contacts

Sent you a wee PM mate to ask if you want to join the RM table. Cheers

Now before I get shot down here I don't know this for certain but I do believe the guy and it should be no surprise to anyone that the bank have their own man controlling things at Ibrox. Apparently the bank will not allow Rangers to give Weir a new contract until further players leave and the wage bill goes down. I think we all expected more players to have left the club by now and there is obviously a maximum we have for players wages with the credit crunch etc so if this story is true the club must be confident of moving on more players or Weir is on monthly contracts. The one thing it does suggest is that there will be no new signings until they get more players out the door. Tin hat on............. (I want to make it clear that I am still happy we won the league and although I would like new signings I said at the end of last season that if we win the league I don't care about new signings)

I would encourage everyone to get involved.....

For 78 & 79 years of age the two of them are in superb condition and spend so much time with the fans that it will be great to honour them.

I'm really surprised we've turned down £1.5mil! I just worry that we've started the hardball tactics with the wrong player and the wrong bid! Read to in the ET that Birmingham are being linked with Viera! I'm also surpised as they are paying him ~ £35k per week just now but good on them for trying to get everything they can for him. It looks like they are also holding out for more on Charlie Adams who I thought might go for free.

whilst Birmingham have only offered just shy of £1.5 million It looks like the club are finally going to play hardball in the transfer window - good on them.

Johnny Hubbard & Billy Simpson Tribute Events I am delighted to tell you that over the next few months there will be a number of tribute events organised for Rangers Legends Johnny Hubbard & Billy Simpson. When Johnny & Billy played for Rangers for 9 years in the 50’s they were best friends and they are still best friends today as they go to all the Rangers games at Ibrox together along with their families. They can always be found in the Wee Rangers Club for a couple of hours signing autographs and chatting to all the bears. At 78 & 79 years old they are both a credit to our club and when we won the title this season the old boys went straight to Ibrox to wait on the team returning with the trophy. I am involved in organising 3 separate events for them and I am hoping there will be another couple as the interest of folks to get involved has been marvellous. If you are interested in attending any of the following events then please contact me. Saturday 18th July - Stonefield Tavern (Teddies) Blantyre John Bomber Brown & Mark Hateley will be saying a few words on the night and there will be a Q&A with Johnny & Billy. There will also be a raffle and auction. The Stonefield Tavern (Teddies) has worked hard to become a great Rangers pub so please take this opportunity to come along and visit the pub whilst having a great night out with Rangers Legends. Tickets are priced at £5 and can be bought directly from the pub itself or PM me and I’ll get them sorted for you. (hopefully we can use the RM paypal account) Alternatively you can purchase tickets by post at the following address - - Stonefield Tavern, 225 Glasgow Road, Blantyre, G72 0YS. Cheques to be made payable to “Stonefield Tavern.” Friday 2nd October – Sportsman’s Dinner in the Wee Rangers Club This will be the main event and we are preparing a real quality night for everyone. The night will consist of a three course meal, top quality speakers (Jimmy Nicholl is the first to be confirmed), tales of their careers from Johnny & Billy and an auction including some real special items. Tickets are priced at £35 and will be sold purely on a first come first served basis as demand has already been huge. Mearn’s Castle Golf Day This event is still at the planning but will definitely go ahead as again demand has been brilliant. It will take a similar format to others with teams of four playing for what may become an annual trophy. More details will be posted in the coming weeks. If you would like to attend any of these events and I hope you can all make it along to the first one on the 18th July then contact me through RM or any of the admin or mods and I will get the tickets posted out to you. Finally I would like to say that it is an absolute pleasure to be running with these events to raise some funds for two wonderful Rangers gentlemen. *** You can use the RM paypal for this Contacts.

Brilliant mate!! That is my favourite one......

And where did the orange away top i donated go? Good work though. Don't worry mate as all the shirts donated went to Malawi. So much so I could not take over anymore as my cases were jam packed.

Thanks very much folks for the nice comments. I have over 900 snaps so there will be plenty more to share with you.

I genuinely believe because Neil Alexander commands his area so well and collects more than his share of cross balls that our defence became more confident and started to find a bit of form. Since Neil took over Whittaker, Weir and Boogie have had their best run of form this season and I believe that is no coincidence. Although McGregor is a fantastic shot stopper he does not command his box and this season his errors have cost us points. This leads to a lack of confidence from the defece in front of you. I actually believe that the 'Boozegate' affair with Alexander getting into the team with Edu won us title 52.

