Rangers manager Ally McCoist today left rangers by mutual consent, both parties seen this to be the best solution after an explosive meeting between manager and chairrman earlier today. McCoist is said to have sought a meeting with Craig Whyte to clarify his expectations for the season ahead the Rangers manager was keen to find out what his budget for the season would be after fearing his side would not be able to cope with challenging for the title and also if they are to go far in the europa cup and both domestic cups then he felt there is no way his threadbare squad would cope with such demands. With key player Steven Naismith out for at least 7 month and Kyle Lafferty still not convincing rangers record goalscorer McCoist he felt that a striker was a must and that there should be at least 5 more signings to boost the first team squad but craig whyte told him that there were to be no more funds released to him unless star man Nikica Jelavic was to go for top dollar then funds from that sale could be spent but the manager is keen to keep the prolific striker. Craig Whyte then told the manager that if a big offer came in for either Jelavic or Allan Mcgregor there was no guarantee he would be able to reject it.
Craig Whyte in Ally McCoist successor shocker
Craig Whyte further enraged his clubs fans today by announcing that the new manager coming in was going to be someone unknown to all but the most ardent of followers who would have been keeping tabs on the under 16's team with whom Christoper Burns has worked hard with over the past 3 years to try to establish himself as a coach worth taking notice of, this of course seems to have worked with the top job in the country now looking set to become his job! Although there are doubts whether Whyte really knows what he is doing with critics claiming this is just another of his tricks, hiring anyone just to prove that he'll do as he pleases at his newly bought club, with there being no shortages of people telling him what to do. Perhaps those within the club will now know that the new chairman is no pushover with members of the board Martin Bain, Donald McIntyre, Alistair Johnstone, Paul Murray, John McClelland and John Greig now all having been sacked or quit and now also former manager Ally McCoist.
Thread Recap (last 10 posts from newest to oldest)
Jul 31, 12 at 10:05am
chrisburns1
Scottish Premier League Transfer News
Aberdeen
Aberdeen's only dealing in the transfer window was Shamrock Rovers winger Neil Ross on a free.
Celtic
One of 3 incoming transfers was Man City striker Yaya Sanogo who joins the Parkhead club on loan, Maxime Bourgeois signs from Auxerre in a 2.7m deal and lastly former Aberdeen captain Andrew Considine was snapped up from Wolves for 600k. Thibaut Bonnet was the only departure as he joined Rochdale on loan for the remainder of the season.
Dundee Utd
Gordon Strachan was obviously happy with his squad as he signed no players whilst also allowing 2 to leave, young striker Dale Hilson went to Sligo Rovers on loan for a fee of 10k and Tibi Bilan left in an 180k deal to join Rochdale
Hearts
Irish goalkeeper Colin Doyle was snapped up on a free by the Gorgie outfit, Sjors Paridaans signed for 70k from Dutch side FC Eindooven, a fee of 170k was paid out to Lithuanian side Ekranas for right winger Martynas Macevicius. Conrad Balatoni left the club in a 1.5k deal to join Wycombe, 3 further players left the club but only on loan, Fraser Mullin and Robbie Parker joined Darlington and Linfield respecively whilst Dylan McGowan went to York, also on loan and a fee of 2k was paid for him.
Hibernian
Paul Hanlon left the club for an English adventure as he joined West Ham for 725k.
Inverness Caley Thistle
Centre back Matthieu Saunier joins the club from ESTAK Troyes for 80k, Rowan Van Zaanen was snapped up on a bosman while Stuart Parnaby signs from Hamilton, also a free transfer. Rohan Ricketts also made the move to Inverness, he was signed from Shamrock Rovers for 9k.
Kilmarnock
Right winger Ronnie Reniers was the only signing for Kilmarnock, he was picked up on a bosman deal. Chris Fagan was the only outgoing as well, Hamilton paid 35k for the striker.
Morton
Graeme MacGregor moves to Stirling on loan, Willie McLaren joins fleetwood for 5k whilst Colin Stewart moves to Andershot for a measly £500.
Motherwell
Motherwell's coffers were boosted by 3.875 million as 3 of their big players left. First out was Romanian Constantin Gangioveanu who signed for West Ham for 675k, next out was Dutch forward Nigel Hasselbaink as he moved back home to join Utrecht for 1.4m Geordie centre back Shaun Hutchison was last out as Wigan got their man for 1.8m. Despite the money brought into the club Motherwell decided not to splash out on replacements and only spent 125k on both Roald Van Hout from RKC and Iain Vigurs from Ross County.
