72barca

I would imagine Lawwell, when Rangers were asking for a few days extension leading up to the Europa cup final in Manchester

How about John Gow? http://soccernet.esp...rangers?cc=5901 Great post, thx.

Timmy, your new shirt sponsors are MAGNERS, right? Did you know that this is an angram for ....... GERS MAN. Awww Nawwww. LOL

GM you deserve a bear hug. The ramifications of this find are huge. We know that the SPL have an upcoming tribunal, and instead of stripping titles they would probably try to fine us a few million pounds. Charles could now tell them to drop the tribunal, revoke the signing embargo, give us back our money, give us a full membership etc., etc., or no new league set-up. Now instead of having a few brews to drown my sorrows I can have a celebration. Well done.

This thread has been a very good vent session. What do we know for sure? We know that the new merger (?) is not illegal. We now know that Rangers do not have a full membership therefore cannot vote, therefore cannot influence events via the ballot box. We know that we will have to win three more league titles to be back in Europe. Nothing new there. We know that the Rangers media department are starting to pushback. Nothing too vociferous yet, just warming up. We know that Lawwell back in Feb. of last year said that he wanted to dominate Scottish football. We know that he and his allies are in control at the SFA/SPL. We know that the fusion of SPL/SFL will give us one governing body, no doubt he will control that. No doubt this new body will speak for all teams when a new TV deal is negotiated , and since we don't have a vote we will not be able to affect the outcome. What do you do if you are the dominator? Well, you ignore the team you wish to dominate. You don't acknowledge that the biggest and most powerful team in the land should be a party to any discussions. You intimate that they have nothing worth contributing. You indicate to them that they have no influence in any strategic decisions in Scottish Football. In such a fashion your object is to sap their will to fight, deny them any opportunities to have an impact, prevent any chances of building alliances. In this way you isolate them until they see no future, no hope. Aye right. Charles Green issued a statement on Rangers TV which contained the right measure of indignation and bluster. For the moment he can't do any more. If he does it looks like he's banging against the doors with his bare hands. Sun Tzu said in The Art of War - "When you have garnered your forces to your satisfaction, and chosen your battles, then will you have favourable results" ( a bit of paraphrasing there ). Give Charles time. He knows that he has at least two more battles to deal with that are not of his choosing - the SPL tribunal and possibly the HMRC appeal. These two he can deal with in court because the SPL is not the national football association, the SFA is, hence FIFA or EUFA cannot interfere. Let's see how Charles does there first. I get the feeling that even if Charles was to pack up and leave, he has not finished with this lot yet. I still thinks he wants his money back from the SPL and maybe the SFA. The only question is, can it be done before the SPL is dissolved?

Well done. Clear and thorough.

They've got Lunney, we've got Jim Traynor !!!

History is written by the victors. Our enemies set out their stall and waited for their opportunity to strike. They did, and they failed. They did not finish us off. Like you I have an anger burning in me at their methods and their motivations. How many events or biographies in history do we read that are qualified by the words "early details are sketchy" ? I think we need as erudite and lucid a chronology of events up to this point as we can get. I have read many of your posts and articles on other sites and I think you are eminently qualified to tackle this project. Let the truth be known as best it can be at this point.