Let me start by declaring myself as a fan of Thommo although I have to admit that I am concerned that since he has been injured he is becoming a superstar in the eyes of some Rangers fans. He is a very good player who is agressive, great tackler and works hard for the team but he was a long way from being the finished article. Not enough goals, no killer pass and too many square balls. I do think he will continue to improve and potentially become a great player but he has some way to go and as far as captain material is concerned don't make me laugh. If big Davie Weir stays for another year then he will be captain and that is as it should be.

Jeff is a good friend of mine and makes a huge effort to come up to see Rangers as much as possible. He travelled up for at least a third of the games this year.

Does the full auction price go to RM? Would be great if it did Yes every penny of it.

Jeff's latest article plus some questions & answers from his website http://www.jeffwinterentertainmentandmedia...rs/0809022.html Since my last article, I have found it difficult to find the time to pen another as I have been spending virtually every week in Scotland. As well as two trips to Hibs, one to Falkirk and the final day party at Tannadice, I also managed to go to the CIS Cup Final and the final Old Firm match of the season at Ibrox. My wife does not understand why I keep travelling 400 miles to watch Rangers when we have Setanta in our house. Will someone explain to her please?! At the end of this article, you will see the latest letters sparked by the “Lafferty” incident. I was appalled by it and he will get his punishment. More importantly though, he will learn from his stupidity. His performance at DU showed maturity and he will get over it, although some will never let him forget. He proved his actions are louder than words, which is something that Georgie Boy may also learn from. He should have done his talking on the pitch, not off it. Thankfully he didn’t as Rangers may not have won the title without his motivation. Having got into the habit of watching Rangers live this season despite my media work, I am eagerly looking forward to my first trip abroad next season. I will choose my travelling partners very carefully though!! In drinking terms, I am very much a lightweight when compared you lot - women included. You certainly know how to party. I have recently enjoyed speaking at the Supporters Trust Dinner and also at the Wee Rangers Club. I have met so many great people. However, even I was not ready for what happened when I accepted Stewart’s kind invitation to travel to Dundee with the Paisley boys and girls. The last time I saw so much alcohol in one place I was in a French Hypermarket!! 10am, swigging wine and neat vodka from the bottle and that was only the girls!!! After 25 years of reffing and four years of sitting in press boxes, it has been great to get back on the terraces with the lads and enjoy the craic and the “odd” beer. Next season, I intend to try and write more for Rangers media and, as usual, give my version on things. I don’t look for agreement but that won’t stop me from having an opinion. I owe a massive thank you to far too many people to mention who have helped me get gigs and match tickets, and who have provided me with true friendship as part of the Rangers family. However, special mention must go to Scott Greig and the boys from Fife, and Scott McMillan in Glasgow. “One in a Row” was very sweet, especially for someone who had watched Boro’s relegation, Hartlepool’s slide down the table and Darlington slip into administration. I visited new grounds, met new people and all had a warmth that was very special. Thanks for the memories and here’s to the Emirates in August. You will see that via the Rangers media website and also my own website, you can order a copy of my autobiography. Perhaps it is an ideal gift for Father’s Day!!! If you order via Rangersmedia, I will make a contribution from the profits to them. I am currently receiving a lot of enquiries to speak at Rangers functions. If you are interested, contact me via my website. Enjoy your football and here’s to “The Champions League”. Best Wishes Jeff Winter I'm sorry I thought I had commented on a story with a reasonable human being not a typical biased and bigoted Rangers supporter. My mistake. Do you join in with the racist singing as well? (and before you start a very small number of Celtic supporters sing about the IRA - I don't support the IRA or sing about them but it is not illegal to sing songs about them). Can you imagine SAF's reaction if a referee down south made an unprecedented (for him) decision to rescind a red card then agreed to speak at an Arsenal or Chelsea supporters club dinner? Can you imagine if the ref phoned a radio station the day before the appeal to explain why the red card should be rescinded? Probably not - you'll just give a "what about paedophile priests" reaction. If football is corrupt (and don't forget the head of the SFA had to resign for deliberately delaying the registration of a Celtic player) then ignoring it rather than addressing it will be what robs it of a future. Apologies for thinking that your distance (and past) may give you some insightful perspective; unfortunately you've revealed yourself to be just another blinkered Rangers supporter. Michael Mckinven. Reply:- Glad you got that off your chest. Do you really think that the whole world is against you? bry has a query. What Lafferty did was embarrassing for the fans and club but lets put it in perspective he has been fined apologised and will be banned for a few games he was stupid but he is a young boy he has not killed any one so please move on. Reply;- Exactly, he showed character to put it behind him and have one of his best games at Tannadice. Beckham showed he had the ability to learn from his mistakes and win the fans over, however the Rangers/Celtic divide is so great that he will never be allowed to forget it. In life we all make mistakes, the art is learning form them. Ally has a query. I’m annoyed that this article and comments really just give the impression that Celtic fans are paranoid and using this as an excuse. The reality is Rangers should have been down to 9 men in this crucial game for cheating and violent play but instead seem to come out of it with kudos for punishing the player after the points are in the bag and also having Bougherra’s red card cancelled. If you read this its like Celtic are the bad guys for complaining. What about Aberdeen and Dundee Utd two teams on the