BLUE CYCLOPS

I know I am becoming a bore with my 1 man campaign against the EPL move, but I have heard nothing to make me change my mind. The main complaint against the SPL is that it is a two horse race. Isn,t that exactly what the EPL is becoming. OK, a four horse race but you get the point. That is not going to change in the foreseeable future. Other clubs ( ManC,. Villa etc,. ) will get rich owners and make their bid for glory but it will always be a top 4. The clubs might change but the same 5 or 6 clubs will rule the roost. The same story will apply in Spain, Italy, Germany etc,. In fact it has been that way for many years now. I quote no time frame, but eventually a Euro league will emerge made up from these top 4 from all the major countries in Europe. When that happens the EPL will be a 2nd. tier league and we will end up struggling to get out of it just as we are struggling to get out of the SPL now. The old cry that the OF would eventually reach the top in EPL is a fantasy. Liverpool, Arsenal haven,t won the league for years. Villa and Man C can,t break into the top 4 now with all their money. What makes anyone sure we will be any different? Eventually there will be a Euro league. If and when it is shown to be a success, then it will be expanded to a 2nd. division. A lot of posters reject the Atlantic league idea. But the Atlantic league is just a name. In essence it is a proto-Euro league, what it is called is immaterial. I hope that our new owners, if and when it comes about, will have a plan to move Rangers to the next level. IMO that means Europe not the EPL. It has been said before, but no one buys a football club to make money. But the experienced business men plan to take their clubs to the top by trading, wheeling and dealing, playing the market and losing as little as possible on the journey. I pray our new guys can think big. Rant over!

I remember a few years ago in the Guinness book of Records in the Sport Section--- Higest league game in Britain------- 118,000 at Ibrox. Highest friendly under floodlights----110,000 at Hampden Rangers v. Eintract Highest benefit friendly----------------65,000 at Ibrox Greigs testamonial Highest aggregate attendance--------260,000 at Hampden Sc final v. Morton (2 games) Rangers also hold the record crowd at most Scottish clubs as far as I know. All the gates given above have been rounded off to the nearest thousand.

Everyone keeps knocking back suggestions over who might be interested in buying us. " Nobody will invest in a Scottish club with no chance of a profit return" seems to be the common theme. I have no problems with the accuracy of that statement but when has ANYBODY ever invested in football to make money? All these Arabs and Americans have already made their fortunes and are looking for a challenge to make them "big players" in the worlds most popular sport. Apart from ManU, all the other clubs bought out (Chelsea, ManC, Notts Co, Villa, QPR etc) are clubs with the POTENTIAL to be be major clubs in world football. Do Rangers not fit that profile? 200,000 in Manchester would tell you we do. We,ll get nowhere in SPL, thats for sure, but I feel it in my bones, there are currents in world football. Things will(have to) change and now is the time to change them. It,s worrying times lads and lasses, but don,t knock the Gers too much, we are still a major brand name. The OP asked, If not Dave King then who? I don,t know but who the hell invested in Notts Co.ffs? Whoever it is, he,s not in Nottingham to make money. I hearnames like Sir Tom Hunter, Dave King, Grahame Souness etc,. being bandied about and why not? Imagine the challenge to these guys of taking a crippled giant and turning it into a world giant. Thats what might attract these guys,not simply a balance sheet. Leave that to the east end of Glasgow.

People think it wiz X Factor gie me a breakdoon. It wisnea, it was that bast**d Caldwell.

I,ve noticed in the last few games against lower teams in the SPL. We always play at a pace just faster than treacle. We are crying out for pace and it criminal when Miller and Novo are sitting on the bench. I know the arguments against Miller and Novo, neither of them can trap a bag of cement but at least their pace gives the opposition something to worry about. We are so slow and ponderous, the other teams always have time to spare. When Novo and Miller came on today we still played sh1t but at least it was quicker sh1t. Saints weren,t able to build their attacks so easily from the back in the 2nd. half. That is one of our major problems. We are unable to dominate teams. Instead they seem to drag us down to their level.