I agree with this statement. I am also thoroughly fed up with reading all this whining and greetin' at the first sign of disappointment. It is energy-sapping and tends to destroy the will to resist the Rangers-haters. Why in the hell is this thread talking about cutting and running for England or elsewhere? So David Longmuir says that in a spirit of compromise the SFL clubs will fall in to line with the SPL 's proposal of 12-12-18, and because of this Rangers will end up in the bottom division for another season. Who cares, we're out of Europe for 3 seasons anyway. We still can build a superior team for the top division in the next two seasons. We need the time to do so anyway. The thing to keep in mind is that thanks to Ally, Charles and the supporters, Rangers are still here. I remember an article in the sun back in Feb. 2012 - http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/4127860/Lawwell-We-dont-need-Gers.html - in which Lawwell says that he wants to dominate Scottish football. He said it, but do we have to agree? He can have it for the next couple of seasons then I want the title back. We didn't get 54 titles by tucking tail and running. Remember a line from Bill Struth - "No matter the days of anxiety that come our way, we shall emerge stronger because of the trials to be overcome." Are these just words or are we going to show the internal fortitude to back our team, here in Scotland. The supporters in the stands show it week in and week out, how about the laptops getting on board? At one point I despaired for Rangers, but from the day and hour I heard Charles Green say that Rangers' fate had been decided by an agenda driven by bigotry, I was uplifted and decided to support in any way I could, Rangers' fightback. I choose to object to the drivel spewed by the likes of Cosgrove, Gibbons, Thomson and Keevins. Don't give them the satisfaction of knowing it is having an impact. I recently re-read a powerful little book called 'The Art Of War' by SUN TZU, and I'd like to give you a quote - " If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. { Charles Green } If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. { David Murray } If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. { Craig Whyte }" Always remember, since ancient times, it has been known that ..."the true object of war is peace". No Surrender.

How many times has he saved the team? They should have scored with a few of the chances they made and then his howler wouldn't have been noticed. Forget it, Neil.

That will do me, then. Support Our Troops.