wrong end of cheating in Scottish football? Reply:- So you are annoyed that I am merely repeating and publishing what Celtic fans really did write in about the incident. They may not be the views of all supporters, but they certainly were of those I received. No matter what you read into that game the fact remains that it was Celtic that lost the title rather then Rangers winning it. No goals in your final two games was nothing to do with Rangers, Referees or anyone else. Pat has a query. You seem to think that the only reason Lafferty is being branded a cheat is because Celtic fans are upset, what about the Aberdeen fans and the other fans in Scotland. If there had been a disputed goal I'm sure Rangers would have viewed the video at half time as I'm equally sure that Rangers knew about the dive and wink, why not punish him at the half? By the way how much was he fined? Reply:- No idea what he was fined. The Laws do not allow anyone to be dealt with at half-time by TV evidence, so your argument is somewhat flawed. Delbhoy has a query. Hi Jeff Lafferty's reaction was disgraceful, there is no doubt however what needs to be understood about the modern Celtic fan is their voyeurism over Rangers. It's unhealthy. I am a Celts fan in the minority, I care about my club and what I watch on the park. Keep up the good work mate Reply:- Refreshing,the hatred on both sides is unbelievable. Perhaps if you were in a different League with more competition then other clubs could be classed as competitors rather than in the Two-horse SPL. dominic reville has a query. Hey jeff, you work in "entertainment & media", it's not journalism and that's why it's no surprise to me that you don't keep on top of the facts and are not wholly conversant with many of the football topics you dabble in. That state of relative ignorance doesn't stop you getting stuck in to debates you're not equipped to bring anything meaningful to. You don't seem like a bad sort and ignorance isn't a hindrance in your line of work so we'll gloss over it. In one of your recent replies you wrote "Even the SFA have congratulated Rangers over their handling of the incident, Oh but then again I forgot they are probably full of Rangers supporters!! But they weren't last season over the fixtures fiasco were they?" Last season, Rangers requested an extension of the Scottish league AND WERE GRANTED IT BY THE SFA. Rangers claimed they needed an extension because they were competing in Europe and had a few games piled up in Scotland (this was due to their not having beaten cup teams from divisions below the spl at first time of asking forcing replays and because they have consistently failed to bring their pitch up to spl minimum standards so that it was frozen and waterlogged and games were postponed, in short, their fixture pile-up was nobody's fault but their own). I repeat, THEY WERE GRANTED AN UNPRECEDENTED LEAGUE EXTENSION BY THE SFA. That is a fact. Manchester United won the Champions League last year and won the English Premier League as well but they didn't ask for an extension even though they had some tricky English cup ties to contend with too. Manchester United often field a B-side in fixture pile-ups to rest important players because of the heavy schedule of games, and have even been know to relinquish their place in some competitions to ease their fixture schedule. But you seem to think that by granting rangers the favour of an unprecedented league-extension, the SFA are somehow acting unfavourably towards rangers, BY GRANTING THEM AN EXTENSION???!!!?? That doesn't make sense? Rangers then went on to ask for a second league extension after the first was granted, but, quite rightly, the Celtic chief executive stepped in to stop all the embarrassing and underhand negotiations (which are continuously going on between rangers and the SFA) and reminded the SFA that the integrity of the league was at stake and the SFA reluctantly accepted that if it went ahead with a second extension there would probably be lawsuits filed by multiple other clubs regarding breach of contract. When leagues are set up all the teams enter into a contract to fulfill their schedules within a time-frame. A lot of money is at stake, as are places in European competition. Not only that but normal people (fans and footballers) book holidays and tickets to matches and you can't just tell them to rip up those tickets? Celtic asked for an extension to the league in 2003 in identical circumstances but WERE NOT GRANTED ANY EXTENSION. Go figure. Reply:- Extension or not it did not do them any good did it. Rangers were representing Scotland or more to the point Great Britain in the EUFA Cup Final, but then again that point would not exactly important to many Celtic fans would it? I am glad once again though to be given a history lesson by a Celtic fan, something I am getting used to. Russell Stewart has a query. Hi Jeff. Going with the topic of the Lafferty incident, I want to get my opinion across. I find it quite funny to be honest that Celtic are up in arms about this. Kyle Lafferty was wrong in what he done, yes, but the club acted swiftly and punished him for his actions. The club done the right thing and there should be no more of it. Celtic, however, are crying wolf, again. They moan about everything, just to get their way. An example of this would be last season's fixture congestion. I mean, it's hardly like Celtic haven't won the league through cheating. The amount of decisions against us this season and the closing stages of last was frankly, horrendous. That's why, I'll be chuffed if we win the league. Despite all the help they get from linesman and referees alike, they will have still lost the league. However, I still believe Rangers will bottle it. In my opinion, they will not win the league, the simply don't have the desire. Of course, we'll hear nothing more of this incident with Lafferty as everything will be back to normal at Parkhead. You know, cheating their way to everything. It's a pleasure having such a respected figure defending our corner essentially. Thank you. Kind regards, Russell. Reply:- The League is won, time to move on, but the bitter one’s never will. Alan has a query. Dear Jeff, Hope your well, just a quick email to say I couldn't agree with you more on two topics you've discussed. Firstly the Kyle Lafferty story, he shouldn't have done it, but it's over let's move on. And secondly(the more important one) - The Ivory waitresses are top class. Anyway all the best, let's hope it comes home on Sunday. Alan Reply:- It most certainly did come home on Sunday, what a day, pity that I can’t get to the Cup Final and more importantly as you say drop into the Ivory for a little look!!! Elliot has a query. Dear Jeff, First of all I am a somewhat confused Celtic fan, perhaps as a top ex referee you can enlighten me. The recent highlighted incidents in relation to bad tackles and dangerous play seemingly being treated differently has caused much stir. To go through them one by one it would be much appreciated if you could explain why it seems to be one rule for one and one rule for the other. 