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ChrissBurns1993
Glasgow Rangers Football Club
Rangers, Rangers, Rangers. Problem, problem, problem. Those words have become almost double barrelled these days as any Rangers fan would tell you, supporting their club these past few years has been pretty hard work. You could start it off with Sir David Murray selling the club to Craig Whyte but in reality the troubles had long started before. Murray's infamous declaration of; "For every five pounds Celtic spend, we will spend ten." was a bold and ambitious statement but it was fairytale stuff which just couldn't be sustained without continental success. The acquisition's of Tore Andre Flo from Chelsea for 12 million and Michael Ball from Everton for 8 million were signal's of intent but neither player worked out and their inflated fees just seemed ludicrous, especially considering the lack of continental success the club were having. The signings of such players were a key factor of the huge financial mismanagement throughout a long spell at the club. As well as the inflated transfer fees there were the high wages and the controversial payments into offshore accounts of the players. All in all things got pretty disastrous and really took a turn for the worse in the season of 2011/12 when the club went into administration on February 14th 2012 resulting in the club being deducted 10 points in the league. Worse was yet to come for the club though as a battle for power ensued between Whyte, Charles Green and Brian Kennedy amongst others as Rangers came closer to the reality that the club could go under. Charles Green and his mystery consortium eventually took charge and decided that the only way forward for the club was to liquidate their asset's and start again in the Third Division of Scottish Football. This was a major shock to everyone watching on as the everlasting spiral down and down continued for what was once considered a glorious club.
ChrissBurns1993
Glasgow Rangers Football Club 2012/13
Throughout many coming's and going's in the boardroom, on the football field and in the back room there was only one constant at Rangers it would seem; Alistair McCoist. Rangers record goalscorer took over from Walter Smith in 2011 and appeared to have his dream job with a great squad of players around him such as Allan McGregor, Steven Davis and Nikica Jelavic but the latter was sold just before Rangers gory financials became clear to everyone. After being ahead of Celtic in the title race before the new year Rangers blew it as the going's on off the field took their toll on the players and the focus just wasn't there, the club finished 2nd in the league, 20 points behind Celtic. The player's futures were up in the air and they weren't being paid, wage cuts were agreed to and a couple of players left the club but it wasn't enough to save them. In the summer of 2012 most of the club's senior players left and Bursaspor and Southampton beckoned for McGregor and Davis respectfully whilst others like Steven Naismith and Steven Whittaker followed the latter to the riches of the Premiership. McCoist was left with a threadbare squad, a discontented fan base and a cloud of uncertainty hanging over his boyhood club. The club got handed a transfer embargo but it didn't kick in until the 3rd of September which enabled the manager to make some signings for the coming years. Ian Black, Dean Shiels, David Templeton, Francisco Sandaza, Kevin Kyle, Emilson Cribari, Sebastian Faure, Anestis Argyriou and Francesco Stella were the men Ally McCoist brought in while Lee McCulloch, Lee Wallace and Neil Alexander were a few of the players who decided to stay on. Rangers predictably ran away with the league by 24 points but there were more than a couple of times when they flattered to deceive their loyal supporters. The major disappointment's came in the cup as an embarrassing 2-2 draw with Queen of the South went to penalties, which the Doonhammers won 4-3, was followed by a 3-0 defeat to Inverness Caley Thistle in the League cup quarter final and then a 3-0 defeat to Dundee united in the Scottish Cup 5th round completed a miserable set of knock out's. Many fans questioned McCoist and also his signing's that year. The main highlight was the emergence of a new fans favourite in Lewis MacLeod who was by far Rangers stand out player of the season and he was named Rangers young player of the year.
ChrissBurns1993
Glasgow Rangers Football Club 2013/14
After a somewhat turbulent 2012/13 season everyone at and connected with Rangers were hoping for a much happier stress free 2013/14 season. Of course that wasn't going to happen though and if we start of with the names of the following; Craig Whyte, Charles Green, Craig Mather, Brian Stockbridge, Imran Ahmad, Walter Smith, Ian Hart, Philip Cartmell, Bryan Smart, David Somers, Sandy Easdale, Graham Wallace, Malcolm Murray, Norman Crighton and James Easdale we have a list of at least 15 reasons that Rangers are still in such a mess. From chairmen to CEO's to directors, over the past 2 years Rangers have had to deal with 15 different personalities trying to, A. Help the club. B. Cash in on the club or C. Humiliate the club, not many of those men have actually helped the club if any have at all. That's not to mention the constant trying in vain of Dave King to try and re-stake a claim in the club. King does seem to be one man who want's to help the club and is willing to spend to help them do so but he's become quite accustomed to the cold shoulder from the Rangers boardroom these days. He's not quite the squeaky clean saviour Rangers need right now though as he battles tax evasion charges in South Africa. There were some transfer signing's amongst that chaos though and Cammy Bell, Nicky Law, Jon Daly, Nicky Clark, Arnold Peralta, Steven Smith, Ricky Foster, Bilel Mohsni and Steve Simonsen became the latest additions to Rangers playing staff. Those signings were much more exciting for the fans as Bell and Law in particular were deemed to be good additions to the squad. Neil Alexander, Dorin Goian, Carlos Bocanera and Anestis Argyriou were 4 of the highest profile players to leave while Barrie McKay, who had impressed last season, was farmed out on loan to Morton.
A much better league campaign resulted in an unbeaten season as they won 33 matches and drew 3. The season hadn't got off to the greatest of start's though as the 'lowly' Forfar knocked Rangers out of the League Cup in the first round, The newly acquired player's weren't able to play for the club until September the 3rd and that was the excuse that was made for the shock exit. No such excuses could be made in the back to back cup defeats to Raith Rovers and Dundee United in April though. Having improved on the year before Rangers made it to the final of the Challenge Cup where they faced Raith Rovers expecting to win comfortably. That didn't quite happen though and Raith won with a narrow 1-0 victory after scoring late in the match to stun the Ibrox side. More misery continued the following week when Dundee United provided a much sterner opposition in the Scottish Cup. Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven had United 2-0 on 35 minutes before Stevie Smith scored a 42nd minute free kick to give his team a lifeline. After a poor second half though Rangers couldn't keep their composure in front of goal and squandered chance after chance which came back to haunt them on the 83rd minute when Steven Simonsen took a heavy touch from Ricky Foster's pass and Dundee United's Nadir Ciftci capitalised on the 'keeper's error and nicked the ball off of him to make it 3-1 and knock Rangers out. Another disappointing season with regards to the cup competition's for The Gers piled more pressure on Ally McCoist. Yet again his signing's flattered to deceive and were deemed a waste of money which would be better spent promoting players from the youth academy and developing them further. Many fans were beginning to lose patience with McCoist's team's style of play and his poor decision's on transfers.
ChrissBurns1993
Glasgow Rangers Football Club 2014/15
Rangers task for the 2014/15 Scottish Championship campaign was made monumentally harder when Capital giants Hearts and Hibs were relegated. Hearts finished bottom of the Scottish Premiership while Hibs were shown up by Hamilton in a relegation/promotion decider. Many people are claiming that the Championship will be a much more exciting contest this season than the Premiership and Sky Sports and BT were quick to snap up more matches for the following season. Quite a few changes were made at the club over the summer and it started off with Andy Little, Emilson Cribari, Ross Perry, Chris Hegarty and Scott Gallacher leaving the club permanently while 8 players left the club to go out on loan including Barrie McKay. There was more criticism levelled at Ally McCoist when former 'Gers Kenny Miller, Kris Boyd and Lee Robinson were re-signed. Many felt that Boyd and Miller were past there best and that the signing of the duo was another huge waste of money. Defenders Marius Zaliukas and Darren McGregor also joined after leaving both Leeds and St. Mirren respectively. Regardless of the many naysayers, Rangers have brought in a couple of experienced players who should help to steady the ship, on the playing field at least. I bet every Rangers fan would settle for a bit of peace in the forthcoming season, no controversy just a team focused on winning the league. It's possible.. or not perhaps?....
Boyd and Miller will be hoping to recapture a once deadly partnership
ChrissBurns1993
Ally McCoist shown the door!!
