Sorted

Murray and Co have to take a hell of a lot of the blame. Having said that with MIH in debt of over £700 million he probably has bigger concerns. Whyte has made his own nest and has to shoulder the blame for the here and now. Nothing he didn't know pre deal has transpired and he still manage to lift the league trophy at Ibrox days after taking control (crass stupidity of the highest order!). He then went on to make promises in the knowledge that he couldn't deliver them. Madness. No apologist for the metal man by Whyte has to take full responsibility for where he sits and the the flack for telling porkies! How much was Aunt Sally promised? Each year and every year?

Interesting. If a 'new club' was formed. Would they retain SPL status? After all, if they are a new club wouldn't they have to apply to enter the SFL first? It would be unfair on teams who don't abuse the tax system, if Rangers started again with a new club, and were automatically granted access into the SPL. Lots of First Division teams who pay their taxes would have something to say. Actually, the team that gets relegated from the SPL, whilst not abusing the tax system to enhance their team could have a case. CD is right. It would be up to those who run the SPL. That would be an interesting meeting eh? Sadly, this kind of 'prepack' deal is all to common in business nowadays. Fold Friday, pay no one, start Monday. Some of the worst examples involve small companies who then go and give the 'newco' more credit ! Better examples pay everyone but the institutional creditors and often do the deals with their knowledge. Good example close to a big mountain that people ski on on the A9 not the A82. Fundamentally wrong. How will the chiefs of our top league react to a reformed Rangers (suggest in name only!)? Roll over and have their bellies tickled I suspect.........

Thank you Huisdean, I,m not alone !

Lot of merit in what you are proposing CD particularly the figures. Trouble is that I'm not certain that the reduction from the £15 for Saturday to £10 would make that much difference but happy to stand corrected. Never being convinced that the problem we have is for 'big games' (appreciate you no longer see this as a big game but I do) as we will always have football fans of lots of different guises that will want to attend these events for a variety of reasons. Not as many as I would like and I accept the interest has tailed off dramatically from the heady days of entry to the SPL. Think we still need to focus on getting footfall in for the lower profile games. All for cheap season tickets for kids, £3 entry to specific games and any other promotion that will bring numbers up. Encourage our own. Still think it's right for the Celtic game !

Both of my elder children worked from the age of 14 and had their own 'spends'.

Rumours abound in Glasgow that 'going bust' is only a matter of time. That time will be dictated by when the SPL title is out of their reach. Suggested to me that Craig Whyte's plan has always been to put into admin, write off the debt but retain ownership of the stadium. A newly created Rangers Football Club will be formed and buy the stadium from him and he will walk away with a tidy wedge. Very clever approach that will net him a fortune which, considering how little of his own cash he has put into the deal, will represent the smartest football dealings since Glazers bought Man Utd and switched the debt immediately. Good or bad for Scottish football? Part of me thinks it's a clear shot across the bows to all the wannabes involved in our game that this ridiculous situation can't continue but ulitimately think our game would suffer without the associated revenue from the OF. All said, would be very happy if I never heard a song about a German queen or a British Empire ever again !

Appear to be on a loser here ! Suppose it's not to be unexpected when you're not in the 'next to nothing' camp. Not 'digging my heals heels in' CD just giving you a clear steer on why I have the viewpoint I do. Every day in life you hear people talk about the things they can't afford to do whilst making choices to do other things. Human nature I suppose. Same as the 'it's all right for you' viewpoint when it most cases it's not really it's just a choice scenario. Joe, as stated perviously, I agree that there is considerable scope for offers and incentives to be delivered throughout the season. These need to be pushed further and I hope they will be. That said, I doubt you'll ever see the day when a child can walk in to Victoria Park and pay £3 to see a cup game versus Celtic? OGC, I pay £72 per month for SKY (full buhna I know!) and that's my choice. Accept that I may have exaggerated the price of the cinema but it is still very expensive (food is ridiculous!). In conclusion, I still belive you guys are using the wrong game to promote this approach. Club needs cash and needs to make hay when the sunshines even if that means asking a bit more from the home combine than in other fields!

