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#260976 Rangers, Rangers Rangers. Problem, problem, problem.
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.
#260975 Rangers, Rangers Rangers. Problem, problem, problem.
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.
#260974 Rangers, Rangers Rangers. Problem, problem, problem.
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.
#260973 Rangers, Rangers Rangers. Problem, problem, problem.
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.
#260972 Rangers, Rangers Rangers. Problem, problem, problem.
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
#260971 Rangers, Rangers Rangers. Problem, problem, problem.
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
#260970 Rangers, Rangers Rangers. Problem, problem, problem.
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.
#260968 Rangers, Rangers Rangers. Problem, problem, problem.
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
#260966 Rangers, Rangers Rangers. Problem, problem, problem.
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
#260963 Rangers, Rangers Rangers. Problem, problem, problem.
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
#260961 Rangers, Rangers Rangers. Problem, problem, problem.
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.
#260959 Rangers, Rangers Rangers. Problem, problem, problem.
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.
#260957 Rangers, Rangers Rangers. Problem, problem, problem.
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.
#260601 Dans Journey Around The World [FM15]
ChrissBurns1993
#260446 Dans Journey Around The World [FM15]
ChrissBurns1993
#259587 Dans Journey Around The World [FM15]
ChrissBurns1993
#259343 Dans Journey Around The World [FM15]
ChrissBurns1993