Rangers
5m was splashed out on Argentine playmaker Erik Lamela from Roma, 3.7m was invested in young Italian Eduardo Orlando from Stuttgart and a further 2.4m was spent on Daniel Sturridge, Chinese captain Yan Yonxin was also snapped up on a free transfer to complete the squad. Going out the door was a suprising one as fan favourite Steven Davis left the club to sign for Spanish cracks Valencia in an 8.75m deal and Farid Lounici joins Bristol City on loan for the rest of the season
St. Johnstone
Left back Stephen Hendrie signs for the club from Hamilton for a fee of 650k, Dunfermline duo Joe Cardle and Steven Bell also signed up for a combined fee of 48k. Scott Gray and Dave Mackay left on loan joining Ross County and Derby.
We go into this game against Dundee United at Ibrox today trying to recover our best form which has been stuttering recently. There were no changes to the formation but Dorin Goian came in for young Italian centre back Giuseppi Prestia, whilst Mervan Celik and Kyle Lafferty replaced Steven Naismith and the injured Hervin Ongenda. The first half went by without incident as we struggled to overcome the Tangerines, we had dominated possesion and also fared better infront of goal but no goal was forthcoming. The opening few minutes of the first half Dundee United came at us so we decided that some changes were needed, we changed to a 4-3-1-2 formation and Mervan Celik was replaced by Adel Taarabt. We eventually got a goal in 51 minutes which came about in bizarre circumstances, Gio Moreno received the ball from Lee Wallace and tried to play the 1-2 with him but Arabs defender Keith watson intercepted and tried to head back to his goalkeeper but Moreno was sniffing around and he nipped ahead of the goalkeeper and rolled the ball into the net. Just 5 minutes later Garry Kenneth barged Moreno inside the box and a penalty was awarded, substitute Adel Taarabt stepped and doubled our lead. Brazilian right back Romario made way for 17 year old James Black with quarter of an hour to go. United striker Jon Daly received the ball from Sean Dillion's throw and whipped the ball in first time and met the head of Johnny Russell to set up a nail biting final few seconds of the match. As it was that goal proved no more than a consolation for a side who were second best throughout, Giovanni Moreno picked up the Man of the Match as he provided us with a goal and an assist.
Suprise exit at Ibrox!
Big shock at Ibrox today as Rangers favourite Steven Davis leaves the club for Valencia. It's been thought that the decision to accept Valencia's 8.75m pound offer was down to the fact that there were more than enough players to take his place in the team, despite just turning 29 which isnt exactly old Rangers maybe thought it better to cash in on Davis whilst his stature is high and profit can be made. The younger players who will be vying for his postion are Rhys McCabe, John Fleck and new acquisition Eduardo Orlando, whilst Chinese skipper Yan Yongxin is set to join subject to a medical, Lorenzo Davids and Jamie Ness are amonst other competitors for the position. Ulsterman Steven Davis made a big impression after initially joining Rangers on loan from English Premiership side Fulham, he made 12 league appearances and also helped the club reach the Uefa cup final where they lost to Zenit St.Petersburg. He joined the side permanently in the following summer for a fee of 3m. He went on to make a further 240 appearances scoring 29 goals in the process. He cut and inspirational figure at the heart of Rangers midfield as he won an impressive 14 competions, 5 SPL titles, 5 League cups and 4 scottish cups, he also gained personal recognition and he was voted the Scottish players player of the year in 2009/10 and the SPL player of the year the following season. "i'd like to thank Steven for his efforts whilst at the club and i know for certain he will be a big player for Valencia as he proved so many times he was that for us. I know fans will be wondering why we are letting such an icon leave the club but i act only in the best interests of the club and wouldn't have sanctioned this deal unless i thought we could cope, which we will. I wish Steven the very best and would again like to thank him for his contribution to the club." said manager Christopher Burns.