From The Rangers Standard. Outstanding. Rangers-Defining a Club Ethos By Colin Foster 1 The Rangers family are hardened survivors. On match day, Ibrox is buzzing with a tangible appreciation of being able to watch our team play, stemming from the knowledge that we so nearly had this taken from us. I’ve even enjoyed watching the opposition teams, for without whom, a game of football would be impossible. So a special thanks to the SFL teams who took us in, and offered us shelter, in our time of need. The 140th anniversary celebrations at Ibrox were especially poignant. John Greig walking onto the pitch was a special moment. It was a time for remembering past glories and absent friends. Some real Rangers legends were out there that day; and I include amongst them, both our Manager and our Captain. We can never win over the extremists aligned against us. We can, however, hope to positively influence the neutrals and moderates. On this basis, I think it appropriate for the fans to at least discuss the possibility of developing a ‘Club Ethos’ in conjunction with the Club. The objective being to define how all within the entire Rangers family should act: including Club staff, players, fans at games, meeting in public and posting on line (altogether, the Team); based on a common set of values and standards codified in a Rangers Charter. By defining in our own words what it means to be a Ranger, it would deny others the opportunity to stereotype us negatively to suit their own ends. A successfully implemented set of values and standards would bind us together, and act as a suit of armour to protect us from incessant sniping and attack. Values and standards can help develop an ethos which could, in turn, promote the Club positively to a wider audience, including much needed Corporate Sponsors essential to ensure continuing growth and development of the Club. I appreciate it will be difficult to reach common ground and consensus between all members of the Rangers family. However, I’m hopeful that most would be able to agree to comply with our values and standards. Values and Standards If we are to define a set of values and standards, what should our foundation be? I’d prefer for values based on principles such as freedom, liberty and equality. The same foundations as many countries, including the UK, the USA, Canada, and other nations whose founding fathers come from a proud Scots and/or Ulster-Scots background. I did consider proposing values founded directly upon religious teachings, but in the modern world, there are so many people, of different faiths, and no faith, how do you reach agreement? I’d like to propose the following values and standards, as a medium to start a discussion, and see if there is enthusiasm within the Rangers family for a defined Rangers Charter. I hope there is agreement, for the advantages are compelling: helping protect and strengthen the Club, whilst thwarting our detractors. The following is loosely based on the values and standards of the British Army, an organisation that, like Rangers, had a relatively narrow cultural mix but has modernised and evolved. It now takes people from all walks of life and binds them into one strong team. Like the British Army, we, as Rangers fans, need to ‘Be the Best’. Proposed Rangers Values and Standards Our values and standards should be the lifeblood that sustains us. They have to be more that just words, we must believe in them and aspire to live by them. Managers (such as the great Bill Struth) create an ethos for the team and ensure values and standards are at the centre of it through personal example. Values are about character and spirit while standards define our actions and behaviour. The reputation of Rangers Football Club needs to be protected. We have a tradition of excellence born of footballing achievement and high standards of professionalism, individual behaviour and self-discipline on and off the park. These qualities cannot be taken for granted and are only maintained if they are underpinned by a robust and clearly understood framework of values and standards. It requires all of us to understand and live by them. Prominent people associated with Rangers need to demonstrate leadership when it comes to this issue. Rangers are not immune from changes in society therefore we must explain why our values and standards are more demanding of the individual than those found at other Clubs. Rangers values and standards are not abstract concepts whose origins lie solely in the demands of a game. Values are the moral principles – the intangible character and spirit that should guide and develop each and every Ranger and define the sort of people we should be. Standards are the authoritative yardsticks that define how we behave and on which we judge and measure that behaviour. They reflect, and are consistent with, the moral virtues and ethical principles that underpin any decent society. It is important that they are explained within this wider context, for it is vital that all Rangers are able to apply them in today’s complex world. To that end, the articulation of these values and standards needs to be accompanied by continuous and appropriate examples. They apply at all times, whether on or off the field of play, and to all members of the Team. For Rangers, the consequences of winning or losing are profound. The team is judged and measured by success it is able to secure on the pitch. Emphasis is laid on the ability to get people to play well, with flair, imagination, vision, and, above all, a determination to win that is stronger than the will of the opposition. Players are required to perform before large crowds. They are part of a team, and the effectiveness of that team depends on each individual playing his or her part to the full. Success depends above all else on good morale, which is the spirit that enables players to triumph over adversity. This is reinforced by discipline. Morale consists of many factors, including confidence in equipment and facilities, good training and sound administration. But ultimately it is the confidence between management and players and between individual players that is vital. Such confidence is a product of hard work off the field, physical and mental preparation, good leadership and comradeship. Morale cannot be created overnight but requires the forging of bonds of professional and personal trust which will withstand the stresses imposed by the demands of playing at the highest level. It requires a commitment to put the interests of the team and the task ahead of one’s own. Values and standards have functional utility. Upholding them is the collective responsibility of everyone associated with Rangers. They are the foundations of teamwork, and are interdependent. If any one of them is lacking, the chances of success are threatened. They are fostered and enhanced by good leadership, training and man-management. Values - Courage All players must be prepared risk injury in the course of play, and be sufficiently prepared to carry out all actions with determination; this will occasionally require physical courage. Players will depend on each other for this with the support of the fans attending the game. Moral courage is equally important. This is the courage to do whatever is right even when it may be unpopular or risk ridicule, and to insist on maintaining the highest standards of decency and behaviour at all times. This includes rejecting all forms of performance enhancing drugs or other form of unsporting advantage. Courage (both physical and moral) creates the strength upon which sustainable playing spirit and success depends. It is a quality needed by every Ranger, but it is especially important for the players, because others will depend on their lead and respond