shannon2007

Scottish Daily R-etard – 17th June 2004
Redmond Says: We Will Accept Ruling
But Gers Get To Play In Champions League

New Rangers owner Stuart Redmond held a press conference at Ibrox yesterday in which he outlined the immediate future of the club. Taking a side swipe at former owner David Murray, Redmond said that despite the financial mess the club was in, he had satt down with the bank and managed to restructure the debt, and the bank were happy to accept the deal. Redmond said that times would be tough, as the club would be unable to spend any money in the transfer market, and the wage budget would be frozen, meaning that any new manager would have to sell players before bringing in any new faces.

Moving on to the SFA & SPL decision to relegate the club, Redmond stated he had sat down with clubs lawyers to examine the decision, and could not in all honesty challenge it. He agreed that the club had been in breach of the rules and the punishment, although harsh, could not be argued against. He went on to state however that the club had earned their place in Europe and if they were denied what would be vital income, then they would be taking legal action. The SPL later confirmed that Rangers would indeed be taking their place in the Champions League, and as far as they were concerned, the matter was now closed.

Huge crowds of Rangers fans gathered outside Ibrox last night, as the Chairman made an unprecedented appearance on the front steps, and asked the fans for patience understanding. He claimed that club would bounce back from this setback and rumours that they would have to sell the stadium or training ground were simply untrue. He asked the gathered support to take the judgement of footballs governing bodies with the dignity that he believed was the Rangers way, and told the fans that if they stuck by him, he would get the club through this dark period.

The last thing we need He told a hushed crowd, Is for the supporters to turn their backs on the club. I know that the press make out Rangers fans are fickle, but now more than ever we need you to show your support, and help to keep the club alive.

There was mixed reaction from the supporters, some of whom vowed never to set foot inside Ibrox again, but the majority seemed to welcome the Chairman’s statements and vowed to support the club through thick and thin in the dark times that lay ahead.

shannon2007

Scottish Daily R-etard – 23rd June 2004
Redmond Unveils New Manager
Supporters Unimpressed With ‘Unknown’ Appointee

Rangers Chairman Stuart Redmond last night unveiled the man whom he believed could guide Rangers out of the First Division, and back into the top flight of Scottish Football. There was a general feeling of disbelief, disappointment and downright anger, as former Renfrewshire Juniors manager, Steven Laidlaw was presented to the media at a press conference in the Blue Room at Ibrox.

Thirty Five year old Laidlaw was on Rangers books as a 16 year old, but failed to make the grade, being released and moving to Forfar, where he spent four years, but made only 12 first team appearances. He then went to junior side Renfrew, spending 12 years as a player, before taking up the role as the clubs manager, with limited success. His appointment has not gone down well with a Rangers support, many of whom believe this is the final nail in the coffin for the club. Redmond stated that although Laidlaw was inexperienced, he believed he was the perfect man for the job, as he knew how to work without money. He said he understood the fans disappointment, but the fact was the club simply could not afford to hire a top class manager.

Laidlaw stated that he was delighted to move to Rangers, a club he had supported all his life, and that he would be doing his utmost to bring the club back to the SPL. A good run in Europe was also his goal, but he admitted that the current squad might just find this a bridge too far. Nevertheless, he would be doing his best to make sure the club progressed, and said that he had already met the players, and they were all as determined as he was to bring the club through this difficult period. The priority this season was to win the First Division title, and although many of the players left in the squad were inexperienced, Laidlaw said he believed they were good enough to beat most teams they would be meeting this season.

Redmond re-stated that part of the agreement with bank to keep the club afloat, had meant that there was no transfer money available at all, and that if the new manager wanted sign anyone he would have to sell first, as the club could not increase the wage budget any further. Sales of seasons tickets had been going at a steady pace, but it remains to be seen what the effect of this appointment will have on a support who are not renowned for their patience.

shannon2007

The Glasgow Rangers Squad Season 2004-2005
The Managers Assessment

Goalkeepers

Alan McGregor (22) Scotland (6 U-21 caps) Has lived in the shadow of Klos, could be a decent keeper, lets see if he can finally establish himself.

Graeme Smith (21) Scotland (3 U-21 caps) Another reasonable young keeper who will be looking to push McGregor. Is attracting interest from Motherwell.

Callum Reidford (17) Scotland (uncapped) Reasonable keeper, could be ok if called on at this level, long term though not sure of he’s got what it takes.


Lee Robinson (18) Scotland (uncapped) Looks a reasonable young keeper, might need to go out on loan to gain some matches.