We made 5 changes for this Scottish cup 4th round game against Inverness, James Black, Giuseppi Prestia and Ross Perry take the places of Romario, Dorin Goian and Guillermo Burdisso in defence whilst new recruit Eduardo Orlando makes his debut as he replaces the departed Steven Davis and John Fleck takes over from Mervan Celik on the right wing. We took the lead on 9 minutes when John Fleck floated his free kick from the halfway line into the box for Kyle Lafferty to nod the ball home. 15 minutes later the lead was doubled as Gregg Wylde went on a surging run down the left side before drilling the ball into the 6 yard box where John Fleck was waiting to tap the ball into the net. A further 5 minutes saw us get another goal, this time Giovanni Moreno's attempted cross hit off Sorin Paraschiv's head and past the goalkeeper for an embarassing own goal for the Romanian. A minute from half time Greg Tansey pulled one back for Caley Thistle when he let fly from 25 yards after Jonny Hayes took the defence out with a clever back heel to set him up. Inverness must have smelt blood as 50 seconds into the second half they had goal number 2, Ryan Donnely tapped in from Peter Petras' cross. A sign of relief was let out on 53 minutes after Gregg Wylde restored our 2 goal advantage when he was played in on goal by Lafferty. Goal number 5 came on 65 minutes when Giovanni Moreno headed in from Gregg Wylde's corner. Goal number 6 soon followed when Gregg Wylde scored from a tight angle after being set up by Moreno. With 10 minutes to go Erik Lamela came on to make his debut as he replaced Moreno and Lafferty was replaced by Mervan Celik. The final score ended 6-2 with Gregg Wylde picking up the Man of the Match after a storming display.
3rd January signing joins up at Ibrox
Former chelsea fringe player Daniel Sturridge has signed for Rangers for a fee of 2.4m. Despite plenty of promise and undoubted potential Sturridge just couldn't force his way into the team and was transfer listed by manager Sinisa Mihajlovic who deemed him surplus to requirements, with players such as Torres, Mata, Kalou and Lukaku competing its understandable that the time has come for him to move on. He will be joining up with one of the men who kept him out of the team at Stamford Bridge as Ivory Coast legend Didier Drogba was recently added to the backroom staff at Ibrox. Sturridge had this to say "I am genuinely excited by the prospect of playing for a club such as Rangers and can't wait to get started, to be able to play in one of the biggest derbies in the world(the Old Firm) is a massive selling point as was the oppurtunity of more games and to compete in the Champions League which means i am moving from one big club to another, I am really pleased to be joining up with Didier(Drogba) as well, i learned so much whilst he was at Chelsea and hope he can further educate me here".
The first team was restored for this league game against Motherwell and Erik Lamela also makes his first start. Despite dominating possesion and having 3 times more shots than Motherwell it was them who took the lead, just 5 minutes from half time Constantin Gangioveanu crossed the ball in and it took a deflection off Dorin Goian and past a hapless Allan McGregor. At half time we switched to a 4-3-1-2 formation and not long after the restart Eduardo Orlando and Kyle Lafferty were replaced by Steven Naismith and Daniel Sturridge but it didn't make much difference to the match and on 70 minutes we went for it, going with a 3-4-3 while Taarabt came on for Romario as we shuffled the pack. the minutes flew by and that equaliser just wasn't forthcoming, on the 92nd minute Nigel Hasselbaink was raced forward and got ahead of everyone before being dragged to the deck just on the edge of the opposition area by Naismith, who was correctly red carded. It looked over, 94 minutes had passed and we were a man down, but no big team lets that get in the way, in an all to familiar move Gregg Wylde raced down the left flank bypassing at least 3 players before drilling the ball into the 6 yard box for Sturridge to make himself an instant hero and that he did. You could say we stole this one at the death which could be the case but we were by far the best team throughout as we had 62% possesion and 19 shots to their 5 so you could say that justice prevailed as it would have been a travesty for us to lose this. Avoiding defeat here means that we have now gone unbeaten in 45 Premier League matches.
Up next at Ibrox was 10th placed Morton and what may be considered as a complacent move 9 changes were made, only Ness and Lamela kept their places, for this game. I really think the changes are needed as our games have gone a bit stale recently and these players need to show the so called first team players how its done, no one in our team is irreplaceable our strength in depth sees to that. We started off well but the game settled down to a 50/50 game before we took the lead on 36 minutes as Ness crossed, Morton and former Gers keeper Scott Gallacher fumbled the ball and Mervan Celik nipped in and fired us Rangers into the lead. That was how we went in at half time. 10 minutes after the break Morton showed they were no pushovers as they equalised from Kyle Wilkie's 25 yard drive. Immediate changes were made, John Fleck, Graeme Shinnie and Hervin Ongenda were replaced by Gregg Wylde, Lee Wallace and Kyle Lafferty. It didn't make any difference however as the game ended in a 1-1 draw. We need to rediscover that killer instinct as these sort of performances just aren't acceptable.
