shannon2007

Season 2004-2005 - Tha Chairman's Report
Stuart Redmond

A season that started then with so much megativity, and indeed fear, ended successfully as the manager guided the club back to the Scottish Premier League. Winning the League Challenge Cup was a nice little bonus, although the truth the cash generated from this was minimal. The League Cup provided a little bit more cash, and also showed that we might have a decent chance of doing well in the top division, and my expectation for the coming season will be that finish top six.

Financially, things are slightly better than they were, and the smaller of our debts will be paid off come September, reducing our outgoings by £475k a month, and giving us some hope of breaking even. Our final loss for last season was £3.2M which on the face of it sounds reasonable, but when you consider that £2.5M was generated through player sales, and that I myself had to pump in a sum of £4M*, you can clearly see that we were struggling to make ends meet.

As a result, there is still virtually no money for the manager to spend, and the wage bill has to be kept under strict control. If a player comes up that the manager really feels he's needs, then provided that its within a reasonable price we will see what we can work out, but its very unlikely we would be able to accomodate him. There certainly wont be 'big money' signing in a bid to stay up.

On the plus side, season ticket sales are up and we have made nearly £2.5M compared to just half a million last year, and sales are still ongoing. The future of the club will heavily depend on the support of the fans, and on the club staying up and hopefully reaching European competition. I cannot stress enough to those fans who have stayed away, that if they continue to do so then they wont have a club to support. I think perhaps there are people who need to learn what supporting a club really means, and not just when we are being successful.

I wish the manager and players well in what could be a make or break season for him and the club.

retired_brittni10

Congratulations on the league win

shannon2007

Thanks Wag

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July 2005
Steven Laidlaw

Apart from the fact there was no money to spend, the truth also was that I couldnt find any out of contract players who would improve the squad, whilst at the same time keep us within our wage budget. As a result, there were no new players at Ibrox for the season ahead. There was one piece of good news for the supporters though, as Charlie Adam decided to withdraw his transfer request.

We fixed up four pre-season friendlies, again all at Ibrox. First up were German side Hertha, and going 2-0 up by the hour mark we were doing rather well. In the end though, with a fair few changes causing a loss of rythym, we ended up with a 2-2 draw. A decent enough result on the face of it. Basque side Bilbao were next, and another decent performance from us saw ua only go dowm 1-0 to a very talented side.

Our third match would be the easiest of the four, as we entertained my former club, Renfrew Juniors. Thios was more of a training and confidence building exercise, and the final score of 8-1 certainly didnt do us any harm. Our final warm up match saw us go down 1-0 against Tottenham, but there was certainly a lot to be pleased about as we headed to Tannadice to take on last seasons SPL runners up in our opening game....

2005-2006 Squad
Managers Assessment

Goalkeepers

Alan McGregor (23) Scotland (6 U-21 caps) No 1 last season, in which he performed very well. This will be a big test for him, but I'm fairly confident he wont let us down. (Appearnces 52, conceded 46, clean sheets 19, Man of the Match 4, Rating 7.10)

Graeme Smith (22) Scotland (3 U-21 caps) Due to the consistancy of McGregor, didnt managed a single first team start, being injured at the only time the first choice was out.

Lee Robinson (19) Scotland (uncapped) Managed one appearance as a sub.

Gary Milne (16) Scotland Newly promoted from the youth academy, but truth is he looks like he has no chance of ever playing for the first team.

Defence

Warren Jacmot (17) France (2 U-21 caps) Filled in at right back, and made a little bit more impact with the departures of Ross and Hutton, but remains second choice. (Appearances 9, Goals 0, Assists 2, Man of the Match 0, Rating 7.11)

Brian McLean (20) Scotland (uncapped) The fact he was ommited from last seasons assessment list shows that he was not considered to be anywhere near a decent player, and spent the first three months on loan to Albion Rovers, where he didnt shine. Managed to make the right back spot his own, but Jacmot is pushing hard to displace him. (Appearances 26, Goals 0, Assists 1, Man of the Match 0, Rating 6.65)

Steven Smith (19) Scotland (uncapped) Wasnt expected to do overly well, but came through the season with a lot of credit and will remain as first choice left back for now. (Appearances 35, Goals 1, Assists 2, Man of the Match 0, Rating 7.03)

