What’s that smell? Aha, it’s Scottish football

Murray wrote:Celtic winning the battle of the gruesome twosome 1-0 at half time. Rangers playing 6 defenders, no wonder they've hardly had a shot at goal.

Another tactical genius sitting posting on a internet messageboard I see.

Why did you not post in the 2nd half when Rangers were spraying the passes around and dominating that wonderful free flowing attacking outfit that are Celtic?

Big news Fey - Buffel is playing for Rangers today. That's some money for you guys.

How nice of them...but I doubt this will be his 100th appearance for the Rangers.

Btw...Samaras made the difference again I see

P GD PTS
1 Celtic 34 53 77
2 Rangers 31 48 75

Celtic need to beat Rangers on the 27th and hope Rangers drop points to Aberdeen and Hibs.

Its a Cup game so it may not be part of the agreement between Feyenoord and Rangers.

Latest: St Johnstone 1-1 Rangers

Cesc wrote:Its a Cup game so it may not be part of the agreement between Feyenoord and Rangers.

Latest: St Johnstone 1-1 Rangers

Well Rangers have lost 2 players in this match alone, so maybe he might be needed in some games ahead. But i hope he doesn't make 100

Watch Cousin get the winner in the second half of extra time

I'm hoping for a penalty shoot out.

Well it has gone to pens!

Jody Morris misses for St Johnstone!

L r d wrote:

Cesc wrote:Its a Cup game so it may not be part of the agreement between Feyenoord and Rangers.

Latest: St Johnstone 1-1 Rangers

Watch Cousin get the winner

Rangers win...

Cesc wrote:Jody Morris misses for St Johnstone!

twat

I see that Rangers are again trying to get the season extended and fixtures moved so they can prepare for their UEFA Cup and other big matches coming up.

Seriously, it's hard to have respect for achievements of the Scottish national team and their clubs if they keep doctoring things to gain an advantage. The whole point about winning a treble or quadruple is that it's admirable because you battled a tough fixture list and still won all of the competitions with the same injuries/suspensions that other teams go through in a season. So many teams have lost out because they had to pick one competition or the other and rotate their squad, yet here are Rangers seeking special dispensation to avoid doing that. I'm not sure why UEFA allows this.

What on earth are you talking about?

It's admirable because it's so difficult to do in the first place. The fixtures and amount of games add on to that. This fixtures list here is out of this world, have you even seen it?

Any other league and i think the season would be extended or at least something done to ensure that one team wouldn't have such a disadvantage representing it's country in a european competition final.

I have never seen fixtures like this in my life. When we won the treble there was a lot but not this many in such a short period. Another point is that due to poor pitches in Scotland in the winter, lots of matches were cancelled therefore meaning they all got batched together towards the end of the season. So there's a perfectly logical reason for extending the season.

Look at the last 5 games.

Wednesday, 14 May 2008
UEFA Cup
Zenit St Petersburg v Rangers, Final, 19:45
Saturday, 17 May 2008
Clydesdale Bank Premier League
Motherwell v Rangers, 12:30
Monday, 19 May 2008
Clydesdale Bank Premier League
St Mirren v Rangers, 19:45
Thursday, 22 May 2008
Clydesdale Bank Premier League
Aberdeen v Rangers, 19:45
Saturday, 24 May 2008
Scottish Cup
Queen of South v Rangers, Final, 15:00

5 games in 10 days. This is just insane. And for the record Zenit cancelled their game before the Uefa cup final as to get more time to prepare. And they have nothing like this coming up after it either. So it shows a lot of hypocrisy to mention Uefa should not allow Rangers to even ask for this.

Rangers have numerous key players injured now, and have been to extra time in 4 games i believe already this season. And now have all these fixtures at once, there is every right to ask for an extension.

Disgusting Rangers

Fey Grayson wrote:Disgusting Rangers

Even with all these games, Buffel wont make 100

Shitty Fir Park

Injuries are part of the game. Tough luck, they must deal with it.

Same with extra time, that's their own fault.

I didn't know about the weather issue or Zenit getting their game cancelled, but still, I stand by my general argument. Why should the Scottish league be able to postpone a full set of league games before the match against France?

monty wrote:Shitty Fir Park

Considering two fucking teams were playing on it this season, it's made half the fixture list seem pointless.

Here is what Burley thinks and i agree with him totally.

Scotland manager George Burley has criticised the Scottish Premier League fixture list for failing to help Rangers ahead of the Uefa Cup final.

"I think it's ridiculous that I'm naming the squad and Rangers still have seven games to play," he said ahead of Scotland's game with Czech Republic.

"They are being punished for their success in reaching the Uefa Cup final.

"And it's something that the SPL and everyone in Scottish football has got to look at."

The SPL had delayed its final-day fixtures by four days after Rangers reached the Uefa Cup final.

But that still left Rangers facing four games in eight days as they chase the European trophy, the Scottish title and look to add the Scottish Cup to the CIS Insurance Cup they have already lifted this season.


It shouldn't happen to any club and shouldn't happen again in Scottish football

Scotland manager George Burley

Russia's football federation postponed Zenit St Petersburg's fixtures ahead of the 14 May showpiece in Manchester.

Meanwhile, a meeting between the Scottish Football Association and the SPL rejected Rangers' request for a further postponement - of Saturday's meeting with Dundee United.

"It shouldn't happen to any club and shouldn't happen again in Scottish football," said Burley.

"It has to be looked at in the fullness of time.

"Europe's changing with the Champions League and Uefa Cup. You've got to change with it."