There has been a truly unexpected announcement over at Rangers football club today and it has been revealed that Ally McCoist has been sacked by David Somers. It seems the board have finally caved in to the section of fans who wanted McCoist out. It all seems rather odd given that the manager was allowed to conduct transfer activity for up to a month before this announcement. Having brought Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller back to the club it seemed that McCoist was building for a 3 successive league trophy having won Leagues 2 and 1 consecutively. Some awful displays in cup competitions will have contributed massively to the boards decision to relieve the manager of his duties. There have been many criticism's of the former manager's reluctance to show faith in his younger players, aside from Lewis MacLeod and Fraser Aird not many of them have been given a chance. Many felt that youth was the way to go when Rangers were demoted but former SPL player's looking for a quick buck were the targets instead. As well as that, the long ball tactics got boring and the reluctance to change from this drew many critics as well. After 3 years in charge a trophy haul of just 2 (inevitable)league wins just doesn't cut it as regardless of Rangers demotion and financial worries the club still had the 2nd highest wage budget in Scotland and therefore should have done better over the past couple of years. Fan power won in the end though and despite receiving the backing from many fellow professionals not many can deny that Rangers have just scraped by these past few years when they should have been sailing through these leagues and winning trophies in the process, the Challenge Cup at the very least should have been a minimum regardless of it's significance in stature. It remains to be seen where the club go from here however.
It has been a stressful few years for McCoist and it shows
ChrissBurns1993
In the aftermath of Rangers legend Alistair McCoist's sacking by David Somers Rangers have opened themselves up to more ridicule than could be thought possible when the club decided to have a 'choose the next manager' vote. In has been branded both desperate and a huge publicity stunt by the media, pundits and former players not to mention the scores of unhappy fans but the Rangers board have decided that for just £5 per vote the next manager of Rangers would be chosen by the fans. Alongside the likes of Barry Ferguson, Alex Rae, Terry Butcher and Stuart McCall were the seemingly outside options of Jamie Ramsden(fitness coach), Jim Stewart (goalkeeping coach) and Christopher Burns(under 16's coach) and although you would think those last 3 that were mentioned were the most inappropriate for the job, they actually accumulated a majority of the votes than any of the other 4 candidates. It has certainly raised the matter of the club's integrity that they have stooped so low in their search for a new manager. Christopher Burns has the most votes as he has 27% of the 100,000 votes. It can only be assumed that some rival fans have hijacked the votes in an attempt to further humiliate Rangers, if possible. Although having said that, Rangers under 16's group have done really well recently while Ally McCoist was quite consistent in overlooking the youth players that the club has at their disposal which may raise the theory that the fans want to see a more vibrant youthful squad playing for their club. Suffice to say this one has certainly caught the attention in the media, locally and worldwide. David Somers has caused quite a stir and it would seem that he's just the latest in a long line of unsuitable chairmen looking to make a mockery of a once great club.
Barry Ferguson 17%
Jamie Ramsden 15%
Jim Stewart 12%
Terry Butcher 12%
Stuart McCall 11%
Alex Rae 6%
David Somers; the latest bad seed in charge of Rangers
ChrissBurns1993
Rangers announce the winner of their controversial 'choose the next manager' vote
David Somers today announced that the winner of the 'choose the next manager' vote was Rangers current under 16's coach; Christopher Burns. With all the controversy at Rangers these past few years they could truly have outdone themselves with this one. The thinking behind this decision is somewhat barmy, of course the fans want to be heard and considered but to give them the sole responsibility of picking the new manager of such an institutional club is quite bonkers. That's what happened though and despite the inclusion of the higher profile names such as Barry Ferguson and Terry Butcher, Christopher Burns is the man the fans choose as their winner. It has been widely speculated that fans of rival clubs such as bitter rivals Celtic have hijacked the voting in order to embarrass the club further. Nonetheless the decision has been made and Burns is the man with his name on the manager's door at Ibrox. It has been confirmed that the 30-year-old Christopher Burns has been placed in charge on a 1-year deal on just under 5k per week. Either a very bold move has been made by the club or a very desperate one.. as expected most people have declared that it's most likely the latter. The Scottish, Rutherglen born man is a Rangers fan and has worked with their under 16's for several years now and that, some would say, makes the appointment that little bit easier to comprehend. We do however have an interview coming up with the new manager who will take his first press conference alongside chairman David Somers shortly.
Hayley McQueen leads our interview with Burns;
Hayley McQueen: Thanks for joining us Christopher and congratulations on the new job, it's fair to say this has come as a bit of a surprise to us all?.
Chris Burns: Thank you Hayley, yes it has been a bit of a whirlwind these past few days.
Hayley McQueen: I'm sure everyone is as intrigued as we all are by your appointment it is a bit out there isn't it?
Chris Burns: I must admit it is quite.. unorthodox! Having said that I really can't complain can I?
Hayley McQueen: Certainly not Chris, is this the dream job then?
Chris Burns: It is indeen Hayley, I've loved this club from my early years and to have worked here these past couple of years has been a dream come true but this? This is something else this is fairytale come true stuff for me. I can't wait to get started.
Hayley McQueen: What do you make of the speculation that you have been appointed after the voting was hijacked by fans of rival clubs?
Chris Burns: It's merely speculation and no one other than the people that voted know why I was chosen but the fact is that I have been. If it was hijacked and that's the reason that I'm here then I say thank you, thank you for putting me in charge of my favourite team. Listen I'm no joke character I'm serious about this club and I want to make a success of my time here. I have all the badges needed to be here and I intend to be here a long time.
Hayley McQueen: You've been given a 1-year contract Chris, what do you think you can do over the course of the season to extend your stay beyond that?
Chris Burns: Well I think that over these past few season we've massively underachieved by only winning the leagues which were inevitable. The league and the challenge cup should have been a minimum requirement and this season I intend to achieve that minimum and also go further by trying to win the Scottish Cup or the League Cup, even both.
Hayley McQueen: Do you think the team you have at your disposal is capable of that?
Chris Burns: Absolutely not, no. I'm not a great fan of Ally's work here as manager and his transfers have been a big factor in that as I think they have been a great disappointment.
Hayley McQueen: So will you be looking to make some changes then and if so do you think you'll receive the backing from the board?
Chris Burns: I will be making drastic changes yes. I'll be starting with the back room staff and getting rid of anyone I feel aren't worthy of their job title. The same will apply with the players and I'll be cutting out the deadwood immediately.
Hayley McQueen: So we're in for a busy summer at Rangers then Chris, what do you make of the most recent signings of Kenny Miller, Kris Boyd, Darren McGregor, Marius Zaliukas and Lee Robinson?
Chris Burns: To be honest I wouldn't have brought any of those players in but that's not me saying they aren't quality players. I feel that the money spent on Boyd and Miller could have been utilised way better. I am a massive fan of Kris Boyd and I thought him and Kenny linked up brilliant during their time here before but this is a time when we should be looking to the future and trying to build a team for that future, not reminiscing and bringing back players who've been successful before. Youth should have been the way forward for us when we went into the Third division but it hasn't worked like that and that's something I want to change.
Hayley McQueen: Thank you very much for speaking with us Chris and we look forward to seeing how you get on, good luck.
ChrissBurns1993
Chris 'The Grimreaper' Burns wields the axe
Just weeks into his new position as manager of Rangers Chris Burns has been true to his word as he's wielded the axe on 14 senior player's and 5 back room staff. The most surprising exit is perhaps the departure of the club captain Lee McCulloch who leaves on a free transfer having come to a mutual agreement after a spectacular falling out between himself and Burns following the decision to strip him of his captaincy. Dean Shiels, Nicky Clark and the recently signed Lee Robinson and Marius Zaliukas also found themselves on the scrapheap after being released from their contract's. The club managed to make some money from the departures of the other 9 players who have left. Nicky Law is perhaps the biggest name of those players and he will join Millwall for a fee of 575k. Stevie Smith, Andy Murdoch, Sebastian Faure, Bilel Mohsni, Ian Black, Ricky Foster and Arnold Peralta all left for a combined 375k to various clubs. While number 1 goalkeeper Cammy Bell was also shipped out and joins Dundee United on loan for the season. Assistant manager Kenny McDowall, head of youth development Jim Sinclair, Under 20's manager Gordon Durie, physio Steve Walker and former fans favourite Ian Durrant all lost their jobs in the shake up as well. Only the fitness and goalkeeping coaches Jamie Ramsden and Jim Stewart kept their jobs. It's all change over at Ibrox and a big recruitment drive is well needed, with some funds being brought in and plenty of wages cut from the budget there's certainly plenty to play with for the manager.