Defence

Alan Hutton (19) Scotland (2-U21 caps) Very promising young right back, but seems likely to leave the club in the near future.

Maurice Ross (23) Scotland (12 caps) Much maligned player, primarily a right back, but can also cover on the left and with only one natural left back Maurice might well end up a key player.

Warren Jacmot (17) France (uncapped) Fairy decent young right back, attracting the attentions of a couple of French clubs.

Jordan McMillan (15) Scotland (uncapped) To be honest, he’s only 15, but its hard to see this kid make it at the club.

Steven Smith (19) Scotland (uncapped) The only natural left back at the club, which means he is virtually guaranteed a game.


Fraser Coyle (19) Scotland (uncapped) Half decent centre back.

Alex McColl (17) Scotland (uncapped) Could be quite a promising centre back.

Graeme Watson (18) Scotland (uncapped) Unlikely to develop to any more than an average player.

Gary McKenzie (18) Scotland (uncapped) Decent young defender, could do ok and should be looking for a regular start.

Martin Ure (16) Scotland (uncapped) Still very young, but extremely unlikely to make the grade.

Midfield

Robert Malcolm (23) Scotland (2 caps) Player whose sometimes overzealous enthusiasm for the club lands him in hot water, but he will be a key figure in the holding role in front of the back four.

Andrew Dick (18) Scotland (uncapped) Being listed on the teamsheet as A Dick, cant be very uplifting, but being utter rubbish, as he is, doesn’t help either.

Marko Kalenga (19) France (uncapped) Average young French player who could well be a decent deputy for Big Bob.

Chris Burke (20) Scotland (2 U-21 caps) Highly promising young player, if he plays as he can it will be hard to hold on to him. It will be interesting to see if he can play the slightly more withdrawn role I want him to.

Alex Walker (20) Scotland (uncapped) Reasonable player who could do well if he gets the chance.

Stephen Hughes (21) Scotland (12 U-21 caps, 2 goals) Promising player who looks as if he might not quite live up to his early potential. Still a decent player, and its odds on he will be tempted away eventually.

Brian Gilmour (17) Scotland (uncapped) Decent young player who will be looking to make a few starts and get his face known.

Brian McLean (19) Scotland (uncapped) Fairly promising young left winger, remains to be seen if he can play the role I want him to, if he gets a chance.

Steven Lennon (16) Scotland (uncapped) Unlikely to make the first team breakthrough this season, but might well do in the future.

Charlie Adam (18) Scotland (uncapped) Very promising young player, who should light up the First Division.

Attackers

Ross McCormack (18) Scotland (uncapped) A player who seems to have a natural eye for goal, he should do well.

Tom Brighton (20) Scotland (uncapped) Decent player, who knows where the goal is.

Bajram Fetai (18) Denmark (uncapped) Fairly decent striker, can score for fun at this level if he gets his chance.

Robert Davidson (18) Scotland (uncapped) Average player, but seems to be able to score, and for a striker, that’s really all that’s needed.

Scott Agnew (17) Scotland (uncapped) Has good pace, but seems to lack that final finish, which he will need to improve on if he is to have any chance of making it in the game.

shannon2007

July 2004
Steven Laidlaw

We managed to arrange three pre-season games, and because money was at a premium, they would all be at Ibrox. With the vast majority of the squad being inexperienced teenagers, it would be up to players like Hughes, Malcolm and Ross to help them along. Just how long we could hold on to our better players, I had no idea as the Chairman informed me that we would need to accept any sensible offers. Indeed, the season hadn’t gotten underway when young Kalenga was off to Laval for £100,000. Other clubs were sniffing around a few of the other players, no doubt hoping to get a bargain, but we would just have to try out best to ignore that and get on with our jobs.

The first match was against German side Bochum, and we started well as Alex McColl gave us the lead on 10 minutes, heading home from a corner. The lead didn’t last though and as the Germans started to dominate, so they were to go in at half time 2-1 up. It would have been easy for such a young side to crumble, but fortunately they held out, and in the end a good work out against the kind of team we will have to beat to achieve a place in the group stage of the Champions League.


Dundee were next up, and once again we struck early, a great goal from young midfielder Charlie Adam, who looks like he might just be a star. Adam added a second on 21 minutes, and if we could produce this kind of football during the season, we would have little to worry about. The second half though, as both side made several changes, was less fluent, and Dundee came back at as with goals from Lovell and Gates. A draw was on the cards til a 90th minute 25 yard drive from Scott Agnew saw us snatch a well deserved win.