A near complete change to the team again as we made another 8 changes this game with only Erik Lamela, Jamie Ness and Hervin Ongenda keeping their places. Steven Naismith's corner half an hour in caused a goal mouth scramble when the Hibs goalkeeper came out to collect the ball but dropped it, after a few mis-kicks by various players Guillermo Burdisso emerged through the bodies to put Rangers infront. 5 minutes later Hervin Ongenda had to be replaced after Bheka Ngcobo scythed him down from behind and Daniel Sturridge was brought on as his replacement. Minutes before half time our lead was doubled when Giovanni Moreno turned the ball into the net when he met Erik Lamela's cross on the volley. On the first of 2 minutes of added time it was 3-0, Daniel Sturridge making an immediate impact as he tapped in from Naismith's cutback across goal. That was how the half finished, Lorenzo Davids came on for the second half for the injured Jamie Ness. Hibs pulled one back on 50 minutes when Erik Bakker headed in Marko Stankovic's cross. Panic spread across every Rangers fans face just before the hour mark when defender Dorin Goian was caught day dreaming in defence as Garry O'Connor outmuscled him and took the ball before slotting past Allan McGregor. Despite the panic no more goals were scored and the match ended with a 3-2 victory for Rangers.
A trip to the capital today as we face Hearts up at Tynecastle. A change of empthasis obviously here as we go more attacking than what we lined up with against Manchester United in our last match. Just short of 15 minutes Andy Webster provided us with a chance to open the scoring as he slid in on Giovanni Moreno inside the box and the referee duly awarded the penalty, John Fleck stepped up and converted his 3rd spot kick to keep up his 100% conversion rate from the penalty spot. Hearts responded immediately however as they had a free kick on the halfway line which Tripy Makonda took and sprung a 45 yard pass upon our defence which picked out Charles Dissels who controlled then slotted past McGregor. We again had the lead 22 minutes in as Romario's rampaging run down the right ended with a cross swing in for Gio Moreno to knock the ball past the keeper, Dominic Cervi should have done better and he will be angry with himself for that. 10 minutes later and the Hearts net was bulging once more, this time Guilhermo Burdisso headed in from Davis' corner, again Cervi could and should have done better. We had to wait another 38 minutes for the next goal which came from another Steven Davis corner, the ball fell to Hearts' Makonda but he couldn't clear and Moreno nipped in and took the ball off him and scored. In the last 5 minutes of the game substitute Kyle Lafferty was through on goal before Andy Webster went right through him and was awarded his marching orders for his troubles, the resulting free kick led to nothing. Minutes from time Hearts got another consolation goal, Elin Topuzakov headed in from Rudi Skacel's free kick. Giovanni Moreno was the Man of the Match as Hearts couldn't handle him from the start.
Our game against PSG is of no significance to us today but for them it's the difference of Europa cup football or going out of Europe as both them and Red Star sit with 4 points as it stands. Despite that we don't turn up to let teams beat us so we will be going for the win regardless. The first half went by without any goals, apart from our offside one scored on the stroke of half time which was correctly ruled out. It may have took 84 minutes but we eventually got a goal, Lee Wallace whipped a cross in and Ongenda struck at goal but his shot was blocked but the ball only travelled as far as Taarabt who put us 1-0 up. On the 1st minute of the 4 added it was 2-0, Davids passed to Taarabt who was just outside the box and he let fly at goal beating the goalkeeper with ease. 2 goal hero Taarabt was the Man of the Match. The other match in our group ended in a 2-0 victory meaning that Red Star go through to the Europa League as they have a better goal difference than PSG. The win for Man Utd means they top the group despite us being level on goals and us having superior goal difference, they go through as they got the most points in our head to head games. Celtic were knocked out of the Champions League as Real Madrid and Tottenham topped their group they do however go through to the Europa League as they finished 3rd.