The axe has swung over Lee McCulloch, Nicky Law and 17 others
ChrissBurns1993
Rangers make key signings
After shipping out 17 players it was vital for new Rangers manager Christopher Burns to bring some players in as soon as possible in order to be ready for the new season. A couple of signings were announced today and they're both players who will be familiar to the club and their fans. First in the door was Gregg Wylde who joins from St. Mirren for 250k. Wylde started his professional career at the club after leaving Rangers arch rivals Celtic at the age of just 14. He made 38 appearance for the club and was becoming a key player with a bright future ahead of him but when Rangers went into administration the winger left the club voluntarily to help save the club money. A move to Bolton came next but he was never given a chance to shine there. He had a tough time at Aberdeen as well, after joining from Bolton, as he was again on the fringes of the first team. Following his release from Aberdeen St. Mirren snapped him up and finally the winger managed to get some games under his belt during the 2013/14 season. He will be joined at the club by Danny Wilson as he too makes a return to the team who helped develop him. After an impressive couple of seasons with Rangers Liverpool began to show an interest in and paid 2 million pounds for him, which could have risen to 5 million, but after 3 years he had made just 5 appearances for them and joined Hearts at the end of his contract. He signed for Hearts after a successful loan spell the previous season and Hearts manager Gary Locke made him the new club captain at the age of 21, a big responsibility at a tender age for the player but a clear indication of the faith shown in him by the manager. Rangers have paid their title challengers Hearts 625k for the 22-year old who should again become a key player for his side.
Wylde and Wilson, both above, add some genuine quality to Rangers
ChrissBurns1993
Rangers welcome 6 new arrivals to the club
On the back of signing Gregg Wylde and Danny Wilson Rangers have added a further 6 players to their squad. Laste Dombaxe has penned a 2-year deal after leaving Tottenham in the summer and the winger will face a real battle for a starting spot this season as he'll be challenging David Templeton, Gregg Wylde and Fraser Aird for a place in the side. As well as those 3 he'll be challenging fellow newcomer Pavel Savitskiy who arrives for 155k from Belarusian side Neman Grodno. The tricky winger is a real coup for Rangers as he has been tipped for great things and was sought after by at least 6 other clubs. The 20-year old will definitely be a key player this season and that could well spell the end for David Templeton's time at the club as he may fall further down the pecking order. Chris Brown was next in the door at Ibrox after Christopher Burns shelled out 650k to sign the 16-year old from Inverness Caley Thistle. The fee seems quite hefty for a 16-year old but big things are expected of the teenager and Rangers will be hoping to reap the rewards of that for many years. Nigerian born Swiss international Innocent Emeghara has been added to the squad as well and should face very tough competition for a starting spot in the team with Kris Boyd, Kenny Miller and Jon Daly already fighting for the strikers role. This deal has been labelled a coup too as 10 other sides were chasing the 25-year old. A couple of loan deals were sewn up for Seko Fofana of Manchester City and Junior of Everton as Burns looked to add some depth to his side. The loanees will provide Lewis MacLeod and Kyle Hutton with some healthy competition. A total of 1.7 million has been spent by Rangers so far this window but the club have also brought in 950k by selling other players which effectively means that 8 players have been signed for 750k, some great business there as the new additions, on paper, look to have greatly strengthened the team.
From left to right Rangers new signings; Dombaxe, Savitskiy, Brown, Emeghara, Fofana and Junior.
ChrissBurns1993
Glasgow Rangers Football Club - July/August
Rangers got off to the best possible start as the new campaign got underway in a Challenge Cup match against Airdrie. The Rangers side had more than a touch of youthfulness to it as 16-year old's Robby McRorie and Chris Brown made their debut's. McRorie also became Rangers youngest ever player at the age of 16 years and 130 days. Darren McGregor, Pavel Savitsky, Seko Fofana and Innocent Emeghara also made their debut's while Gregg Wylde made a return. Savitsky made an instant impact as he opened the scoring 14 minutes when he let fly with a 20 yarder after receiving the ball from Kyle Hutton. The Belarusian winger drilled the ball across goal for Emeghara to open his account for the club too. Kyle Hutton crossed to the far post for Savitsky to nod the ball into the empty net for his 2nd goal. It was that man Savitsky again who created goal number 4 as his cross was converted in by fellow winger Wylde. Goal number 5 rounded the match off and McGregor was the man who scored it as he headed in from a Lewis MacLeod cross. By far the best player on the park was the newly signed Belarusian winger Pavel Savitsky and he deservedly picked up the man of the match award.
East Fife were Rangers opponents in this Scottish Cup 1st round tie. Ryan Sinnamon made his debut in the match and he put in a great performance as a makeshift centre back as injuries kept Danny Wilson, Luca Gasparatto and Darren McGregor out. Rangers put in a great performance collectively but it was man of the match Gregg Wylde who stole the show and he was the one to open the scoring. Wylde found himself with an open goal after David Templeton's shot was parried by East Fife's Dylan Rooney and the winger opened the scoring. He then doubled the lead just 2 minutes before half time. Pavel Savitskiy got himself on the scoresheet again too as his free kick from the edge of the box sailed past a flailing Rooney. Templeton rounded off a 4-0 win with an absolute beauty of a goal hit from 30 or so yards. Robby McRorie became the Scottish League Cup's youngest ever player and kept a clean sheet for the 2nd match in a row.
Against Spartans in the next round of the Challenge Cup Rangers went with an unchanged line-up against the Lowland League side. It took an astonishing 74 minutes for the 2nd goal of the match after Kyle McAusland had nodded in for goal number 1 from Gregg Wylde's corner. McAusland has been very impressive in his 4 appearances so far this season and the 21-year old wasn't expecting that at the start of the season, having been shipped out on loan to Brechin by Ally McCoist, Burns though decided to recall him and Gasparatto from their respective loans. Despite have an abundance of shots and way more possesion Rangers just couldn't make the most of their opportunities. Innocent Emeghara eventually made it 2 though as he volleyed in from Chris Brown's cross. Just 2 minutes later Lewis MacLeod managed to extend the lead even further after receiving the ball from Pavel Savitskiy the centre midfielder let one fly from 30 yards and the ball eased into the bottom left corner of the net. 3-0 is probably a bit disappointing for people who were expecting a landslide victory but it was a comfortable victory nonetheless.
Ahead of this tie it was confirmed that Steve Simonsen had departed the club by mutual consent. The veteran goalkeeper was never going to get a chance under Burns after the manager began the season with a 16-year old Robby McRorie in goals ahead of him and then 19-year old Liam Kelly after McCrorie got injured. With 6 key players injured and fatigue starting to hit the players who've been ever present Rangers had to make a few changes to their team. Darren Ramsay, another player at the club since 8 years old, started the match in an unfamiliar right back slot ahead of the tired Chris Brown. While striker Jon Daly covers at centre back for Pascazio, it isn't too unfamiliar a role for Daly having previously featured there for Dundee United, Fraser Aird came in for the injured David Templeton too. Seko Fofana, Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller came in for Kyle Hutton, Innocent Emeghara and Pavel Savitskiy in the final changes to the squad. Having watched the first hour of that match it is quite a struggle to believe how comfortable it ended up being for Rangers. The introduction of Savitskiy, Emeghara and Brown for the disappointing Miller, Boyd and MacLeod changed the game completely, immediately. After just 2 minutes of being on the park Emeghara had bagged himself a double as Savitskiy and Wallace provided the assists. After a penalty box scramble from a corner Daly netted for goal number 3 before Emeghara laid one off for Savitskiy to complete a 4-0 20 minute rout.
A twisted knee kept Innocent Emeghara out of this game and a strained groin kept out Kris Boyd so Kenny Miller moved up top to lead the line while Pavel Savitskiy took Miller's place on the wing. Fraser Aird and Jon Daly kept their places after impressive displays last time out but Darren Ramsay made way for Chris Brown. Savitskiy provided a goal for Miller before he was subbed for David Templeton due to injury. MacLeod's free kick was parried by Jamie Ewings but only as far as Gregg Wylde who netted with his first touch. MacLeod set up Wylde again and the winger picked up the man of the match after getting his 6th goal in as many games. Before that though Jon Daly had made it 3-0 from the penalty spot after a foul by Chris Turner in the box. Rangers great form continues with their 6th successive win and 5th clean sheet.
Rangers don't appear to be having much luck in the way of injuries as Pavel Savitskiy was ruled out of this clash with Hibs as a stained neck keeps him out for 2 weeks. David Templeton is a more than capable replacement though and he was the only change to the line up. This game was maybe one to many for Rangers though as they disappointingly ran out of steam. At 2-0 down on 25 minutes they were sinking without a trace. Chris Brown pulled one back on the hour mark as the away side went at Hibs defence full pelt. Just a minute later though and Alex Harris had Hibs 3-1 up and there was no way back for Rangers as the result ended that way which meant an early League Cup exit for them.
Despite falling to a defeat last time out against Hibs in the League Cup it was an unchanged line up for Rangers in this Championship clash with Queen of the South. It was hardly an enthralling first half of football but Kenny Miller put the home side 1-0 up as they went into the break. In stark contrast to the first half the second was excitingly flowing. Fraser Aird scored a peach of a goal from the edge of the box after going on a mazy run past a couple of Queens defenders. From Aird's free kick minutes later it was 3-0 after McAusland's header went in off Gavin Reilly on the goal line. David Templeton made it 4 with a neat back heel past Zander Clark from Wylde's pass along the goal mouth. John Baird provided his team with a consolation goal when he exposed Jon Daly's lack of pace at the back by easily outrunning him despite Daly being in the better position. Aird picked up the man of the match for the 2nd time in 4 games as his impressive form continues.