The Third Qualifying round of the Champions League was clear cut for us, even before the second round was ended, as we drew Israeli side Maccabi Haifa. This would not be an easy tie, but the cushion was that even if we failed, he had the UEFA Cup to fall back on. Financially though, we really needed to make the premier tournament. Hearts were our third and last warm up match, and it was a rare goal from Bob Malcolm that gave us the lead after 21 minutes. There were certainly good signs, and a second from Bajram Fetai on the stroke of half time set us up for a good win. Nine minutes from time, Steven Pressley grabbed a consolation for Hearts from the penalty spot. The preseason had been a real confidence booster, and the bookies made us red hot favourites to win the First Division title.

If we had believed this season was going to be a stroll in the park though, we were soon to discover that it certainly would not be. The first round of the League Challenge Cup saw us draw East Stirling at Ibrox. The crowd of just over 12,000 was disappointing, and we needed to at least triple that to keep the club running smoothly. On the park things weren’t so smooth either, as the Third Division club battled hard, and kept our strikers at bay. Nine minutes from the end, left back Steven Smith rather stupidly got himself sent off. The match was heading to extra time, when deep into the second minute of injury time, we were awarded a penalty, which Gary MacKenzie slotted home. We had gotten out of jail, and perhaps this would be a wake up call to the players.

glitzchic

Looking forward to more. Good stuff so far

shannon2007

Thanks

_----------------------------------------------------

August 2004
Stephen Laidlaw

The First Division campaign got underway against St Johnstone at Ibrox. Just over 20,000 turned up, which although less than we really needed, was probably understandable. The match turned out to give the home fans nothing to cheer about, as we played badly, going down by a goal to nil. If any of the Rangers support had still believed we could stroll this division, they had just been given a clear reminder that we might even struggle to stay up.

Maccabi Haifa were next up at Ibrox, in front of 50,000 fans. This tie would be worth at least £3M if we won, but the fact is that was something the players shouldn’t even be thinking about. Our aim was simply to win, the chairman could worry about the finances. A penalty from Gary MacKenzie on twenty one minutes gave us hope, and although we weren’t playing overly well, we were hanging on in there. Six minutes from time though, disaster struck as Haifa pulled level, and a stunning strike from the Israeli’s in injury time saw our Champions League hopes up in smoke.

So far we had done little to impress our fans, and to make anyone believe we could have any sort of decent season. We needed to up our game, and in Dingwall that’s exactly what we did, as we put four past the home side for an excellent 4-1 win, and finally we had a little bit of belief. A 1-0 win at home to Falkirk, thanks to another Gary MacKenzie penalty sent us on our way for our near impossible salvage mission to Israel. We needed a good start, but Haifa were a team who believed they could beat us, and we just didn’t have the experience. Yet somehow we managed to hold out, and five minutes from half time, Robert Davidson sent us into the lead on the night. Now all we needed to do was score again.

Of course, that wasn’t going to be easy, but slowly we were grinding down the Israeli’s and fourteen minutes from time Fetai made it 2-0, and we could see the prize before us shining brightly. Six minutes from the end, the light went out, as Haifa levelled the tie, and eight minutes into injury time it was all square on the night, but Haifa were ahead now on aggregate. Just to make sure, they added a 3rd on 110 minutes, as our young legs ran out of steam, and we were out of the Champions League. Fate, as if mocking us, decided that in the UEFA Cup 1st round, we would have to face Israeli opposition again, as we were paired with Maccabi Tel Aviv. This time the 1st leg would be in Israel, and we could only hope for better luck.

Back in the League, and a comfortable 3-1 win over Raith Rovers in Kirkcaldy saw us move into second place after four games, and we could start to believe now that could indeed win this division. August ended with a Challenge Cup 2nd round match at home to Clyde. Robert Malcolm sent us ahead on 34 minutes, only his 3rd ever competitive goal for the first team, but a ridiculous hand ball from Maurice Ross gave Clyde a penalty 14 minutes from time, from which they equalized. In injury time, Tom Brighton sent us back in front on 99 minutes, but nine minutes later, Ross gave away another penalty, and the match ended in a draw. In the shoot out, a player from both sides missed in the first five, but none of the rest of our players missed as we won 7-6.

shannon2007

September 2004
Steven Laidlaw

St Mirren were the visitors to Ibrox, and we expected a tough match against a team who were looking to be in the title race. Just eight minutes into the game, Robert Malcolm got himself sent off, and second later St Mirren were ahead. It was inexcusable that players such as Ross and Malcolm should be letting the side down so badly, and they would need to get their act together pretty damn smart. Charlie Adam pulled us level on 26 minutes, but at half time there were still a fair few boo’s from the home support, whose patience seemed to have worn out. Nine minutes after the restart they finally had something to smile about as Stephen Hughes sent us into the lead, and a late penalty from McCormack seemed to have secured us the points. In the dying second though, Alex McColl gave away a penalty, and got himself red-carded into the bargain, but although St Mirren converted the spot kick, it was too late and we held on for a vital win.