1) Loovens on Edu, for me that was a red card which was missed by the officials. Studs raised and pushed towards the Rangers player. Quite rightly he should be pulled up for the challenge and a 2 or 3 game ban would be plausible. What do you think? 2) Macdonald on Wilkie, again a dangerous challenge missed by the same ref (Although he did tell Wilkie to get on with it so maybe he did see it) that caused controversy sending off Bougherra only to change that decision. Just like Loovens I feel Macdonald deserves to be punished perhaps even more severely. His only saving grace is I believe he did not follow through with any real intent. However that is a somewhat hollow excuse. What do you think? 3)The Bougherra fiasco, no doubt in my mind his challenge on the Dons keeper was reckless and dangerous at best. Again the ref either bottled it or missed it, as he did with Macdonald earlier. It took his assistant to make the decision (Assistant ref still thinks the decision was correct). However later the ref decided to rescind the red and leave it up to a review panel to agree or disagree. As a Celtic supporter not too surprised by this fiasco. OK if I take my green specs off for a mo I can see Bougherra had little intent. However how can I or anyone know that for sure? I believe he made no attempt whatsoever to pull out of the challenge and that made it dangerous play. Red card deserved or not it was given and for the life of me I can't see how it could be rescinded. As IMO it was not 100% unjustified, I thought to be rescinded it had to be totally unjust. What do you think? 4) Steven Pressley was sent off last weekend for an elbow(just like Bougherra for dangerous play) however after the game pictures suggested otherwise just a strong challenge no elbow connected. Falkirk appealed but it got thrown out. What's the difference why not rescind his card, at least should it not have been reviewed? What do you think? To end I fully agree with you that these decisions don’t decide a whole season. However the reality is the 3rd one on my list gives Rangers a huge advantage on the final day. Just too add both Scott Brown and Bougherra picked up bans pre split. However the way the fixtures came out Bougherra was passed to play the OF game while Brown was left kicking his heels. I may well be a bias Celtic fan, however you must see an unfair advantage in the run in towards one side. Hopefully on Sunday those advantages will have no effect on the destination of the SPL and Celtic will be crowned the best out of a bad bunch. Not holding my breath as I expect an extra helping hand for Rangers on match day, an offside goal, a pen and sending off something blatant no doubt. In anticipation Elliot. Reply:- You do make a lot of sense, many aspects you mention were incorrect, unfortunately the conspiracy theories will always exist especially in the OF debate. I have always said that post match a review panel should look at major incidents and then suspensions should be imposed or indeed lifted. As well as getting things right it would also act as a deterrent to others. The only problem is that fans who then still have conspiracy theories if it was their teams players who got suspended. There is right and then there is wrong if it affects your own club. What is needed is a level playing field for all. steve forrester has a query. The Kyle Lafferty sending off incident reminds me of the goalkeeper who feigned injury at the hands of a supporter who tapped him on the head in a Champions league game. I believe the goalkeeper was heavily censured and banned for several games. Lafferty’s actions were similar in that it brought the game into disrepute. His actions were as contemptable as doping in cycling, fixing games for profit or any other form of cheating. As a referee is supposed to ensure that the rules of the game are carried out in a sporting manner. It is not a controversial issue. His actions should be dealt with harshly because he has shown disrespect to the sport and to his fellow players , and most importantly to the fans. They have every right to feel angry about the incident because it was an affront to the sport If the authorities don’t deal with such issues by imposing playing bans they are doing everyone a disservice. Your comments are controversial and disingenuous Reply:- My comments were based on the fact that I too criticized him, indeed he was nominated as my Villain of the week. If the SFA are to take action against him, it should have been immediate as would have been any sending off suspension. So I don’t really know what your gripe is. Stevie Mac has a query. RE: Kyle Lafferty I have to agree that Rangers did the right thing by taking action on Lafferty. I think all clubs should be made to do that but some players will admit their error some won't. Some clubs will back their man, some won't. It depends on their reputation and whether it is a good or a bad thing. Lafferty isn't that great a player, at least for now, so its not that big a deal. The action taken by Rangers puts them in a good light. They were also credited by the SFA Chairman, Gordon Smith an ex-Rangers player and avid supporter. But the actions in one game are not what the season is about. Every team has a multitude of games in which to win a league. Celtic were in the driving seat and let things slip. That is more to blame than Lafferty getting sent off. Gordon Strachan knows this and so do the players. It has come down to one game, the last one of the season, but only because of what has happened throughout the season. On Sunday, there will be more tension in Scottish Football than there is in the Akashi-Kaiky Bridge. Despite Rangers being in the driving seat, I think Celtic will win the SPL title. From that Lafferty's actions will be all for nothing. Reply:- Glad to say you were wrong about the destiny of the title, but you are right in that Celtic themselves lost it rather than anything else. But you know Celtic v Rangers, any conspiracy theory is better than none at all.