to it. Values – Discipline To be effective on the field of play, Rangers must act as a disciplined force. Managers instructions must be carried out with everybody confident that they will not be let down by their teammates. By extension, this also includes individual supporters. Discipline is supported by team loyalty, trust and professionalism. Discipline instils self-control and breeds self-confidence. Good discipline means that all members of the Team will follow key instructions, even under difficult conditions, and to do so with imagination and resource. The best discipline is self-discipline: innate, not imposed. The Club expects self-discipline from every Ranger. Discipline requires clearly understood rules and a fair means to enforce it. This discipline system must be fairly applied both on and of the park. Values – Integrity Integrity has a unique significance to the Club. It is essential to trust because players must have complete trust in each of their teammates, the management of the Club and the support. Integrity means being honest and truthful. All forms of deceit and dishonesty constitute a lack of integrity: they call into question whether an individual can be relied upon and damage the team. A leader’s example in personal behaviour is vital, and this responsibility increases with seniority. Values - Loyalty Loyalty binds the Rangers family together: it turns individuals into teams, creating and strengthening the entirety of Rangers Football Club. The Club relies on the continuing allegiance and support of all employees and fans. Equally important is the Club’s loyalty to these same individuals. Players and fans should be treated fairly and reasonably and consideration should be given to their collective wishes and aspirations within the strict fiscal parameters necessary for any business to thrive. This could include fan representation on the Board of Directors. Being loyal to the Team does not mean that wrong-doing should be condoned or covered up; this is misplaced loyalty and questions a Ranger’s integrity. Loyalty must be earned through commitment, self-sacrifice, courage, professionalism, decency and integrity-these are enduring characteristics. Values – Respect for Others Respect for others should be a hallmark of Rangers Football Club and it means there is no place for prejudice or favouritism. Like loyalty, respect should be a fundamental principle, particularly when dealing with fellow fans or Club employees. The Club’s motto ‘Ready’ can only have meaning if there is equality of treatment and opportunity. Respect for others also extends to those we defeat. We should be magnanimous in victory. Clapping our opponents from the pitch is a polite and appropriate ‘thank you for the game’. Without opponents, we have no game. All Rangers must act within the law and with reference to the nature of modern, complex, multicultural society. External scrutiny, including intense media interest, is now a part of footballing life. Playing for and supporting Rangers is about duty: so every Ranger should be ready to uphold the rights of others before claiming their own. The Standards The values outlined above should underpin the ethos of the Club and can contribute directly to future success. The Club’s standards are designed to ensure that all behaviour is lawful, appropriate, and totally professional. All Rangers people must avoid behaviour that risks jeopardising the Club’s chances of success or which may undermine morale by damaging the trust and respect that exists between individuals. For this reason, the Club takes a demanding approach towards certain types of behaviour, in particular, behaviour which is sectarian in nature. The Club acknowledges its links to the Presbyterian, Unionist and Loyalist communities, who provided the backbone of the fan base. However it is now over 20 years since Rangers signed ‘Mo Johnston’; and since that time the Team has patently comprised people of many faiths, and will continue to do so in the future. The Club is not a religious group, and has no strong bias towards one faith over another. We look to TBO/UB in particular to develop and lead songs to support Rangers, without offending people of no faith or peoples of differing faiths. This would not preclude the singing of songs in remembrance of past conflicts, battles and struggles, where freedom and liberty were being defended. However as a measure of acceptability, these should be no more offensive than, for example, the national anthem of Scotland, France or Russia. Rangers is founded upon the principles of freedom, equality, liberty, justice, and sporting integrity. These principles can be found across the free world due, in part, to the founding fathers of many western democracies being of Scots or Ulster-Scots origin. We should be proud to treat all people as equals. The world is free today because our fore-fathers fought and, in some cases died, to defend these freedoms. Members of the Rangers family continue to fight in defence of our freedoms. We will not tarnish their memory by treating anyone unfairly or unreasonably. However, in recognition of attacks the Club have recently suffered, we will also protect and promote freedom of thought and expression, for these are important in any civilised society. Standards – Lawful All members of the Rangers family (the Team) are subject to the law. No one is above the law, and you have a duty to comply with the word and spirit of the law. Such laws establish the baseline for the standards of personal conduct of each member of the Rangers family. All Rangers staff, players and fans have the right to live and work in an environment free from harassment, unlawful discrimination and intimidation. Any unjustified behaviour that results in any member of the Rangers family, or wider footballing community being unfairly treated is fundamentally incompatible with the ethos of the Club, and is not to be tolerated. Discrimination or harassment undermines trust and confidence, especially in those in positions of authority. The abuse of authority to intimidate or victimise others is unacceptable and will undermine trust and respect. It is also illegal. It is the responsibility of leaders to protect others from abuse, and to deal with it promptly. Standards – Appropriate Behaviour It is important to acknowledge the need for mutual respect and the requirement to avoid conduct that offends others. The Club wishes to take this opportunity to re-iterate our dislike for sectarian singing or the posting online of opinions that are patently offensive. The Club acknowledges that for many years, the dominant anthem sung by Rangers fans was ‘The Billy Boys’ and that this and other fans favourites have now been outlawed. The singing of such could render the individual liable to criminal prosecution and the club liable to footballing sanctions and punishments. The Club will endeavour to negotiate with the authorities to reach a fair and amicable agreement on wording that will allow these much loved anthems to return, in a style that is both legal and fully in accordance with our values and standards. Conclusion The Club’s values and standards demand a degree of commitment and self-sacrifice from every member of the Rangers Family. It is hoped that all will commit them to achieving and maintaining these values and standards. This commitment is essential to the ethos of the Club moving forward and contributes directly to our collective success. We all have a role to play in ensuring Rangers Football Club is the very best it can be. Colin Foster is a shareholder and season ticket holder. Several generations of his family have supported Rangers and had connections with shipbuilding and engineering. He is an active member of the Church of Scotland.