The UEFA Cup first round match in Israel was going to plan, until six minutes from time, when Steven Smith decided to follow in Maurice Ross’s shoes and gave away a penalty, which the home side scored. Even so, it was a decent all in performance, spoiled by one act of stupidity, and we had to believe we could do the business at home. The UEFA tie was followed by a tough trip to Broadwood to face league leader Clyde. Conway sent Clyde ahead after 15 minutes, and a defeat here would give Clyde a great advantage at the top. It was fairly even as we approached half time, when Charlie Adam banged in a great equalizer. In first half injury time though, Maurice Ross again handballed to give away a penalty, and even though McGregor pulled of a brilliant save, the behaviour of Ross wasn’t something that could be tolerated, and he was slapped on the transfer list.

The Challenge Cup Quarter Final at Gretna should have been easy enough, and indeed it was. Five different players got on the scoresheet as we saw off the border club by 5-2, and eased into a Semi Final meeting with Falkirk, which we expected would be a lot tougher. Back in the league, and two more points were lost in a 2-2 draw at Hamilton, but we would end September in 2nd place with fourteen points from seven games, a point adrift of St Johnstone, and ahead now of Clyde on goal difference. There was still a lot of work to be done if we wanted to bounce back to the Premier division.

September ended with the return against Tel Aviv, and when Tom Brighton sent us ahead on the night after just three minutes, things were looking good. Careless defending though allowed the visitors to equalize just 11 minutes later, and now we needed another two goals. Try as we might though, the goals just weren’t forthcoming, and in the end we exited the UEFA Cup. In reality, with such a young and inexperienced squad, this was what we expected, but the Chairman didn’t seem too pleased, and had a worried look on his face as he hurried off to consult with the bank.

shannon2007

October 2004
Steven Laidlaw

With Europe now a thing of the past, we simply had to knuckle down, and get to grips with our promotion challenge. One player who would not be part of that was Maurice Ross, who would be off to Stoke City come January for a fee of £200,000. Two other players would also be leaving, bringing in much needed cash. Robert Malcolm, whose contract would be up in July, decided he didn’t want to sign a new one, and I had no option but to try and offload him before he left for nothing. Norwich were happy to pay £250,000 and so Robert will also be off on January. Alan Hutton was attracting attention from Blackburn, and declared that he felt he needed to leave the club to further his career. The £1.5M up front, plus another £500,000 over six months was an acceptable fee for a promising young player, and the deal was struck. Another player who might well be on the move is Stephen Hughes, who is attracting interest from Middlesborough, but so far there have been no concrete bids. With those key players missing, we would need to replace them, and so Marvyn Wilson, whose contract was unprotected, will be joining from Airdrie come January, a direct replacement for Malcolm. We have also sign up 18 year old left back Andy Reilly on a free as we vitally needed cover in that position.

On the field of play, Queen of the South were our first opponents in October, at Ibrox, Alex McColl opened the scoring after 19 minutes, before Tom Brighton became the latest player to fall foul of a very poor standard of refereeing by picking up a red card. Players getting themselves sent off though put a huge strain on their team mates, and its something we really need to cut out. Luckily, the visitors were unable to take advantage, and twenty minutes from time Alex Walker wrapped up the points. A good win, which keeps us in the title race, and helps us overcome our European hangover.

The Challenge Cup Semi Final against Falkirk attracted just over 43,000 supporters to Ibrox, and they were to see us put in our best performance of the season, despite an injury to Bob Malcolm which meant a debut for 16 year old Steven Lennon. Ross McCormack got the show underway on 21 minutes, and less than two minutes later Fetai had added second. Burke, and Fetai again made it four nil at the break, and the match was effectively over. Burke added a fifth two minutes from time, but there was some bad news for debut boy Lennon as he had to go off a minute before the goal with an injury. Luckily for the lad, who played fairly well, it turned out to be nothing serious.