I am getting a feeling that we might be seeing the last of Speirs. As someone pointed out on another post, he,s a busted flush. Ignore him. Spiers was on RADIO CLYDE. Walter was on NATIONAL TV. Lawell was mentioned as making a comment about the OF leaving SPL. Walters full interview on the same subject was on national TV. Does that put them in perspective? Maybe its my imagination, but I,m starting to notice a distinct swing from the national media in Gers favour. I think that Septics ridiculous comments over the last few years have been quietly noted by the sensible press and is starting to rebound on the Scum. Lawells stupid statement when Celtic installed a new electronic advertising system that it positioned Celtic among the 5 biggest clubs in the world. Really? Celtics media chums continually telling us about unnamed premier clubs considering squillion quid bids for Broonaldo. Not one offer or official contact has been made or admitted. Reids snipping at Rangers through the press. Criticism from anyone with Reids reputation is as good as a character reference to Rangers. The man is held in utter contempt by the media. Charlie Nicholas, Samsarse, Caldwell etc,. and their snidie wee comments about Rangers in interviews have become a pain in the arse. Compare Walter and Ally constantly giving Celtic credit in their interviews. Over the long haul, it is starting to work in our favour. There is still a long battle ahead of us, but I believe the tide IS starting to turn. At Last.

My e-mail to the SPL:- To Whom it may concern, I have read with dismay the news that Falkirk FC have had to request guidance from the SPL regarding the holding of 1min. silence on Rememberance Sunday. A 1min. Silence of Rememberance is the long standing internationally accepted way of showing respect for the dead. That the people of Scotland are expected to break this honourable tradition because certain people cannot be trusted to behave like human beings for 1min. is a shame on our society. I trust God and your conscience help you to reach the honourable conclusion in your reply to Falkirk FC.

I see a number of posters asking how this idea would tie-in with the CL. My idea ( and it is only my idea) sees the European league( whatever it might be called) as a replacement for the CL. In other words, it will be an expanded CL where all the teams in it would get say 20 games a season instead of the 6 we might get now if we qualify for the group stages. In my scenario the CL in its present format would dissapear and be replaced by a real league format. Its all pie-in- the -sky at the minute but it will happen some day. My fear it that by jumping for the EPL short term money now, we might lose our chance to get selected for the European league later. By jumping for England now we will miss out on Euro football for some years and you know the saying-- Out of sight, out of mind." I realise a lot of people will miss going to away games every other week (in Europe) but thats one of the cultural changes we will have to accept. A small number of people will be able to afford away trips every other week but the days of mass blue armies arriving for games (as we do now in the SPL) will be over. Anyway, I imagine that Rangers Res. will still be playing in SPL to give the fans their weekly fix. And I imagine that the reserves then will be as good as the first team now. I repeat again, all this is just talk at the moment and might never happen but my guess is that it will. The present CL format was changed at the big clubs insistence to ensure they would get a bigger number of games and expanded to allow more than one team from the bigger nations. I fancy this Atlantic league idea is a shot across the bows of UEFA to remind them that there are other clubs besides Real, Manu,Barca etc,. and if they don,t give us more consideration we might band together in opposition to the CL. Who knows what the future might bring, but a future Euro league has always been a soap-box of mine and I enjoy reading everyone elses points.

I said in another post yesterday about this same scheme that a reconstituted Atlantic league was a possibility. I did not expect it to surface so soon. I take the point some posters are making about playing English clubs(EPL). There is no doubt that travel to away games would be easier. The games would have a little touch of derbies about them. Whether we like it or not, the world game is expanding and a European league is inevitable some day. We either gear up to be part of it or we stagnate in the backwaters of British football. Don,t laugh, thats what is going to happen. The Americans, Arabs and Russians are not buying up clubs to play in England. That is only their starting point to get into the game. We either want to be with the best or settle for second best. We either become THE RANGERS or we become the rangers. The Chinese have a saying-- "May you live in interesting times" This could be it.

