wrong otherwise they wouldn't be in business, he did not say they are never wrong.

With 13 title wins in 16 years, was Meiklejohn greatest Rangers player of all? THE legendary Davie Meiklejohn was a man for all seasons. Saturday 01/11/2014 Davie Meiklejohn takes to the pitch followed by Torry Gillick and Dougie Gray He spent 16 of them at Ibrox and had 13 league winner's medals to show for his efforts. A giant among men, he was arguably the greatest player in the history of Rangers. Of course, a fans' poll in 1999 awarded that accolade to John Greig - but a new book challenges that decision. Titled The Greatest Ranger Ever? Davie Meiklejohn: The Case for the Original Ibrox Legend, it puts forward the argument that the man born and raised in the shadow of Ibrox was the best. Meiklejohn came through his first big test the day he was born in 1900 when he survived the deadly Bubonic Plague, after more than 100 cases were reported locally in Govan. He first made his mark as a gifted right-back at Maryhill before Rangers secured his services in 1919 for a transfer fee of £10 and a corrugated iron fence for the Junior club's Lochburn Park ground. He made his debut for the Light Blues in a league match at Aberdeen's Pittodrie Stadium in March, 1920. His day began by catching a morning train with his team-mates from Glasgow to the Granite City. Then the Gers stars were required to walk from Aberdeen station to the ground to "stretch their legs". The youngster started off with a victory and landed a league winner's medal at the end of his first season. Sadly, the campaign ended in tragedy when manager William Wilton drowned on a friend's yacht just hours after celebrating the title win. The gloomy incident cast a shadow over the club but, in Bill Struth, Wilton's replacement, Meiklejohn found a man who would go on to play a massive role in his career. The new Ibrox boss moved his powerful defender into the heart of his half-back line, where Meek went on to collect league titles like others collect stamps and play a pivotal role in Rangers' 1928 Scottish Cup success - their first win in the tournament for 25 years. Their lack of success in the competition had become a music-hall joke, but a then- record crowd of 118,000 turned up at Hampden to see them take on Celtic in the final. It was a tense affair until 10 minutes after half-time when captain Meiklejohn slammed a penalty past Hoops keeper John Thomson for the first goal in an eventual 4-0 rout. Three years later triumph again gave way to tragedy when Thomson lost his life in a league match at Ibrox. The young Celt - who had played with Meek in a famous Scotland victory over England just months earlier - had lain prone after diving at the feet of Gers forward Sam English. Some home fans thought he keeper was play-acting and started jeering but Meiklejohn instantly realised the severity of the situation and appealed for calm. The Ibrox terraces fell silent immediately. THE Rangers skipper later read a lesson at a memorial service for Thomson. Six years earlier the man who lived his entire life within a 10-mile radius of Ibrox had survived his own brush with death within sight of the famous stadium. Meiklejohn was on his way back from a night out when he was involved in a horrific bus crash not far from his home in Copland Road. He had been travelling with team-mate Willie Hair along Paisley Road when the driver was forced to swerve violently to avoid an oncoming vehicle. The bus careered straight through the front window of a grocer's shop, leaving seven people seriously injured. Meiklejohn escaped with a knee injury that forced him to miss a couple of games but he was soon back on his feet. And the first official engagement he was able to take part in after the terrifying crash was the club's annual dance at the city's Grosvenor Hotel. Apart from making 563 league and cup appearances for Rangers and captaining his only senior club, Meek also won 15 caps for Scotland. A stalwart at the heart of defence, he put the shackles on legendary England centre-forward Dixie Dean on two occasions, paving the way for famous victories over the Auld Enemy at Hampden. After hanging up his boots in 1936 he worked for a while as a sports reporter, but returned to the game 11 years later as manager of Partick Thistle. Sadly, he died in 1959, after suffering a heart attack in the directors box at Broomfield just moments after his Jags side had lost a League Cup tie to Airdrie. He was 58 years old. Written by Jeff Holmes and published by Pitch Publishing, the book costs £18.99; each comes with a limited-edition Davie Meiklejohn bookmark.