I don't necessarily think having all of your competitive games cancelled before an important game, as Zenit have, is a good thing.

I think Rangers' predicament might galvanise the team ahead of the UEFA Cup Final.

The Quiet Earth wrote:I don't necessarily think having all of your competitive games cancelled before an important game, as Zenit have, is a good thing.

I think Rangers' predicament might galvanise the team ahead of the UEFA Cup Final.

I agree, kind of.

When we got to the UEFA Cup final McClaren rested half the team for about 3 weeks or however long it was between the semi and the final in a bid to keep the most important players injury free and fresh..I really think that was the wrong decision as in the final our players might well have been injury free but they werent fresh and they lacked match sharpness so it really hindered us.

We'd obviously have won the game if he hadnt done that

This has brought out a huge amount of paranoia in Rangers & Celtic fans. Rangers really should stop whingeing, the season has already been extended by four days. Most of their fixture congestion is self inflicted, they asked for a game against Gretna to be postponed before their final CL game against Lyon, imagine being scared to play Gretna, and they have had 2 Scottish Cup replays which they could have avoided if they weren't such a bloody boring negative team.

Murray wrote:This has brought out a huge amount of paranoia in Rangers & Celtic fans. Rangers really should stop whingeing, the season has already been extended by four days. Most of their fixture congestion is self inflicted, they asked for a game against Gretna to be postponed before their final CL game against Lyon, imagine being scared to play Gretna, and they have had 2 Scottish Cup replays which they could have avoided if they weren't such a bloody boring negative team.

Serves them right then, my point reinforced once again.

kas wrote:

Murray wrote:This has brought out a huge amount of paranoia in Rangers & Celtic fans. Rangers really should stop whingeing, the season has already been extended by four days. Most of their fixture congestion is self inflicted, they asked for a game against Gretna to be postponed before their final CL game against Lyon, imagine being scared to play Gretna, and they have had 2 Scottish Cup replays which they could have avoided if they weren't such a bloody boring negative team.

Serves them right then, my point reinforced once again.

Im failing to understand what your point is? Is your point that there shouldn't be cup replays? if not im a bit lost

Russia cancel all games until the final, nothing. Rangers ask for an extension to avoid having 5 games in 10 days, and uefa should do something?

Do you think you have some kind of grudge going on here?

My point, in case you didn't get it the first time, is that Rangers (and the Scottish national team) are *repeatedly* asking (and getting) for unfair advantages in order to achieve something that is only really valuable if you do it with the same constraints as all other sides in Europe.

Rangers had cup replays because they were not good enough to win the first time...that congestion is their own fault. They should deal with it.

Considering the fact that with this help, and by playing some awful defensive football, they are achieving success, you can understand why I dislike it and don't respect it much at all.

Think the point is you should have beaten Partick and Hibs first time around seems to be the point and played Gow, Naismith, Buffel in the Gretna game and would still have had a good chance of winning rather than keeping them on the bench.

kas wrote:My point, in case you didn't get it the first time, is that Rangers (and the Scottish national team) are *repeatedly* asking (and getting) for unfair advantages in order to achieve something that is only really valuable if you do it with the same constraints as all other sides in Europe.

Rangers had cup replays because they were not good enough to win the first time...that congestion is their own fault. They should deal with it.

Considering the fact that with this help, and by playing some awful defensive football, they are achieving success, you can understand why I dislike it and don't respect it much at all.

So now it's football to get extra time and replays, but it's not football to use defensive tactics? huh

You can achieve success how you want, and why contradict your own arguments.

Yes you dislike Rangers and i doubt pretty much anybody from Rangers wants your respect, but look at things objectivly, because you're talking rubbish.

Constantly asking for favours? This is not true, and it is the same anywhere else, games are moved days everywhere to help teams in europe and such.

I forgot more spl game were cancelled for scotland and france, also the death of a player. Again countering your argument it's Rangers own fault.

Chick Young is an ass, but he also writes a good article on the situation.

Infact i havent heard one single unbiased pundit or such say the SFA were right not to extend the league further.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/7388547.stm

I don't quite understand some of what you've written above, and I doubt you're really getting my point. So let's leave it at that. Good luck Rangers, greatest team in the world, I hope you win the quadruple.

kas wrote:I don't quite understand some of what you've written above, and I doubt you're really getting my point. So let's leave it at that. Good luck Rangers, greatest team in the world, I hope you win the quadruple.

Your point is proven bollocks. Maybe you didn't want to understand it.

I think most people who have spent the whole season calling Rangers $h!t, should surely realise being in with a good chance of winning 4 trophies is an amazing acheievement. But instead moan and whinge about pathetic trivial things and not that they were totally wrong.

Pathetic says i. But i guess Barca fans will be envious of a team actually in with a chance of winning things

I don't see why defensive football is inherently bad. I accept that it is not for everyone, however. But it requires skill and concentration to defend in the manner that Rangers have in Europe.

And you have to remember that Rangers' defence isn't actually littered with good players:

Weir - 38 years old FFS!

Papac - Played part-time football in the Bosnian league not that long ago.

Broadfoot - Not even a RB and he played for a small Scottish club last season

Cuellar - Limited European experience, but a great defender nonetheless.

McGregor - Limited European experience.

Alexander - Another part-time footballer at one point in his career.

To forge a solid defence out of that lot is a great achievement. I accept Murray's point that their system aids their defence, however.

So Walter Smith and Rangers should be applauded and their feats recognised, rather than being attacked for playing terrible football.

I ridiculed Rangers at the start of the season on the basis that their team was terrible and now I must apologise and recognise that I was completely wrong.