The feedback has been brilliant as it really was a great night....... Thanks to everyone who signed up for the Lotto.

For me it just means Celtic are looking for a bitter tim to be their next manager!

The WRC are only allowig members in for Cup Final day this w/e. This is a one off and is aimed at helping the current members.

That is what we all want buddy!!! is there any tickets left for this Yes just send me a PM

I woke up at 5:30am as bright as a button. I was nervous earlier in the week but I was now confident we would do it. I went to my brothers at 8am for breakfast and a beer with the rest of the lads from our RSC. We left for Dundee at 9am and got into the boozer at 10:30am for a good few sherbets before going to the ground at 12 to sort out some tickets and meet the referee. From the first seconds of the game everyone knew we were going to win as the attitude of the team was immense although with 5 mins to go I'm still screaming at the defence to clear the ball. We stopped for a quick beer on the way home and then off to Ibrox. I stayed in the WRC as my mates went to see the team at the stadium. After that I got dropped off at home at midnight pissed but a very very very happy man. What a magical day I had!!!

We have a bus full of folks coming from both Fife and Johnstone for this night to support the ex-players fund.

over 200 now attending this

The Thornton suite is now being opened to supplement the Members Lounge so there are now more spaces available for this night.

bump

Yeah Jeff will sign these books and put whatever message youe require.