Our title rivals, if you can call them that, were up next for us and we will be looking to extend our 13 game win streak against them under my tutelage. Gregg Wylde makes a return to the squad but only makes the bench after a 3 month abscence through injury. The only change to the starting line-up is John Fleck who replaces Lorenzo Davids. The first half went by without incident or goal and the second half was looking much the same until the hour mark when Lustig picked out Hooper with an excellent ball which the forward controlled and ran at goal before putting into McGregor's goal. Gregg Wylde was our trump card then as he came on for the ineffective Adel Taarabt and we switched to our 4-2-2-2 as we were chasing the game now. Celtic hate figure Kenny Miller was also introduced with 15 minutes to go he replaced Moreno. With 90 minutes on the clock Rangers fans could be forgiven for thinking it was all over but that wasn't to be the case! Steven Davis played a through ball in on goal for Kenny Miller and the former Celt expertly placed the ball into the bottom corner of the net, 1-1. That was to be the last action of the game, a crushing blow to Celtic as they again couldn't seal a victory over the mighty Rangers, a bit of a blow for us to lose the winning streak but at least we extended the unbeaten streak and rightly so as we were the dominant force throughout. Davis was named Man of the Match as he helped us to stretch our lead over Celtic at the top to 15 points.
We reverted back to our 4-2-2-2 formation and Naismith takes the place of John Fleck whilst Old Firm hero Miller comes in for Giovanni Moreno. The first half was a relentless onslaught from us but to no avail it seemed, the second half remained the same for large spells. On the hour mark Wylde and Davids came on for the unimpressive Taarabt and the tiring Ness. It wasn't looking like it was going to make a difference until the 77th minute when Naismith's cross was shot at goal by Davids and took a deflection off Kurt Van Dooren before hitting the post and then the back of Jamie Langfield, an embarassing own goal by the goalkeeper. Lee Wallace was the Man of the Match, it's hard to believe we only managed 1 goal here but we got the one nonetheless.
Rangers Manager Shocker!21 December 2013 19:30
Rangers manager Christopher Burns has today revealed his interest in the Scotland International job and with current manager Craig Levein under pressure due to a disastrous tenure in charge it remains to be seen what the SFA will do about this revelation as Burns has an impressive record since taking over at Rangers. One big question however would be where he will stand at Rangers, whether he will quit or whether he would do both jobs. Here's what Burns had to say on the matter, "The Scotland job is a job any Scottish manager would be proud to take on and i am no different, Craig Levein is the manager just now, yes but has he done a good job? no i dont think he has and i am sure i wont be the only person to think so, his tactics are clearly inept and his team selections are woeful in all honesty. Just look at Gregg Wylde the lad has been sensational the past 2 seasons yet still hasn't had a look in, i will be accused of bias with that one because he plays for me at Rangers but being bias doesn't come into it, it's logic plain and simple. That's just one of a few that i could think of but i won't get in to that as i do like Craig as a person but i just think this job isn't for him although he is a good club manager. Whether the SFA stick with Craig however is up to them but all i can say on the matter is that if you want me then come make me an offer."
Scotland Manager Sacked23 December 2013 15:45
The Scottish Football Association have sacked Craig Levein after becoming increasingly frustrated by continued poor performances. With the board on his back and the fans on his back something had to give and it was inevitable that he would be given the chop, also taken into consideration was his frosty relationship with a select few players such as James McFadden, Steven Fletcher and Kris Boyd with all 3 having critisized him previously. Something which will no doubt be speculated about is the recent interest in the job and a question to be asked is whether that had an impact on the decision, could it be that the board decided it best to call time on Levein's reign as they already had his successor lined up. The bookies favourites for the job are Christopher Burns, Ally McCoist and Peter Houston. We will be back with more news when we have it!
Rangers Manager Takes Scotland Role 23 December 2013 18:00
As expected Rangers manager Christopher Burns was approached by the SFA to take over from Craig Levein and he accepted after previously expressing an interest on the job. What we don't yet know is whether Burns will remain as manager of Rangers. We will find out soon enough though as we go live to Chris at Hampden after the break, stay tuned!