This the fundamental problem with our attendances at TCS. For far too many people, the whole top flight football scenario has now become mundane hence our continual inability to sell out the home support sections for (what I still and always will class as) a high profile game. Games like this will not be with us all the time and to think that they will be smacks of arrogance. The economics of a £5 concession don't stack up. Even if you can sell three times as many tickets we will incur increased costs in stewarding and policing. in addition we do not have the infrastructure to deal with any catering spin off should this be offered. Don't even know if it is of any benefit to the club anyway! Appreciate that £15 is not cheap. But some that I have heard moaning think nothing about spending fortunes on computer games or £6 for a tub of popcorn at the VUE. Life is full of choices and if some have higher priorities with their money so be it. That is what choice is all about. The issue about the price of football is separate. It has moved way beyond where it was once pitched and won't come back. Why? Because as long as there are clubs stupid enough to pay obscene wages the punters will get fleeced. How we change that is difficult and I, for one, have no answer. What I will say is, that in the present climate taking all factors into account, Saturday's admission prices are not bad. The club will get some solid income and those that choose to prioritise can sacrifice something else for a ticket. Remember a concession is less than two packets of fags, less than four pints of Stella, a cinema ticket and a packet of popcorn and less than a quarter of what many people pay for SKY TV. All of these seem affordable to the majority therefore you can only assume that the ticket is too. If your dilemma is - "Football on my own and a few pints" or "Football with the wee one" then that is a solely choice for the punter not the fault of the club. I want all six of us to go to Dubai at Easter but the chances are four of us will go to Spain. That's my choice not the fault of the holiday companies.

Interesting you link the two issues. Can't see how you can possibly associate the abuse of power/control with the freedom of choice to purchase or not? Back on topic...... Agree that the club should continue to give offers for those who support the club. Suggest they are focussed on less high profile games though. Pretty bad business practice to give away your highest value commodity when there are many more opportunities to provide incentives. Offers such as 'Bring A Friend' or 'Child For £1' can be used at lower profile league games. Of course, the demand is significantly less on those occasions and perhaps those being 'victimised' by the arrangements for the Celtic game won't be so keen to see Dunfermline at home? As I understand it, any form of concession offered to home support must also be offered to the away fans? Madness in a game like this.

Good luck Lee! Jack boots at the ready, one, two, three...............!

Fully support the club charging £15 for concessions in this game. Make as much money out of the travelling support as they possibly can and invest it back in the club. Rangers made it £5 because they were at home and have a huge capacity the can't fill at the moment. Totally different issue. Pretty certain the away end will sell out and the club need to take advantage of this situation. The usual 'turn up for the big game brigade' from our support can bleat all they want but I have little sympathy for this viewpoint. Season tickets for kids are cheap. Concessions at most cup games are cheap. If you are a committed fan that goes every week, buy one less DS/WII/X Box game and buy a half season ticket for £25/50. You can see heaps of games for that. Appreciate concessions cover more than kids but needs must. The thought of selling tickets for £5 to the OF is ridiculous!

Leave selection to TB but hope he adopts the Kenny Shiels approach. Huge respect for the way his team plays no matter who the opposition are. Works more than it fails and punters get value for money. Tora! Tora! Tora!

Best: Whatever his wage bill or off the field antics, Marius Niculae was definitely the best. May not have been the most productive but purely in terms of ability, the level he has played at etc he has to be defined as the best. Juanjo was much more fun but not in the same league. Worst: Fetai. Don't have to say any more do I?

Rooney has done well since leaving (this season 12 starts plus 6 sub and 6 goals) and will continue to improve as a player. His bank balance will also have improved dramatically. I would suggest that looking at Rooney would make Hayes more likely to leave not less!

I think, at some point, someone has to make a stand against this. As HD and others have said it does nothing to encourage punters through the gate, merely putting yet another obstacle in your way. The approach being suggested (why I support the position of the Celtic Trust or any other trust whose supporters are to be treated in this manner) is that it is not reflective of how we police our society. It may be argued with justification, that Celtic supporters are more likely to carry flares into a ground than others. This, however, surely only represents a miniscule proportion of their fans thereby not giving justification for the action. If this is to be replicated then, for example, Northern Constabulary may have statistics that would lead you to believe that more people are caught drunk driving leaving certain pubs in town than others. Because this gives cause for concern then, in tandem with the approach being used on Celtic supporters, the police should stop every car leaving these establishments at all times! This of course is nonsense but akin to the tactics being used and to which we should object. Just like drink driving where the police use intelligence, promoted the unacceptability of such behaviour and have the support of many in the community to deal with, those involved in policing/stewarding our game (and it still is our game) should engage with fans and gain theire trust. How many threads have we seen on CTO and other supporters forums that talk about the heavy handed nature of policing and stewarding? Some with merit, others with none. In a democratic society (and it is despite the 'there's no one for me to vote for' brigade) surely it's not too much to expect that the behaviour and needs of the vast (and it is hugely vast) majority are put before that of the idiots?