Andy Reilly (19) Scotland (1 U-21 cap) Signed during the January transfer window as a free agent, the former Wycome player did very well when he was given the chance. (Appearances 16(2), Goals 0, Assists 4, Man of the Match 0, Rating 7.22)

Fraser Coyle (20) Scotland (uncapped) Performed much better than expected, but may well struggle in the SPL. (Appearances 17(1), Goals 2, Assists 1, Man of the Match 0, Rating 7.39)

Alex McColl (18) Scotland (uncapped) Decent enough season, still question marks as to whether he can raise his game for the higher level. (Appearances 39, Goals 2, Assists 1, Man of the Match 0, Rating 7.10)

Graeme Watson (19) Scotland (uncapped) Wasnt expected to do much, and truth is didnt really impress when given the chance. (Appearances 13(3), Goals 0, Assists 1, Man of the Match 0, Rating 6.88)

Gary McKenzie (19) Scotland (uncapped) Good season, and will be looking to improve as he plays against better players. (Appearances 35, Goals 7, Assists 2, Man of the Match 0, Rating 7.34)

Andy Sim (15) Scotland (uncapped) Promoted from the youth academy, this guy can also play in midfield, and we have real hope he can break into the first team one day.

Midfield

Chris Burke (21) Scotland (4 caps, 0 goals) Great season for Chris, despite missing out on three months through injury. Managed to break into the Scotland squad and looks like he can have a decent career in the game. (Appearances 24(1), Goals 5, Assists 7, Man of the Match 4, Rating 7.80)

Alex Walker (21) Scotland (3 U-21 caps) Managed a good number of games, mainly due to Burke's injury and also filling in for other players when needed. Played well, and is become a vital part of the squad. (Appearances 30(8), Goals 3, Assists 10, Man of the Match 7, Rating 7.61)

Stephen Hughes (22) Scotland (1 cap, 0 goals) Another player who broke into the National squad, picking up his first full cap. Had a great season, much as we had expected. (Appearances 39, Goals 9, Assists 11, Man of the Match 9, Rating 8.03)

Brian Gilmour (18) Scotland (uncapped) Had quite few chances to fill in, and didnt do his future chances any harm. (Appearances 21(1), Goals 2, Assists 6, Man of the Match 3, Rating 7.73)

Steven Lennon (17) Scotland (uncapped) Wasnt expected to make much impact, but the departures of Malcolm and Ross gave him a way into the team, and he managed to hold his place. (Appearances 27(3), Goals 0, Assists 5, Man of the Match 0, Rating 7.27)

Charlie Adam (19) Scotland (2 U-21 caps) Superb season for a player who looks as if he can be a real star. Walked off with the First Division and Rangers Supporters Player of the Year awards, and with an amazing 30 goals from midfield, was the clubs top scorer. (Appearances 39, Goals 30, Assists 18, Man of the Match 14, Rating 8.44)

Marvyn Wilson (31) Scotland (uncapped) Signed as a stopgap from Airdrie in January at the cost of £2,000 and has failed to make much real impact. (Appearances 6(5), Goals 1, Assists 0, Man of the Match 0, Rating 6.73)

Gary McKenzie (17) Scotland (uncapped) Third of the players from the academy, but is pretty poor.

Attackers

Ross McCormack (18) Scotland (uncapped) Reasonable season, although his goals to games ratio is probably not good enough, and will need to be improved. (Appearances 34(5), Goals 18, Assists 12, Man of the Match 2, Rating 7.15)

Tom Brighton (21) Scotland (uncapped) Played well enough, but generally failed to deliver in front of goal. (Appearances 24(4), Goals 9, Assists 10, Man of the Match 0, Rating 7.11)

Bajram Fetai (19) Denmark (4 U-21 caps, 2 goals) Did well enough to break into the Danish U-21 side, but truth is, he is a long way from being a decent striker. (Appearances 17(8), Goals 9, Assists 6, Man of the Match 1, Rating 6.96)