Sky Sports News go live with Christopher Burns at Hampden
quote Sky Sports News
Hi Chris you sit here as the new manager of Scotland, congratulations! But we have a major question for you before we talk about the Scotland job, what are your plans with Rangers? are you quitting or are you going to try and juggle both jobs?
quote Christopher Burns
Thank you, well i expected that question, i am going to remain as Rangers manager so yes i will be doing both jobs, i dont think that that is such a big thing because i am a manager here in Scotland so anything i need to know about the national team i will already know as i am based here and know the Scottish based players inside out and anyone i have to see down south i will have my scouts for that so i dont see any conflict of interest. In saying that i do think it will be a hard task at times but i can handle that, i've never shied from hard work and i don't intent to start now.
quote Sky Sports News
Okay thanks for clearing that up, so you mentioned about the players based here and elsewhere, what will your selection policy be? Will you be going with the tried and tested and goiong with players who have garnered a reputation?
quote Christopher Burns
Well the players who have garnered a reputation have earned that rep so i will be picking them if they are playing well but anyone who is playing well and playing a sufficient standard of football will be chosen so we will not just be picking anyone based on their repuation.
quote Sky Sports News
Craig Levein received a lot of flak when he was in charge and infact he also received critisism from you as well, do you think that you have what it takes to make this nation successful?
quote Christopher Burns
Yes, without i doubt i think we can be successful, people say we don't have the players but i disagree i do think we have the players i just think we need the correct formula to get everything right.
quote Sky Sports News
Given your job with Rangers people are speculating that your International squad will have many of your club players involved, what would you say about that?
quote Christopher Burns
Of course i will be playing some of my club players and what would be wrong with that? We are the Scottish champions 5 years ,going on 6, running so they are winners and that is what i want. They will only be playing if they are performing though and as regards to the bias element to it, i could be bias towards Rangers and rest some players internationally to suit my club schedule so it works both ways, obviously i won't be doing that however as there is no professionalism in that and i strive to be professional.
quote Sky Sports News
Scott Brown is the Scotland captain presently, will you be looking to change that or keep it as it is?
quote Christopher Burns
Well that is something i will have to have a good think about, Brown was captain under a failing side so obviously i have to consider that but that doesn't mean i blame the players from the previous regime, however it does mean i really need to think long and hard about who our captain should be.
quote Sky Sports News
Okay thank you for speaking with us and good luck.
All the talk this week has been about me and the Scotland job but i'm just glad to be back to a game of football rather than the media circus. I don't know what has happened to us these past few weeks but we just haven't been good enough at all. We played out a dull 0-0 draw today but to be any more elaborate on that would put you to sleep. Guildermo Burdisso was our Man of the Match today but even that must have been a struggle to choose, bad day at the office but at least we got a point.
May 09, 12 at 2:16am
chrisburns1
I will have a couple of updates for this today as i've damaged the ligaments in my ankle so i am housebound and off work for now lol
Apr 30, 12 at 12:21pm
chrisburns1
November
The team was changed again as 8 players were changed back from the last game and we reverted back to the 4-2-2-2 formation. It took 35 minutes for the first goal, Ongenda netted his 7th in 5 games and 15 in 16 overall to keep up his remarkable run of scoring this term, he was set up by Moreno who passed along the goalmouth for a tap in. Goal number 2 came minutes later as Ongenda tried to turn provider and set up Davis who blasted the ball at goal but the ball deflected back off him on the way in for his 2nd goal of the match. Just short of the hour mark it was 3-0, Davis crossed and Dorin Goian headed across goal for Moreno who looked to net only his 2nd goal in his last 13 games, with 8 in total overall, however the ball had bounced off Graeme Stack's back and it went down as an own goal. Hervin Ongenda received the Man of the Match award as he again outshone everyone on the park.
Heading in to our 4th group game we knew that a win would almost certainly mean qualification with us on 10 points. We started well and scored with less than 2 minutes on the clock, Steven Naismith eventually tapped in when Steven Davis' free kick caused a scramble in the box. It was 2-0 inside 5 minutes as Naismith headed in at goal, this time from a Lee Wallace cross. Hervin Ongenda ran to the byline inside the box before crossing the ball in for Adel Taarabt who finished with a shot on the volley. With 15 minutes to go Red Star pulled one back but it was surely only a consolation goal, Vinicius Pacheco crossed for Ivan Mucibabic to score a header. Lee Wallace let fly with a 25yarder when he received the ball from John Fleck's headed on pass to seal the win for us. The Man of the Match was suprisingly Wallace who was chosen over the impressive Steven Naismith. This win means we have qualified for the latter stages of the competition as we are 3 points ahead of Man Utd and 6 ahead of PSG and Red Star with only 2 games left means neither of the latter can catch us.