Gregg Wylde has been in great form since his return to Rangers and his player of the month award was much deserved.
ChrissBurns1993
My first few months
Well it's fair to say that these first few months in the job here at Rangers have been eventful. Having followed and worked with the club for many years it's fair to say I had a pretty in debth knowledge of the club. I had a good idea of where we were going wrong and a good idea what I wanted to change about it. My first task was to get rid of the deadwood that have been sponging off the club for years now. We shipped out 15 players in total who I didn't feel matched the standard of Rangers. Then we got started on the transfers and I felt it was imperative that we brought in players who add value to the squad, players who can progress and we could possibly sell on in the future. Not that we want to be a selling club but the fact is that we've been buying players with absolutely no resale value recently. Older players, the 'experience' we were told was needed.. Well I say bull***t to that, younger players will give you that hunger and desire which you won't get as much from the older players at this level. So we brought in 8 players, Wylde and Wilson were 2 players I loved watching a couple of years back so I jumped at the opportunity to bring them back to the club. Brown and Dombaxe are a good couple of youngsters and will definitely get some game time. Emeghara and Savitskiy should be key players for us this season and they have made blistering starts to the season which indicates that they will be. Fofana and Junior are a good couple of midfielders who will give us the back up we need in that central midfield area.
We have played 8 games in 35 days which is a game every 4 days so it has been pretty hectic on that front too. We have done really well in those matches though having won 7 of them. The loss to Hibs in the League Cup was a major disappointment in truth, having said that it isn't the end of the world as we still have 3 other competitions to play for. Picking up the win against Hearts is of great importance because they are without a doubt our title rivals this year. Of course Hibs will be there or thereabouts having beaten us but they don't have the squad to sustain a title challenge like ourselves and Hearts. You could say that the rest of our results were routine victories but the manner in which we have saw off the competition has been exciting to watch. The players that we've brought in have made instant impacts as well which has been great to see. Of the 6 players we signed only 3 of them haven't really featured for us too much, Dombaxe and Junior and Wilson being the 3 players, that will come over the season though and Wilson's injury has been the only thing preventing him from playing. It's been good to see McAusland playing so well after we recalled him from a loan spell with Brechin, he's really stepped up in the abscence of Wilson, McGreggor and Gasparatto, Gasparatto is another who we recalled from a loan deal and he should feature more once he recovers from his injury. The likes of Savitskiy, Templeton, Wylde and Aird have impressing me a lot and I'm looking forward to working with them over the next year at the very least.
ChrissBurns1993
Latest news on Martin Odegaard future
Rangers are close to the signature of Norwegian wonderkid Martin Odegaard, according to our sources. Odegaard, who doesn't turn 16 for a couple of months, has been on the radar of Europe's top clubs for some time with reports that both player and his father have visited several clubs for tours of facilities and meetings with their relative key staff members.Other reports suggest Real Madrid have offered the player a five-year contract which has been turned down by the 15-year old. Given their current state of affairs, it would be seen as an unbelievable coup for Rangers if they pipped teams such as Real Madrid to his signature. The attacking midfielder has already played and scored in several Norwegian top division matches and became the youngest player to appear for Norway in August. He is already a record breaking player as after coming on as a substitute against Bulgaria in September, he became the youngest player to appear in a Euro 2016 qualifying match at just 15 years and 300 days old.
Odegaard is close with his father and has visited clubs such as United, Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and more with him as his family and friends try to keep the player's feet firmly on the ground. Despite being outside of the transfer window currently and Odegaard just month's from his 16th birthday, it seems he is all set to snub the biggest teams around Europe and sign with Rangers. Having previously admitted to being a boyhood Liverpool fan it was widely thought that the Stromgodset player would make a move to the Anfield club. Quite how he has come to be close to signing for Rangers is anyone's guess. Odegaard was born just six months after Norway's last appearance at a World Cup finals, but they might not have to wait another decade and a half before they're back on the biggest stage if Europe's latest teenage sensation fulfills the hype. Even at this age, Odegaard lacks very little. He has balance, agility, confidence and a ferocious shot. To add, the Drammen-born star has shown the strength to suggest he can mix it with the big boys in the big leagues, not shying away from duels with defenders twice his size.
He has attracted some firm attention on these isles, from Rangers Old Firm rivals Celtic no less. Earlier in July, Hoops manager Ronny Deila rejected claims the Scottish Premiership champions could not afford to sign the young starlet. 'It’s incorrect to say that Martin is outwith our range,' Deila told Norwegian TV. 'Martin must do what is best for him and we will do what is best for us - we’ll see if our paths meet at a later date. 'Martin is a good player but not even close to being a Celtic player at the moment. But there’s no doubt that he has the capability to be in the future.' Their path's could yet meet but it appears they may be taking a different direction. More on this story very soon from us here at Sky Sports News.
Something you may not know is that Martin Odegaard will be added to Football Manager 2015 - after his father Hans Erik granted game developer Sports Interactive permission to include the 15-year-old wonderkid from Norway.
Martin, who turns 16 in December, was absent from the game's list due to his age but Hans Erik wants his son to feature.
Miles Jacobson, studio director of Sports Interactive, tweeted a photo of the teenager's father giving his blessing and wrote: 'I said if we got parental permission, Odegaard would be added to #FM15.'
Miles Jacobson, studio director of Sports Interactive, tweeted this photo of the teen's father giving permission.
ChrissBurns1993
With Liam Kelly, Pavel Savitskiy, Fraser Aird and Lewis MacLeod all on international duty Rangers squad was a bit patchwork which gave Lewis McMinn and Laste Dombaxe their first starts for the club. It was Dombaxe who got the winner in this rather dull game. Both teams just seemed to be taking kicks at each other as the foul count had rose to 31 by the final whistle. Rangers got away with it after a first half in which they were dominated by Livingston. Lee Wallace provided Dombaxe with the opportunity for his first goal for the club and the Angolan midfielder duly obliged to give his team a narrow win and earn himself the man of the match in the process. This challenge cup win set up a semi final tie with Hibernian for Rangers.
Rangers team was changed around again for this match against Raith Rovers as Liam Kelly, Greg Pascazio, Fraser Aird and Innocent Emeghara regained their places in the squad. Rangers dominated this match from start to finish and it was Emeghara who kicked off the proceedings with a great chip from outside the box. The left sided duo of Lee Wallace and Gregg Wylde linked up for goal #2 as Wallace's cross was headed in by Wylde. Pascazio added the 3rd and final goal from Fraser Aird's corner to seal the win. Wylde was excellent throughout and he picked up his 3rd man of the match award after a great start to the season.
Robby McRorie, Lewis MacLeod and Pavel Savitskiy came into Rangers starting 11 again as Liam Kelly, Fraser Aird and Laste Dombaxe made way. It was Lee Wallace's first goal of the season which kicked off proceedings today as he got a head onto his fellow full back Chris Brown's deep cross. Savitskiy centered the ball for Gregg Wylde who nodded in his 8th goal of the season just before half time. It was Savitskiy's turn to score for goal #3 as Fraser Aird's free kick was headed in by the Belarusian winger. Just minutes later Alloa's Dom Thomas headed in a consolation goal for his side from a corner. It was a 3rd goal in 4 games for centre back Greg Pascazio as he scored the 5 goal and header of the game from Aird's free kick. Savitskiy's excellent performance earned him the man of the match award as he inspired his team to a 6th straight league win.
It was an unchanged line up from Rangers for the first time in a while as they entertained 3rd place Hibernian. After a tough first half it was looking like Hibernian would grab another win after being the better side. The first goal came 20 minutes into the 2nd half and it was Rangers who got it. Fraser Aird whipped in a corner and young Greg Pascazio got onto the ball to slam in his 3rd goal in successive games. With the match nearing an end you could sense all was not settled and it was Farid El Alagui who broke Rangers hearts with a 90th minute strike from outside the box. The draw keeps up both teams unbeaten run in the league and it's still being closely fought.
ChrissBurns1993
For the 3rd match in a row it was an unchanged Rangers side and the players are linking up well as a result. In an action packed first half it was a goal by Innocent Emeghara that kicked things off as he netted after just 2 minutes from Gregg Wylde's long free kick. Pavel Savitskiy made it 2-0 before Kyle Jacobs pulled one back for Livingston. Wylde restored Rangers 2 goal cushion when Darren Jamieson took a free kick outside his box and scuffed the ball which went straight to Wylde who hit it from 30 odd yards to make it 3-1 going into the break. Keaghan Jacobs joined his brother on the scoresheet as his goal on the hour mark set up a nervy ending to the match but Rangers just about saw it out and extended their lead at the top by a point to go 6 clear.