Sunny Belfast (other UK)

This subject has been covered many times and I have given my opinion many times. Lets cut the crap and see what our options really are. and this is just a discussion point. 1/ Bain says we will be out of SPL within 10 yrs. I know most on here consider him a muppet but I cannot see a senior executive and experienced businessman making a statement like that unless (at the very least) preliminary discussions have taken place even on an unofficial basis between clubs. Its obvious to me some sort of plan is being mooted or considered for the future. Certainly Rangers must be thinking about it. 2/ To go to the EPL at any level requires all English teams in all divisions to agree to accept us. Ergo, it is not going to happen. The only other option is a breakaway Brit. Super league. This is more likely than us moving to the EPL and it might have the backing of the major TV companies. The biggest drawback to this is if a European Super league was to come about. Either we would be included (in Europe)or not as the case may be. But one thing for sure, thats where the money would go (and a European league is a raving cert eventually. IMHO) 3/ Another possibility is a reconstituted Atlantic league. I know this was knocked on the head a few years ago, but IMO that was because UEFA was not prepared to accept a league they did not control. If Uefa accepted an Atlantic league to run as a trial for an eventual Super league then it could be acceptable to them. They could use it to iron out the problems re Travel, sponsorship, tv rights etc, When the league was up an running smoothly, they could then incorporate it as a European Super league 2nd. Div. with promotion/relegation. Again I come back to what has always been my default position on this subject. A European league will happen someday. Thats where Rangers future must be. One possibility for an Atlantic league is the clout it gives to the 2nd. ranked teams. Rangers, Celtic, Spurs, Everton, PSV, Hamburg etc, etc,, do not carry a lot of weight on their own but as a group forming a league in opposition to the big clubs, it certainly gives UEFA food for thought. None of the clubs I,ve mentioned is likely to win the CL but it won,t be much of a competition without them. If these teams were to threaten to form their own European league I imagine UEFA would soon become reasonable. RANT OVER!

Early 60s I stayed on in Glasgow after a Gers match on Saturday. My M8 and I went up to Cathkin on the Monday to see Clyde and Thirds. That was the great 3rds. team of Hilley/Harley. George Herd was in the Clyde team. Unless my memory is playing tricks I seem to think it was a very cold sunny Easter monday.

Lets ask a hypothetical question here. Who says UEFA can tell anyone what they can and can,t do? Where do UEFA get their power? UEFA have changed the format of the CL twice now. Why? Under pressure from the big clubs, thats why. Imagine some Arab oil millionaire put up umpteen squillions of £,s to fund a new European league and UEFA said NO!. The UEFA officials like Platini etc,. are feathering their own nests. As soon as enough clubs decide to change things it will happen. Thats the key word here. Enough,not all, just enough. To get back to the question of UEFA,s power. Does it have any legal enforcement? UEFA can ban Rangers from competing in the CL but what if Rangers can convince ENOUGH clubs to join them in a breakaway league. Especially if they have money to tempt the other clubs, then its a done deal. I imagine that UEFA would try bringing the new organisation through the courts but if there is enough financial backing then I doubt they could really prevent it. For years FIFA were run almost as a private feifdom by the Brazilian Havelange. He was challenged by Lennartsen from Sweden(?). Although UEFA are a European organisation they quietly run world football behind the scenes. Money is power in football. Whoever has control of the money calls the shots A European league WILL come. When ? I don,t know but I do know Rangers should be prepared for it.