We were looking to extend our unbeaten run in the league this season and we headed to Paisley to try to achieve that. A slow start to the game was only brought to life when Darren McGreggor upended Giovanni Moreno inside the box and a penalty was awarded, Steven Naismith stepped up and slotted past the keeper on 20 minutes. A Hervin Ongenda effort took a deflection of a defender but the ball fell to Jamie Ness inside the box and he calmly placed the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper, Chris Smith. 20 minutes into the second half Lee Wallace long free kick from inside his own half found Naismith 5 yards from goal unmarked and an easy goal ensued. Goal number 4 of the match came courtesy of a move between Taarabt and Ongenda, the former passed to Ongenda who went by 2 St.Mirren defenders before slotting past Smith. Dorin Goian rounded off the win when he scored from Naismith's knock down from Steven Davis' free kick. Steven Naismith was our Man of the Match today and this win keeps us 10 points ahead of 2nd placed Celtic.
Steven Davis makes his 200th appearance for Rangers today in this game. The first goal of the game came in 9 minutes when Taarabt picked the ball up from Moreno's low cross and he hit a low shot to Cammy Bell's near post and the ball trickled in. Lee Wallace' cross created a penalty box scramble 25 minutes in before Naismith emerged through the bodies to put the ball in the net. Adel Taarabt's excellent ball in on the hour mark found Ongenda on the goal line and the French youngster just rolled the ball into the net. The match finished 3-0 and Adel Taarabt was the Man of the Match as he assisted a goal and scored one of his own.
Inverness are one of a few teams we still have a perfect record against and we will be looking to keep that up. The record was dealt a blow on 26 minutes however as Greg Tansey's shot deflected off Davis and straight to Sorin Paraschiv who let fly from 20 yards and into the roof of the net. Romario levelled the match up on 33 minutes when he slid the ball in from Moreno's cross. Just 2 minutes later and it was 2-1 .... Rangers! Steven Davis' cross was knocked down by Dorin Goian and Gio Moreno tapped the ball into the net. Steven Naismith's low cross 10 minutes after the break provided Jamie Ness with the oppurtunity to score his 2nd of the season and he didn't dissapoint. Hervin Ongenda became the 5th player on the scoresheet, 4th for Rangers, when Davis' long free kick was headed down by Adel Taarabt and Ongenda had a poacher's finish. Inverness grabbed another goal on the last minute of added time to ensure a more respectable scoreline, Gavin Morrison headed in from Jonny Hayes long free kick. Moreno was the Man of the Match today as he got his 9th goal and 9th assist in 20 games.
We went into this match knowing that we didn't necessarily need a result and i let the team know that. The first half didnt provide much entertainment and the teams went in at the break level. Jamie Ness' injury on the 69th minute changed the game, he was replaced with Fleck whilst Miller and Taarabt came on for the tiring Lafferty and Celik. The lack of a defensive option for the midfield with the substitutions was one of the reasons for our downfall. Javier Hernandez scored the only goal of the game on the 73rd minute when he received the ball from Patrice Evra he dribbled by Burdisso and put the ball past McGreggor. Despite Manchester United having the majority of the possesion(59/41) we had more shots than them(9/7) but our finishing was awful throughout and Man Utd were the deserved winners, Rafael was the Man of the Match.
No i'll put an update on in the next couple of minutes, my internets been off but its all back up and running now the updates for it just arent frequent anymore since i got a social life and stopped playing this so much!
Apr 26, 12 at 7:23am
john1992
you stopped this mate?