Robert Davidson (19) Scotland (uncapped) Similiar scoring ratio to McCormack, and could be decent partner for him as the pair continue to learn their trade. (Appearances 29(6), Goals 17, Assists 9, Man of the Match 1, Rating 7.09)

Scott Agnew (18) Scotland (uncapped) Really failed to make much impact. (Appearances 3 (9), Goals 1, Assists 4, Man of the Match 0, Rating 6.83)

shannon2007

August 2005
Steven Laidlaw

In a tight title race last season, Dundee United had ended second behind eventual winners Celtic. It wasnt the ideal place to go therefore to get our SPL campaign underway, but at least after this match we might have a decent idea of how our squad will go this season. The biggest fear is we might end up on the wrong end of a bad beating, which would destroy confidence. I felt sure thought that wouldnt happen, and sure enough when Robert Davidson sent us ahead after 22 minutes, things were looking up.

Ten minutes later United were level through Greacen, but we were playing well and the players didnt let that goal get them down. Three minutes from half time, Stephen Hughes fired us back in front, and our first 45 minutes back in the SPL had been an excellent one. The second half was similiar to the first, except we couldnt add to our lead, and as United pressed for an equalizer, so they got one three minutes into added on time. A draw was a decent result, but given the timing of their goal, it was very hard to take.

Hibs were the first side to come to Ibrox in the SPL this season, and they would be looking to state their case as potential title winners. Once again it was Robert Davidson who opened the scoring on 20 minutes, but Hibs always looked threatening, althought the equalizer from Steven Whittaker right on half time wasnt from the source we might have expected. A second half where both teams had their moments was to produce no further goals, and we had gained a second point in a tough game.

At Fir Park, we hit a brick wall. This time Motherwell scored first, on 25 minutes, and we were lucky to get to the break just one goal down. An injury to Brian McLean just before the hour was a bit of a blow, meaning Marvyn Wilson would need to fill in at right back but just a few minutes later Davidson bagged his 3rd goal of the season to pull us level. Our thoughts of a third successive draw though were soon dismissed, as Motherwell scored twice in three minutes, and we suffered our first defeat. If anyone had wondered just how hard this season would be, they had now found out.

The month ended with a home match against Aberdeen. Charlie Adam had missed the first two league games through suspension, and had been largely annonymous at Motherwell. Finally though he got his season underway with a goal in each half, as we wrapped up oue first win of the season by 2-0. It was certainly a relief to get that win on the board, but the chairman declared he was about to make an announcement that could have a significant impact on our season. I could only hope it wasnt my sacking!

shannon2007

Scottish Daily Re-tard - 1st September 2005
Rangers Chairman Unveils New Investor
But Still No Cash For Manager

Rangers Chairman Stuart Redmond yesterday welcomed mulit-millionaire lawyer Iain Bartholomew onto the Rangers board. It is believed Bartholomew, who recently lost a takeover bid for Ayr United, has ploughed £10M into the Ibrox club which helps to ease fears of the club going into liquidation. Redmond welcomed the investement, but reminded the fans that the club still owed a lot of money and there could not be massive amounts spent on transfers come January when the market re-opens.

This investment is of significant importance to the club, as it allows us to clear the overdraft and will finance the bank repayments for the next few months. However, we will not be rushing out to spend it on the transfer market. The manager can, if he wishes, have a small amount to spend but we must always remain with the wage budgets set down. Our priority first and foremost is to get the debt management under control and the club operating at a profit. We have still not achieved that.

Bartholomew stated that although he would rather have ploughed his money into his local club, as they had rejected him he would just put it elsewhere, and although he has had no previous connections with Rangers, It just seemed like a nice thing to do was his comment.

The investment was hailed as an astute financial move by the chairman, and has been applauded by fans up and down the country.


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The damn game added a £10M investment in, on top of about £4M it ploughed in last season. Annoying when you dont really want it!

shannon2007

September 2005
Steven Laidlaw

If the news of the financial investment had come as music to the ears of the supporters, the news of Stephen Hughes departure brought them back to reality. A £2.5M bid from Charlton was too much to turn down, and although Stephen was sad to leave, he knew it was for the best for both him and the club. Yet his departure had left a gaping hole in midfield, and with the transfer deadline now passed, it couldnt be filled till January. With a small amount of money, I set about securing the services of three players, who will join with the window re-opens.