'grahamteuchter' date='Oct 8 2009, 07:05 PM' Fair enough but it just ignores the problems in the articles. There is problems with sectarian chanting that need adressed. I dont think that the Speirs article was that bad. I would rather the Assembly actually worked on the issues rather than just writing an article that is preaching to the converted ================================================================= I agree with your point. Speirs has every right as a reporter to comment on "sectarian chanting/singing". When he devotes a whole article, rather than a throwaway comment, to the filth at Celtic matches then I will accept his credentials as a media reporter. Until then, his one sided and continuous attacks on Rangers alone give me the right to consider him a hypocrite and treat him with total contempt.

I see some people predicting a Donald Trump takeover. Does that mean the fans will be known as Trumpets?

Its a non starter. Everyone assumes we would start in EPL2. Don,t forget that the non-league clubs have votes as well and turkeys don,t vote for Christmas. The only way it might happen would be in the form of a British breakaway super league. Would UEFA accept that? What about those EPL premier teams not invited, would they vote for it? Doubtfull. Anyway, by the time that might happen ManU, Chelsea etc,. would already be off playing in a European super league and we,d be left in the second tier level. Our ambition and traditions MUST be at European level. Anything else is 2nd. class.

I don,t think Walter should get a knighthood either. I think theses things are thrown around the trendies too cheaply. They mean very little these days. My beef is against this whole patronising circus of honours for sycophants. Walter is well out of it. But this guy Martin is something else. The bitterness and bigoted hatred is dripping out of every word in his article. He is unable to make a clear and honest opinion without his bitterness showing.

A new banner to hang over the edge in the next home match:- THANK YOU, CELTIC For signing Broon, Loovens and Samsarse

He was a cunt, every 50/50 he went Celtic ways. Towards the end he was trying to add as much extra time as possible so they could toss the ball back in the box. Utter wanker Sellick fans are saying he gave us everything and they were robbed 3 pens ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I spent an amusing 2 hrs. on KDS last night reading Timmys take on the game. I hadn,t realised that Davie Weir, Lafferty, Novo, Mendes, old Uncle Tom Cobbley and all were such dirty cheating bast**ds. About the only thing we didn,t do was call up a nuclear strike on Parkhead. I thought the Ref. wasn,t bad myself. They,re as much disgusted at him as we are. He must have done something right.

I hit the red button and voted for Nacho. I,m pretty sure I heard the studio announcer say the vote was for CL goal of the week. Certainly all the goals shown were CL goals EXCEPT McCourts. Either somebody at Sky is missing a few brain cells or else Timmy is so desperate to win something (anything) that the will try to get away with it and hope nobody notices.

And I've noidea where you plucked the number 140,000 from. Record attendance for Ibrox is around 120,000. ================================================================ The record attendance for Ibrox is 118,000. I have an old book somewhere called "Rangers, The Great Years" which says that Ibrox has "measured accomodation"(whatever that means) for 136,000. I imagine that would have meant using the passageways which would be strictly illegal nowadays due to H&S laws. We are talking about the old Ibrox off course.

Clutching at straws maybe but I feel that Walters non-contract is definately a sign that he doesn,t expect to be here long. He only came back because SDM asked him to help us out of a hole. WGS is probably the only man who could do it. Just a feeling on my part but I think SDM and WGS consider their job done and both are leaving together. The ship has been steadied, time to plot a new course. HAR HAR!

'CraigRFC' date='Sep 19 2009, 07:48 AM' I really want to know the reason why they can't pull a result away from home...it is mental ================================================================ I could always understand it before but I expected it to change under Mobray. We used to see it under MON and then WGS. How they were constantly diving to get free kicks etc,. It was a tactic they employed and played for. European refs, are well known "homers" and with the howling mob at Parkhead screaming everytime a Celtic player went down,(which was often) then they were assured of a steady stream of free kicks etc,. (Why else would they have kept Naka?) Away from home the Refs favoured the home team and Celtics stream of freekicks dried up. Without dead ball situations they were unlikely to score from open play. I would have expected that to change under Mobray, maybe Thursday was just a bad day at the office.

Just switched over to the BBC football site to read that Caldwell warns Celtic he will walk away if he does not get a new(improved) contract.