At no point in any of my posts did I say that the police or security staff should not have the right to search a person. I will stand corrected if I am wrong. What I object to is the all encompassing 'search everyone' approach. If, with just cause, an official believes a search is merited as an individual's demeanour or behaviour gives justifiable cause then it is perfectly acceptable to do so. This applies irrespective if you are in the terraces, stands or the boardroom. Follows an extract from Stop and Search: Know Your Rights A police officer can usually only search you in a public place but if s/he suspects that you have committed a serious crime, you can be stopped and searched anywhere. If the police think there may be serious violence in the area at a certain time, they can search for knives or other weapons without needing a good reason for each person. This may be the case, for example, at a football match. Further: Police officers can stop and speak to you at any time. They can stop and search you and your vehicle if they have reasonable grounds to suspect you are carrying any of the following: · drugs · weapons / firearms / blades or sharp objects · stolen property · items which may be used to commit a crime- e.g. a screwdriver

CD/Scotty I see this as a simple issue. Either you accept the right of fotball club stewards and police to physically search every supporter who is entering a ground or you don't. You guys do, I don't. The principle of any state or organisation having the right to stop and search without justification or cause is, in my opinion, unreasonable. Attendance at a football match does not merit justification or cause. Police state behaviour. Despite your considered positions to the contrary, I see nothing in your posts to change my view. Agree to disagree.

Listening to Nishikori's interview on the radio yesterday gave me the impression that he is already a beaten man. Talking about how Murray destroyed him in their previous meeting doesn't give the impression of confidence. Could of course be a cultural thing..........his polite Japanese self deprecation and my over the top (set yourself up for a fall why don't you?) uniquely Scottish optimism?

Think you're getting him mixed up with his Sisters?

It's Tuesday and I can now feel my feet again. Fantastic performance in atrocious conditions. Huge credit to Butcher and Malpas for putting out such a well organised team considering the amount of changes. Shape was magnificent. All in all very happy, beginning to think that there is some proper squad depth there and maybe, just maybe, the holy grail is reachable!

This is a clear example of why football fans fail to be taken seriously when it comes to 'real' involvement in our game. Anyone who has any interest in civil liberties should be very unhappy at the prospect of any group being treated in this manner and I find it very surprising that posters who continual promote the position (one I am in agreement with) that the game belongs to the fans, choose not to see such behaviour as unacceptable as those being subjected to it are deemed the enemy. I have been attending football matches for over 30 years and, to date, have only been the subject of 'search' on one occasion, that being in Brussels for an Anderlecht v FC Bruges game in the 80s,. It may well be that I am lucky or perhaps I just go quietly about my business, who knows? Interestingly, those attending societies more prestigious events (by self appointment only) are not subject to such treatment yet events that are, in large, attended by the working classes are targeted. Surely it is only sensible that all reasonable football fans and, in particular, football club trusts and supporters organisations unite to have such treatment abolished at matches irrespective of who it is dished out to? I see nothing unreasonable in a campaign that unites supporters in a refusal to be searched without justification. Perhaps it may lead to a greater co-operation and unity of supporters that might really give the owners and administrators something to think about?

Agree Alex. JM has assembled a squad of very average/poor players and taken risks with guys who haven quite clearly not cut it in the SPL previously. Perhaps less mediocrity and a little quality would make a difference but fear it may be too late. Let's hope so anyway!

Interesting to note that Utd couldn't wouldn't part with the extra £10k to make the deal happen........

FFS Johnny, Twitter's all very well but take that bloody phone out of your pants and get on with the game!

See a 'free fall' situation developing at EEP and agree with Yngwie that the only possibility of avoidance is a new manager. May be the case that they are daft enough to return to Calderwood in the hope of retuning to the heights they reached then?