Goalkeeper Paul Gallacher will be coming from Norwich for £50K. I felt we needed an experienced back up, and Gallacher should fit that bill. In the midfield, young Manchester United starlet David Fox had agreed a £250k move, and we were delighted to secure the signature of Birmingham playmaker David Dunn, for what I believe is a bargain price of £500k. Dunn has had to take a massive wage cut, from £29k a week to just over £8K, but Birmingham have agreed to pay the difference until his original contract with them would have run out, in the summer of 2007. The deal seems to favour us a lot more than them, but I cant say I'm unhappy with that.

The football for the month began with a trip to Inverness, and as we fell behind on just 7 minutes, it was clear we were missing Hughes influence. Gary MacKenzie though secured all three points with a penalty in each half, and its fair to say we got lucky. In the First Old Firm match for over a season, we didnt come off quite so lucky. Despite matching Celtic all the way, we ended up losing to a Chris Sutton strike. Worse news was that Charlie Adam's red card near the end, a second yellow, meant he would miss the next five league matches, and as he was also serving a 1 match cup ban he will be out for six games.

A mini injury crises amongst the strikers saw me signing out of contract Noel Whelan. The forward has signed till the end of the season. At Dens Park, Whelan was on the bench, coming on at half time but failed to make much impact as we went down 2-0, to leave us in 10th place and struggling to stay alive. The month ended with a League Cup 2nd round tie at Forfar, a match that would hopefully allow us to get some confidence back.

After a torrid first half, Forfar took the leag four minutes from half time, and the word shock was being bandied about again. I decided to being Noel Whelan on to play the midfield role running up to support the front two, and it seemed to work as he scored on the 55th and 61st minutes to get us out of jail. Chris Burke added a superb third on 64 minutes, but then blotted his copy book by giving away a penalty in injury time and also being red carded. McClune scored for the home side, but there was not time left for them to equalize and we had scrapped into a 3rd round meeting with Hearts.

shannon2007

October 2005
Steven Laidlaw

Another new face who would be arriving in January would be Kilmarnock midfielder Stephen Murray. For a fee of £150k up front, and a further payment of the same amount spread over six months, I felt the deal was a good bargain, and Murray will add a bit more depth to the midfield. The squad still needs a lot of improvement, but with the restrictions on who we can sign, that isnt going to be easy to achieve.

Hearts were our first opponents in October at Ibrox. Despite a 10th minute injury to Chris Burke we had a decent first half, going in at the interval a goal up thanks to a Ross McCormack penalty. Eight minutes into the second half Hears were level, but Robert Davidson soon restored our lead. As the match wore on though, Hearts got stronger, and two late goals from De Vries saw them nick the points and in the end a dissapointing defeat for us.

The first of two matches on the road saw us go to Livingston, and a very poor performance saw us go down by 2-0. Its becoming clear that some players are way out of their depth, and relegation is something that is becoming a real possibility unless we can find some inspiration from somewhere. At East End Park, it seemed it might have, as another good first 45 minutes saw us ahead by 2-1. Once again though we were to lose late goals, and crash to another defeat. There were rumblings of discontent from the boardroom, but I'm of the opinion the players are doing the best they can.

At home to Kilmarnock though, the real szie of the mountain to be climbed was there for all to see, as we were humiliated thanks in part to a Danny Invincible hattrick. The final of score of 4-1 could have been a whole lot worse, and it was clear we really needed to freshen the side up. The problem is, we just dont have the personel to do that. After 11 games, we lie a dissapointing 11th in the table, the only saving grace for us being the even more dismal performances by Dundee United which see them bottom with just four points, and not a single win. If we dont start picking up the points soon though, we will be staring a trip back to the First Division in the face, and Im not sure if the chairmans patience could cope with that.

retired_jgirl87

Not the start that you would have wanted in the SPL. I hope for the sake of Mr Laidlaw that the board sticks with him until January when his new signings may add a bit of class to the side. KUTGW

shannon2007

Well, at least it makes it interesting

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November 2005
Steven Laidlaw

With the pressure and stress growing, Hearts came to Ibrox again, this time on League Cup duty. A win for us here would not solve our problems, but it would hopefully boost the sagging confidence of a squad who seemed to have forgotten how to play. Yet three minutes into the match we were behind, and heads went down ever further. Mark de Vries made it two for Hearts on just 17 minutes, and fears of a really bad beating could felt around the half empty stadium. Somehow though my players managed to pull themselves together, or perhaps Hearts just relaxed, and on the half hour Brian Gilmour pulled us back into the match. Hopes of a comeback though never materialised, and although we matched Hearts for the rest of the game, we exited the League Cup.