Injuries forced Rangers into some changes as the central midfield pairing of David Templeton and Lewis MacLeod picked up injuries which paved the way for Fraser Aird and Laste Dombaxe to start. In a completely uneventful and boring game Rangers and Raith played out a 0-0 draw and there was barely anything of note to report in truth so we won't even try.
An injury to Greg Pascazio meant that Kyle McAusland was given a recall, as was MacLeod who came back in for Laste Dombaxe. After a boring first half between the sides Rangers appeared to throw caution to the wind and came out with a more attacking intent. It paid dividends immediately as Pavel Savitskiy netted a 3 minute double as he scored on the 47th and 50th minute. The full backs Chris Brown and Lee Wallace whipped in a couple of great balls for Savitskiy and the winger nodded in both times to put his side 2-0 up. He rounded off an excellent match and a man of the match performance with his 3rd goal 10 minutes from time for a hat-trick after Darren McGregor's great ball into the box provided him with the opportunity. An excellent 3-0 win sees Rangers overcome their 'bogey team' (Hibs) and sail through to the final of the Petrofac Training Cup where Queen of the South lie in wait.
It was an unchanged line up from Rangers for this match against a 7th placed Dumbarton side led by former Rangers player Ian Murray. Danny Wilson got the 1st goal of his 2nd spell at the club when he netted past the goalkeeper from a Fraser Aird corner. Mitch Megginson went up the other end just minutes later to pull one back for Dumbarton though and the sides went into the break level. Rangers made a couple of changes to their team at half time as the players seemed to be very tired. Chris Brown and Fraser Aird came off for Darren McGregor and Laste Dombaxe. Kyle Hutton's long ball over the top was picked up by Gregg Wylde who ran with the ball before firing the ball into the net. Chris Turner scored 20 minutes later for Dumbarton as they pulled back yet again and Rangers couldn't do anything more in the game and the match finished 2-2 with Wylde picking up the man of the match award.
Rangers made a couple of changes to the team due to some players tiredness. Ryan Sinnamon, Seko Fofana and Laste Dombaxe came in for Chris Brown, Kyle Hutton and Lewis MacLeod. The teams tiredness showed throughout the match as despite controlling the match Rangers couldn't break Cowdenbeath's defence down nor did they ever really look like doing so. The unbeaten streak goes on for Rangers but 3 draws in a row isn't a great month for Rangers in truth.
Young player of the month Gregg Wylde celebrates a goal.
ChrissBurns1993
Creating a structure
When I took over Rangers I wanted to implement so many changes it was hard to focus on what to do first. I did figure that out though and I made the necessary changes to the playing staff by bringing in players with a future who are vital to the way we went to play. Youth is the way in my opinion and I feel that's the best policy for us just now, taking the lack of funds into account. Next for me was getting the players training and such sorted but to do that we had to bring in some backroom staff. We were severely lacking in that department when I took over as we only had 7 staff members. Only our goalkeeping and fitness coaches were of the standard I wanted which meant I had to let a fan favourite in Ian Durrant leave, needs must I'm afraid, we don't want passengers. We have now brought our staff numbers up to 30, excluding myself. We've made some vital additions and set up a scouting system which we have been severely lacking these past few years. I'm very happy with our backroom staff now and that's something we will be hoping to build on.
Eric Cantona
Manager
Christopher Burns
Assistant Manager
Steve Kember
Under 20's Manager
Neil Murray
Under 20's Assistant Manager
Jason De Vos
Goalkeeping coach
Jim Stewart
Andy Fairman
Fitness Coach
Jamie Ramsden
Damien Roden
Coach
Craig Gill
Mark Proctor
Dean Saunders
Stephen Carr
Jay-Jay Okocha
Under 20's coach
Paulo Ferreira
Dado Prso
Bruno Berner
Rory Delap
Jamie Carragher
Park Ji-Sung
Thomas Hitzlsperger
Scouts
Giorgio Chiaschini
Barry Poynton
Eddie Presland
David Hamilton
Gwyn Williams
David Geddis
Colin Harvey
Ian Storey-Moore
ChrissBurns1993
November
The month of November kicked off away to Alloa in the William Hill Scottish Cup for Rangers. Kyle Hutton and Lewis MacLeod were the only changes to the team from their disappointing 0-0 stalemate with Cowdenbeath last time out and it was Seko Fofana and Laste Dombaxe who dropped out for them. Rangers bombarded Alloa with 8 shots on their goal before Lee Wallace found the net on the half hour mark to put his side 1-0 up. Just 4 minutes into the 2nd half Innocent Emeghara played Pavel Savitskiy through on goal and it was soon 2-0. Another 4 minutes later though? 2-2!! Alloa weren't giving it up easy and fought back level as Rangers seemed to lose concentration as they threw away their lead. The introduction of Fofana, Dombaxe and David Templeton seemed to life Rangers though and they went on to get the winner through Emeghara which eased his side through to the next round of the competition, St. Mirren lie in wait next.
The only change made by Rangers for their clash with Falkirk was the inclusion of Chris Brown over the injured Ryan Sinnamon. After a neat all round team move Pavel Savitskiy laid the ball on a platter for Fraser Aird who made it 1-0 Rangers. Gregg Wylde added a 2nd goal soon afterwards but his goal was ruled as offside and was dissallowed as such. With the clock ticking down and the tie still just 1-0 Rangers threw their lead away again as Andy Ryan made it 1-1 with 5 minutes to go. Another collapse by the favourites for the league and they'll be hoping it doesn't become a habit.
After a 2 week international week it was back to business as Rangers took on 4th placed Hearts. A few changes for the league leaders saw Junior and Laste Dombaxe take the places of the injured Lee Wallace and Laste Dombaxe. David Templeton who has recently signed a new 2-year deal was name ahead of the tired Pavel Savitskiy. What a match this was though you wouldn't have predicted it to be as such after a borefest 0-0 first half. Just 15 minutes into the 2nd half and Hearts were 2-0 up after taking the lead through a Prince Buapen penalty and a Dale Carrick strike. Lewis MacLeod got a goal back for Rangers and then Pavel Savitskiy pulled it level with a penalty after coming on just minutes earlier for the ineffective Dombaxe. Just minutes after that there was another penalty awarded though and Hearts Buapen stepped up yet again to convert for 3-2 Hearts. Templeton managed to find a way past his former clubs defence to make it 3-3 with just 8 minutes to play before Fraser Aird looked to have won the match for his team with his 88th minute strike making it 4-3. Things haven't been that easy for Rangers these days though and today was no different as Carrick added his 2nd of the game and broke the travelling supports hearts as he made sure the match ended evenly at 4-4. Templeton's impressive display earned a man of the match award against his former club which he will undoubtedly be happy with.
25th of November 2014
This competition hasn't been too great for Rangers in the 2 years previous to my arrival with a defeat to Queen of the South 2 years ago and a defeat by Raith Rovers in the final last year. We have a chance to rectify that though with this final being against Queen of the South. It is an early chance to win my first trophy as Rangers manager and we'll be going all out to do so.
Chris Brown came in for the injured Ryan Sinnamon in what was Rangers only change to their line up after their 4-1 victory over Queen of the South in the Petrofac Training Cup. This Scottish Cup 4th round match was off to a flier for Rangers as they took a 2-0 lead after 10 minutes from Danny Wilson and David Templeton's goals. Marc McAusland pulled one back for St. Mirren on 29 minutes to give his team a fighting chance in the match. Wilson added his 2nd goal and Rangers 3rd as he headed in another Fraser Aird corner with 15 minutes left to play. Adam Campbell looked to throw a spanner in the works with his 80th minute goal but it wasn't to be for the Saints who don't go marching on. Rangers were paired with Premiership side Partick Thistle in the next round.
ChrissBurns1993
December
A home tie against Alloa was where December begun for Rangers who were looking to re-take their lead at the top of the table. Fraser Aird, Seko Fofana and Pavel Savitskiy dropped out as Christopher Burns' rotation policy continued with Lewis MacLeod, Junior and Laste Dombaxe taking the places of the trio. It was that man Dombaxe who was to be the match winner in this match as the Angolan attacking midfielder picked up the ball inside the box after a horrendous pass back by Alloa's Ryan McCord left his goalkeeper with no chance as the Rangers man netted with ease. Not the greatest game but they got a narrow 1-0 result and a clean sheet for the first time in 6 matches which will no doubt give their young 'keeper Robby McCrorie a welcome boost.
