Barry Ferguson.

[simon 1,758]

Only the second time I've read his page in the Record. Second time I've agreed with what he's saying.

Good to have a Rangers voice in the papers. One that seems to talk sense.

[1st_Jan_1994 4,868]

What's he saying? I can't mind what he was saying last week but it ruffled a few feathers.

[simon 1,758]

Just saying about Black and how he wouldn't be sure if he could trust him if they were playing together. Basically he's going to have to convince the team that he knows it was a fuck up. Says a line should be drawn under it. Also said that he was guilty of being a fanny loads of times as well.

Also says he can't wait to see McCoist's line up and it's a real strong looking team. Same as me, am choking for tomorrow.

[bombaybadboy08 15,660]

Barry Ferguson in the Rebel.

IF Ian Black walked into my dressing room as a team-mate this morning I’d take him to one side and ask him: “Are you for real mate? Can I trust you?”

He’d have to look me in the eye and convince me after what happened yesterday.

But if he did that and said to all the boys: “Listen, I’ve f***** up and I know I have. I’m sorry” then I think the players would accept that and be able to draw a line under a shabby incident.

I must admit I am nearly lost for words that any professional footballer could let down his club, his team-mates and his club’s fans by betting on his own team not to win. But I’ll try to find some anyway.

It seems as if Black has coughed up to betting against Rangers winning in a game against East Stirling last season.

He wasn’t trying to “fix” the game, that much is obvious because he scored in the 4-2 victory, helping to bust his own coupon.

He has admitted betting on 160 games. I have no problem with 157 of them because he wasn’t betting against clubs he was with at the time and I believe everybody is entitled to put on a coupon, go to the races or the casino if that’s what they want to do.

But betting against your own club is what gets me.

Rangers might be standing by Black publicly but they will be furious with him behind closed doors because he placed bets on them not to win a game when he was being paid by them.

I believe the SFA have said there’s no match-fixing issue involved here so at least that’s something. But it is still a poor, poor thing this player has done.

In a dressing room, trust is everything. You have to be able to look at each of your team-mates and know that when the going gets tough, each of them will be looking after you, just as you will be looking after them.

Can Rangers players do that with this guy? As I said at the top of this column, if he can convince them it was a mistake, an error of judgment, then they probably can.

Listen, I had plenty of second chances at Rangers. So for that matter did Ally McCoist and Ian Durrant so it would be wrong for me to say sack Black.

In my time at the club, I learned to my cost if you step out of line they can punish you severely.

I got it in the wake of the Scotland Boozegate incident and on plenty of other occasions.

It is a club that prides itself on the players representing them properly and you look at the action they took last season against Fran Sandaza when they sacked him for what they deemed was unacceptable conduct.

Only they can decide whether Black can remain a Rangers player and if they are standing by him I can assure you they will have gone through the disciplinary process very carefully.

But I know he has admitted betting on his own team not to win three times while at Hearts and Rangers.

That is a breach of trust but Black can win that back by his performances on the pitch and by promising his mates he won’t make the same mistake again.

This was always going to be a big week for McCoist, make no mistake about that. Even without the Black incident.

He has taken a lot of stick in the past year from people who have not been prepared to cut him any slack for some of his side’s displays.

That’s despite the fact Rangers won the Third Division by a mile last season and have got off to a flying start in the new League One this time around.

His critics ignored the fact he’d lost most of his best players and wasn’t able to replace them. Kids were thrown in at the deep end and while they splashed about a bit they didn’t drown and now know what playing for Rangers in front of nearly 50,000 fans every fortnight is all about.

Ally has kept pretty quiet about all the criticism – apart from when he quite rightly tore Charles Green a new one at Forfar last month.

But deep down he knows he can’t be properly judged until HIS team is out on the park.

Well, that time has come. The transfer embargo is over and tomorrow McCoist’s team – the one he has created this summer – will run out at Ibrox against Arbroath to begin another new chapter in the extraordinary story of the club I love.

Then on Tuesday night he takes them to Palmerston for a Ramsdens Cup tie against the holders, Queen of the South, who beat them at Ibrox in the same competition last season.

Eight new signings can play in these two games – Cammy Bell, Nicky Law, Jon Daly, Nicky Clark, Arnold Peralta, Stevie Smith, Richard Foster and Bilel Mohsni – and whether Coisty plays all of them remains to be seen.

Let’s face it, he’s still got boys like David Templeton, Lee Wallace, Lee McCulloch, Lewis Macleod,

and Dean Shiels to fit in. And Black, perhaps. A look at those names really rams home the fact this is a very strong squad Coisty has assembled.

In the early games of the campaign, particularly when he’s been able to play Daly and Law as trialists, the style of football has been like night and day compared to last season.

Now he’s got all the new boys at his disposal, as a supporter, never mind former captain, I am looking for big things from them.

It is up to McCoist to mould them into a proper unit and I am sure the couple of months they’ve had together waiting for the embargo to end will have been used to good effect.

Most of the new lads have SPL experience so they’ll know the expectations that land on anyone lucky enough to be handed that blue jersey. The others – such as Peralta and Mohsni – will have seen enough by now to know they have the chance to play somewhere really special.

It is not being disrespectful to the other clubs in Rangers’ league when I say McCoist’s team will sail to the title. That’s just being realistic.

I said a couple of weeks ago Ally has put together the second strongest squad in Scottish football so it stands to reason they’ll win League One without looking over their shoulders.