Well done Mr. Milne.Very dignified and sincere.

Good post Lando, and yours too, govanblue. We shall not forget them, because it is so true that " the dwelling place of the dead is in the heart of the living ".

I was not at the game yesterday, I watched it on RangersTV.tv. I was enjoying young Fraser Aird's celebration after he scored when I heard the chant . Faintly at first then it grew. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck and I sat bolt upright in my wheelchair. It really is galvanizing. I am replying to AlBear85 because I think his proposed words are the best I've seen yet. Two reasons - i) He doesn't offend anyone by saying he is up to his knees in anyone's blood. Is this important? I'll quote part of an old article by Roddy Forsyth ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/scottish-premier/8897701/First-Minister-of-Scotland-Alex-Salmond-is-walking-into-swamp-over-banning-songs-on-terraces.html I've cut out a few paragraphs that are pregnant with malice for the club and/or our support ... The answer, says the Scottish Government, depends on context. Badinage is one thing, malice is another. Intent to cause offence would therefore presumably play a part in determining whether or not a crime had been committed – yet offending one another is also the stock in trade of football supporters and the fiercer the rivalry, the more calculated the offence. You might think that Scotland is already well provided with laws that deal with anything that crosses the boundary into menacing behaviour, especially since there is now a range of crimes which can be aggravated by religious, racist, sexist or homophobic abuse. The SNP, though, insist that we need even more and are hell bent on delivering them. They do this despite the example of muddle-headedness set by Uefa. The governing body of European football is admirably dedicated to the eradication of racism within its domain, but it is notably uneven in its enforcement and haphazard in its methodology – especially with regard to Eastern Europe and Spain. Closer to home we have Rangers fans banned from away games in Europe because some were reported for singing The Billy Boys – with its line about being “up to our knees in Fenian blood” – a sanction imposed for an incidence of a song sung at a game and reported by FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe) but not by the match delegate, in one of the two instances. ii) Why is the word Fenian offensive? From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search The Fenian Brotherhood was an Irish republican organization founded in the United States in 1858 by John O'Mahony and Michael Doheny.[1][2] It was a precursor to Clan na Gael, a sister organization to the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Members were commonly known as "Fenians". O'Mahony, who was a Celtic scholar, named his organization after the Fianna, the legendary band of Irish warriors led by Fionn mac Cumhaill. The Fenian Brotherhood trace their origins back to 1798 and the United Irishmen, who had been an open political organization only to be suppressed and became a secret revolutionary organization, rose in rebellion, seeking an end to British rule in Ireland and the establishment of an Irish Republic. The rebellion was suppressed. I don't quite know, but Professor Tom Devine gave testimony to a sheriff and it was deemed so. So AlBear85, has given us a line that is neither offensive or political/sectarian. Well done, sir. What's that I hear.... Hullo, Hullo,.......

possibly .... Hullo, Hullo, we are The Rangers Fans; Hullo, Hullo, to win is our plan; We want our club to fight and try, Surrender or you'll die ! For We Are The Glasgow Rangers Fans !!! Tune : Marching Through Georgia. LOUD AND PROUD.