Rangers threadbare squad got even thinner when training ground injuries ruled Danny Wilson and Darren McGregor out for 1 month and 10 days respectively. Added to that were the current injuries to 4 other defenders which means that Rangers had just 2 senior defenders to choose from. Almost all of their available players featured just 2 days previously against Alloa. With the lack of defensive options available 16-year olds Lewis White and Ross McRorie(brother of Robby) were pitched in to the starting line up. Pavel Savitskiy, Innocent Emeghara and Seko Fofana replaced Kyle Hutton, Junior and Laste Dombaxe too. Chris Brown got injured 18 minutes into the match and had to be substituted for Hutton as Rangers defensive crisis continued. It didn't get much better later on in the game when Cowdenbeath forward Sean Higgins nabbed the winning goal as the home side struggled throughout. A first league defeat of the season for Rangers as Hibs go a point ahead at the top.
It is no secret that Rangers have been struggling quite a bit with injury and fitness recently and currently only have 2 fit senior defenders in the squad. With that in mind it's no surprise that they have dipped into the transfer market to pick up a defender, Argentinian centre back Leonel Galeano had been a free agent for 6 months after leaving Rayo Alcoyano in the summer. It's surprising how long that Galeano has been without a club as he's a player who has been highly rated for quite some time now, big things were expected of him but the move to Rayo from Independiente didn't work out as an injury plagued season meant that he played just 7 times for the Madrid side. He will be hoping for a fresh start at Rangers though and they'll no doubt be hoping he can stay injury free. The 23-year old has signed a 2-year deal on 4.2k per week but his contract has numerous bonuses dependent on performances.
Ross McRorie was the latest defender to pick up an injury for Rangers but this time they had a replacement in the shape of new signing Leonel Galeano. That wasn't the only change made to the starting line-up though as Kyle Hutton replaced Seko Fofana. The introduction of Lee Wallace and Fraser Aird at half time seemed to spark Rangers into life after a poor first half as Innocent Emeghara put them 2-0 10 minutes into the 2nd half. With the game nearing an end though Queen of the South decided that they weren't settling for no points this match as goals from Derek Lyle and Gavin Reilly rescued a late 2-2 for The Doonhamers. One positive to come from the game was the return from injury of Lee Wallace which will have been a pleasant sight for the fans and management.
With one of their promotion rivals up at Ibrox Christopher Burns put Lee Wallace back into the team as well as the highly sought after Fraser Aird. Lewis White and Ryan Hardie were the players dropped. Things didn't go to well for Rangers however as Jordan White scored 2 goals in the match with Rangers struggling to get 1 goal. Leonel Galeano got Rangers consolation goal but they're slump continued here as they slip down to 3rd place in the league and it's Livingston who overtake them.
Rangers needed to improve big time in their last match of November against top of the table Hibernian. Danny Wilson returned to the starting line up after his injury spell and he took the place of Kyle McAusland in the only change to the match. David Templeton ran the show in this match as Rangers bounced back in the best way possible with an emphatic 4-0 win. Templeton got the scoring started on 15 minutes and then he set up another 2 for Pavel Savitskiy and Innocent Emeghara. Emeghara added another goal 10 minutes from the end but despite his great performance it was David Templeton who took centre stage with his man of the match award. Rangers needed this win to fire back at their critics and they got it, Livingston were defeated by Hearts as well which means Rangers go to the top of the table.
ChrissBurns1993
1 in and 3 out as Rangers get transfer window off to a flier
After much speculation over the last year Rangers are the club who have managed to grab Norwegian wonderkid Martin Odegaard. It was speculated that the youngster had made a decision to join the Glaswegian club but it hadn't been confirmed by either player or club until now. To have added such a sought after young player to their squad after a rough couple of years will give everyone around the club a massive boost as Odegaard will be a star. Going to a club like Rangers will undoubtedly be a stepping stone for the lad who will probably have an eye on a move to England next. I guess it could be the right fit for him at the moment as he'll be playing in a more challenging league next season when Rangers get promoted and he'll definitely hog the limelight. Scouts will be flocking to see him up at Ibrox but for now.. It's Rangers.
The experienced trio of Kenny Miller, Jon Daly and Kris Boyd are passing ships for Martin Odegaard as the 3 striker's have been shown the door by Christopher Burns. Kenny Miller will be going to Premiership side St. Johnstone on a free transfer as Rangers had no interest in extending his deal beyond this season so it was the best move for him. The same applies to Kris Boyd who has made a move to the English Championship to join Brentford in a deal worth 40k. Jon Daly has also left the club but after knocking back moves to several club over the past month Jon realised his time was up and both parties came to a mutual agreement eventually. It has been reported that Brighton made a 1 million pound offer for Lee Wallace which was booted out immediately by Rangers who look to be keeping hold of their newly appointed captain.
ChrissBurns1993
New contract for the rejuvenated Templeton
It has been announced today that Rangers David Templeton has been given a years extension to his current deal with a further one year option for the club. Quite surprisingly it has been alleged that Templeton has taken a wage cut which was insisted upon by the manager. He will be going from a 7.5k wage down to 6k but the lad will just be glad that his career is back on track as after falling out of favour under Ally McCoist his career stalled massively. He has been given a key role this season under Burns though and has made 18(3) appearances in which he's 6 goals assisted 4 and has 2 man of the match awards, a 7.30 average rating makes him one of Rangers better performers too.
As well as Templeton there are several other players who have been rewarded new deals and they are; Kyle Hutton, Luca Gasparatto, Ryan Hardie, Ryan Sinnamon, Liam Kelly, Tom Walsh, Greg Pascazio and Kyle McAusland. All of the players given new contracts have impressed in their appearances this season so it comes as no surpise that they have been rewarded with new deals and it's refreshing to see the home grown talent being given their chance to shine and taking it. Tom Walsh has been on loan with Stenhousemuir this season but has been recalled by the Rangers manager as he wasn't being utilesed properly at them and he will provide some back up for Innocent Emeghara and Ryan Hardie after the departures of Kris Boyd, Kenny Miller and Jon Daly left Rangers a bit short up front.
David Templeton has found his form again this season
ChrissBurns1993
January
Martin Odegaard and Ryan Hardie represent the only changes that were made to Rangers line up from the Hibernian match. Dumbarton didn't put up much of a fight either though as Rangers fired 4 past them too. Ryan Hardie laid Pavel Savitskiy off for the opener and then David Templeton justified his new contract once again with an easy finish on 20 minutes. Hardie got a goal of his own when Fraser Aird played a lovely through ball for him and he finished with ease. Dumbarton got one back on the stoke of half time before a comical own goal by Lee Mair secured a 4-1 win late on. Templeton was man of the match. In addition to Rangers winning, Hearts and Hibs drew 0-0 while Livingston were beaten 2-0 by Queen of the South which gives Rangers a bit of breathing space at the top by a couple of points. Some bad news on the injury front though as Templeton was ruled out for 4-6 weeks with a twisted ankle. Barrie McKay has returned from a loan spell with Raith Rovers too as he has broken his foot and will be out for 3 months.
A couple of changes were forced on Rangers as David Templeton and Danny Wilson were ruled out of this game by injury and illness and it was Luca Gasparatto and Kyle Hutton who replaced them. Luca Gasparatto got his first senior goal when he headed in Fraser Aird's corner in the opening minutes of this game against Alloa. A man of the match display by 16-year old Martin Odegaard was rounded off with his 53rd minute goal as he got his first for the club. A narrow win but another good performance by Rangers who seem to be over their slump.
An injury to Lee Wallace meant that Gregg Wylde was brought back into the team from injury to play at left back. Danny Wilson and Seko Fofana made the starting line up as well as the injured Kyle Hutton missed out, as did Luca Gasparatto despite an impressive performance last time out. After a 4-4 draw the last time these sides played you could be forgiven for being disappointed with this match as a 0-0 stalemate wasn't pretty on the eye, particularly as Hearts felt the need to kick lumps out of Rangers throughout and earned themselves 6 yellow cards as a result. An injury to Martin Odegaard early on had everyone worried but luckily enough it wasn't serious and he should be available for the Cowdenbeath game which is up next for Rangers.
An uchanged line up was the preferred choice by Christopher Burns for this match against Cowdenbeath and the decision was justfied by a 3-1 result. Ryan Hardie got things off to a flying start with his goal 20 minutes into the match after Odegaard had played him through on goal. Chris Johnstone scored a great goal for the Blue Brazil 10 minutes later to level the scoring but Hardie put Rangers back in front just after half time when he headed in Lee Wallace's cross. It was Gregg Wylde's cross which was headed in by Hardie next as the youngster grabbed his first professional hat-trick which earned him his first man of the match award too.