Possibly the most crucial match of the season next, as bottom of the table Dundee United came to Ibrox and if we lost this then we were in deep, deep dog-poo. We needed a response from the players, and we got one as Davidson and McCormack both scored in the first sixteen minutes. Yet the weakness had not gone away, and even Dundee United could take advantage as they were back in the match four minutes before halftime. Just two minutes later though Charlie Adam, whose season has been very disrupted so far, restored our two goal cushion. Hopefully the youngster can start to get back to the form he was showing last season, and soon. Twenty minutes from time, United scored again to make us sweat for the points, but in injury time Noel Whelan made sure, and the win gives us a little bit of breathing space.

We had moved above Motherwell before they came to Ibrox, but after they left we were back below them. Another mediocre performance saw us go down 1-0, and its clear that we just cannot compete at this level. Yet just when you feel on the brink of despair, the players shock you. We travelled to Easter Road expecting the worst, but a great performance, and two goals from Whelan saw us pull of a tremendous 2-0 win to leave us 10th after 14 games, with 14 points.

Below us, Inverness sit on 13 with a game in hand, and thankfully Dundee United looked doomed with just five points. Above us Dundee & Motherwell have 15 points, Aberdeen have 16 and Hibs 17. A few wins can push up to mid table safety, but its getting those wins that isnt going to prove to be easy...

shannon2007

December 2005
Steven Laidlaw

Perhaps it’s a sign of how bad we are, that our performances in November actually won me the Manager of the Month award for the first time. It felt a bit of a hollow award, but as its unlikely I’ll be winning it again for the foreseeable future, I guess I should revel in it and pretend I deserved it. Back in the transfer market again, and two bids to strengthen a very weak front line fell through, the most important being that for Hibs Garry O’Connor. The club wanted Graeme Smith in exchange, and as the keeper has replaced McGregor as No 1 at the moment, that was never going to happen so our search for someone who can get us goals goes on.

December was always going to be a tough month, with trips to Pittodrie and Celtic Park looming. We came away from Aberdeen with a respectable 0-0 draw after a fighting performance, but the same could not be said about our visit to the east end of Glasgow. A rather ludicrous penalty for the home side in the 2nd minute – Smith alleged to have brought down Thompson, yet not even being booked – set the tone of the match, as we were quite literally murdered by the reigning champions and league leaders. In the end, the 5-0 scoreline was actually kind to us, but it did take me a few days to summon up the courage to meet with the chairman. He was not a happy bunny.

The year would end with two very vital home games, which in all honest we had to win. Inverness are still catchable, and an early strike from Adam gave us the boost we needed. Yet as the match wore on, so the visitors threatened more and more, and goals on 55 and 69 minutes sent them ahead. It was looking rather desperate until the referee awarded us a penalty a minute from time, which Gary MacKenzie slotted home and we stole a point. But they all count, and they’re all very much needed.

Our final match of the year was against Dundee, and if we could just get through this, then come January we would have our new players, including right back Greg Shields. The former Rangers player returns in a £100k deal that I hope will help to strengthen a very shaky defensive line. An early Noel Whelan strike, and a late penalty from MacKenzie sealed the 2-0 win over Dundee, and we end the year in a slightly more respectable 10th spot. I think its fair to say that my employment prospects at Ibrox within the next six months rely firmly with those players coming in. I can only hope they deliver.

SPL Standings 31st December 2005
(All teams on 18 games


<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Celtic 42Hearts 33Dunfermline 31Kilmarnock 29Livingston 28Hibs 25Inverness 22Aberdeen 21Motherwell 19Rangers 19Dundee 17Dundee United 08</pre>