I think they’ve got their hands on one of the best midfielders in the country in Law and he will provide energy, drive, spark and intelligence.

Big Daly is another I have liked for a long time and he has already shown what a big asset he will be.

But it is important they all get off to a good start. Then maybe folk will get off McCoist’s back and let him get on with managing the team.

[Turnberry18 3,204]

I personally wouldn't have Black at Rangers anymore. A Rangers player betting on Rangers to draw a match in a game he is playing in is a no no for me. It was East Stirling as well, but unacceptable no matter who we play.

[simon 1,758]

I don't like that he bet against us, but he did score in that match to help us win.

[Redsox1 1,361]

Why do you think he betted for us to lose points ? he could have had a draw with Rangers on -3. we had to be WINNING by 3. Thats not betting against us.

[devref 201]

somehow I cant see barry getting very far pulling black to one side. got a feeling black would just chin him.

[OLE SUPER WILBERT 2,475]

Why do you think he betted for us to lose points ? he could have had a draw with Rangers on -3. we had to be WINNING by 3. Thats not betting against us.

Sorry, what?

[OLE SUPER WILBERT 2,475]

somehow I cant see barry getting very far pulling black to one side. got a feeling black would just chin him.

Not unless he was behind or at the side of Barry. He's a plastic hardman.

[devref 201]

Not unless he was behind or at the side of Barry. He's a plastic hardman.

barry is not exactly your ideal mate in a tag team is he. all snipe and snide

[OLE SUPER WILBERT 2,475]

barry is not exactly your ideal mate in a tag team is he. all snipe and snide

Me and Barry v you and Black

GO

[WilliamFyfe 1,438]

Good article form Barry. He's 35 now and has Blackpool top of the Championship.

[devref 201]

Me and Barry v you and Black

GO

you need to be a real heavyweight to take me on could just sit on both job done

[there'sonlyoneamoruso 1,724]

I know that Barry is a hero to many, but did he not refuse to follow PLGs tactics on field? How could we trust him to give his all when he wanted to undermine his then manager? If I'm talking shite I'm sure you'll all correct me in the nicest possible way.

I'm backing Black on this one and hopefully he can prove his doubters wrong.

[allgers 735]

I know that Barry is a hero to many, but did he not refuse to follow PLGs tactics on field? How could we trust him to give his all when he wanted to undermine his then manager? If I'm talking shite I'm sure you'll all correct me in the nicest possible way.

I'm backing Black on this one and hopefully he can prove his doubters wrong.

Barry had his moments and if he had a problem with team mates who did not know what it meant to play for Rangers, who would you expect to sort it, a manager who didn't know what it meant to play for Rangers or the team Captain who did.

Black can be ineffective at times, but he has put aside the problems he had last season, let's give him a chance.

[there'sonlyoneamoruso 1,724]

Barry had his moments and if he had a problem with team mates who did not know what it meant to play for Rangers, who would you expect to sort it, a manager who didn't know what it meant to play for Rangers or the team Captain who did.

PLG would have had an easier time if he had understood all our club & the league we played in. He wasn't helped by senior players pulling in opposite directions.

Thankfully the current squad seems unified and backing Ally 100%

[SE5 107]

Not the actions of a Rangers man in my opinion. He should know better. Ferguson that is, not Black.

[cushynumber 25,178]

Black is a stupid, useless, prick and has been a liability since he signed. Dump him, cut our losses and move on.

[RFC55 110,129]

Sorry, what?

He means he may have bet he tie on handicap betting. So the game starts 3-0 to east Stirling. rangers have to win 3-0 or by 3 clear goals and it becomes a "tie"

[elephants stoned 2,994]

Ally has no problem picking Black and says hes seen all the paperwork on every game Black bet on so unless Allys lying I expect Black to serve his ban then get back to his great start to the season. Ma Ball is making money from the celtic news hardly a staunch Bluenose thing to do.

[loyalfollower 1,543]

Cant understand betting east Stirlingshire over us. Its not like he needs the money is it? Or is it a lack of respect for the club he now plays for?Either way he owes us big time

[ForeverBlue_Since91 2,895]

Ally has no problem picking Black and says hes seen all the paperwork on every game Black bet on so unless Allys lying I expect Black to serve his ban then get back to his great start to the season. Ma Ball is making money from the celtic news hardly a staunch Bluenose thing to do.

You and other people really need to get a grip and look at the bigger picture just like the beasts have been doing for many years now.

They have gotten all there beast ex players working in the media worming there way in for years now just about everywhere. Would people not rather have Rangers supporters talking about Rangers in these papers instead of it being full off them?

The more Rangers stories in the papers that are not negative the better i say.

Everyone has a player they loved at Rangers when hey were growing up, Barry Ferguson was one of them for me.

[nelsonRFC82 305]

Cant understand betting east Stirlingshire over us. Its not like he needs the money is it? Or is it a lack of respect for the club he now plays for?Either way he owes us big time

Could it be as simple as hedging his bets to the extent he will be due a win bonus if we were to win but is using a bet to cover against the risk of us not winning but him still being able to pocket some cash?

If that was his logic, you would expect he would have done it more than 3 times over a 7 year period but? Fuck knows, struggling to work out the logic here!

[OLE SUPER WILBERT 2,475]

He means he may have bet he tie on handicap betting. So the game starts 3-0 to east Stirling. rangers have to win 3-0 or by 3 clear goals and it becomes a "tie"

Ahh. It was part of an accumulator so I doubt it.