January manager of the month Chris Burns at a recent youth community event
ChrissBurns1993
Rangers reach pre-contract agreement with former player
Rangers have come to a pre-contractual agreement with a former player today. Coventry midfielder John Fleck was targeted by Christopher Burns after impressing for the English League One club this season. Fleck was tipped to be the 'next big thing' and the 'next Rooney' at the tender age of 16 when he broke into Rangers first team squad under Walter Smith. In 2007, Fleck was called up to take part in the full squad pre-season tour of Germany and was handed his debut for the first team against SV Lippstadt 08, becoming the first 15-year-old to play for the first team since Derek Ferguson in 1982. Fleck impressed and scored in a 3–1 friendly victory over Sportfreunde Lotte in the next friendly game.
On 25 August 2007, just a day after his 16th birthday, Fleck was included for the first time in the Rangers first team squad for a competitive match against Kilmarnock. He made his competitive debut 5 months later in the Scottish Cup game against East Stirlingshire and made his league debut on 22 May in the final league game of the season against Aberdeen. Two days later, Fleck became the youngest ever player to play in a senior British Cup final by appearing as a substitute in the 2008 Scottish Cup Final against Queen of the South. He made his first start for them against Falkirk in January 2009 earning the a man of the match award for his performance. Five days before this, The Times had placed Fleck seventh in their Top 50 Rising Stars of football list. Despite all of this thing's didn't progress too much further for the lad several years down the line as he only made appearances sporadicly and they were usually from the bench. He ended up having to seek out a loan away from the club for first team opportunities and it was Blackpool who snapped him up on a 6 month loan in January 2012. That move never quite worked out though as he ended up with just 7 appearances from his time there. By the time he came back from his loan with Blackpool things had fallen apart at Rangers and he subequently left the club on a free transfer after objecting to his contract being transferred to the new club set up by Charles Green. Since then he has gone on to become a key player for Coventry and has become their longest serving player as the turmoil at the club has meant there have been a lot of comings and goings during his time there.
Fleck will be looking to establish himself as a Rangers player next season though after agreeing a 2-year deal with Burns. He will join up with the club in July and he'll be looking forward to adding to his 41 appearances from his first spell. At 23-years of age John is still relatively young and has an abundance of potential which can definitely still be reached with the right club and manager to get him there. He will join up with two former team mates of his who re-signed for a 2nd spell with the club back in the summer of 2014, in the shape of Danny Wilson and Gregg Wylde. He will be a great addition to Rangers as his vision, flair and set pieces will give them the kind of magic that every supporter want's to see from their side.
John Fleck playing with his current club Coventry
ChrissBurns1993
March
Lee Wallace and Tom Walsh got injured ahead of this Scottish Cup Quarter final tie with Hibernian. Ryan Sinnamon deputised for Wallace while Ryan Hardie regained his place ahead of Walsh. Martin Odegaard scored his 3rd goal of the season to give Rangers a 1-0 lead but that lead was cast into doubt when young right back Chris Brown got himself sent off before half time. The red card was the first of the season for Rangers who were forced to reshuffle the pack quite a bit but after a close 2nd half encounter they progressed to the Semi-final with a 1-0 victory. It's Livingston who await Rangers in the next round after they dispatched of Hearts with a 3-1 win in their Quarter-final.
Gregg Wylde missed this match with injury and was replaced by David Templeton. Martin Odegaard added another goal to his tally for the season when he pounced on a spilled ball by the Queen of the South 'keeper and fired it into the net. Ryan Hardie doubled the scoring when Templeton's shot came of the bar and into his path. Pavel Savitskiy netted his 17th goal of the season when he made it 3-0 before half time. The scoreline remained the same as Rangers eased to yet another victory and clean sheet.
Livingston came to Ibrox and faced an unchanged Rangers squad in this top of the table clash. It was 2-0 at half time as full back's Ryan Sinnamon and Chris Brown were assisted by Pavel Savitskiy and David Templeton to put their team in cruise control. Templeton drilled the ball along the goal mouth 20 minutes into the 2nd half to make it 3-0 Rangers. Jordan White continued a good record against Rangers when he netted a late consolation on the 90th minute to break Robby McCrorie's 6 match, near 7, consecutive clean sheet record.
Chris Brown, Ryan Sinnamon, Martin Odegaard, Fraser Aird and Pavel Savitskiy missed out in this top of the table clash with Hibernian due to injuries and being given a rest. Kyle McAusland, Luca Gasparatto, Seko Fofana, Junior and Laste Dombaxe came into the squad in their abscence. Things got off to the best possible start when Lewis MacLeod converted his spot kick on the 12th minute after Ricky Foster had clattered Ryan Hardie in the box. David Templeton set up Danny Wilson for goal no. 2 as the centre back headed in from the winger's cross to put his side in cruise control on the stroke of half time. Alex Harris pulled one back for Hibs with 20 minutes to play but it didn't affect the outcome of the match as Rangers eased to a 2-1 victory with Danny Wilson picking up the man of the match award after a commanding performance.
ChrissBurns1993
April
Chris Brown, Lee Wallace, Gregg Wylde, Martin Odegaard, Pavel Savitskiy and Innocent Emeghara started this match after returning from injuries and rest periods. Despite playing a so called 'starting 11' for this match and completely dominating from start to finish Rangers couldn't find the net with their 16 shots. Alloa failed to register a single shot on target but they got the result they wanted as their display showed that they were here to sit back and defend, fair play to The Wasps if that's what they came to do.
There were a few changes made to the line up against Queen of the South and Darren McGregor, Fraser Aird and [img link=Lefteris Troullis]http://gallery.neoseeker.com/chrisburns1/photostream/96098139[/img], who was making his debut, were the ones that came in for Chris Brown, Lee Wallace and Martin Odegaard. Rangers lead at the top was cut to just 4 points after this game as another poor performance led to more points dropped as Queen of the South took advantage to take a morale boosting 2-0 victory. It may be worth noting that Rangers were again without Ryan Hardie and this may be a reason for their shortcomings up front as Innocent Emeghara again struggled to impress.
After a poor performance last time out Rangers continued their trend of making changes to the team sheet as Chris Brown, Lee Wallace, Kyle Hutton, Martin Odegaard and Tom Walsh came in for Darren McGregor, David Templeton, Lewis MacLeod, Lefteris Troullis and Innocent Emeghara. During another lacklustre performance it took Rangers 12 shots before they actually found the target but they didn't get a goal on that occasion however they looked to have stole the victory on the 91st minute when Pavel Savitskiy put them ahead but that relief was abruptly ended when Martin Scott smashed in an equaliser just seconds before the final whistle. Just 2 points out of a possible 9 doesn't bode well for Rangers in their search of the title and it is surely going to go down to the wire now.
Just 2 changes were made for this match against Cowdenbeath as Rangers look to get back to winning ways it was Lewis MacLeod and Laste Dombaxe who were brought in for Kyle Hutton and the injured Gregg Wylde. When Tom Walsh was clattered by Darren Brownlie in the box on 24 minutes a penalty was swiftly awarded and Pavel Savitskiy stepped up and slotted the ball into the net. Just 15 minutes later Fraser Aird double the lead for Rangers as they went into the break comfortably 2-0 up.
The suspended Chris Brown and Fraser Aird, Martin Odegaard, Pavel Savitskiy and Tom Walsh made way for Kyle McAusland, Kyle Hutton, Junior, Barry McKay and Innocent Emeghara in this Scottish Cup Semi Final. In what will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest cup ties in recent times Rangers and Livingston played out a breathtaking 5-5 matchup which eventually had to be decided by the dreaded penalty shoot out. Gary Glen and Jordan White made it 2-0 to Livingston and then Emeghara pulled one back from the penalty spot only for White to restore a 2 goal advantage for his side but that didn't last long as Emeghara grabbed himself another 2 goals from the penalty spot to make it 3-3 heading into extra time. White again put Livingston in front with his hat-trick but that lead was cancelled out soon after when Emeghara got his 4th goal of the game. Savitskiy made it 5-4 on 106 minutes before Glen's 112th minute goal made it 5-5 as the teams headed towards penalties. After scoring 3 penalties in the match Emeghara stepped up confidently for Rangers first of the match but his effort was finally saved by Darren Jamieson in the Livingston goal, Kyle Hutton also missed his penalty. Savitskiy, Aird and Leanel Galeano found the net from their penalties but their effort's were in vain as Livingston missed just 1 penalty which gave them a 4-3 penalty shoot out win. An excellent game was played here but Rangers will be embarassed to have fallen to a defeat in the Scottish Cup Semi Final to a team in the same division as them. Of course it was Innocent Emeghara who was man of the match here but it's quite likely that'll be forgotten pretty soon.