A good 2-0 win over Airdrie at Ibrox kept our run going, but the inexperience showed through again in Perth, as Warren Jacmot became the latest player to be sent off, and we had to settle for a two each draw, which on reflection was a decent enough result. We ended the month with a comfortable 3-0 win over Ross County, a hattrick from McCormack, and the result sees us remain in second place. With eleven matches gone, we are now two points behind Clyde, and three ahead of Falkirk, with St Johnstone’s challenge seeming to have slipped up. We still have a lot of work to do, but promotion is still very much on the cards, if we can cut out the silly red cards.

shannon2007

November 2004
Steven Laidlaw

Of our five matches in November, two would be cup ties, and so there wasn’t a lot of league action compared to other months. And the first of those cup ties was at Dens Park, a League Cup 3rd round tie, and this was our first real chance to test our young team against an SPL side. Three minutes in, and Caballero had Dundee ahead, and my fears that this might be too much for us were seemingly being realised. Yet somehow we stuck in there, and on 36 minutes Charlie Adam equalized. Come half time it was still level, and we felt we were well capable of causing an upset. On the hour mark though, Fotheringham sent Dundee ahead, and it would seem that we were still a fair way behind the top sides. Which is exactly what you would expect. With 78 minutes gone though, we had a penalty, which Steven Smith converted for his first senior goal, and as Dundee incredibly ran out of steam, substitute Robert Davidson grabbed a late brace to send us sailing through to the Quarter Finals. The draw sent us to Dingwall, and we had a great chance of reaching our second cup semi final of the season.

Our first ever venture into the League Challenge Cup – and hopefully our last – saw us take on Raith Rovers at Hampden in the Final. With a huge crowd of over 52,000, we expected a tough match but it didn’t turn out that way. Fetai’s 5th minute strike seemed to deflate Rovers, and when Chris Burke added a second on 21 minutes, the Final was over. A minute from half time, Charlie Adam went on a wonderful mazy run from inside his own half, only to see the keeper somehow get a hand to his final shot, which fell to Fetai who banged it home. Adam though got the goal he so richly deserved on the hour, and we had romped home against a Raith side who had froze on the day and hadn’t posed us any problems at all.

Yet if Raith hadn’t posed us any problems at Hampden, the same couldn’t be said when they came to Ibrox in the League, which just happened to be the match after the Final. It was a much more stubborn performance from the Fifers, but Charlie Adam finally broke the deadlock with eight minutes left. Deep into injury time though, Raith scored from a remarkable counter attack, and the draw had done real damage to our promotion chances. Another hard fought game in Falkirk saw us run out 1-0 winners, thanks to and Alex McColl goal, but at St Mirren Park our title chances were blown out the water as the Paisley side won 1-0, and at the end of the month, we remain second behind Clyde, but after 14 games, the gap is now a daunting seven points. And next up Clyde come to Ibrox, and if we lose we can kiss the SPL goodbye.

shannon2007

December 2004
Steven Laidlaw

It had been many years since a match with Clyde held so much importance for a Rangers side. The fact was, if we lost at Ibrox against the league leaders, we would be 10 points adrift of them, and it would be hard to see a way back from that. Only one promotion place was starting to bite hard. Of course the opposite side of the coin was, a win would see us right back in there. After a stubborn first half from Clyde, Adam finally broke the deadlock 2 minutes from half time, and on the hour Brian Gilmour, deputising for the injured Stephen Hughes, bagged his first ever senior goal, and we were looking good for the points. Clyde though weren’t about to give up without a fight, and ten minutes later they had a lifeline. The Rangers players were flying now though, and a third from Charlie Adam sewed up the points. The fact that the midfielder is our top scorer perhaps says as much about the lack of quality in our strike force as it does about the kids ability.

Fresh on the heels of the win over Clyde, we were off to Dingwall again, this time on League Cup duty. The long trip didn’t go unrewarded, as a brace from McCormack was added to by Fetai, and we were into the semis. The draw took place the next day, and it was to prove very interesting indeed. Hibs would face Hearts, and we had been to drawn to play either Morton or Celtic. With the media gearing up for what might well be the only Old Firm match of the season, Morton had other ideas, and after drawing 2-2, won the penalty shoot out to pull off the shock of the season. Celtic and League Cup shocks seem to go hand in hand it seems.

Back in the league, and in a tough match at Airdrie, McCormack seemed to be finally finding his shooting boots with another brace, as we won out 3-1, and a hard fought 2-1 victory at Ibrox over Hamilton, McCormack on the scoresheet again, saw us climb to the top of the table for the first time, as Clyde seemed to be crumbling. The final match of the year saw us win far too easily against bottom placed Queen of the South. A Charlie Adam hattrick helped us to a 5-0 win against a team who have only managed one win, and looked set to go down. With the season half over, that result leaves us three points clear of St Johnstone, with faltering Clyde a further point back. The race for the SPL look to be between us three, but having gotten our noses in front, we now feel we can stay there.