Apr 15, 12 at 1:16pm
chrisburns1
October
A great start for us as we were awarded a penalty 3 minutes in when Martin Demichelis was penalised for tugging Ongenda's shirt inside the box, Fleck stepped up and easily converted the spot-kick. A suprising move 25minutes in saw Giovanni Moreno replaced by Kyle Lafferty, the Columbian forward wasn't struggling with a knock but was on a yellow card and that can only be the explanation behind the substitution as the Rangers team couldn't afford for him to get sent off. 5 minutes after the break Rangers doubled the lead when Romario hit a swerving dipping shot when he received the ball from Burdisso on the edge of the opposition box. With 20 minutes to go we got our 3rd goal, Lafferty's header at goal from Davis' corner was dropped by the goalkeeper and the forward slid in on the rebound. PSG looked to make a game of it when they scored with 15 minutes to go, Sakho looped a header across the goal and into the net from Darijo Srna's free kick. Gameiro set up a nervy few last minutes when he scored with 5 minutes to go but it was all in vain as Rangers sealed a 3-2 win. The other match in the group was a 2-0 win for Manchester United against Red Star which suits us.
On the back of our Champions League performance midweek we decided to go with the same team for this game. We had to wait 25 minutes for a goal but it was a long time coming as we were dominating, Davis' corner was whipped in and it met the head of Moreno who's header was saved but it was parried straight to the wainting Ongenda who netted his 7th goal of the season. It was well over an hour before we saw another goal, another rebounded shot netted by Ongenda, Taarabt had played Lafferty in on goal only for Chris Smith to save his shot and the ball fell for Ongenda. Quite a scrappy win in the end but we really should have win by a much bigger margin, nevertheless we still got the win, Hervin Ongenda was the Man of the Match.
Just the one change for this game as Lorenzo Davids comes in for the injured Jamie Ness other than that same team, same formation. John Fleck cast a shadow of doubt over the outcome of the match when he was sent off for a two footed lunge on Nigel Hasselbaink only 10 minutes into the game. 10 minutes later Giovanni Moreno controlled the long ball over the top from Taarabt and drilled a low cross in for Ongenda for the tap in, advantage Rangers. Lounici played an excellent through ball in on goal for Ongenda who delivered another goal taking his tally for the season to 10. Minutes before the break Moreno picked the ball up from Taarabt and went for an audicious lob at goal which pulled off. A bizarre own goal just after the hour mark gave Motherwell a glimmer of hope that they could fight back. Ongenda put paid to that however as he converted from Romario's cross at the second attempt after a fine save from Darren Randolph. Substitute Rhys McCabe, on for Lounici, delivered a delicate lob over the defence for Ongenda to put the ball past Randolph for the 4th time this game. Hervin Ongenda was the undoubted Man of the Match in this terrific display, made even better when we played 80 minutes a man down.
Again just the one change as Steven Davis is reinstated for the tired Farid Lounici. Lets skip from a boring first half and move onto the second. It took just 5 minutes and a most probably rolicking at half time before we got a goal, John Fleck's free kick thundered off the cross bar and fell to the feet of Davis who tapped the ball into the net. Shortly after, Giovanni Moreno and Lorenzo Davids were replaced by Kenny Miller and Rhys McCabe. Miller made an immediate impact and netted just minutes after coming on as he got on the end of Romario's cross to make it 2-0. With 15 minutes to go Hervin Ongenda crossed in for Miller to get his second goal since coming on as a substitute. Despite only coming on in 15 minutes Kenny Miller provided a real spark for Rangers and in turn picked up the Man of the Match. The other group C fixture provided a shock as PSG beat Manchester United 2-0.
Group C
Farid Lounici regained his place in the team as he takes over from the suspended Fleck. On-fire French forward Hervin Ongenda was again on the scoresheet today as he netted when Lee Wallace whipped a cross in. We had to wait almost another full 90 minutes for another bit of excitement this game as that's how long it took for goal number 2, Taarabt knocked the ball over the line when he was picked out by Moreno who drilled the ball across goal. Morton can feel extremely hard done by here as i feel they actually played better this game as they had in the previous game when they beaten us.
In great contrast to the previous few games there were wholesale changes here as 8 players were changed for this League cup quarter final. The first goal of the match came 12 minutes in as Hervin Ongenda headed past Randolph for the 5th time in 2 matches this season, Graeme Shinnie provided the assist for this one. 25 minutes in former Celt Liam Miller pulled Motherwell level when he was teed up by Nicky Law. Our lead was restored when Jamie Ness crossed and Rhys McCabe headed in from 2 yards. That proved to be the last goal of the game as we managed to see out the win, Jamie Ness was the Man of the Match.
League Cup Semi Final
7 goals in 3 games earns him Player of the Month
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the updates for it just arent frequent anymore since i got a social life and stopped playing this so much!