Martin Odegaard, Pavel Savitskiy and Gregg Wylde reclaimed their starting positions ahead of Junior, Barry McKay and Laste Dombaxe as Rangers looked to bounce back in this match Dumbarton after a bad defeat against Livingston last time out. Innocent Emeghara continued his goalscoring run in this game when he put Rangers ahead just minutes into the match when he was played through on goal by Odegaard. Savitskiy doubled the lead when Wylde's initial effort was saved only for it to fall to the Belarusian winger who made it 2-0 going into the break. The introduction of Tom Walsh and Barrie McKay for the goalscorers at half time seemed to kill the away side's momentum as Dumbarton's Jordan Kirkpatrick scored the only goal of the 2nd half. The first half performance was just enough though as they eased to a tight 2-1 win which clinched the title for The Gers.
A few changes to Rangers line up for this match against Falkirk include Chris Brown in for Kyle Hutton, Lefteris Troullis in for Lewis MacLeod and Fraser Aird in for Martin Odegaard. Innocent Emeghara took advantage of a defensive error by Falkirk to give his side the lead 15 minutes into the match. Just 5 minutes later Pavel Savitskiy doubled that lead from Lee Wallace's cross only for the opposition to quickly pull one back through David Smith. Savitskiy added another goal to make it 3-1 after Troullis set him up. Substitute Ryan Hardie made a goalscoring return from injury when he added a 4th goal deep into injury time as Rangers showed some good from finally.
April player of the month Savitskiy has been a standout signing this season for Rangers
Dan
ChrissBurns1993
ChrissBurns1993
Rangers manager Christopher Burns extends contract
Rangers have today announced that Christopher Burns has signed a 2-year extension to his deal with the club. After taking over in some strange circumstances Christopher has managed to settle the team and the fans in quite a short period. It hasn't always been plain sailing lthough as some mid-season struggles looked as though they were going to throw a spanner in the works but those struggles were settled more or less as soon as they had started. The only grumble from the fans is that Rangers have only achieved their minimum target of winning the league and Training cup this season. Defeat's to league rivals Hibernian and Livingston in the League cup and Scottish cup respectively were of a big disappointment to everyone involved with the club. David Somers has obviously seen enough in Burns which indicates that he's a good asset to the club though and will be hoping that Rangers will be back amongst the Scottish Leagues top clubs by the end of his 2-year contract.
A major plus point during Burns' tenure has been his willingness to invest in youth and place his trust in them regardless of the occasion. The signing's of 16-year old's Chris Brown and Martin Odegaard were a signal of intent from the new manager and as well as those players becoming first team regulars there were other's such as Robby McRorie, Fraser Aird and Ryan Hardie who quickly became instant hits over the course of the season too. The average age of the squad is just 20-years old which is a significant change from the summer when the likes of 30-something's Lee McCulloch, Kris Boyd, Jon Daly, Kenny Miller, Marius Zaliukas, Dean Shiels, Ian Black and Ricky Foster were the spine of the squad. With all those players sold or released is was upto the youth players to step up and they have definitely done so.
A significant factor in Christopher Burns ability to get the best from his players is his no nonsense managerial style which has quickly saw some players leave as he found their effort and willingness to commit to the cause questionable. Most of those players have been the experienced pros that you would expect to know better. The change of manager and playing squad has brought about a freshness to the club that has long been missing. Several players have spoke to the media about how great a place Murray Park is to be these days, the injection of youth and the discarding of the old has been a breath of fresh air which is well overdue. With promotion to the SPFL secured the future is definitely looking much brighter in Govan.
ChrissBurns1993
Final day of the season, May, 2nd
After a long and hard season Rangers season came to an end against 3rd placed Hearts. Despite being predicted to run Rangers close this season the Jambos have failed to do so as the highest they've been placed all season is the one they finished with, 3rd. It has been Hearts rivals, Hibernian, that have been Rangers title opponent as they took advantage of Rangers slip ups from the 13th to the 18th games of the season to go top of the table for a short spell as that was the only period the champions weren't top of the table for. Rangers were forced into some changes to their line up as Lee Wallace picked up a minor injury in the last match and it was Luca Gasparatto who took his place. Kyle McAusland and Lefteris Troullis were also replaced and it was Martin Odegaard and Lewis MacLeod who took their places. With both sides having secured their places in the league their was little else to play for in this game other than bowing out the season on a high and both teams will keen to do just that.
Things did not go at all according to plan for Rangers as Hearts' Miguel Pallardo, Dale Carrick and Callum Paterson put them 3-0 ahead in 20 minutes of play to devastate the travelling fans. As the score remained the same at half time Christopher Burns decided to make some changes and Chris Brown was sacrificed for Ryan Hardie as they changed to a 3-5-2 formation for the second half. Hardie made the impact required for his team as he was assisted by Innocent Emeghara and Fraser Aird to net two goals. Pavel Savitskiy was clattered inside the box soon after by Kevin McHattie and he converted his penalty with relative ease. With the score back level Rangers went for the jugular but it backfired spectacularly as Hearts countered them twice inside a minute and Carrick helped himself to a further to goals to complete his hat-trick and a 5-3 win for his team.
ChrissBurns1993
Rangers 2014-15 season review
After a solid campaign under rookie manager Christopher Burns Rangers it's 3 straight promotions for the Govan based club who will be returning to the top of the Scottish footballing ladder in the 2015-16 season. There wasn't too much between Rangers and Edinburgh rivals Hibernian and Hearts come the end of the season as just 9 points separated 1st and 3rd place but despite that it's only the champions who have earned promotion as Hibernian were beaten once again in the play-offs by last years conquerors Hamilton who have consigned them to another year in the Scottish Championship. After overcoming East Fife in the first round of the Scottish Communities League Cup Rangers were deflated and dumped out of the competition by Hibernian who won 3-1 on the day. There was more luck to be had in the Petrofac Training Cup this year though as a comfortable run of games against Airdrie, Spartans, Livingston, Hibernian and finally Queen of the South resulted in a first cup triumph for the new manager. An impressive 16 goals were scored in those 5 games with only Queen of the South managing to score 1 eventually. A bit of heartbreak prevented any glory in the Scottish Cup as after overcoming Alloa, St. Mirren, Partick Thistle and Hibernian a determined Livingston side caused an upset with their penalty shoot out win. Livingston were 2-0 up an hour into the match until Innocent Emeghara's exceptional half hour display resulted in a hat-trick which pulled Rangers back level and making it 3-3 after Livingston had scored a 3rd goal inbetween Emeghara's goals. Jordan White got a hat-trick of his own to put his team back in front but that didn't last too long as goals from Emeghara, once again, and Pavel Savitskity put Rangers ahead and on course to sneak the result which would put them through to the final where Old Firm rivals Celtic lay in wait. That wasn't to be though as Gary Glen's 112th minute goal sent the match to penalties where it was Livi who claimed victory with a 4-3 result. Ironically Emeghara who has scored 3 penalties during the match missed his spot kick as Darren Jamieson finally got the better of him when it really counted, Kyle Hutton missed his penalty too. Overall it could maybe have been a better season for Rangers but a League win, Challenge Cup win and a return to the SPFL is what really matters to the club and their loyal fans.
The unorthodox method of appointing Christopher Burns may have been a bit out there and desperate by the board but you've got to say that it worked all in all. A mass clear out which resulted in the departure of a few fan favourites may have been drastic but it was something which was obviously needed as you can tell with the way the side are playing. A youthful side playing a quick tempo passing game is what the fans have been crying out for for years and it has finally been provided for them and long may it continue. There was 19 departures in total which include players leaving for fees and leaving on free transfers plus a couple of players allowed to leave on loan such as Cammy Bell who was sent to Dundee United for the season. The players that were brought in made all of the difference though as players like Pavel Savitskiy and Innocent Emeghara were a class above their counter parts, Savitskiy in particular has been a revelation and he finished as the teams top scorer with 24 goals in all competitions whilst playing on the wing he also provided 12 assists for his team mates too. The re-signing of Gregg Wylde, who scored 11 goals and assisted 9, and the re-emergence of the previously underused David Templeton, who scored 7 and assisted 9, were vital as they played a big part in Rangers lethal attack. Academy graduates Fraser Aird and Ryan Hardie really shone this season too, Aird has been in and out of the team for a couple of years now but this year he has been a standout as his 7 goals, 18 assists, 7 man of the match awards and Scottish Championship player of the year award would indicate. Hardie on the other hand has come from nowhere and scored 13 goals, assisted 5 and gained 3 man of the match awards in 20 appearances. Other young players breaking through are Robby McRorie who has became the No1 goalkeeper over the past year and another 2 players brought in, Chris Brown and Martin Odegaard have amazing futures ahead of them.
ChrissBurns1993
Murray Park is the perfect place for GMS to develop