Hsernam

When was the last time 1st and 3rd finished with less than a 10, 15, 20 point gap? When was the last time a team outside of Rangers/Celtic won the league? Did anything in Europe? The Uefa country coeficient is usually a good atestment to the level of the league. Better to play to be Champion in Scotland than to avoid relegation in England though.

Last season Porto turned down 30 million euros for him and now they sold him for 19 + Pele + 6 million depending on appearances and team success. So it was a bit disappointing, especially when I see the money involved in guys like Bentley (who can only cross the ball), Berbatov(very inconsistent) and some others. Hopefully Mourinho will help him improve some areas of his game. Technically he is one of the best players in the world, just needs to be more consistent. I know what I am talking about after watching him play every game for the last 6 or 7 years

Playing in England gets you more exposure and being able to say you play in a more competitive league... because in Scotland every season the top two have what... 20 points over the 3rd placed team? When was the last time someone other than Celtic or Rangers won the league? So that is not exactly very exciting. Having said that, when you look back on a career, it's much more prestigious having played for Rangers than most of the EPL clubs. Here you can win trophies regularly and play European competition. Above everything, what really matters (besides the wages) is feeling important at a club and appreciated.

I think his call to the national team has got more to do with Queiroz knowing him well from the EPL than with his current form at Rangers. I say this because Queiroz has been flying to different countries to watch potential players for the national and I don't recall reading that he went to see Rangers play. I am sure that if he's aware of his start to his Rangers career he might think about giving him a starting place on the team... hopefully he does seeing as he has much more experience than the other candidates for the place. If you've watched the European supercup there was another Portuguese guy who went completely overlooked in the Scolari days, Danny who had a great individual goal against Utd. So it was difficult to get into the Portugal selection before because it was restricted to a select bunch of players and regardless of how their form was they would always be picked. Rangers should be encouraged to look at the Portuguese market, the price is much cheaper than players coming from over there and England and we usually have something that isn't abundant over there, talent and technical skill

I'm a Porto supporter and have always loved Pedro Mendes, he was in the starting 11 when Porto won the Champions League in 2004. I'm ecstatic about his start in a Rangers shirt. After that season and with the departure of Mourinho, Porto decided to cash in on the players due to the win the Champions League. Pedro Mendes was sold to Tottenham and I have been following his career since then. He played well for them but for some reason Jol didn't use him as he should in his second second, I think much to do with this his Pedro's character, because he doesn't create problems in the dressing room, unlike many other players who are very unprofessional when they're left out, so it's always easier to leave the nice guy out... He moved on to Portsmouth and was a life saver for them, being pivotal on an incredible relegation escape a couple of years ago I think. But the last season or so, I was disappointed with how he wasn't used as regularly as he should... which is hard to understand since he is such a steady player, hardly does he ever have a bad game, but he didn't have the prominent role as he had before. This season I was pleasantly surprised because Portsmouth sold out some players and he was a regular started in pre-season and in the charity shield. I had always hoped that Porto would try and sign him this season because we lost a holding midfielder and he would be an ideal replacement. I went on holiday and was shocked when I found out he had moved to Rangers... no disrespect to Rangers but I was disappointed... especially if you consider that you lost to Kaunas! Then I read about how he was named mom in a game where he hadn't even trained with the team! I knew he would be a great fit in England and in Scotland even more because he is so technical on the ball and plays with his head high all of the team, this is contrasting with the typical physical, long hopeful ball play of Scottish teams... where there is more heart than talent. Don't know why I wrote so much, just wanted to say that it makes me very happy that he is doing so well... obviously I don't need to say anything about what kind of player he is on the pitch because by now you have all seen it but I wanted to add just how much class he has as a man, very hard to find players these days with his sort of character. I wouldn't be surprised if he went on to captain Ranger at some stage if Ferguson and Weir were missing. It's always refreshing reading how well someone you like he is doing and the degree of hype he is receiving. This is proving to be a great move because while the EPL is far more important than the SPL, he moved to a club that plays to win trophies and has a chance to do so every year, he also plays for a club with a big tradition... and I know how supporters just adore good players there and how players achieve a cult status in Scotland and how appreciative people are there. Obviously there is a degree of 'overhype', everyone jumping on the bandwagon, due to the fact of Rangers having beaten their main rivals and the team playing so well, but Rangers have everything to go and win the league now that you have no European games to focus on. Luckily I manage to get many Scottish games on tv... I never really watched before but I have done so today and it was a great game. I will try and watch as much as possible from now on

Three games now :unionflag: