Scottish Premier League News 2004/05

[Captain Shamrock]

Let's all laugh at Rangers...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

No interest in Moore


Moore has put country before club
Rangers defender Craig Moore's agent says there has been no interest in the player since he was placed on the transfer list last week.
Despite speculation linking the former club captain with a number of English Premiership clubs, John Viola told BBC Scotland no-one had contacted him.

Moore was stripped of the captaincy and transfer-listed after deciding to play for Australia at the Olympics.

The player has a year left on his current contract at Ibrox.

 

[steve1234]

The top 16 ranked sides according to UEFA are: 1 Real Madrid* 2 Valencia 3 Barcelona 4 Manchester United* 5Bayern Munich6Deportivo La Coruna*7 Arsenal 8Porto, 9 AC Milan 10 Liverpool* 11 Juventus* 12 Inter Milan* 13 Roma 14 Lyon 15 Chelsea 16 PSV Eindhoven* .

Others: 19 Celtic 25 Rangers*.

*Still to qualify.

Where did this new system come from? Something is wrong when it shows Barca ahead of Celtic and Rangers in double digits.

 

[steve1234]

Jinky, sorry for posting from the Record. Will this be enough to stop the Captain from moaning?


FOOTBALL: OUR BARCA BID WILL SHUT UP THE MOANERS Jul 15 2004


STEPHEN'S VIEW TO A THRILL Pearo backs boss

By Hugh Keevins



STEPHEN PEARSON last night welcomed the news broken in Record Sport that Martin O'Neill has been to Barcelona in an attempt to sign players for Celtic.

The manager took flight while fans were taking fright over the defending champions' total lack of activity in the transfer market.

Pearson was the last player signed by O'Neill, for a bargain-basement £350,000 from Motherwell during the transfer window last January.

He can't understand the lack of faith being shown in a successful manager who is only living up to his image as the thinker who refuses to be rushed before making an invariably late move into the market-place.

Pearson said: 'It's good to know the manager has been looking at players of the quality of Xavi and Riquelme, who could easily be termed world-class performers.

'These are the big names we need.

'It seems strange there have been no signings so far but the manager obviously knows what he's doing. He's been through it all before but I think the fans are getting excited because they want to see new faces.

'It seems to be the manager's style to leave the fans on the edge of their seats but hopefully he'll have the backing of the board to bring in new players.'

The charge against the directors is that they find it impossible to rid themselves of the club's tight-fisted image, no matter how many season tickets are sold and merchandising goes through the roof.

But Pearson is living proof that quality additions to the side needn't necessarily cost a fortune.

He came at a price associated with additional cover and made himself indispensable.

Pearson said: 'The number of games I got last season surprised me. When I signed I thought I would be preparing for the start of this season.

'But that bonus means nothing now.I've got to be prepared to start from scratch and I'm looking forward to possibly playing in the Champions League for the first time.'

Pearson's season ended in mixed feelings, having won his first Scottish Cup winner's medal after being substituted against Dunfermline at Hampden.

But now he has admitted his performance level was severely restricted by a torn calf muscle that meant spending the next five weeks recuperating.

Pearson said: 'I rested it properly over the summer and it's a lot better after a few runs.

'We're travelling to London to play Fulham on Saturday and hopefully we could have some new faces with us by then.

'We want to get new players in so we can push on in Europe.And I think the rest of the players would welcome new faces.

'We've lost major players like Henrik Larsson, Liam Miller and Johan Mjallby and the need is to strengthen the squad as a whole.'

Just for a split second, Pearson sounded like one of those Celtic fans threatening to self-combust unless a new player arrives at the club sooner rather than later.

But he maintains there is no inclination to over-heat.

Pearson said: 'I don't think the fact that Rangers have made a lot of signings is anything to worry about.

'The manager knows what he's doing and he's brought in players at the last minute before. I'm sure he'll be able to do it again.'

 

[Captain Shamrock]

Steve,

Are you telling me you're not one bit disappointed that we haven't signed anyone of quality yet? Yes, I know he was in Barcelona looking for players but how many other players have we been linked to recently? Jiranek has now signed in the Russian league. Heinz is now a thing of the past. I want to have faith in MON but I'm still wondering if the board is willing to give MON what he wants and needs. Besides, MON's wife is very ill and we have to give Saint Martin the time he needs with his family. I'm sure he is doing his best under the circumstances. BTW, Steve, I think Jinky is thinking along the lines of Fasty lately........

 

[steve1234]

Preseason Celtic 2-0 Fulham. And due to his wifes sickness, MoN will join the US tour after the first two games.

 

[Buckfast]

Off to a good start. Looking forward to the upcoming Roma match..........


Debutant Nacho Novo hit two goals as Rangers completed a leisurely 4-0 pre-season victory against Austrian side FC Furstenfeld.

The summer signing from Dundee was Rangers' most impressive player throughout and scored a goal in either half - the first a fine solo effort.

Ross McCormack opened the scoring after 20 minutes with Peter Lovenkrands claiming the fourth.

Defender Marvin Andrews also made his debut but manager Alex McLeish kept fellow new signings Dado Prso, Alex Rae, Jean-Alain Boumsong and Dragan Mladenovic on the sidelines.

 

[steve1234]

Just checked the Austrian Bundesliega and surprise, surprise, no FC. Furstenfeld. Are these boys just part timers or what? Please fill us in Bucky.

 

[Captain Shamrock]

Steve,

They are not in the Bundesliga or the Austrian first division. Basically they are the equivalent of Elephant Walk F.C. in the metro second division.

 

[BlazeArmy]

Steve,

They are not in the Bundesliga or the Austrian first division. Basically they are the equivalent of Elephant Walk F.C. in the metro second division.

elephant walk fc happens to find that remark very offensive. They are quite sure they could beat both Rangers and the Austrian club side. However if you were to compare the Austrians to NK Hrvat they would have no problems with that.

 

[steve1234]

Even BBC sport are taking the piss.


Results
Tue Jul 20 2004
Friendly Match
S****horpe Utd 3 - 1 Rangers


Blaze, stick to the DCS thread, this one can get a little heavy and offensive at times.

 

[Buckfast]

All bead rattlers and half-wits (BA),

Rangers 4 - Roma 1. Surely you've heard of them, eh?

The new boys looked the part. Novo with a brace, Prso and Rae with one each. By all reports, the MoM was Boumsong. Fcukin' player here, bhoys.

Your Canadian starlet better be one helluva' talent.

C'mon the Gers!

 

[Captain Shamrock]

Yes, I'm sure people have heard of the Roma reserves...

Here is game write-up. Simply put....Rangers played all their 'top' players and Roma fielded THREE players that will probably start this year. I love this optimism. Much like last year when Celtic were humped by Man. United in pre-season all the Huns were thinking treble again. What happened? Exactly.


By ANDY DEVLIN
in Austria

ALEX McLEISH unwrapped the presents he’s brought in for the Rangers fans — and all the signs are the Ibrox faithful won’t be disappointed.

A brilliant double from star of the show Nacho Novo and debut goals for Dado Prso and Alex Rae gave Rangers a hard-fought but thoroughly deserved victory over Roma.

But much more satisfying for Eck than the victory were the performances from the men on whom he’s gambled his own Ibrox future.

Novo, Rae, Prso, Jean-Alain Boumsong and the excellent Dragan Mladenovic all played their part in this confidence boosting win.

Polish star Marcin Zajac, a free agent on trial with Gers, also impressed on the right hand side of midfield.

Roma might have been without some of their bigger names but they are just a week behind Gers in their preparations for the new season and they too wanted a win.

But Rangers dug it out with a performance that will give McLeish and the entire Ibrox support great hope for next season.

The pride, the passion and the pin-point passing were back — as was the smile on Eck’s face.

McLeish had three new faces in his starting line-up with Boumsong, Mladenovic and trialist Zajac all given their Rangers debuts.

Fellow new boys Prso and Rae were on the bench with Rangers looking more like a side that will be capable of taking on, even toppling, Celtic next season.

Sunday’s goal hero Novo continued in attack as McLeish’s pre-season preparations moved up a notch in the sweltering Franz Fekete Stadium.

Roma finished second behind AC Milan in Serie A last season and while five of their superstars sat out last night’s friendly, Cesare Prandelli’s men still provided formidable opposition for this rookie Rangers side.

There was no Francesco Totti, Antonio Cassano, Christian Panucci, Olivier Dacourt or Christian Chivu for the Italians but Vincent Candela, Marco Delvecchio, and Vincent Montella were all there. As was Phillipe Mexes.

Mexes, who is yet to be officially registered as a Roma player following a hitch in his move from Auxerre, enjoyed an emotional pre-match reunion with best pal Boumsong.

The pair formed the defensive rock on which Auxerre’s success has been built these last few years, but last night they were in opposing camps for the first time preparing to write new chapters in their careers.

Around 300 Rangers fans showed for this one, outnumbering their Roma rivals in a crowd of around 2,000.

Among them was former Celtic defender Enrico Annoni, who was commentating for Italian television.

Chris Burke was a last minute replacement for Peter Lovenkrands in attack after the Dane dropped out with an upset stomach.

Burke slipped into a 4-4-2 formation as Gers kicked off their final warm-up match in Austria.

Thirty seconds in and Mladenovic almost got off to a dream start, making up an incredible amount of ground to get on the end of Novo’s cut-back.

Ivan Pelizzoli, who was in Italy’s Euro 2004 squad, saved well in the Roma goal.

Boumsong and Zajac both enjoyed early possession but Stefan Klos had to look lively to save well from Montella on five minutes.

Two minutes later, though, Rangers exploded into the lead.

A loose pass from Roma’s Cesare Bovo was picked up by Novo.

The little Spaniard only had one thing in mind as he smashed a stunning 25-yard drive past Pelizzoli.

It was a truly breathtaking strike that brought the entire Rangers bench to its feet.

They were almost back up again in 17 minutes after another well-worked move by Gers.

Burke and Paolo Vanoli combined well to set up Zajac but the Polish midfielder dragged his shot wide.

But Gers were not to be denied a second and just 60 seconds later Novo grabbed his fourth goal in two games.

Bob Malcolm’s brilliant 50-yard pass fell into his path and the 25-year-old turned Candela before drilling the ball under Pelizzoli.

The goal only served as a wake-up call for Roma, who had been virtual spectators until Daniele de Rossi got one back on 25 minutes.

De Rossi was allowed to run and run and as the Gers defence continued to back off the midfielder had a go and beat Klos from 20 yards.

It was a sloppy goal to lose and one which clearly annoyed McLeish.

But Rangers regrouped, settled again and finished the first half much the better side.

Prso and Rae were unleashed at the start of the second half with the impressive Mladenovic and the lethal Novo making way.

Prso couldn’t have hoped for a better start in his wildest dreams.

He linked with well Rae before cutting a super pass back for youngster Hamed Namouchi.

But as the Tunisian tussled for possession with Mexes the Frenchman handled in the box, giving Prso the chance from the spot.

The Croat was just three minutes into his Rangers career but he made no mistake, sending Roma’s keeper the wrong way.

Marvin Andrews, Boumsong, Vanoli and Zajac all made way as the half wore on with Mo Ross, Zura Khizanishvili, Alan Hutton and Shota Arveladze all getting a run.

Klos was rarely threatened for the remainder of the match and Gers could have stretched their lead before they did with Burke, Ross, Arveladze and Prso again all going close.

But it was left to Rae to set the seal on a wonderful Gers performance.

The dyed-in-the-wool bluenose drilled home from Ross’s short corner with the last kick of the game.

RANGERS: Klos, Ricksen, Vanoli (Ross), Boumsong (Khizanishvili), Andrews (Hutton), Malcolm, Zajac (Arveladze), Mladenovic (Alex Rae), Namouchi, Novo (Prso), Burke



The Huns play Fulham this weekend at Craven Cottage while the bigger Glasgow team plays against Chelsea. I wouldn't get all worked up over a game against a reserve squad, but if it means that much after a fcuking horrendous season last year, then fair dues to you. It can't get any worse than last year. Right?


Hail Hail

 

[Captain Shamrock]

By all reports, the MoM was Boumsong. Fcukin' player here, bhoys.

Ehhh, he only played just over a half and I don't believe he was MoM but if you think he was, Bucky, fair enough. I understand your excitement. Just like last year before the last Old Firm match. Do you remember the Huns rattled 4 goals past several punching bags in the SPL and were full of confidence going into the last Old Firm game? The commentary went something like this......

(Background) "We love you Rangers we do, we love you Rangers we do, we love you.......

(Commentator) "Sutton knocks the ball to Larsson. Larsson pushes it back to Sutton. Sutton knocks de Boer off the ball....Sutton.....oh, what a goal. Celtic have completed the WHITEWASH with what surely must be a winner in injury time. Chris Sutton......

(Background in the Huns end) "..........................................................................................................................................................."


That really was a fantastic way to finish the league off. Don't you think, Bucky? RF? Mackers? Lean? Besty? Silver Fox? Downtown?

 

[BlazeArmy]

Blaze, stick to the DCS thread, this one can get a little heavy and offensive at times.

I'm aware of what goes on in this thread. I quite enjoy reading it but sometimes you can't pass up an easy oppurtunity. That was way too easy and i would have been remiss in not commenting on it.

Carry On Gentlemen

 

[Buckfast]

Steve-o & Captain,

You know the tide is turning. It's as obvious as RF's 48" capris. Can't wait for the season to get started!

As for Boumsong's MoM, All that boy needs is one half. Fcukin' class.

Buckfast

PS - Went to Yankees' game tonight and saw two new Rangers away tops. Definately a candidate for theRob's Fall collection.

 

[steve1234]

I seen that one too, on the telly. A wee show called, What not to wear.

 

[Buckfast]

One in a row, one in a row, one in a row

Glesga's Finest 1 - Fulham 0

Another solid performance from the new boys. The Croatian Sensation with the Teddy Bear's lone tally (C'mon CDK, you have to be supporting the red, white and blue now). Boumsoung has shored up the back.....cheerio Moore, you ingrate. Novo causing trouble for Fulham all match. Novo and Loverkrands seemed to be linking up quite nicely. Tasty.

Rumours over at the Pig Pen is Alan Shearer and his OAP will be coming their way. This is after Sellick failed in pursuit of Henri Camara from Wolves. Apparently, Henri would rather play in the England's First Division then at Sellick. Smar man. Obviously.

C'mon Chelsea!

Buckfast

 

[Rangerforever]

Follow up to Bucky's

Buckfast:
You failed to mention Prso's marker was a bike.
Oootstanding man...

And look at Boumsong's vertical here.
I'm sorry, Bobo who?

Next up: Yiddo FC

 

[steve1234]

Balde. And in case you hid forgoat.
Celtic 2-0 Fulham. Sunday, 18 July, 2004. John Hartson and Neil Lennon were on target as Celtic strolled to a comfortable friendly win over Fulham.

Lets remember girls it's only preseason.

 

[Buckfast]

True, it's only preseason. But don't tell me you're not sh!tting yourself.

One in a row, one in a row, one in a row, one in a row........

Buckfast